Previously, I had managed to put up a best of 11.320@120.34mph in November of 2018. Now it was time to hit the books, and research winning combos and decide my course of action and end goals for the build. I was still torn between the idea of a max effort NA and a Whipple route. I knew I didn't have the proper cam or supporting mods for a positive displacement supercharger. I needed to pause, and knock out a few general supporting mods.
First, I wanted a catch can. After looking at multiple names such as Mighty Mouse, Rx, Elite Engineering, and Norris Motorsports, I chose the Norris Motorsports catch can. I liked the interior design and the way it worked, from oil separation, maintenance, to looks and cost. It made perfect sense, so I ordered one, and the install was as easy as could be.
Next, I wanted to shed the 18" wheels and NTO5Rs in favor of a smaller diameter wheel. Race Star 17x10.5 polished wheels were what I decided on, with a 305/45/17 Mickey Thompson Street S/S tire. This would be an affordable way to get some more sidewall for the launch, going down to a 27.9" tire as opposed to a 28.8" tire, and give it a more aggressive and competitive look. I placed my order, and I stared in disbelief upon opening the boxes...
The exact same thing happened again! Completely different vendor and wheel, and the good ol mismatched rim debacle returned to get me a second time, as it had with my 18"s. The vendor quickly corrected the issue and upon receiving my replacement, I took them to my local Firestone to get the tires mounted to the wheel. They even balanced the wheels with inner weights, with zero issues.
I had decided at this point that I wanted to make use of my existing mods and go a completely different route than originally planned. I wanted a centri blower setup that lived above 7k rpm. To do this, I knew I could keep my SS4 camshaft, as it would work well with a centrifugal supercharger. My concerns were first the trunnions on the stock rocker arms, and the limitations of the stock intake manifold. The heads would eventually have to be addressed, as well as lifter choice, solid/vs hollow stem valves, the timing chain, the FUEL SYSTEM, but it could all wait. So, then, which manifold?? So many choices...