Could Super Modified been different if?

[Ed Wright]

I don't see a thing wrong with the C/SM rules used in 1979.

[Michael Kilduff]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

I don't see a thing wrong with the C/SM rules used in 1979.

Ed, what were some more of the rules back then? And, perhaps more importantly, what kinds of changes in equipment and technology over the last 30 years would impact the class today? What do you think could be done to prevent the cost from getting out of control?

[Ed Wright]

Here it is again, as I remember them:

C/SM was allowed canted valves one year. Fadley won C/SM at Indy that year but was bounced due to a displacement error. His crank was not what he ordered and he failed to measure it. Something like one cubic inch big at tear down. Voglen should have won. Fadley took him out early. I was dead late in the class semis, and an eleven second car ended up winner when Fadley was tossed. Rick Voglin was robbed. Next year C/SM was inline valves only. Seemed like C/SM had like 30 or so cars at Indy that year?

IHRA had Super Mod as a heads up eliminator at 10 lbs. Looser head rules, 11.5" tires and 850 carbs instead of NHRA's 750 cfm, 10.5" tire rules. Any GM head castings allowed. Rickey Smith pretty much ruled there.

NHRA allowed certain number 750 cfm carbs, pretty much same as SS rules there, but the choke butterfly & shaft could be removed.

Cylinder heads had to be assembly line available castings, no "Bowtie", "Turbo", etc. Porting allowed was chambers, and 1" below the bottom of the valve seats in the bowls, and 1/2" back from the intake flange for port matching. Any valve size.
There was a difference in heads. I had four sets from big name shops doing Modified heads. Won't name them all, but Lee Shepherd's were nearly a tenth quicker than anybody else's. They showed much better on my flow bench too. Shows how criticle the valve job & seat/bowl area

[BlueOval Ralph]

IHRA allowed Fab intakes, any tire (Rickey ran 14/32) 5 speeds

Turbo were allowed? FJ could answer Bow Ties were not made till 1983? Valve stems had to remain stock diameter

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by BlueOval Ralph

IHRA allowed Fab intakes, any tire (Rickey ran 14/32) 5 speeds

Turbo were allowed? FJ could answer Bow Ties were not made till 1983? Valve stems had to remain stock diameter

IHRA allowed 11.5" tires when I ran with them, Rickey Smith included. I raced him a couple of times. I could barely stay on his bumper. Fast car.
"Turbo" heads were allowed in IHRA on SBCs too. Don't remember seeing fabricated manifolds, I don't remember 5 speeds being allowed. In NHRA you could not make any outside mods to the cast aluninium intakes.