CLASS RACER FORUM - View Single Post - When was the "Golden Age" of Stock Eliminator

bill dedman · 03-31-2009, 09:20 AM

I guess you had to have been there, but the most exciting part of being a drag racing enthuisast, whether you raced or just watched (I did both), was the period from 1955 through 1968, I think.

That's a long time, but the excitement was ongoing all during that period BECAUSE, it was a time when the so-called "horsepower wars" were going on, and every year, the manufacturers upped the ante with new and more powerful cars, cuminating in the limited-production specialized race cars like the Z-11 Bow Ties in '63, Ford Thunderbolts in '64 and the Mopar Hemi Darts and Barracudas in '68.

For example, just look at what hapened to one car, Chevrolet, with regard to their most powerful models from 1955 'till the front office shuth them down in mid-1963.... something that didn't happen at Ford or Chrysler, by-the-way.

Maximum horsepower from Chevys,as I remember it... so, I may have a few glitches and need some help, but here's what I remember:

1955 195 hp Corvette motor "Power Pack" with a better cam.
1956 225 hp 2 X 4bbls (240, according to NHRA, with dealer-installed "Duntov" cam)
1957 283 hp F.I.
1958 315 hp 348 with 3-twos
1959 335 hp 348 with 3 twos; better cam?
1960 350 hp 348 with whatever...
1961 360 hp 409cid 1 4 bbl
1962 409 hp 409cid 2 4bbls
1963 425 hp 409cid, OR 430 hp Z-11 (409 motor bored to 427 with hi-rise heads and intake)

Then, the bottom fell out of performance at G.M.

But, all through those years, Chrysler and Ford had pretty much matched the Chevy horsepower escalation, and Ford continued the battle with the '64 T-Bolt, while Mopar introduced the Hemi in mid-'64 after a succession of "Stage" 413 and 426 "wedge" motors for S/S.

Not a whole lot going on at Chevy or Pontiac during '65 (the GTO was a huge hit with a big block in an intermediate body in '64, spawning the 396-inch, Z-16 Chevelle and later 442 Olds cars, with Ford countering with the medium riser 427 Fairlanes in '66 and '67. Mopar had some 383 and 440 Darts, etc., but was a weak player in the street wars. Made up for it on the drag strip, though...

Then, in '68 Ma Mopar dropped the "H"- BOMB and created the limited-production, be-all/end-all, Darts and Barracudas with the competition Hemi for what was then, SS/B. Later, when nobody ever built anything faster, NHRA moved them to SS/A... and finally to a class all their own: SS/AH... The final chapter of the horsepower wars; the culmination of thirteen years of engineering one-upmanship by the factory guys, for OUR benefit! And, what a show it was!!!!

So, on a yearly basis, for many years, when the new models arrived, it was the same kind of uproar that has currently attended the advent of the new CJ Mustangs and Drag-Pack Challengers.... EVERY YEAR!!! Year after year...

It was ongoing excitement brought to us by Detroit, when Detroit was healthy!

Of course, this created a "can't wait to see it run!!!" attitude that generated a lot of new race cars when the next season rolled around. There were so many '57 Chevys running around on the streets with Traction Masters (a kind of dumbed-down Cal Trac) and Atlas Bucrons (a butyl-rubber tire that had bite like a slick), you'd have though they were optional equipment on those cars, from the factory!!!

The variety of powerplants made it especially interesting to watch the Stockers; for example, when a '57 Chevy pulled to the line, if you couldn't read the class lettering on the window (in shoe polish), you didn't know whether you were watching an inline six with 140 horsepower, a two barrel 265 (170 hp?); a two barrel 283 (185 hp); a power pack 283 with a 4 bbl and dual exhausts (220 hp); a twin 4bbl motor with hydraulic OR solid lifters (245 or 270 hp); or either of two different fuel injection motors, one with hydraulic lifters, the other with solids (250 or 283 hp). Pontiacs were equally as likely to have various induction system, camshafts, and varied horsepower ratings. Even Cadillacs had multiple carburetion (dual 4's, then 3-twos) for many years...

And, it changed, EVERY YEAR!!! Always more power than the year before. How much faster will the top offering be??? It was non-stop excitement for about twelve or thirteen years!!!

I feel extremely fortunate to not only have lived through that era, but to have worked on the Stocker tech line at a drag strip for most of those years, so I got to see under ALL THOSE HOODS!!! LOL!!

Yes!!!!!

I was 17 in 1955, when the "Mickey Mouse" (rocker arm moniker) Chevy hit the street with solid lifters in all the stick shift cars. Even the 2-bbls motors would run 6,000 rpm with ease, a feat unheard of back then from anything but a pure racing engine! That started the horsepower race that provided so many exciting drag racing thrills for the next so many years.

So, my contention is that the period from 1955 through 1968 was the "golden era of drag racing" because of the almost non-stop proliferation of cars that went quicker, year-after-year, and the racing it generated.

During that period of time, Top Fuel Dragsters also increased their performance from the 160's to the mid 200's.... They weren't sitting on their laurels, either, but I was too busy watching the Stockers to pay much attention to those guys who got their horsepower out of a barrel.

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!!!!

