Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Talking with other guys recently, we compared what we could remember about how it started. My first race when I was 15 in 1958, we drove to the race at an airport. 6 Classes s/s, a thru e. Win class, run eliminator. The cars we ran that day, a 57 Bel Air 283 270 hp ran low to mid 14's. The other car was a 58 Impala 280 hp ran high 14. No scales at all, remove the spare, jack, trunk mat, floor mats, and take the air cleaner off. Somebody had to listen for the times on a bad pa system. Traction Masters(pre cursor to Cal Tracs) were allowed, pump gas (Super Shell and Amoco White), street tires of course, stock exhaust. Basically dead stock. Soon exhaust cut outs. Then as it went on, headers, but let the exhaust hang down by one bolt on the collector. I think the 62 Mopar had the first cast iron headers, around 59 or 60 Atlas Bucrons, work well, lasted about a week, 4 in wide. Then 7 in tires and recapped slicks, tow bar, take the shaft out and tow it. Then towing hubs, then some trailer that today you would not use. Along the way, aftermarket brakes, 9 in tires, and tons of other stuff. Add yours here and see who has the best memory.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

When the cam rule changed to allow the "square" lobes. Howard Stanfield [Greg's Dad] showed me one shortly after they became available. I said, "wow, that has got to be hard on lifters"

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

flat towed to indy with tow hubs steve burns came to me at the winter nationals and said what would think if some one made a race gas nhra would except that would be better than white pump. I said yes how much? about a dollar a gal. I said no . white pump was 39.9 a gal and 280 Sunoco was about the same if you could brake the seal. being a big guy I went to Jack hart and farmer and said why not weigh the car with the driver in wouldn't it save time at the scales they said how much should we add for the driver I said national aveage for a man is 170. that is how that number came about. I have had a lot of good times racing took my wife of 50 years last week on our firsr date to the drags was talking racing the whole nite she should have figured it out but didn't Won my class in 1963 winter nationals tore down got out at 3 am towed home with a rope no racing sunday.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Bob,

Maybe you contact NHRA again and get the driver weight adjusted for us full figured guys?????????????????

Bob

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Yeah, I started out Towing my '69 GTO to the tracks with a '68 4-door Caddy. It had a 472 engine with plenty of power for towing and a huge trunk for tools and stuff.

Two tracks we ran, still had a flagman--no lights or timers. And the tracks were airstrips that were still in use. When a plane needed to land, they would buzz us and we would clear the track til the plane parked, then go back to racing.

In '73 we had to run hard street legal tires. I ran M&H tires, but they were hard street tires.

Then in '74 they allowed some street legal slicks with a couple of grooves in 'em. They were similar to the drag radials they have today. They knocked a half sec off my ET instantly.

Then in '75 we could run headers and 9" slicks. All this took place in north Louisiana. Don't know what they were doing anywhere else.

Then in '76 and '77 most of the smaller tracks in this area switched to bracket racing.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

How about when we had to use 7" slicks they would put a measuring tape on them make sure only 7". We had to put the car on jack stands as the wheel is spinning using a body file and trim the tire down to make sure 7". Kinda dangerous when you think back on it but that was low on the dangerous scale of a lot of things we did back then! Hey that would be a good Post "wild and woolly things we did to drag race!

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I remember we would use the line lock and "spin" start the car. That lasted until someone left divits on the line. Finally Marv Ripes got many around here to use a "Stall" converter.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Original Class wt breaks was an interesting story. Some went to .5 lb because neighbors or friends didn't want to be in same classes. then it went to even lb and you couldn't add or subtract wt. Shipping wt was it....Everyone used certain bodies to make class better. Bus coupe, 9 pass wagons, Sedan delivery. Sure there were special fords and Pontiacs . Allowing wt adjustment to top of class and weighing with driver were two REAL improvements. 170 lb driver wt is unrealistic today...Needs to be 190-200. Still being able to adjust car makes up for this.

Ball joint lift kits were dangerous Had one A arm tearing at a bolt hole and luckily noticed car leaning in time to replace it not the whole car.
Only new cars in Stock and moving all old to SS was a hard rule. Now the old cars can return but costs and newer tech makes it unlikely.

Teching in the lanes AFTER parking in the pits is Great. I sat in line in the entrance to Indy my first year for one night, next day and second night to get to tech in round track.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

The car was weighed without the driver and with 5 gals of gas.

