John Cunningham

Pictured is the first 3rd Gen race car in the world. This car won lots of money in NHRA competition eliminator. 5 speed 281 cubic inches went 8.44 at over 160mph in 1982.......won national events and lots of money. Fastest comp car in the country back in the day....was stopped by Don Prudhome in the pits as I was driving around and asked "what kind of car was this" as he looked it over...

W.E.G.

That car is so bodacious, just look at what it did to the hair of that poor fella standing in front of it!

John Cunningham

Young Cajun boy from Lousiana who loved his Afro back in the day!

AlkyIROC

All Comp Eliminator cars are stupid fast. It's just cubic dollars racing.

Local racer Jirka Kaplan was racing in AA/AM a few years ago plus in a few other classes as he changed his displacement. Basically he was running a top fuel small block in an altered and obliterated the class records. He was the first Comp car into the 5 second range.

John Cunningham

That was not true at all in 1982. Most of our fast engines were built in our home garage. There was no Dyno.....we went to the track 3 days a week to test test test. We made ourselves fast. We did not have cubic money in 1982. I had a job and went to work everyday. We were the last bunch of homemade hardcore racers
Today its different .I quit because the fun was gone and there is too much money thrown at those cars by guys that buy speed...But not that 82 Camaro. I used a clutch every time I made a shift at 9500 with stock chevy components.......

Passmenow

Post some more race photos/story's of your pride and joy.
Where is the car now?

Tootie Pang

iTrader: (2)

That guy's hair probably got blown off.

GenX'Motorsport

Amazing for a motor that size. And that tranny. We need more detials??

Stock-3864

iTrader: (1)

I remember your camaro, those were better times back then.

John Cunningham

There are too many stories to list but anywhere we went we qualified very well with stock engine parts that we twisted to 10,000 rpm on a regular basis......stock chevy crank and block and trw pistons. We ran stock crane roller gold rockers on studs with iron chevy turbo heads. 1.550 springs and a roller cam of course. A cast tunnel ram with two holly 660's.most everybody ran the same stuff. We just had a very good car ahead of its time with a 4 link suspension that had the right instant center built into and figured out the right weight distribution. Plenty of weight on the nose. It was a single rag disc and a doug nash 5 speed with some 102" rollout slicks. We ran Mickey Thompson tires even back then.....they were in the early years of slicks. We did not even have a shift light and shifted by the seat of the pants and no two step rev limiter either. This was drag racing at its best. Why we even had a movie star following Heather Thomas from the "Fall Guy" TV series!

John Cunningham

Im looking for a nice stock Third Gen to purchase with a 5 speed as a driver if you run across any that has a decent price.Im going to slow myself down now....

John Cunningham

By the way one of the biggest issues for a us was coming up with the rear lexan window that had all those curves in them. Nobody had made a window like that back then and we never did get it just perfect.

John Cunningham

Also I sold the car and I know it was sold again.have no idea where the car landed but I built what I thought was a better car after that and it would not even get close to that car with the same engine etc. I slowed down after that and never could even qualify most of the time. Shows you how the right combination is needed in a competitive class or you wont run. Pro Stockers have found this out too. They will build a new car and end up going back to their previous year car because the new one was slower......

red rock

iTrader: (2)

Thank you John for taking the time to come on here with the pictures and some background from 1982 racing. Are you sure you want to find another car and "slow down"? That doesn't usually work to well. Once racing is in your blood, it seems to stay there.

John Cunningham

Oh its there alright but enough is enough. I will probably end up with a mod of some sorts..

Wolfster14

Very Cool John , thanks for sharing the history.

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Great photos and story. Thanks for sharing.

I love the graphics in that first photo!

John Cunningham

Your welcome red Rock.figured you guys might get a kick out that car and story.

Maybe somebody could help me find the following car

Low mile ulta clean NO Tops/NoTpi plain jane camaro 305 TBI auto or stick but real clean. AC a must and no Verts
Thanks

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

what'd it weigh?

John Cunningham

In C/G it weighed 2150.ran 8.44 and that was in 1983/84 Nothing fancy for an engine..

3rdgenmaro

iTrader: (9)

Thanks for sharing

John Cunningham

Here is a full bodied all steel car I raced in 1990 in Super Modified..this car weighed in at 3000 pounds and had a 5 speed and a 358 Cubic Inch engine with one four barrel...set the record in A/SM at 8.51

Had a 10 point roll cage and a four link with a 5 speed......a good working car that was very competitive.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

this is awesome! what 5 speed were you using? I am using a g-force gf5r, which is akin to the doug nash 4+1, but updated with beefier case, shafts, has hand-cuff brace, and is faceplated instead of proshifted. i'm a huge 3-pedal, all motor, high winding, small cubic inch fan so i definitely am all ears! 2150 is silly light. was that a steel roof/quarters car or was it a tube chassis/glass body car?

8.50's is where i want mine to live one day, but i also do dragweek, so the combo has to be able to live on the street for 1000-1500 miles throughout the week.

John Cunningham

The Camaro was a pro shifted Doug Nash 5 speed. You had to use the clutch. It had no hand cuff brace and was not face plated. It was later on but not for a few years. I used a single disc rag disc most of the time. The ram metallic 3 paddle discs were too harsh and broke trans parts...so the rag disc worked well with a ford long pressure plate.
The Camaro was a steel roof and steel factory quarter panels as that was the rule. Basicall a prostocker but raced in Comp. This engine was 296 cubic inches with an old cyl design called the turbo casting and a tunnel ram with two carbs

The firebird came later and was raced in the 90's and was a Liberty fully clutchless 5 speed with a big old cushioned pad that we used to bang forward to move each gear. No handle to pull.......just keep hitting it hard. The firebird was a passenger all steel car with a glass hood., weighed between 2800 and 3000 pounds with a 358 SBC and 1 four barrel and 12 degree cyl heads.......I was way ahead with this cyl head. We used 15 degree castings and welded the decks and angle milled them to 12 degrees. The manifold was a special edelbrock piece because we had to use a cast manifold. Keith Wilson / Wilson Manifold Fame..turned into a 12 degree piece and disguised it. A work of art. It was legal cheating...

John Cunningham

This picture was ran in a different class to see how it would run with a tunnel ram and a big Dom carb.

mw66nova

iTrader: (13)

really awesome! thanks for sharing the stories man i love 3 pedal racing for sure!

Gibby10

iTrader: (3)

glad I found this. I Have a instructor who had mentioned this car before, Judson Massingil. anybody know where this car is now?

Waldrop

I have this Firebird now and it's for sale... RacingJunk ad: 184387400. Thanks