The first of seven articles about our latest student build - the 1986 Smokin SS Monte Carlo is out in Chevy Rumble -with the second installment on the shelf soon. First article “Introducing: Smokin SS” linked here, second link to come as soon as it is available on online.
Aero is a big part of what this build is about, drag is only a portion of the pie so to speak. Air management as a whole is a balancing act you gain some here and loose some there. The one thing I realized right away in the mid-eighties when the NASCAR boys started to frequent the wind tunnels, drag numbers were their measure of manhood: our CD (coefficient of drag) vs. their CD. The term coefficient being critical here, a car with a large frontal area vs. a small area could in fact have relatively the same coefficient but do not perform even close. A car with balance and stability could in fact have 30 points more drag and wear your butt out in overall performance. Most baseline aero coupes would be in the .300+ range for qualifying .330 in race trim. The lowest CD information that I personally witnessed was an aero coupe that was retrofitted with an El Camino nose and hood – very narrow – CD was .287 in qualifying trim.
The Smokin SS build has used many of the baseline aero tricks if you will, not as much to address drag but to add stability at speed. Under body treatments focused on downforce, without drag penalties, slab siding the car also keeps the car stable in not only straight lines but in aggressive cornering. Windshield angle and overall roof height decreases frontal area. Under hood air management increases cowl pressure and heat dissipation of oil coolers, radiators, engine covers, etc… The design of the exhaust, height of the fuel cell, and the qtr panel trailing edges can all effect drag, downforce and stability. We have tried to benefit from of as many of these advantages as we can. Remember the only thing we are not paying for when it comes to performance is AIR!!!
Just from past experience I would say that the Smokin SS in street trim will be about a .330 CD with most street versions blowing in at around .370.
Mark
Last edited by zerotofear; 07-10-2008 at 02:39 PM.
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'86 Smokin SS Monte Carlo
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