Year Model Question

oldskool · 01-09-2015, 11:27 PM

OK, here I go with another one of those dummy questions. For those models which had only very minor body changes(like grills), for 2 or 3 years in a row, will NHRA allow you to run a motor in one of the year model bodies that didn't have that particular motor as an option ?

Let me give some examples to clarify my question. The Firebird bodies were almost identical from 1970 thru '73. But in '70 no 455's came in Birds. But in the '71-'73 Birds there were D-port and 2 different round port 455's in different models. So, in this case, would NHRA allow you to use a 1970 Bird body, with one of the 455's from the later years ? Or does the VIN tag have to show that it's the correct year for said motor ? I see no performance advantage of using one of these year model bodies over another. And with the correct grills, and a few other cosmetic changes, very few could tell any difference between those 4 year models.

This happened again in '77-'78--very little difference. But, the Pontiac 350 engine came in '77's, but not in '78's. So, would NHRA let you run a 350P in a '78 Bird ?

And the '79-'81 Birds looked almost identical, but had different engine options. So how about it ? Do any of you guys know, for sure, if NHRA will allow the engines to be used in these different year, but almost identical bodies ? If not, what if you swap the VIN tags ? Since you're not driving on a public highway, and the cars are virtually identical, with no performance advantage, is this allowable ?

This may seem like a completely ridiculous question. But some of these old bodies, in decent condition, are getting harder to find. So, the situation could easily arise where allowing these almost identical bodies to run a different year engine could save a Stock racer quite a few $$, without giving him a performance advantage.

countrypuppy4865 · 01-09-2015, 11:36 PM

Vin number doesn't matter as long as the car has the correct appearance as the year model claimed.

oldskool · 01-10-2015, 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by countrypuppy4865

Vin number doesn't matter as long as the car has the correct appearance as the year model claimed.

OK. Thanks for the info ! It makes sense to me. Just didn't know if it did to NHRA or not.

01-09-2015, 11:27 PM	#1
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 750 Times in 361 Posts	Year Model Question OK, here I go with another one of those dummy questions. For those models which had only very minor body changes(like grills), for 2 or 3 years in a row, will NHRA allow you to run a motor in one of the year model bodies that didn't have that particular motor as an option ? Let me give some examples to clarify my question. The Firebird bodies were almost identical from 1970 thru '73. But in '70 no 455's came in Birds. But in the '71-'73 Birds there were D-port and 2 different round port 455's in different models. So, in this case, would NHRA allow you to use a 1970 Bird body, with one of the 455's from the later years ? Or does the VIN tag have to show that it's the correct year for said motor ? I see no performance advantage of using one of these year model bodies over another. And with the correct grills, and a few other cosmetic changes, very few could tell any difference between those 4 year models. This happened again in '77-'78--very little difference. But, the Pontiac 350 engine came in '77's, but not in '78's. So, would NHRA let you run a 350P in a '78 Bird ? And the '79-'81 Birds looked almost identical, but had different engine options. So how about it ? Do any of you guys know, for sure, if NHRA will allow the engines to be used in these different year, but almost identical bodies ? If not, what if you swap the VIN tags ? Since you're not driving on a public highway, and the cars are virtually identical, with no performance advantage, is this allowable ? This may seem like a completely ridiculous question. But some of these old bodies, in decent condition, are getting harder to find. So, the situation could easily arise where allowing these almost identical bodies to run a different year engine could save a Stock racer quite a few $$, without giving him a performance advantage.

01-09-2015, 11:36 PM	#2
countrypuppy4865 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Donaldsonville, LA Posts: 969 Likes: 8 Liked 183 Times in 62 Posts	Re: Year Model Question Vin number doesn't matter as long as the car has the correct appearance as the year model claimed. __________________ Jimmy "Cooter" Hidalgo, Jr. 4865 E/SA '04 GTO 4865 SS/GA '99 Firebird