We set a record and were asked to drain the fuel tank after the backup run. The car was not much over the shipping wt. More than 5 gals came out so the back up run was disallowed.

We added a spare tire but time ran out and we did not get that record that day.

The driver on both runs was probably over 200lbs....

Many rules from the past really needed changing....that was one...

And the 7" tire rule was dangerous.....and definitely needed changing well before bigger tires were allowed.

Big Block Stockers were running 120mph on 7" tires with narrow rims....

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Recent stuff is light seats and roller rockers, just when did NHRA create SS from Stock. And the removed back seats, are outside mirrors required? I think that has gone. Way back even seat belts weren't needed let alone a helmet. There are ton's of things. I see memories are being taxed. Please post your bit of history.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Fuel cells and wheelie bars since the turn of the century. At age thirty-five, I wasn't around, or following at least, Class Racing to know how many rules changes came about. I know the cam/valvetrain changes in the mid 1980's had mixed reactions. Getting away from the shipping weight used as minimum weight, and weighed without driver, was definitely a good change (no penalty for us bigger folks; back when I raced I was 260-270 pounds).

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

The Mopar 383-343 cars that the factory never made....or 57 Chev 283 FI sedan deliveries with a Hydramatic....or what else??

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

[QUOTE=Barnstorm;457346]The Mopar 383-343 cars that the factory never made....or 57 Chev 283 FI sedan deliveries with a Hydramatic....or what else??[/QUOTE

Marv Ripes and his A-1 Automatic development of a good PG to replace the HYDRO occurred at about the same time as the NHRA decided that too many sedan deliveries were dominating classes due to any motor any body.
Then the , had to be available in the body with the trans became the rule...about two years before all the "old" cars were blocked out of Stock and into SS.

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I just put some of those evil plastic seats in my wagon when I was prepping the car to run in "B". I really loved my bench but it was heavy.

The first two years that I ran in Stock I was wearing a teeshirt and running deep in the tens. That was so cool, literally. Now we have to wear jackets and the pants.

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About '85 you could ditch the crank driven fan w/pump.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

High quality connecting rods made the sport safer and cheaper.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

This is pretty amazing if I think about it.
In no particular order since I have been racing.
Overlap on cams
Stock seats
Belt driven water pump
Fuel cell
Manual fuel pumps
Stock rocker arms
Stock radiators
Stock rods
Stock valve springs
Stock valve jobs
Stock trim, emblems, hell correct year car for the class this can be a whole topic of entertainment all to itself.
Correct transmissions
Heads that look correct
This could go on forever. I need some of my mentors to put a real list together

I do wish I could have got a shot at junior stock 7 inch tires and all!

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If Mopar never built the 383/343 and the 413/395 engines then why do I find both types of 2x4 manifolds at Mopar swap meets. I have never had anyone tell me where they came from. Not being a wise butt just seeking knowledge.

JimR

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

If someone will remind me, I will look up the 343. I have the manuals back to 60 on all Mopars. I don't think the racing had input in the very early years (60 or so). I do know I have found stuff that was put in the parts books just to have it so NHRA could find it. We had two of those in wagons.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

The 343 intake 1827899 dates back to 1958 on various combos...the RB intake was on the 59 C-300 and more. Jim Johnson got the "parts bin" 343 approved in 1962 and was soon sold to Hemi legend Rick Johnson and soon there were copys....this was dicussed at length in the nostalgia section a few years back

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Hand written time cards,
4 amber lights on the tree,
No jacket or pants,
No roll bar,
Stock seat belts.
All in K/SA with a 12.75 index.
3-4 TENTHS UNDER AND YOU HAD A KILLER!!!

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Folks,


In '72 my buddy Al Decker drove his '70 Nova 350" Turbo 350 to the track ( E-town) with me along for the ride, ran the car in H/SA.
When we got to the track we'd pump up the front tire pressure and lower the rear tire ( Mickey Thompsons) pressure. Unbolt the exhaust/header flanges and hang the exhaust from one flange bolt and fill the "cool can with crushed ice from the snack bar, finally we'd flip over the air cleaner base and remove the filter and air cleaner lid.
Run a couple of rounds and reverse the process to take the ride home.
Won some, lost most...but we had a hell of a good time !!!

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

In 1972 I got bounced in tech for not having a cigarette lighter in my Dart. The tech inspector did not believe me when I told him it was an option and I did not got get it because I did not smoke. Next race I took my window sticker and a sheet that showed the options for my car. That was good enough for them. I can't believe that I was running 11 second ET's in SS/I without a roll bar, using the stock seat belt, and not even using the shoulder belt that came in the car. At least I had a Lakewood bell housing in the car.

