Lower Class Stockers

[Bret Kepner]

Certainly most of you remember that Tom Redier won Stock at Indy '76 with his X/S Pinto wagon. However, arguably the most brutal of all the "little cars", (at least from the perspective of being more than capable of winning a National Event for more than a two-year stretch), was George Williams' Z/S Vega panel wagon.

[Lambertcars]

I have a 79 dodge omni gf/sa ihra ef/s nhra,won class at nhra 5 times and was runner up at a ihra points race at douglas georgia in 2002,runner up is as close as i have got to winning a points race but i cant even remember how many bracket races or money i have won with that little slow omni at local tracks. I have a super stock 68 camaro that my son frank drives and a ihra crate motor 91 firebird and i have as much fun racing the omni as the camaro or firebird


allen lambert

[greg fulk]

Zac won Div.3 IHRA back in 2002 ...he set the V/SA record that year & I set the U/SA record. I RU to Ken Shawver @ Tri-State Div. race on Sat. night combo. I made it to 16 cars @ Indy Div. in 2005 & 7 cars @ Edgewater that year. 2006 Mooresville Div. I made it to 3 cars & Dad made it to 4 cars in 2007 Div @ Kanahawa Valley with his 69 4-door W/SA Nova. In 2006 Dad made it to 5 cars @ Mooresville & Clay-City 10 cars @ Milan with his H/PS Mustang. ( the car would run .20 under & he could drive it to & from the track) He also finished 8th in Div.3 that year.

[Bench Racer]

Originally Posted by Bret Kepner

Certainly most of you remember that Tom Redier won Stock at Indy '76 with his X/S Pinto wagon. However, arguably the most brutal of all the "little cars", (at least from the perspective of being more than capable of winning a National Event for more than a two-year stretch), was George Williams' Z/S Vega panel wagon.

What happened to all the Vega stockers? I remember seeing a Pinto at Indy this year and a couple of years before but I have not saw a Vega stocker since one ran some IHRA in the mid 1980's? Were the Vegas horsepowerer factored to death? Don Jackson

[TGould]

Not OEM Bill. 1975 was the first year (1975 - 1987) of the aftermarket "lift,duration,and overlap " cams. I'm still running my 1976 Lunati cam. Rocky, good to hear "the rest of the story". I knew about the "special gears" but not the 8.8 in a 1974 wagon only thing.

[Bobby Zlatkin]

It's not how fast you go, but whether or not you go back to staging for the next round.

[Mike Taylor 3601]

X-tech man Now you know JT never was illegal."Buddy they cheated me like a dog."[to quote JT]''LOL That was JT's story anyway.In case you didn't know JT passed away from cancer a few years ago. Whether you liked JT or not you have give him credit WHATEVER he was doing he did wide open and with passion.More JT quotes-Buddy I cut that light so close last round that reden flickered a few times and went out .-Man that baby ul'fly. I rather run anybody here than you[ right before you get in car].He won alot rounds in staging lanes before he ever got in car with his "gift for gab".
Mike Taylor 3601
PS Going rounds is fun no matter how slow you go!!!

[X-TECH MAN]

Originally Posted by Mike Taylor 3601

X-tech man Now you know JT never was illegal."Buddy they cheated me like a dog."[to quote JT]''LOL That was JT's story anyway.In case you didn't know JT passed away from cancer a few years ago. Whether you liked JT or not you have give him credit WHATEVER he was doing he did wide open and with passion.More JT quotes-Buddy I cut that light so close last round that reden flickered a few times and went out .-Man that baby ul'fly. I rather run anybody here than you[ right before you get in car].He won alot rounds in staging lanes before he ever got in car with his "gift for gab".
Mike Taylor 3601
PS Going rounds is fun no matter how slow you go!!!

Yes He was a good guy but I still caught him with V8 replacement pistons in his V6 which had a smaller dish (more compression). Didnt know he passed away. Sorry to hear that.

[bill dedman]

Originally Posted by TGould

Not OEM Bill. 1975 was the first year (1975 - 1987) of the aftermarket "lift,duration,and overlap " cams. I'm still running my 1976 Lunati cam. .

Tom,
Are you talking about cams that still had stock specs but had increased rates of lift ("plus area" cams)???
I think Crane called them "Blueprint cams." But, they were not "any duration" cams, like are legal today; is that right?

Thanks for correcting that.

Bill

[TGould]

That's right Bill. From 1975 - 1987 they had to check lift, duration, and overlap against factory specs. Since 1988 they only check lift. In 1974, I was in the staging lanes at Englishtown and Joe Lunati came walking down the line. He knew that in 1975 those cams were going to be allowed. He gave me his card and said "young fella when you get ready for a cam for that thing give me a call". When I decided to build the 95 HP combination in 1976, I called Lunati. Two weeks later I received the cam. It's been in there every since.