1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

I have been looking at the data from Indy and was wondering just how fast were these cars in 1964-1970? I have tried to research the internet but have really come up with no real ET's.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

11.00 was real fast - look up what the Ramchargers and the ZL1s were running in 1965

Yours is a lot faster today - make that a lot lot faster - LOL

Yours also cost more - I think you could have bought one back then for under 5K ready to go - my neighboor was a Ford dealer and had one - use to try it out on our street in front of the house - oh for those by gone days

Ron

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

More like 11.20's on 10 inch racemasters in A/FX and 11.80's to 12.0's on 7 inch S/S tires back in 1964.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Look up stories on the drivers or just "stock, super stock" in general. Most of the stories will mention Thunderbolts along with the other fast cars from that era.
What is interesting is the motors were capable of running much faster than the records in the 60's. The cars were being held back by a lack of tire and suspension technology. In 1983 I purchased a 427 tunnel port from Mickey Thompson that was built in 1969 (It was probably similar to high risers for power) and I put it in a '67 Mustang and ran it without any modifications. With a C-6 and a 11.5 tire it was almost a second quicker than a Thunderbolt from the '60's.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

If I remember correctly, Butch Leal won SS/S (Super Stock Stick) at the 1964 Winternationals with an 11.76@123+. In SS trim, they were restricted to 7 inch tires; in A/FX trim, they were allowed tun 10 inch tires and were capable of low 11s@127+

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

:cool: If you haven't already been there, Craig Sutton has a very informative site. Lots of pictures and data about the Thunderbolts. Using Yahoo type in www.thunderbolt.cc/ and scroll down to Craig's site. I hope this helps.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Ok great I looked at that site a couple of years ago. Thanks.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...t=troublemaker

Above is the best T-bolt thread anywhere on the web. Lot's of information here.

Phil Bonner was the first door car to run in the 10's at Mason Dixon Dragway driving his Thunderbolt mid year in 1964. He did this on 10" tires.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Darrell Droke was in the 10's with his 65 T-Bolt

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Different engine (SOHC Cammer) and better tires. The SOHC made much more power at a higher RPM. Big jump in tire technology from 64 7 inchers to 65 FX tires.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Hey Tom, I've got the Feb '64 Hot Rod Magazine in my hand.......Ray Brock did a test on Butch Leal's fresh delivered Thunderbolt. 11.61 @ 124.88 at Lion's Drag Strip in Long Beach, Ca. It must have been done in December 1963 or January 1964 at the latest to make print for February. This mag was in a box in my dad's closet when I was a kid. I would sneak it out and read it when he wasn't looking! LOL.

Blair Patrick

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Based on the MPH, it seems like they were somewhere in the the middle between the Max and the Hemi, Not a bad thing.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

I found a copy of Feb 1964 Hot Rod on eBay......should be here in a week! Thanks Blair.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

http://image.hotrod.com/f/pitstop/hr...d_magazine.jpg

http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredve...hunderbolt.jpg

http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredve...hunderbolt.jpg

http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredve...hunderbolt.jpg

http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredve...hunderbolt.jpg

http://image.hotrod.com/f/featuredve...hunderbolt.jpg

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

but the real question is .... what size where their crank pins ???? bawawawawa

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

What most don't know is that in late 1962 they built some 483 CID FEs they were to be released sometime in 1963 but then came the NASCAR edicked that 7 liters was the max in the future years!

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Ralph is correct. NASCAR's Bill France and NHRA's Wally Parks made an agreement to set the limit at 7 liters (427 cu in) for stock engine size for the 1963 season. That rule stuck for several years.

