Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time - Page 9

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 12:16 AM

Here's some GTO's & T-37's, both Stock & SS, including some race winners & record holders.

I'm sure the Rock Running T-37 won lots of stuff.

Mick Leiferman's GTO was a nat record holder 5 years straight & Indy RU 3 years straight.

The Scott Underhill T-37 held the E/SA record in recent years.

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 01:50 AM

Can't think of any major changes in '72 that changed Pontiac drag racing. The 455HO was still available in A-bodies & Birds.

Changes were mostly cosmetic. Bird grills were changed to a honeycomb hole pattern. The '71 rectangular fender vents were dropped.

For the A-bodies, the Judge & the T-37 were dropped. The GTO type T-41 front end changed slightly, including more recessed grills & fender vents, behind the front wheel wells. The 455HO engine was still an option for the GTO & Lemans, including the Lemans wagon. Gary & Charlene Wood ran a '72 GTO & '72 Lemans wagon. May have run 2 wagons. I have wagon pics showing both a regular Lemans nose & the GTO type T-41 nose. I read that they ran both a D-port & round port 455. Charlene won the Grand Molson race, in Canada. The wagon also won smaller races & got some class wins.

Out on the West coast, Larry Maxwell had a strong running 455HO powered '72 Lemans. A div 6 lady racer from Canada drives it now.

In 2008,Todd Hoven won a nat event & won the G/SA class at Indy, with a '72 GTO. He qualified #7 at Indy.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop

I suppose the most well known '72 Pontiac racer of this modern era is Brad Burton. He won 2 Stock national championships in the Burton 455HO powered '72 Formy.

Sonny Ray had one of the most famous '72 GTO SS cars. It won several big races, including David Rampy's 1st nat event win, at the '83 Cajuns.

Here's some '72 Pontiac Bird pics.

The '72 Honeycomb grills can be seen in some of these pics.

Love pic #3. It shows a small tire Super Stocker, with slapper bars.

Pic #4 shows Gary Moore at the World Finals, in what I assume was 1972. I attended that event in '73. It was my 1st time to see the Funny Cars. There were lots of 'em & they put on an awesome show ! I watched most of the Sat daytime Pro qualifying from the overhead walkway, shown in the pic. Whole lotta shakin goin on ! Lots of noise & lots of nitro fume tears. That's been almost 50 years ago. But it's an experience I'll never forget.

Billy Foder owned the car in pic #6. As you can see, it has T/A hood & fenders, but no wheel flairs.

The car in pics 7 & 8 is the same car as in pic #6. In those last 2 pics, it had the T/A fenders, but had a Formy hood. When it had the Formy hood, it belonged to Lee Bannister. He won some nat events with it, including the Gators.

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 04:23 PM

Here's some '72 A-body pics.

The 1st is a clipping which shows that Charlene Wood won a race, driving the "Tons-a-Fun" '72 Lemans wagon.

The 2nd is of the Wood '72 GTO Stocker. Charlene said she drove it some, too.

The 3rd is the "Pontiaction" '72 SS/JA GTO.

The 4th is of the Pontiac sponsored '72 SS GTO that Truman Fields drove. He set at least 1 nat record with it.

Pic 5 is of the multi nat event winning '72 GTO record holder that belonged to Sonny Ray.

Pic 6 is of Sonny's GTO, with a new paint job & driver. It was David Rampy's 1st nat event win, at the '83 Cajuns. We attended the '78 Cajuns & got a close-up pic of Sonny & his Goat.

Pic 7 is the '72 GTO that Todd Hoven drove to the G/SA class win at '08 Indy. He qualified #7 at that race. Todd also had a nat event win in the car.

Pic 8 is of the the White bros & their Indy class winning SS '72 GTO. These bros also ran some strong Stock class Pontiacs.

Pic 9 is Larry Maxwell in his '72 Lemans Stocker, back before he sold it. It qualified near the top of the list, quite often. He has switched over to SS, running a 350 Pontiac powered '68 GT Bird. His Lemans is still active, under the new owner.

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 07:59 PM

'73 brought a couple of more big changes to Pontiac.

