How to Keep an Eight-Second Naturally Aspirated Street Car Alive For Five Years (Without Pulling the Motor)
The drag-and-drive scene has a way of exposing when a driver, car or sometimes both aren’t up to the task of completing hundreds of miles and sometimes a dozen of more passes between race tracks.
In the case of this 1982 Pontiac Firebird, it and its owner Terry Miller have proven they are up to the task of the drag-and-drive landscape.
Get a free Sick the Mag Christmas shirt with ANY PURCHASE at Sick the Mag. Add the shirt to your cart with ANY other purchase, use promo code MERRYCHRISTMAS at checkout, and we’ll send the shirt for free!
The first year of the third-generation F-body design, this Firebird has actually seen seven-second passes in its past with the same engine with some laughing gas on top, but Terry went back to just fuel and air not long after that.
In the last five years, Terry has found success with the car in both longevity of the engine and results at the track.
The 565 cubic inch big block is based on an aftermarket block with 355 cc Dart cylinder heads, an Edelbrock Victor intake, and a staggering 13:1 compression.
Now while some might think that won’t survive on pump gas, Terry begs to differ, still employing the nitrous-spec camshaft (.824 intake / .800 exhaust lift numbers, while duration checks in at 264 /285 at .050, and it has 21 degrees split duration on a 114-lobe separation).
“The nitrous cam is great on pump gas,” said Terry.
After five years in the car without having any issues, or even having the cylinder heads or oil pan off the engine, Terry revealed his maintenance plan.
“I cut oil filters apart to check for possible issues,” he said. “I run valves every night after the engine cools completely on drag-and-drive competition.”
He has swapped valve springs three times since the engine was build, the only other thing that’s come up is replacing a couple rocker arm bearings in 2023 that were slightly loose.
The results speak for themselves: Terry has racked up three consecutive Midwest Drags wins, and he finished Sick Summer Presented by TBM Brakes in the second spot in the Naturally Aspirated class with an 8.66 average.
“After five years of doing work, it’s time to pull it for a looksy,” said Terry. “I plan to replace the intake valves, and see how everything else looks.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Sick the Magazine and Terry Miller.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com