Could Super Modified been different if?

[Ed Wright]

Single engine builder? Some of us build our own. Cheaper than buying engines.
That would be a deal breaker for me.

[Gary Chomiski]

Yes , I'm still in Amarillo. Heading to Tulsa tomorrow for the Chile Bowl.

[Michael Kilduff]

Originally Posted by Dick Butler

There is definitely room for a class such as this TODAY. COST cutter. Any S or SS or Mod chassis with a given motor. Same Wt Heads up Tech winner and R/U.
A single engine builder , single cubic inch. One head casting, One carb,
I would think this would be a cheaper way for S and SS to survive than the High Buck open rules as they have progressed.

Interesting post Dick. I would like for you and others to elaborate further.

How do you think something like pre 1975 vehicles that originally came with V-8 engines (to keep the Vega/Pinto etc out), 3200 lbs, 10.5 inch tire max, 350/385 hp 'Fast Burn' and body & chassis rules same as stock eliminator would work? Maybe even a certain weight bias front to rear to help keep exotic (ie costly) parts and labor out of the picture.

Maybe use a engine claimer to help keep costs down?

I think the ASA oval track series did something like this with good results a few years ago, with a claimer rule.

Might give some here a topic to help pass the winter blues.

[Ed Wright]

I don't see a thing wrong with the C/SM rules used in 1979.

[Michael Kilduff]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

I don't see a thing wrong with the C/SM rules used in 1979.

Ed, what were some more of the rules back then? And, perhaps more importantly, what kinds of changes in equipment and technology over the last 30 years would impact the class today? What do you think could be done to prevent the cost from getting out of control?

[Ed Wright]

Here it is again, as I remember them:

C/SM was allowed canted valves one year. Fadley won C/SM at Indy that year but was bounced due to a displacement error. His crank was not what he ordered and he failed to measure it. Something like one cubic inch big at tear down. Voglen should have won. Fadley took him out early. I was dead late in the class semis, and an eleven second car ended up winner when Fadley was tossed. Rick Voglin was robbed. Next year C/SM was inline valves only. Seemed like C/SM had like 30 or so cars at Indy that year?

IHRA had Super Mod as a heads up eliminator at 10 lbs. Looser head rules, 11.5" tires and 850 carbs instead of NHRA's 750 cfm, 10.5" tire rules. Any GM head castings allowed. Rickey Smith pretty much ruled there.

NHRA allowed certain number 750 cfm carbs, pretty much same as SS rules there, but the choke butterfly & shaft could be removed.

Cylinder heads had to be assembly line available castings, no "Bowtie", "Turbo", etc. Porting allowed was chambers, and 1" below the bottom of the valve seats in the bowls, and 1/2" back from the intake flange for port matching. Any valve size.
There was a difference in heads. I had four sets from big name shops doing Modified heads. Won't name them all, but Lee Shepherd's were nearly a tenth quicker than anybody else's. They showed much better on my flow bench too. Shows how criticle the valve job & seat/bowl area

[BlueOval Ralph]

IHRA allowed Fab intakes, any tire (Rickey ran 14/32) 5 speeds

Turbo were allowed? FJ could answer Bow Ties were not made till 1983? Valve stems had to remain stock diameter

[WestCoastChris]

This is a great discussion. I helped my dad build the first Super Modified Maverick. The first year there was just the one class (A/SM), 3 cars showed up at Pomona, Vogelin & Maherson won class. Jimmy Stevens was the first Super Mod to win Modified Eliminator, he did it at the 1975 High Desert Spring Regionals at LA County Raceway. We tried to build that car cheap and it was competitive on a budget the first year. The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class.

I remember Arlen Fadely calling dad at least a dozen times when he was building his car, he would pick dads brain for hours. We had not really heard of Arlen out west. He would call our house like clockwork, I remember answereing the phone "Jim Stevens Racing", because I knew it would be him. Of course he was calling our house and dad did all his work in our attached 2 car garage!

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars, the class became more expensive. Ultimately, Tires & Valve Springs were good for one race. Had to get a Doug Nash over the toploader.

Dad really relished the opportunity to run heads-up in the IHRA. If I remember correctly, the single carb was 1150. Dad took his NHRA legal car with a borrowed carb down to Amarillo and runner-upped to Ricky, Jack Roush et al. He could not fit as big a tire as in Fowlers' car, but was competitive enough for dad to take a month off and head east to go head to head with Jack & Tricky Ricky the summer of 76.

We borrowed an enclosed trailer and hit the road. Our hopes were dashed within an hour, as a semi-truck & strong cross wind jack-knifed us and destroyed the car just outside Rosamond CA.

The car was not back at the track until the Fallnationals, and went a couple rounds. In 1977 he really got that car hauling again. Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus. I remember Lee had a crash and did not want to get back in that Pro stocker.

Dad was on his way to the Division 7 Championship, the car was flying. As I remember most of the divisionals were running eliminations at night, and when they did that car was tough to beat. A trip to INDY that year resulted in a class elimination loss to Arlen who went on to win the Eliminator. We could not make that thing run in the heat & humidity, but Arlen could. We were dry icing the manifold and had a cool-can as an air-cooler, aside from being on the fringe of the rules, it did not really work!

At any rate, by then the class was already too expensive, it is just too hard regulate these classes. The little things, like the valve spring life and track rentals for testing drove the cost up. We were lucky enough to have a silent sponsor for 77-79, and dad held & reset the SM record more than anybody else from 75-81.