(1) The SD455 Pontiac engine.

(2) The complete redesign of the A-body.

Quite a few drag racers welcomed the SD455. John Clegg bought a stick Forny & won class at Indy that year, with it. As most here know, he later switched it over to SS. They recently updated it & J.B. Clegg has run some mid 9's with it. Not sure, but it MAY be the quickest regular SS class Pontiac powered car ever.

Another famous '73 SD455 car is the Herslow & Morlock E/SA T/A, "Celluloid Hero". It was the SS&DI "Cover Car", in Mar '76. At some point, it was switched over to SS. It was a multi year nat record holder, which was later raced by Phil Szupka.

Bob Michael built & raced an SD455 powered '73 Formy, which he sold to Don Kennedy.

Jack Mullins also built & raced one, which he sold to Glen Tinsley.

Another famous mag "Cover Car" was the depiction of a '73 SD455 powered GTO. The mag named it "Car of the Year". But, the SD455 engine was NOT released to the public in a GTO. Only available in Trans Am & Formula Birds.

However, for some reason, NHRA also allows the SD455 to be run in several A-body models & a Grand Prix. I've posted a pic on this site, of the H-O Racing Specialties newsletter which featured a Clegg '73 GP, which ran an SD455, for a time.

There have been a few guys who ran an SD455 engine in a GT car. I think 2 of those guys were Lynn McCarty & Don Kennedy.

But hey, those SD455 parts are just too rare & expensive to race, nowadays. Right now, the only active SD455 powered Stocker I know of is the '73 Formy that belongs to Michael Brand. He just switched it over in the last couple of years. His wife does the driving.

A 455 D-port powered '73 Formy that runs real good has changed hands a few times in recent years. It started out in Fla. Michael Brand helped get it goin. It's now being raced out on the West Coast, by C.W. Hoefer.

The '73 A-body cars were NOT very popular, either on the street or track. The only serious lookin '73 GTO Stocker I have any pics of belonged to Mick Leiferman.

Here are 9 pics of '73 Birds.

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 09:08 PM

Only posting 1 pic of a '73 GTO & 1 of a '73 GP. So, I'll post some more '73 Bird pics.

Notice in pic #6, the name Osteen, on the rear. IIRC, James Osteen did some wrenchin on some of the Gay Pontiac drag cars. Gay Pontiac was in Southeast TX, as was Glen Tinsley. So, it makes sense that it was the same Mr. Osteen that was helping Glen.

Googled the name & found this.

"...He worked as chief mechanic and shop foreman for Gay Pontiac for 30+ years. His career highlights include his position as crew chief for Gay Pontiac Racing Team..."

oldskool · 09-16-2021, 09:58 PM

I suppose the big change at Pontiac, for '74, was moving the GTO to the X-body platform. They also reduced the engine size to 350 cubes.

The Bird bumpers were changed, front & rear, to meet federal regulations, IIRC.

For some Birds, A-body, & larger cars, the D-port 400's & 455's were still available. The SD455 was still an option for Birds. .

Those '74 400's have been very competitive, thru the years, & still are. The strongest '74 400 powered Stocker I'm aware of was the Mulry & Aceves Bird. Ran a sec & a half & more under, qualified #1, many times, and set a record in J/SA & K/SA as a Formy, & in L/SA in T/A trim.

The SD455 powered H-O Racing Specialties T/A set the SS/KA record in '77. If I have the facts straight, Glen Tinsley ran it for a while, then John Clegg got it. J.B. Clegg raced it for a while, with an auto trans. Then they updated it & switched to a 4-speed. J.B. got it down into the mid 9's. Don't know if their '73 or '74 has turned the quickest time.

Thru the years, there have been lots of A-bodies & Birds run a '74 400 engine, in Stock & SS. Carroll Warling held the SS/MA nat record for a while, a few years back, with his '74 A-body.

