OK, here's all the bodies that can run the 180hp 400 engine, There are a few more wagons on page 2.
http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...spx?ENGINE=764
Now I briefly touched on this in posts # 97 &100. But just to refresh, I discovered from checking last year's division 4 Stocker entries, that there were fewer cars in K/SA and N/SA than most other classes I could run. If you run your index or just barely below it, you need to avoid heads up runs with cars in your class. So I decided to look at which '77 bodies would make it into these classes using the 180hp 400.
As I'm sure most of you guys know without even looking, K is a 13.00lbs/hp class, and N is a 14.50 lbs/hp class. The K/SA index is 12.65, and N/SA is 13.00.
http://www.classracerinfo.com/NHRA_Classes.aspx
So, let's look at the cars that will fit in K/SA. I'll kick out the Can Am right off, because they are now high $ collector cars. That leaves all the Catalina, Bonneville, and the 2-door Lemans models. Now, for weight transfer, I figure the shorter wb cars will work better. So if this is the only consideration, the Lemans win with their 112" wb. But, with only a 116" wb, I don't think traction will be a problem with the Cats or Bonnies. They're the same wb as the GP.
Well, I could race a Lemans, but as I've mentioned, I just really don't like the look of the sloped rear deck of the '73-'77 models. So, I Googled up some pics of the Cats and Bonnies. After checkin 'em out as much as I could online, I chose a 2-door Bonnie as my #1 pick.
But, it needs to be the base model Bonnie, not the Broughm. And the reason is not just for looks. I'll show some pics to illustrate this, but the main reason for choosing the base model is because it has more rear side glass than the Broughm. The reason this is important to me is for side vision.
Because of my experience in bracket racing, I discovered the importance of being able to see EXACTLY where your opponent is as you near the finish line. Mirrors don't help in a close finish. If you're the slower car and in the left lane, you need to be able to see the car in the right lane as early as possible when you're close to the finish line. So, the more right side glass you have, the sooner you can see your opponent. Hey, it's called 'brakelight racing" by some, and for good reason.
Now, I better stop right now and say this. I have read enuff on this site to realize that SOME (not all) class racers do not hold bracket racers in very high esteem. Many think that bracket racers are too dumb and / or lazy to build a class car. While that may be true in some cases, it is certainly not true in all cases ! Hey, there are a LOT of class racers who also run bracket. I'd say that most choose bracket racing because that is all their local tracks race, they can build a competitive car MUCH cheaper(with a few dime rockets being the exceptions), they are not limited by so many rules, and they can run for much larger purses than Stockers, at many events throughout the country, and have a chance to beat the high $ cars with their low budget ride. That's just reality.
Another thing that is reality is that except for the same class, heads up rounds, Stock and SS racing today, during the actual, on track competition, uses the exact same rules as bracket racing. Each car sets their own dial(their index or quicker), and if you go quicker than your dial, it's a breakout. That means that a 13 sec car, dialed exactly on his index, can beat a 9 or 10 sec car. That's how it works in bracket racing.
And it's a good thing that Stock & SS class racing uses the bracket system. If not, the classes would probably have vanished long ago. Or it would have become a race between a few rich guys, just like all the no breakout race classes. The guys with the most money to spend, buy the quickest cars, get the best drivers, and win most of the races.
OK, on my next post we'll look closer at the '77 Bonnies.