Drag Racing Online

Ed. Note: Wady Hamam or Pro Mod Wad as he is known in the business is NOS's main nitrous Guru. He has been involved in nitrous oxide injection almost from its inception especially with the Pro Mod division.. He is originally from the Buffalo, New York area and has been involved in all types of racing from flat track motorcycles to fuel dragsters. In his wasted youth he even raced a fuel funny car powered by a blown and injected small block Ford! He and his brother campaigned a front motored Top Fuel dragster and lost a race against Don Garlits at the now closed Niagara Falls Dragway. His advice about nitrous problems is highly sought after but he is hard to get to. He has agreed to answer one question every couple of weeks for Drag Racing Online readers. Email your questions to: promodwad@racingnetsource.com, and he will answer the question he finds most intriguing.

Dear Pro Mod Wad,

I bracket race a 1981 Buick Regal with a 355 ci small block Chevy. The motor has cast flat-top pistons, World s/r heads, Comp Cams 27oh cam, Weiand stealth intake and Holley 03310 carb. Rods and a crank from Summit engine shop. Car weight ready to race is about 3100 lbs.

I race at a 1/8 mile track. The car currently runs 8.10's to 8.30's depending on the weather. The track has a 7.99 cut off for the "pro class" which I want to move into. I want to get the car to about the 7.50 range. I am considering doing this with the NOS Sniper system. I have the following questions:

About how much nitrous HP will it take to get the car in the 7.50's?
Because of the frame rails I am limited to an 8-inch slick. With the addition of nitrous how much of a problem will it be to hook-up off the line? I have considered a relay system wired into the shifter to activate the nitrous at the 1-2 shift. I don't really want to spend the extra money for a progressive controller if I can find another way to hook it up.
The rear end is a GM 7.5" 10 bolt with Richmond 3.73 gears and an Auburn limited slip. Will this combination handle the extra power from nitrous?
The torque converter is a B&M holeshot 2400 (I may go to a holeshot 3000 though), will either of these converters handle the nitrous?

Thanks for considering these questions.

Sid Grimes

Hi Sid,

Sounds like you have a pretty good program going on for right now.

Let me start off by suggesting if you do not already have a dedicated fuel system for the nitrous you should. If you purchase a Holley blue fuel pump it will come with a regulator that you can use to adjust the fuel pressure to the NOS system, as it needs to see its own regulated pressure. You can also use it in the future to fine tune the nitrous.

The Sniper system is adjustable from 50 to 150 HP and I suggest you start at the 125 HP jetting, following the instruction book on fuel pressures, spark plugs and timing settings. This should get you right into the 7.50 zone.

As far as the tire size, that is a small problem because of the torque you will add with the nitrous but I really like your relay idea and I believe that will work well for you. It will also give you the ability to run on tracks with less than desirable traction. If you find it is not the answer then you have the option to get the controller to solve the problem.

The rear end that is in the car now should handle the new power levels with no problems as long as you do not get into severe tire shake situations which is sometimes a side effect created by the addition of nitrous, so be cautious there.

I strongly recommend the 3000 RPM stall converter as it is tight enough to handle a nitrous leave and will allow enough slip to leave on motor only.

Sid, with a little testing time and the adjustablity of both the nitrous system and the fuel pressures as well as time settings, you should find it quite easy to get your goal of 7.50 in the 1/8 mile. Good luck and let me know if I may help you more.