There is still quite a variety of '74 Pontiac powered Stock & SS cars in competition. There have been so many, I may split 'em up into 3 posts, to get all the pics in. Will post 9 Bird pics 1st. Will put X-body cars on the 2nd post, then the A-bodies & others. If I can't come up with 9, I may find enuff Bird pics to fill up the 9 pic limit.

oldskool · 09-17-2021, 05:20 AM

Occasionally, I run across a Pontiac that just deserves special recognition. This is definitely one of those cars. It's the Mulry & Aceves '74 Firebird Stocker.

Back in the early 2000's, this car qualified #1 at lots of races. Sometimes it would be more than 1.5 seconds under it's index. Here's an example from a nat event at Vegas, in '04. It was #1 @ 1.544 under ! Notice also that Scott Burton was not far behind, @ #3, & John Schloe was #7.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

In '04, it qualified #4 at Indy. 9 Pontiac Stockers qualified in the top half of the field that year !

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

It also got the K/SA class win that year.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

BTW, that was an All-Pontiac class final, against Don Holmes' '77 Bird !

K/SA index was 12.95. Mulry ran 11.562. Holmes ran 11.571.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

On May 17, 2003, the car set both ends of the K/SA nat record.

On July 5, 2003, it set both ends the L/SA record, this time in full Trans Am trim.

And, on May 1, 2004, it set both ends of the J/SA record.

That Bird has quite a record of performance !

oldskool · 09-17-2021, 12:26 PM

I'm gonna split this post up between '74 A-body & '74 X-body Pontiacs.

The most popular '74 A-body Stockers I'm aware of are the Grand Am models. The 2 that have been active the longest are probably the one raced by Don Elgin, up in div 6, & the one formerly raced by Don Turk.

Another name linked to a '74 GA is Mike McGinley. Right now, I can't remember the history of that car. I suppose it could be the same car that Don Turk later owned. Sorry, I just can't remember the entire history of every Pontiac class car I've heard of. Maybe some of you guys who know, can fill in some of the history of these cars I miss or get wrong.

Anyhow. at the 2003 US Nats, the car won class.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2003#indextop

It was #40, in '04. Was the quickest car in it's class, but got a red light in class elims.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

At Indy '05, it was #35 & won class.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop

In '09, it was #30 & won class again, this time with a holeshot.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2009#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2009#indextop

In 2010, I found a race where Mike was driving something else & Don Turk was driving a '74 GA. They were also listed as being from the same town, So, it's a good bet that it's the same car, passed on from Mike to Don. The next owner has also won races with it. So, it's been a strong runner, for quite a few years.

In 2000, Danny Ashley is listed at #15 & as N/SA class winner, in a '74 GA. I'll take a guess & say it's the same GA. Don't know if Danny built it or bought it already set up.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=65596

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=65595

Tommy Brown still runs a '74 Lemans Stocker, out in div 7.

The quickest '74 SS A-body I know of was Carroll Warling's car. It held the SS/MA nat record for a while. He's run both a Lemans & a GA nose on it. It now runs GT, with, I think, an iron head 428. At Indy 2004, it's listed as a GA, @ #21, & was the SS/MA class winner.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=2269

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=2266

I'll also mention Gary Riley's '74 Lemans wagon Stocker. He won a recent Mile-High Nats with it.

As for the X-body cars, Bill Rink's GTO has to be the most famous. Ran strong for years, as a Stocker, and is still running strong, in SS. Bill has posted here that he & his GTO were responsible for the huge hp hit NHRA gave the combo, they made a big Western swing one year. Was so big that he switched the car over to SS. Has won class at Indy in SS, several times.

Just found it on the 1998 Q-list at #47, & #7 in '99.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

There have been several '74 GTO Stock nat record holders, thru the years. I have pics of one which had "Duttweiler Automotive" on the door. Also claimed it was a nat record holder from '91 thru '95. Al Vanis won Stock at the '74 US Nats, in a '74 Ventura. At that race, Rock Running got the O/S class win, in a '74 GTO. The Shekell bros GTO also got an Indy class win. The Jack Matyas '74 X-body was also an Indy class winner & nat record holder.

The quickest Pontiac X-body Stocker is still active, & driven by Brad Koivisto. Has run some high 10's. The high hp factor has driven most away from running a '74 X-body Stocker. The '74 400 engine combos are much more competitive.

