The story of ‘Whitey’, the race car, by Nick Micale, ArizonaGN
Cars of all makes have been a life-long obsession and always been a major part of my business and personal life. Competition racing has covered a few decades with various makes at the drag strip. Buicks from early Valve-in-Head straight 8’s, Nailheads, and big-block V-8’s have been part of my experience. After my first ride in a 1986 Turbo Regal, this became a passion that still exists!
My first 1987 T-Type mainly sits in my garage after a couple years of racing, and then on the show circuit. With only 9,000 miles, it is a prized possession. Having worked on Turbo Buicks since they first were produced in 1978, they remain my favorite, especially the intercooled versions.
My current race car, Whitey, hit the track years ago as a 12-second driver that quickly trashed a rod. The next motor got it to the low 11’s and from there it eventually produced 9-second passes. Since it was a race car from the start, it was not necessary to make compromises as you would for a street-driver. We used this car as our local ‘mule’ to try items and concepts to evaluate their worth. This has given us a great learning experience and there has been fun…most of the time!
One project was the TA Performance aluminum engine. The alum block is one of the two prototypes originally made for evaluation. The TA heads are the first production run of castings and include over 100 miles of street driving to break in the new engine and verify all operating parameters were within specifications.
Track performance has been as expected with times in the low 9’s at 18 PSI. The suspension has undergone its best addition – a HR Parts anti-roll bar. It previously had HR adjustable uppers and tubular lower arms and various other modifications but still twisted at launch. This was cured by the HR bar.
Here are other specifications on the car:
- TA Performance alum block
- TA heads – 1.94″/1.60″ valves
- BMS Crank – 3.625″ stroke
- K-1 rods
- CP 3.900″ pistons
- Comp Cams solid roller
- BB trim 70 turbo
- Duttweiler oiling system
- Arizona GN Headers
- RJC Race Intercooler
- TH-400 transmission w/brake
- GM 8.5 rear w/33spline axles
- 3.42-1 Bogart racing wheels
- XF1 FAST system by Heartline Performance