Older Superstock GT cars with scoops

[Jeff Lee]

Had a debate with one of my SS AMX buddies tonight. He disagreed with me and I said I would throw it out for discussion. I say with the SS/GT rules (1980 and older vehicles allowed), you can take a factory & NHRA / IHRA approved SS car from the 60's which had unique factory hood scoops (T-Bolt tear-drop, SS/AMX, HEMI A-Body, etc.) and run any SS/GT allowable engine. So you could have a T-Bolt car with a 289, a SS/AMX with a 290 and a '68 Hemi Dart / Barracuda with a 273 as examples. Assuming of course the materials of the scoop were correct as allowable.
And that leads to items like light-weight glass, seats, etc., the entire SS package other than a different engine.
I think there are some pretty cool ideas that can spring from this.

[Jeremy]

If the engine came with a scoop you get to run it open if it didn't come with the scoop you still run it but it has to be blocked off. That's what I was told anyway.
Merry Christmas

[Mike Carr]

Jeff, I understand it to be as Jeremy said. A '90's Firebird in SS/JA can use the ram air. A '90's Firebird as a SS/GT car can have the scoop/ram-air, but must be non-functional (blocked off). I could be wrong, but that was how I understood it. Maybe someone that has had a car like this, and switched between S/S and GT (Angelo Ditocco comes to mind) can answer this for sure.

B.D.

[Angelo DiTocco]

Mike & Jeremy are both correct (to the best of my recollection) - it really is more determined by the engine combo that is used.

When you mix & match bodies and engine combos in SS/GT you have several possible scenarios

You can have a body (like a late model firebird) that came with a ram-air hood.... matched with an engine combo that "was not" available with any sort of scoop or fresh air system. In this case, the fresh air system is supposed to be blocked off.

Again you can have a body (like a late model firebird) that came with a ram-air hood.... matched with an engine combo that "was" available with a hood scoop or fresh air system. In this case, the fresh air system could be left open.

Obviously when a body that was not available or produced with any type of ram air system is used it doesn't come into play, regardless of whether or not you use an engine that did have a fresh air system, you can't add anything to the car, you are stuck with what you've got.

Hope that helps

Mike good to see your still at it.... hope all is well

[Stewart Way]

Jeff
Talked with Bruce Bachelder at the Southern Nationals (or whatever they call it now) and what the replys above have stated are true. The engine must have come with fresh air to run with the scoop open. Not sure that rule is being enforced in all divisions the same.

[Tand E racing]

I recently had this conversation with glendora and was told that if the original body used came with a scoop that it could remain regardless of engine combination when used in GT classes.

[SStockDart]

Here is a qualifying effort from Jim Hale's 68 Barracuda (Original Hemi with scoop and lightweights) and a 383 engine.

22 4406 GT/EA Jim Hale, Van Buren AR, '68 Barracuda 10.143 10.95 -0.807

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by SStockDart

Here is a qualifying effort from Jim Hale's 68 Barracuda (Original Hemi with scoop and lightweights) and a 383 engine.

22 4406 GT/EA Jim Hale, Van Buren AR, '68 Barracuda 10.143 10.95 -0.807

Know which 383 that is? I would like to see a '62 383/343 2x4 in a Hemi A-body with all the lite-weight parts and open scoop. Think of a 383 with a full sized tunnel ram in SS!
I still say the open scoop would be legal as the Hemi scoop was an open scoop body part as an OEM piece.

[Mark Yacavone]

Jeff, If infact you had a 68 hemi car and had to tape over the scoop, then why would you want a big ol' scoop sticking up? If you were to remove it, would you then have to replace all the liteweight seats and glass and such?
I'm with you though. If you run the hemi body and shipping weight, then you ought to be able to run it the way it came.
Doesn't matter what we say or think anyway. They're gonna do any GD thing they want with the rules.

[Jeff Lee]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Jeff, If infact you had a 68 hemi car and had to tape over the scoop, then why would you want a big ol' scoop sticking up? If you were to remove it, would you then have to replace all the liteweight seats and glass and such?
I'm with you though. If you run the hemi body and shipping weight, then you ought to be able to run it the way it came.
Doesn't matter what we say or think anyway. They're gonna do any GD thing they want with the rules.

I would think if part of an OEM body package it should be all or nothing. But then again, if somebody wanted to build a clone '68 Hemi A-body for SS, NHRA probably woudn't care if you had the lite-weight parts as you would only be placing yourself at a disadvantage.

So out of curiousity what weight / class would a 273/235 fall into using a Hemi A-Body?