Here's 5 '74 A-body & 4 X-body pics. Sometimes it hard to narrow 'em down to just a few.

oldskool · 09-17-2021, 08:53 PM

For '75, the SD455 was gone. The NHRA specs for the D-port 455 made it non-competitive. Don't remember ever reading about any Stock or SS car running a '75-'76 455.

The Birds still had front & rear similar to the '74 model. But, it was the 1st year of the "wrap-around" rear windshield, and there were park/turn lights in the grills, similar to those of the '74 GTO.

The 400 was still fairly competitive. Ryan Warter still runs the only one I know of, in a '75 Formy. He's won several big races, including the 2018 Northwest Nats. That was an All-Pontiac final, against Randi Lyn Shipp.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2018#indextop

I've only known of one '76 Stocker. It was raced by Mike Morgan, for several years. He won the K/SA class at Indy, in 2014, running more than a sec under, in the final. Kevin Love owns the car now.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2014#indextop

I got to wondering why so few guys had run a '75 or '76. A quick look at the NHRA engine specs, on the Class Racer Info site tells why. It's compression, or rather LACK thereof. That's why there have been lots of '74 & '77 400 Stockers & almost no '75 & '76 models. If a guy decided to build a '75 or '76 Pontiac Stocker, he'd be handicapping himself, by several hp. Just not a smart thing to do.

Anyhow, I'll post 8 pics of the '75 & it's wins, & one of the '76.

oldskool · 09-17-2021, 11:39 PM

That brings us up to the model year 1977. Have been lots of '77 Stock/SS Pontiacs. The '77 & '78 Birds are very similar. I've noticed that back in the early 2000's, there were quite a few Bird Stockers, listed as '78 models. In recent years, they're all listed as '77's. This is probably due to changes in NHRA hp factors for the '78 model. Anyhow, until the hp factor for the Firebird '77 180hp 400 was jacked up to over 280, the '77 Birds were real competitive. Nowadays, those '77 Birds are obviously not near as competitive as they were.

http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...4&MAKE=Pontiac

Going back & lookin thru the DRC files for the US Nats, reveals several real competitive '77 & '78 Birds. The 1st one I see was driven by Bob Michael in '98. He was #12 & won the M/SA class. Don Holmes was #29 on that list.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

2 of the quickest '77-'78 Bird Stockers were driven by Dave Edwards & Don Holmes. The Dave Edwards T/A may have been the same one Bob Michael ran in '98. Somebody may have posted that on the Pontiac Stocker thread. Anyhow, those 2 were near the top of the Q-list, several times. Also got several class wins. Here's an example. They qualified in the top 5, & both won their class at Indy, 2000. Notice also that there were 5 Pontiacs in the top 15, including 3 class winners. Hey, that means that Pontiac powered cars made up 1/3 of the top 15 ! Kyle Riley was also on the list, with a '77 Lemans.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

There were some competitive '77 Lemans Stockers, as well as a GP & a Catalina. Don Himes won the P/SA class in '03, in a '77 GP. Dave Edwards won J/SA. Scott Burton & Mike McGinley also won class that year.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2003#indextop

Some other Bird drivers I saw on the Indy Q-lists were: Dave Batta, Peter & Sal Biondo, Dave Ribeiro, & Paul Dilcher, just to name a few. I also noticed that Ryan Warter drove Bill Edgeworth's '77, in '08. Was #10 & won the K/SA class. I think that car was a nat record holder.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop

Think I counted 12 Pontiac powered Stockers on the '04 Q-list.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

Mike Morgan has done good with the Sal Piacentini 350 powered '77 SS Bird, having won class & RU in class, to Bill Rink, a couple of times.

Possibly the winingest SS Bird was the '78 T/A, driven by Ken Shawver, Monte Howard, & Jack Good. Ken was #1 qualifier & SS/KA class winner @ Indy, in '05 !

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop

09-16-2021, 12:16 AM	#81
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time Here's some GTO's & T-37's, both Stock & SS, including some race winners & record holders. I'm sure the Rock Running T-37 won lots of stuff. Mick Leiferman's GTO was a nat record holder 5 years straight & Indy RU 3 years straight. The Scott Underhill T-37 held the E/SA record in recent years. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-16-2021 at 01:10 AM.

