Weighing in at 3,038 pounds (less driver) with a full tank of gas, the “Wilshire Shaker” is a good 500 pounds heavier than a typical mid-sixties Nova match racer because we didn’t go overboard trying to shed pounds on this street-and-strip brawler. The switch to the Crane roller cam bumped 1/8 mile performance from so-so 7.6’s at 90 (like a 12.0 in the quarter) to 6.9’s at 95 (like a 10.90). You can see it for yourself on YouTube by using the keywords; “Wilshire Shaker 777 Drag Race.” And while the guys at M/T warned us the 10-15 retro slicks were only good for “making smoke,” our 1.482-second 60-foot times and foot-high wheelies prove otherwise! Thanks to its radical wheelbase surgery, the static weight distribution stands at 45/55. That’s right, at rest the Shaker has more mass on the rear tires than on the front. That’s the beauty of an altered wheelbase. |
Another major detail – and a potential way to tame wheelies - is the addition of a small Moon tank hanging off the front of the car. This doesn’t have to be a functional component of the fuel system, in fact it is best left empty of any flammable liquids…except vodka. The alternate role for the Moon tank could be as a ballast container. That’s right, if filled with lead shot, it could add as much as 50 to 75 pounds to the prow of the ship. That could go a long way toward keeping the front end closer to the track. Make sure the mounting system is up to the task of securing a fully laden Moon tank amid the bounces and jolts of street and strip combat!
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A great opportunity to score even more funny points is to build a large aluminum chin spoiler and hang it beneath the front bumper. It was a common sight as speeds went over 150 mph and racers sought ways to prevent their cars from going airborne in the traps. Such a spoiler also provides an excellent opportunity for a fun logo or other painted treatment. Butch Leal’s California Flash altered wheelbase ’65 Plymouth wore an odd cartoon of a dog chasing a scalded ape on its chin spoiler. Have some fun!
Further aerodynamic tailoring can be performed by adding a stand-up lip spoiler to the trailing edge of the trunk lid. Again, such aero appendages began to sprout as the funnies switched to alky and nitro and shattered the 150 mph barrier.
Taking a page from NASCAR stock car competition, some funny car racers placed backlight retainer straps over the rear window to keep it in place at top speed. Likely only applicable to situations where plexiglass windows were used, it would be redundant on my Nova with its stock rubber gasket and flange retainer design. It would still look cool though…
Tennis balls strung together on a simple chain keep debris from entering the stacks. Unfiltered air is of no consequence except at particularly dusty race tracks where fine mesh screens restrict pebbles. |
After completion, initial computer calibration work was done by Joe Morgan on the Dyno Works chassis dyno. The conservative 0.527/0.544-inch lift hydraulic roller cam that’s standard with the 505/502 crate engine refused to rev past 5,800. And at 346-hp and 486-lb/ft at the slicks, we needed more! We swapped it for Crane 0.615/0.636-inch solid roller cam and spring set. It hasn’t been back to the dyno, but now it happily revs to 7,000rpm. |
