If there is one thing that is certain, it’s the fact that drag racing is a continually-evolving sport, and can be a lot more complicated than some realize. Gone are the days of simply needing a sticky tire and a lot of horsepower. Now, winning requires the use of sophisticated electronics, ignition systems, and other throttle-controlling devices. But, there are still those that choose to make racing “fun,” and keep it simple.

When we get the opportunity to attend any of the NMCA-sanctioned races — like the JE Piston’s-sponsored West Coast Shootout — we always like to check out one of the more grassroots classes: True Street. The cars racing in this class are considered by many to be simple by modern standards. The guys that race these cars have a true racing spirit (in addition to vehicles with a DMV registration), and not only compete in side-by-side racing action, but their cars have to endure a drive of 30 miles on local roads before they roll in to the staging lanes. That’s one way to verify that they can be casually driven before letting loose down the 1/4-mile drag strip.

We chose four Chevys that were competing in the True Street class: a 1964 four-door Nova, a 1971 El Camino, a 1971 Nova, and a 2012 Camaro. We tracked down the owners, and queried them for information about the cars. We wanted to know what makes these cars run the numbers they do, and what makes the owners tick. We’ll split this into two articles, and in this installment, we will focus on the four-door Nova and the El Camino, owned by Ted Borges and Mark Smith, respectively.

Fun Little Four-Door: Ted Borges’ 1964 Nova

Ted, a 27-year veteran fireman for the County of Los Angeles, has nothing but great memories and plans for his ’64 Nova. He was admittedly surprised when we approached him looking for more information, but quickly relaxed as we got to talking.

“I consider the car to be stock overall, but still a fun time,” said owner Ted Borges.

“I had owned a Nova before,” Ted said. “I purchased this one from a fellow fireman and neighbor. I originally planned to get it, and just keep it stock with its straight-six engine, but that was before I let my son-in-law have his way with it. He wound up ripping out the engine and transmission, and just left the car sitting around.”

In 2007, Ted reclaimed the car, and began the process of transforming it from a hulk of steel without an engine, to something enjoyable. “I wanted to get it going for a cousin of mine,” Ted explained. “He was going through a fatal illness at that time, and had been a drag racer some years ago. Sadly, he passed away before I could get it finished, but I powered through and made it happen.”

Ted’s fastest time was 13.16 at 104 mph at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Ted started by acquiring a 350 cubic-inch V8 from a 1971 Chevelle. He then had the engine over-bored .040-inch, and installed a set of dished pistons. “The engine is lucky if it has a 9.0:1 compression ratio,” he joked. Nevertheless, the man jumped right in, and before long, he had installed a set of aftermarket cylinder heads, tri-Y headers, and an Extreme Energy camshaft from Comp Cams with .462-inch lift. The factory points-style distributor was fitted with components from Pertronix.

“I’ve also installed an aluminum radiator and an electric fan,” added Ted. “It has a Turbo 350 transmission, and a 2,400 rpm stall converter. I consider the car to be stock, but it’s still great for a fun time.” Ted has planned a number of modifications for the future. On his short list is the installation of an L31 Vortec engine with a roller camshaft, Calvert Racing suspension parts, new mounts for the engine and transmission, and more. “I’m ready to repaint the car,” he said.

A Pickup With Pick-Me-Up: Mark Smith’s 1971 El Camino

Like Ted, Mark is also a county employee for Los Angeles. He spends his days working as a maintenance mechanic for the Department of Water and Power. His love for the Chevrolet El Camino stretches back to his days in high school, as his sister’s boyfriend at the time drove one with a 454 cubic-inch big-block under the hood.

When he first started working on the El Camino, owner Mark Smith found a lot of body filler.

“When I moved to northern California in 2000, I learned that I had a neighbor who owned this 1971 El Camino,” said Mark. “Two years later, I bought the car from him. It was pretty slow back then, since it only had the stock 350 cubic-inch V8 powering it. I wanted to beef it up, so I started working on it.”

Mark soon learned that the car had previously been in an accident. He found body filler in places where it didn’t belong, so he took the time to repair the car the correct way. He left no bolt unturned, as he rebuilt everything that needed servicing, including the Turbo 350 transmission, which he equipped with TCI components, and a Hughes Performance 3,000 rpm stall converter. To handle the motorvational chores, he chose to install a small-block 383 cubic-inch stroker V8 in 2008. He soon found that he could run in the low 12-second index class with this combination.

Then, in early 2014, Mark started assembling a 454 cubic-inch big-block V8. He had the cylinders bored .060-inch to make it a 468 cubic-inch engine, and added an Eagle rotating assembly, which creates a 10.0:1 compression ratio.

Mark’s best time at the Auto Club Raceway with the 468 cubic-inch big-block under the hood was 11.75 seconds at 115 mph.

Along with the Eagle parts, he added a Howards hydraulic-roller camshaft, Comp Cams rocker arms, and a set of rebuilt cylinder heads worked on by Doctor J’s Performance Cylinder Heads. He also had Diff Works rebuild the 12-bolt rearend, and fill it with 3.73:1 gears and a Positraction differential. According to Mark, “I added a set of Lakewood trailing arms in the back help it to hook, and I also use Nitto Extreme drag radials.” Mark commented that he knows he is trying to move a heavy car, as it weighs around 3,660 pounds with him in it. Nonetheless, he never manages to lose out on having fun.

When we asked Mark if he had any plans for more modifications in the future,  he was quick to tell us that he is looking forward to repainting the car sometime in the next five to 10 years. “I’ve always liked the Laguna Blue color of Corvettes,” he commented. “I’ll probably go with that kind of medium blue or a darker blue when it comes time to paint the car.”

More To Come!

This wraps it up for Part One of our NMCA West Coast Shootout spotlight. Stay tuned for a future installment as we find out more about the previously-mentioned 1971 Nova and 2012 Camaro!