09-16-2021, 01:50 AM	#82
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time Can't think of any major changes in '72 that changed Pontiac drag racing. The 455HO was still available in A-bodies & Birds. Changes were mostly cosmetic. Bird grills were changed to a honeycomb hole pattern. The '71 rectangular fender vents were dropped. For the A-bodies, the Judge & the T-37 were dropped. The GTO type T-41 front end changed slightly, including more recessed grills & fender vents, behind the front wheel wells. The 455HO engine was still an option for the GTO & Lemans, including the Lemans wagon. Gary & Charlene Wood ran a '72 GTO & '72 Lemans wagon. May have run 2 wagons. I have wagon pics showing both a regular Lemans nose & the GTO type T-41 nose. I read that they ran both a D-port & round port 455. Charlene won the Grand Molson race, in Canada. The wagon also won smaller races & got some class wins. Out on the West coast, Larry Maxwell had a strong running 455HO powered '72 Lemans. A div 6 lady racer from Canada drives it now. In 2008,Todd Hoven won a nat event & won the G/SA class at Indy, with a '72 GTO. He qualified #7 at Indy. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop I suppose the most well known '72 Pontiac racer of this modern era is Brad Burton. He won 2 Stock national championships in the Burton 455HO powered '72 Formy. Sonny Ray had one of the most famous '72 GTO SS cars. It won several big races, including David Rampy's 1st nat event win, at the '83 Cajuns. Here's some '72 Pontiac Bird pics. The '72 Honeycomb grills can be seen in some of these pics. Love pic #3. It shows a small tire Super Stocker, with slapper bars. Pic #4 shows Gary Moore at the World Finals, in what I assume was 1972. I attended that event in '73. It was my 1st time to see the Funny Cars. There were lots of 'em & they put on an awesome show ! I watched most of the Sat daytime Pro qualifying from the overhead walkway, shown in the pic. Whole lotta shakin goin on ! Lots of noise & lots of nitro fume tears. That's been almost 50 years ago. But it's an experience I'll never forget. Billy Foder owned the car in pic #6. As you can see, it has T/A hood & fenders, but no wheel flairs. The car in pics 7 & 8 is the same car as in pic #6. In those last 2 pics, it had the T/A fenders, but had a Formy hood. When it had the Formy hood, it belonged to Lee Bannister. He won some nat events with it, including the Gators. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-16-2021 at 07:56 AM.

09-16-2021, 04:23 PM	#83
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time Here's some '72 A-body pics. The 1st is a clipping which shows that Charlene Wood won a race, driving the "Tons-a-Fun" '72 Lemans wagon. The 2nd is of the Wood '72 GTO Stocker. Charlene said she drove it some, too. The 3rd is the "Pontiaction" '72 SS/JA GTO. The 4th is of the Pontiac sponsored '72 SS GTO that Truman Fields drove. He set at least 1 nat record with it. Pic 5 is of the multi nat event winning '72 GTO record holder that belonged to Sonny Ray. Pic 6 is of Sonny's GTO, with a new paint job & driver. It was David Rampy's 1st nat event win, at the '83 Cajuns. We attended the '78 Cajuns & got a close-up pic of Sonny & his Goat. Pic 7 is the '72 GTO that Todd Hoven drove to the G/SA class win at '08 Indy. He qualified #7 at that race. Todd also had a nat event win in the car. Pic 8 is of the the White bros & their Indy class winning SS '72 GTO. These bros also ran some strong Stock class Pontiacs. Pic 9 is Larry Maxwell in his '72 Lemans Stocker, back before he sold it. It qualified near the top of the list, quite often. He has switched over to SS, running a 350 Pontiac powered '68 GT Bird. His Lemans is still active, under the new owner. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-16-2021 at 04:30 PM.