No telling where the factory cubic inch wars would have gone if not for the ban. Ford had there 482, Chevy was playing with the 454 and there was a rumor the Chrysler racing engine was up around 500 inches.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Oh how soon you forget how much of a SLUG they were with the Automatic Trans in 1964. Most could not get out of the 12's and later changed to 4 speeds. Remember torque converter technology was no where to be found in those days.
Roger Lindamood won Indy Super Stock elim. with an 11.31 over the Ramchargers 11.47 both in 64 Hemi Dodges with automatics. Dave Strickler won A/FX with his 2% altered wheelbase stick shift Dodge with a 11.04. Leal won S/S class with an 11.76 over Al Joniec in the stick class. All of the T Bolts were on the trailer when the finals rolled around.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Most of the quicker runs recorded were with these "MatchRace" engine combos and large tires (10 inch M&H racemasters). Track prep was almost non existant back in the day other than match race rosin being used. They simply could not get ahold of the track on 7 inch tires in that era.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Ray Brock's caption on one of the photos is interesting. It sounds as if no one had come up with the term "headers" at that point since he goes into great lengths describing what we've taken for granted for many years.

I know the Pontiacs and Mopars still were using cast pieces to link tubing parts, so was this the first header?

The first exhaust I ever saw with curved, individual pipes was on the Ford Indy engines and was referred to as a "bag of snakes" Maybe the technology from Cosworth carried over.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Hedman sold headers as headers in late 50's Stahl had built Jenkins Strickler 4 tube equal length headers in Early 63 for thier Z 11 in Romulus Mi

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Here's a shot of Gas Ronda in his '64 Fairlane Thunderbolt...'Headers by Doug' on the front fender.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z...nderbolt-1.jpg

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Open headers or exhaust cutouts became legal for stockers and the super stockers in 1961. Prior to that they could use crude headers but had to run thru a complete muffeled exhaust system.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

NHRA Eliminators, 1964 Winternationals, SuperStock, Gas Rhonda, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 12.05 ET. 1964 Nationals, Indy, SuperStock, Butch Leal, 1964 Thunderbolt @ 11.76.

First Thunderbolts were built by Don Snyder and was driven by Dick Brannan and Phil Bonner "Daddy Warbucks." Both of the first original Thunderbolts were on display in 2004 at the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame Reunion in Henderson. Dick Brannan had a CD that show the building of the car on the "third Floor" of the building at Ford Motor Company. Only people working on the project were allowed on that floor. The car on display only had an "Autolite Spark Plugs" decal on the lower part of the fender near the door. Brannan explained that when the car first came out they had put decals on it like all of the other cars. Ford Motor Company Representatives advised them to remove all the decals except the spark plug decal because they were made by Ford Motor Company.

Don Snyder was inducted into the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame in 2004 and passed away just a few months after the event. Dick Brannan is no longer doing these types of events. Phil Bonner is in poor health and is actually almost blind.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Here's Phil Bonner's '64 Fairlane Thunderbolt and some before & after shots...

http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/5614/bonner01a.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2451/bonner05a.jpg

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Where did you come up with this information? "Don Snyder built the first Thunderbolts???" "Built on the third floor of Ford"????? "Don Snyder dead??"

All 100 Thunderbolts were built at Dearborn Steel Tubing in Dearborn Michigan. A single story shop that was the skunk works for Ford racing in the early to mid-60's. The first 11 cars were Vintage Burgundy, the rest were Wimbledon White. Don Snyder owns the Brannan car which was the first car out of the doors at DST. He also owns the Bonner '64 Fairlane hardtop that started as a "body in white" at Holman Moody. The restored/wrecked Bonner car is in my shop and still owned by Phil.

Oh and by the way, Don Snyder is still very much alive!!!:eek:

Please do some fact checking before you put these type of things out there!! I would imagine Don would appreciate that!!

Oh and Phil is doing much better. I talked to him last night on the phone and will be with him in two weeks in Dawsonville for the Moonshine Festival....

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

427, the information I posted was my understanding of information that was discussed at the Henderson reunion with Brannan, Snyder and Bonner. Yes, Snyder owned the Brannan car at that time and Bonner had his there at the same show.

I apologize concerning Don; however, the word the following year was that he had passed away following his induction in 2004. I am glad to hear that Phil is doing better, I missed seeing him last year at the reunion and understand that he was not coming this year.

Re: 1964 Thunderbolt how fast were they?
 

Here's one of an old ad...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/a...6&d=1207581411