Mike Edwards, Ron Anderson & Jim Ehlen all put together some good running Fords. They were good friends and stayed with us when they came out west. Dad won the 80 Winternationals and retired from drag racing after blowing an engine at the 81 Mile High Nationals. Modified was dead and the Super Modifieds were soon to be "re-defined".

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by BlueOval Ralph

IHRA allowed Fab intakes, any tire (Rickey ran 14/32) 5 speeds

Turbo were allowed? FJ could answer Bow Ties were not made till 1983? Valve stems had to remain stock diameter

IHRA allowed 11.5" tires when I ran with them, Rickey Smith included. I raced him a couple of times. I could barely stay on his bumper. Fast car.
"Turbo" heads were allowed in IHRA on SBCs too. Don't remember seeing fabricated manifolds, I don't remember 5 speeds being allowed. In NHRA you could not make any outside mods to the cast aluninium intakes.

[BlueOval Ralph]

SOME GUY's can really stretch the truth or thier memory just changes with time could be the west coast air?
Again I help Fadely build his car, it was really Ed Bennett myself and LeRoy Hinzmann (Fadelys long tim Partner) they had built 4 other Ford's at that point , a Boss 429 for C/S, a 69 Boss 302 for F/S which was a Ford dollar car which Ford converted to a 1970 Boss at Kar Kraft. This car was converted to AHRA) and later IHRA) They also built a 71 Maverick for Ed Bennett for GT!along with the Boss 429 to GT1 and ran untill 1972. In 1972 we built he first Don Hardy Ford Pinto for C/A it was a 2x3 retangle frame car so it could also run the Gas classes. It won a Div # points Meet and runner up also was 2nd in points in Comp in Div 3 in 1974. In October of 74 he ordered the body in white. Fadely and Hardy came up with the design and the Day after Christmas of 1974 we went to Floydada Tx (Hardy's shop) to get the car. So the car was built before the Winter Nationals of 1975 we Don and Sue Hardy, Arlen and I fly from Hardys shop in Texas to those Winter National to watch and the reason we were at Hardy's was him and i had taken Sue a new linclon Mark down there that Fadely had bought Hardy on A plan, with Fadely calling your dad every night as you say that is not True!
The first NHRA Natioal Event ever one by a Super Modified WAS the 1977 US Nationals. As I remember you guys came to Gainsville in 1978 in GOOD air and still couldn't run with him his 1st round 10.18 was about .15 faster that any other S/M at that event. Also as I remember you guys ran some Div 3 meets in 78 and hung with Wayne County boys. Lets get the FACT's straight here. I have talked to Arlen and he told me it was ok to Post his phone # 734 782 3209 and e-mail affadely@mindspring.com so any one can contact him.





]This is a great discussion. I helped my dad build the first Super Modified Maverick. The first year there was just the one class (A/SM), 3 cars

showed up at Pomona, Vogelin & Maherson won class. Jimmy Stevens was the first Super Mod to win Modified Eliminator, he did it at the 1975 High Desert Spring Regionals at LA County Raceway. We tried to build that car cheap and it was competitive on a budget the first year. The Boss motor had a definite advantage, then the Chevrolet contigent convinced NHRA to split, so B/SM became the Boss Class.

I remember Arlen Fadely calling dad at least a dozen times when he was building his car, he would pick dads brain for hours. We had not really heard of Arlen out west. He would call our house like clockwork, I remember answereing the phone "Jim Stevens Racing", because I knew it would be him. Of course he was calling our house and dad did all his work in our attached 2 car garage!

Arlen built a real fast car, as guys like him and Don Bowles started builing these "high dollar" cars, the class became more expensive. Ultimately, Tires & Valve Springs were good for one race. Had to get a Doug Nash over the toploader.

Dad really relished the opportunity to run heads-up in the IHRA. If I remember correctly, the single carb was 1150. Dad took his NHRA legal car with a borrowed carb down to Amarillo and runner-upped to Ricky, Jack Roush et al. He could not fit as big a tire as in Fowlers' car, but was competitive enough for dad to take a month off and head east to go head to head with Jack & Tricky Ricky the summer of 76.

We borrowed an enclosed trailer and hit the road. Our hopes were dashed within an hour, as a semi-truck & strong cross wind jack-knifed us and destroyed the car just outside Rosamond CA.

The car was not back at the track until the Fallnationals, and went a couple rounds. In 1977 he really got that car hauling again. Ran good enough to win the 77 Cajun Nationals, but in the rain delayed 2 AM final, turned on the red light against the late great Lee Shepard, who happened to have a broken rear-end in the Modified Production Camaro he was driving during his Pro Stock hiatus. I remember Lee had a crash and did not want to get back in that Pro stocker.

Dad was on his way to the Division 7 Championship, the car was flying. As I remember most of the divisionals were running eliminations at night, and when they did that car was tough to beat. A trip to INDY that year resulted in a class elimination loss to Arlen who went on to win the Eliminator. We could not make that thing run in the heat & humidity, but Arlen could. We were dry icing the manifold and had a cool-can as an air-cooler, aside from being on the fringe of the rules, it did not really work!

At any rate, by then the class was already too expensive, it is just too hard regulate these classes. The little things, like the valve spring life and track rentals for testing drove the cost up. We were lucky enough to have a silent sponsor for 77-79, and dad held & reset the SM record more than anybody else from 75-81.

Mike Edwards, Ron Anderson & Jim Ehlen all put together some good running Fords. They were good friends and stayed with us when they came out west. Dad won the 80 Winternationals and retired from drag racing after blowing an engine at the 81 Mile High Nationals. Modified was dead and the Super Modifieds were soon to be "re-defined".[/QUOTE]