09-16-2021, 07:59 PM	#84
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time '73 brought a couple of more big changes to Pontiac. (1) The SD455 Pontiac engine. (2) The complete redesign of the A-body. Quite a few drag racers welcomed the SD455. John Clegg bought a stick Forny & won class at Indy that year, with it. As most here know, he later switched it over to SS. They recently updated it & J.B. Clegg has run some mid 9's with it. Not sure, but it MAY be the quickest regular SS class Pontiac powered car ever. Another famous '73 SD455 car is the Herslow & Morlock E/SA T/A, "Celluloid Hero". It was the SS&DI "Cover Car", in Mar '76. At some point, it was switched over to SS. It was a multi year nat record holder, which was later raced by Phil Szupka. Bob Michael built & raced an SD455 powered '73 Formy, which he sold to Don Kennedy. Jack Mullins also built & raced one, which he sold to Glen Tinsley. Another famous mag "Cover Car" was the depiction of a '73 SD455 powered GTO. The mag named it "Car of the Year". But, the SD455 engine was NOT released to the public in a GTO. Only available in Trans Am & Formula Birds. However, for some reason, NHRA also allows the SD455 to be run in several A-body models & a Grand Prix. I've posted a pic on this site, of the H-O Racing Specialties newsletter which featured a Clegg '73 GP, which ran an SD455, for a time. There have been a few guys who ran an SD455 engine in a GT car. I think 2 of those guys were Lynn McCarty & Don Kennedy. But hey, those SD455 parts are just too rare & expensive to race, nowadays. Right now, the only active SD455 powered Stocker I know of is the '73 Formy that belongs to Michael Brand. He just switched it over in the last couple of years. His wife does the driving. A 455 D-port powered '73 Formy that runs real good has changed hands a few times in recent years. It started out in Fla. Michael Brand helped get it goin. It's now being raced out on the West Coast, by C.W. Hoefer. The '73 A-body cars were NOT very popular, either on the street or track. The only serious lookin '73 GTO Stocker I have any pics of belonged to Mick Leiferman. Here are 9 pics of '73 Birds. Attached Thumbnails

09-16-2021, 09:08 PM	#85
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time Only posting 1 pic of a '73 GTO & 1 of a '73 GP. So, I'll post some more '73 Bird pics. Notice in pic #6, the name Osteen, on the rear. IIRC, James Osteen did some wrenchin on some of the Gay Pontiac drag cars. Gay Pontiac was in Southeast TX, as was Glen Tinsley. So, it makes sense that it was the same Mr. Osteen that was helping Glen. Googled the name & found this. "...He worked as chief mechanic and shop foreman for Gay Pontiac for 30+ years. His career highlights include his position as crew chief for Gay Pontiac Racing Team..." Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-16-2021 at 09:23 PM.

09-16-2021, 09:58 PM	#86
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time I suppose the big change at Pontiac, for '74, was moving the GTO to the X-body platform. They also reduced the engine size to 350 cubes. The Bird bumpers were changed, front & rear, to meet federal regulations, IIRC. For some Birds, A-body, & larger cars, the D-port 400's & 455's were still available. The SD455 was still an option for Birds. . Those '74 400's have been very competitive, thru the years, & still are. The strongest '74 400 powered Stocker I'm aware of was the Mulry & Aceves Bird. Ran a sec & a half & more under, qualified #1, many times, and set a record in J/SA & K/SA as a Formy, & in L/SA in T/A trim. The SD455 powered H-O Racing Specialties T/A set the SS/KA record in '77. If I have the facts straight, Glen Tinsley ran it for a while, then John Clegg got it. J.B. Clegg raced it for a while, with an auto trans. Then they updated it & switched to a 4-speed. J.B. got it down into the mid 9's. Don't know if their '73 or '74 has turned the quickest time. Thru the years, there have been lots of A-bodies & Birds run a '74 400 engine, in Stock & SS. Carroll Warling held the SS/MA nat record for a while, a few years back, with his '74 A-body. There is still quite a variety of '74 Pontiac powered Stock & SS cars in competition. There have been so many, I may split 'em up into 3 posts, to get all the pics in. Will post 9 Bird pics 1st. Will put X-body cars on the 2nd post, then the A-bodies & others. If I can't come up with 9, I may find enuff Bird pics to fill up the 9 pic limit. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-17-2021 at 06:45 AM.

