Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Mulry
The statement "stock inlet location" was included in my 2003 NHRA Rulebook......
The statement was no in my 2005 NHRA Rulebook....
I can't find my 2004 rulebook...
So the inlet location requirement was removed in 2004 or 2005.....
Because B-O-P and Cadillac that came from the factory with a front inlet now could run a side inlet carburetor.....
Edelbrock only sold side inlet carburetors...This rule change greatly increased their market......
The oldest rulebook that I can easily put my hands on is 1995 and at that time it was restricted to the size, inlet location and external appearance. Computer carbs could be replaced with non-computer with the same size bores and venturi...
Hope this helps,
Bob
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Yeah, this is some good info ! Thanks !
So, if this info is correct, that means the Edelbrock Q-jets were not legal 'til after production of them had stopped.
"...1995...at that time it was restricted to the size, inlet location and external appearance..."
That "external appearance" deal is very interesting. I wonder how strict they were about enforcing that rule ? EXACTLY WHAT about the "external appearance" would make a carb not legal ?
Being a Pontiac guy, there are some things that come to mind. The biggest difference I can think of is the big "smokestack" vent, which began with the '70 Calif models, and continued thru '79. So, the questions that come to mind are:
(1) Were these big vent models legal on '67-'69 model Pontiacs, and other BOP engines ?
(2) And there is the question of the opposite situation. How about using a small vent model on a '71-'79 Pontiac, which came with the big vent ?
(3) And, the big vent models looked very similar from '70-'74. But, later models had the vent in a slightly different place, and there were tops with 2 slightly different looks, in the '77-'79 years. So, how close would the appearance have to be ?
(4) And then there were the slashed vent models. Some '60's & '70's Pontiac & Buick models had slashed vents, as compared the the flat top vents, on most models. The SD455 even had a large slashed vent. The slashed vent definitely presents a different appearance. Was it enuff of a difference ?
(5) Another thing that comes to mind is the difference in the appearance of the throttle levers. Different year Pontiac levers were quite different. And other brands, such as Buicks, had a very different looking lever, with a spring which mounted toward the front, on the idle solenoid bracket, whereas most Pontiac springs were attached to the rear, on the throttle cable bracket. So, a Buick carb would look quite different than a Pontiac carb, on the driver side.
(6) Then there is the choke mount type, and choke pull-off type, size and location. All these items presented several different looks, on the different models. So, this would present a different "appearance". The question again is: just how picky were the tech guys, on this "external appearance" rule ?
So, for you guys who were racing back in those days, how do you remember the Q-jet tech details ?
I remember going to a div 4 race, in '75. I took 2 cars. We didn't even get to unload 'em. Wesley saw us & came over to take a look. He named off a bunch of little nit pickin items that I'd have to fix, before he'd even take a closer look. That was my introduction to NHRA & Wesley. There was no way I could fix all those items, away from the shop, so we just watched the race, & went home.
We'd ran all season at several small local tracks, winning quite a few races. There was little to almost no tech. And the tech guys were all Chevy guys, so they knew nothing about a Pontiac. One car did get DQ'd at one race. The boys got tired of gettin beat by a Pontiac with a female driver & protested the car. The tech guys didn't find anything wrong with the engine, so they weighed the car. It came up just a very few lbs light. I'd never even weighed it. Since it still had most all the street equipment, I assumed it was a little over weight. Anyhow, I put a spare tire in the trunk, & she continued winning.
Anyhow, I've always found the variations in Q-jets very interesting. Stuff like an OHC inline six Q-jet, a Q-jet equipped 429 CJ Ford, a straight inlet 454 truck Q-jet, and even a Dodge pickup Q-jet.
http://429mustangcougarinfo.50megs.com/new_page_6.htm