Bill

03-31-2009, 09:20 AM	#28
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Re: When was the "Golden Age" of Stock Eliminator I guess you had to have been there, but the most exciting part of being a drag racing enthuisast, whether you raced or just watched (I did both), was the period from 1955 through 1968, I think. That's a long time, but the excitement was ongoing all during that period BECAUSE, it was a time when the so-called "horsepower wars" were going on, and every year, the manufacturers upped the ante with new and more powerful cars, cuminating in the limited-production specialized race cars like the Z-11 Bow Ties in '63, Ford Thunderbolts in '64 and the Mopar Hemi Darts and Barracudas in '68. For example, just look at what hapened to one car, Chevrolet, with regard to their most powerful models from 1955 'till the front office shuth them down in mid-1963.... something that didn't happen at Ford or Chrysler, by-the-way. Maximum horsepower from Chevys,as I remember it... so, I may have a few glitches and need some help, but here's what I remember: 1955 195 hp Corvette motor "Power Pack" with a better cam. 1956 225 hp 2 X 4bbls (240, according to NHRA, with dealer-installed "Duntov" cam) 1957 283 hp F.I. 1958 315 hp 348 with 3-twos 1959 335 hp 348 with 3 twos; better cam? 1960 350 hp 348 with whatever... 1961 360 hp 409cid 1 4 bbl 1962 409 hp 409cid 2 4bbls 1963 425 hp 409cid, OR 430 hp Z-11 (409 motor bored to 427 with hi-rise heads and intake) Then, the bottom fell out of performance at G.M. But, all through those years, Chrysler and Ford had pretty much matched the Chevy horsepower escalation, and Ford continued the battle with the '64 T-Bolt, while Mopar introduced the Hemi in mid-'64 after a succession of "Stage" 413 and 426 "wedge" motors for S/S. Not a whole lot going on at Chevy or Pontiac during '65 (the GTO was a huge hit with a big block in an intermediate body in '64, spawning the 396-inch, Z-16 Chevelle and later 442 Olds cars, with Ford countering with the medium riser 427 Fairlanes in '66 and '67. Mopar had some 383 and 440 Darts, etc., but was a weak player in the street wars. Made up for it on the drag strip, though... Then, in '68 Ma Mopar dropped the "H"- BOMB and created the limited-production, be-all/end-all, Darts and Barracudas with the competition Hemi for what was then, SS/B. Later, when nobody ever built anything faster, NHRA moved them to SS/A... and finally to a class all their own: SS/AH... The final chapter of the horsepower wars; the culmination of thirteen years of engineering one-upmanship by the factory guys, for OUR benefit! And, what a show it was!!!! So, on a yearly basis, for many years, when the new models arrived, it was the same kind of uproar that has currently attended the advent of the new CJ Mustangs and Drag-Pack Challengers.... EVERY YEAR!!! Year after year... It was ongoing excitement brought to us by Detroit, when Detroit was healthy! Of course, this created a "can't wait to see it run!!!" attitude that generated a lot of new race cars when the next season rolled around. There were so many '57 Chevys running around on the streets with Traction Masters (a kind of dumbed-down Cal Trac) and Atlas Bucrons (a butyl-rubber tire that had bite like a slick), you'd have though they were optional equipment on those cars, from the factory!!! The variety of powerplants made it especially interesting to watch the Stockers; for example, when a '57 Chevy pulled to the line, if you couldn't read the class lettering on the window (in shoe polish), you didn't know whether you were watching an inline six with 140 horsepower, a two barrel 265 (170 hp?); a two barrel 283 (185 hp); a power pack 283 with a 4 bbl and dual exhausts (220 hp); a twin 4bbl motor with hydraulic OR solid lifters (245 or 270 hp); or either of two different fuel injection motors, one with hydraulic lifters, the other with solids (250 or 283 hp). Pontiacs were equally as likely to have various induction system, camshafts, and varied horsepower ratings. Even Cadillacs had multiple carburetion (dual 4's, then 3-twos) for many years... And, it changed, EVERY YEAR!!! Always more power than the year before. How much faster will the top offering be??? It was non-stop excitement for about twelve or thirteen years!!! I feel extremely fortunate to not only have lived through that era, but to have worked on the Stocker tech line at a drag strip for most of those years, so I got to see under ALL THOSE HOODS!!! LOL!! Yes!!!!! I was 17 in 1955, when the "Mickey Mouse" (rocker arm moniker) Chevy hit the street with solid lifters in all the stick shift cars. Even the 2-bbls motors would run 6,000 rpm with ease, a feat unheard of back then from anything but a pure racing engine! That started the horsepower race that provided so many exciting drag racing thrills for the next so many years. So, my contention is that the period from 1955 through 1968 was the "golden era of drag racing" because of the almost non-stop proliferation of cars that went quicker, year-after-year, and the racing it generated. During that period of time, Top Fuel Dragsters also increased their performance from the 160's to the mid 200's.... They weren't sitting on their laurels, either, but I was too busy watching the Stockers to pay much attention to those guys who got their horsepower out of a barrel. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!!!! Bill __________________ Bill Last edited by bill dedman; 03-31-2009 at 09:27 AM.