09-17-2021, 05:20 AM	#87
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time Occasionally, I run across a Pontiac that just deserves special recognition. This is definitely one of those cars. It's the Mulry & Aceves '74 Firebird Stocker. Back in the early 2000's, this car qualified #1 at lots of races. Sometimes it would be more than 1.5 seconds under it's index. Here's an example from a nat event at Vegas, in '04. It was #1 @ 1.544 under ! Notice also that Scott Burton was not far behind, @ #3, & John Schloe was #7. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop In '04, it qualified #4 at Indy. 9 Pontiac Stockers qualified in the top half of the field that year ! https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop It also got the K/SA class win that year. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop BTW, that was an All-Pontiac class final, against Don Holmes' '77 Bird ! K/SA index was 12.95. Mulry ran 11.562. Holmes ran 11.571. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop On May 17, 2003, the car set both ends of the K/SA nat record. On July 5, 2003, it set both ends the L/SA record, this time in full Trans Am trim. And, on May 1, 2004, it set both ends of the J/SA record. That Bird has quite a record of performance ! Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-17-2021 at 05:24 AM.

09-17-2021, 12:26 PM	#88
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time I'm gonna split this post up between '74 A-body & '74 X-body Pontiacs. The most popular '74 A-body Stockers I'm aware of are the Grand Am models. The 2 that have been active the longest are probably the one raced by Don Elgin, up in div 6, & the one formerly raced by Don Turk. Another name linked to a '74 GA is Mike McGinley. Right now, I can't remember the history of that car. I suppose it could be the same car that Don Turk later owned. Sorry, I just can't remember the entire history of every Pontiac class car I've heard of. Maybe some of you guys who know, can fill in some of the history of these cars I miss or get wrong. Anyhow. at the 2003 US Nats, the car won class. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2003#indextop It was #40, in '04. Was the quickest car in it's class, but got a red light in class elims. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop At Indy '05, it was #35 & won class. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop In '09, it was #30 & won class again, this time with a holeshot. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2009#indextop https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2009#indextop In 2010, I found a race where Mike was driving something else & Don Turk was driving a '74 GA. They were also listed as being from the same town, So, it's a good bet that it's the same car, passed on from Mike to Don. The next owner has also won races with it. So, it's been a strong runner, for quite a few years. In 2000, Danny Ashley is listed at #15 & as N/SA class winner, in a '74 GA. I'll take a guess & say it's the same GA. Don't know if Danny built it or bought it already set up. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=65596 https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=65595 Tommy Brown still runs a '74 Lemans Stocker, out in div 7. The quickest '74 SS A-body I know of was Carroll Warling's car. It held the SS/MA nat record for a while. He's run both a Lemans & a GA nose on it. It now runs GT, with, I think, an iron head 428. At Indy 2004, it's listed as a GA, @ #21, & was the SS/MA class winner. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=2269 https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=2266 I'll also mention Gary Riley's '74 Lemans wagon Stocker. He won a recent Mile-High Nats with it. As for the X-body cars, Bill Rink's GTO has to be the most famous. Ran strong for years, as a Stocker, and is still running strong, in SS. Bill has posted here that he & his GTO were responsible for the huge hp hit NHRA gave the combo, they made a big Western swing one year. Was so big that he switched the car over to SS. Has won class at Indy in SS, several times. Just found it on the 1998 Q-list at #47, & #7 in '99. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop There have been several '74 GTO Stock nat record holders, thru the years. I have pics of one which had "Duttweiler Automotive" on the door. Also claimed it was a nat record holder from '91 thru '95. Al Vanis won Stock at the '74 US Nats, in a '74 Ventura. At that race, Rock Running got the O/S class win, in a '74 GTO. The Shekell bros GTO also got an Indy class win. The Jack Matyas '74 X-body was also an Indy class winner & nat record holder. The quickest Pontiac X-body Stocker is still active, & driven by Brad Koivisto. Has run some high 10's. The high hp factor has driven most away from running a '74 X-body Stocker. The '74 400 engine combos are much more competitive. Here's 5 '74 A-body & 4 X-body pics. Sometimes it hard to narrow 'em down to just a few. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-17-2021 at 11:03 PM.