Raul

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Teched in at Indy with my 69 Chevelle wagon in SS/OA. Cant remember if it was Farmer who checked the car but it was noted I had no plastic lens on my Dome light. Would not allow a time trial until I found a lense cover in a local junk yard and returned to tech to document it in place. WOW has stuff changed....

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

At a division 4 points race in '75 they wouldn't even look at the rest of my '68 Firebird til I covered the radio hole in the dash, and changed the fan from the clutch fan that was on it, to a factory flex fan that they said came on it.

At our local tracks, they didn't sweat the small stuff. And none of the tech guys knew anything about a Pontiac. So when we were protested at one race, all they could do was weigh it.

And all the trees back then had 5 ambers. :)

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Probably Red Anderson? First one I went to, I had to put a copper line to my fuel pressure gauge which was mounted outside the windshield. Then had to pull off to the side, then pull a valve cover so he could check the casting number on the head.
That was a fad then. Next time, at Dallas, I had to go find arm rests at a salvage. Should have known better than either one. I was scared to death of Red at first. He became a valued friend. Always wondered why I wasn't just told to fix things before I came back. Red or Wesley tore you down, you better be right. First record I set, I was so nervous when I had to tear down with Red, I could barely hold my tools. LOL

And, yes. Every tree I ever saw had five ambers. Went from a flag man to a tree. Never saw four ambers.

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I once overheard Marty Barrett tell a competitor during tech at the U.S. Nationals that the chrome trim on his 55 Chevy was wrong for the model he was claiming it to be. He told him his grandmother once had a 55 210 Delray and the trim on her car was different so his couldn't be legal.

Didn't stick around to see how that one turned out. (Ya really kinda had to know Marty though).

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How about the return roads , no black top.
Class trophies or $5.
$50. for Elim.
$5 entry 1964
In 1958 cost .90 cents to watch race
1958 Chev 348 cu 3 x 2 duces 315 HP the fast one
Larry Eagle

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

The old hand written time slips had et and mph. That's it. No incrementals, no reaction time. The second mph light was after the finish line so if you wanted high mph, you had to drive it out the back door. For fuel check, you pulled up and they stuck a hose into your tank and took gas (I used Sunoco pump gas and Moroso octane booster).

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

I went to Indy in '72 as a go-fer with Bob Ayres' Grog 65 Chevelle station wagon. We were called out because the front sway bar had been installed upside down. We had to change it before we could race.


Same race, some other racer had a '55 Chev who had to change sun visors because the ones in his car were out of a '57.


My how times have changed!

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

I remember Bob. He was darn well going to be the last car up in the staging lanes for eliminations.

First time I ever knew of 60' times, was when sharing a track rental with R&M, at Ardmore, OK. They had the clocks from the unused lane set up at 60'. Showed up as the et from the other lane on the slip. Lee made several short passes, evidently just working on their 60' times. I was too dumb to know how to use that info.

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I remember my brothers 60 Pontiac. He pulled the pumpkin and took it over to the neighbors garage. The neighbor had an old Lincoln buzz-box welder. My brother installed the "6011" posi treatment on the spider gears.It lasted years but then again poor tires and little H.P. it wasn't strained that hard.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Mine was 7018

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Hey, I got you shade tree guys beat. Once I heard about the mini-spools, I used 'em from then on. I think they were less than $50 back then. Never bought a high dollar posi 12-bolt again.

Hey, they still weld 'em up for dirt trackin. A good Pontiac friend, welds up the little 7.5's for the classes that must use 'em. But he now welds the big gears to the case. Has never had a failure with his procedure. I think he's done dozens of 'em. :)

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Yeah, Wesley lived close to our local track. I'm sure glad he wasn't doing the teching there in '75. He'da run everybody off, including us. :)

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Hey guys, when did NHRA start allowing aftermarket blocks, forged rods and pistons, and even alum heads to replace some of the rare, expensive iron heads ? :confused:

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

They both tore me down multiple times. Never a problem. All you have to do is be legal.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Ed, you wasn't legal, you just passed. Just like the rest of us. LOL
t

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Far as I knew, Jeff, I was legal. Afraid to not be, with those two checking me.

Re: Items allowed by NHRA over the years
 

Good Point