09-17-2021, 08:53 PM	#89
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time For '75, the SD455 was gone. The NHRA specs for the D-port 455 made it non-competitive. Don't remember ever reading about any Stock or SS car running a '75-'76 455. The Birds still had front & rear similar to the '74 model. But, it was the 1st year of the "wrap-around" rear windshield, and there were park/turn lights in the grills, similar to those of the '74 GTO. The 400 was still fairly competitive. Ryan Warter still runs the only one I know of, in a '75 Formy. He's won several big races, including the 2018 Northwest Nats. That was an All-Pontiac final, against Randi Lyn Shipp. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2018#indextop I've only known of one '76 Stocker. It was raced by Mike Morgan, for several years. He won the K/SA class at Indy, in 2014, running more than a sec under, in the final. Kevin Love owns the car now. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2014#indextop I got to wondering why so few guys had run a '75 or '76. A quick look at the NHRA engine specs, on the Class Racer Info site tells why. It's compression, or rather LACK thereof. That's why there have been lots of '74 & '77 400 Stockers & almost no '75 & '76 models. If a guy decided to build a '75 or '76 Pontiac Stocker, he'd be handicapping himself, by several hp. Just not a smart thing to do. Anyhow, I'll post 8 pics of the '75 & it's wins, & one of the '76. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-17-2021 at 10:19 PM.

09-17-2021, 11:39 PM	#90
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	Re: Best B.O.P. stock and super stockers of all time That brings us up to the model year 1977. Have been lots of '77 Stock/SS Pontiacs. The '77 & '78 Birds are very similar. I've noticed that back in the early 2000's, there were quite a few Bird Stockers, listed as '78 models. In recent years, they're all listed as '77's. This is probably due to changes in NHRA hp factors for the '78 model. Anyhow, until the hp factor for the Firebird '77 180hp 400 was jacked up to over 280, the '77 Birds were real competitive. Nowadays, those '77 Birds are obviously not near as competitive as they were. http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...4&MAKE=Pontiac Going back & lookin thru the DRC files for the US Nats, reveals several real competitive '77 & '78 Birds. The 1st one I see was driven by Bob Michael in '98. He was #12 & won the M/SA class. Don Holmes was #29 on that list. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop 2 of the quickest '77-'78 Bird Stockers were driven by Dave Edwards & Don Holmes. The Dave Edwards T/A may have been the same one Bob Michael ran in '98. Somebody may have posted that on the Pontiac Stocker thread. Anyhow, those 2 were near the top of the Q-list, several times. Also got several class wins. Here's an example. They qualified in the top 5, & both won their class at Indy, 2000. Notice also that there were 5 Pontiacs in the top 15, including 3 class winners. Hey, that means that Pontiac powered cars made up 1/3 of the top 15 ! Kyle Riley was also on the list, with a '77 Lemans. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop There were some competitive '77 Lemans Stockers, as well as a GP & a Catalina. Don Himes won the P/SA class in '03, in a '77 GP. Dave Edwards won J/SA. Scott Burton & Mike McGinley also won class that year. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2003#indextop Some other Bird drivers I saw on the Indy Q-lists were: Dave Batta, Peter & Sal Biondo, Dave Ribeiro, & Paul Dilcher, just to name a few. I also noticed that Ryan Warter drove Bill Edgeworth's '77, in '08. Was #10 & won the K/SA class. I think that car was a nat record holder. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop Think I counted 12 Pontiac powered Stockers on the '04 Q-list. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop Mike Morgan has done good with the Sal Piacentini 350 powered '77 SS Bird, having won class & RU in class, to Bill Rink, a couple of times. Possibly the winingest SS Bird was the '78 T/A, driven by Ken Shawver, Monte Howard, & Jack Good. Ken was #1 qualifier & SS/KA class winner @ Indy, in '05 ! https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 09-18-2021 at 01:53 PM.