Coolest or Oddest Combo.....

[Dwight Southerland]

Jack's wagon was a 4-speed. He used a BW Super T10 w/2.88 first gear.

[Sean Haning]

Originally Posted by art leong

Tim Kish has gone in the 12's (might be a premonition for me for 3 weeks from now) I've gone 13.1 so far
4 cyl fwd auto 2600 pounds
Tim Kish and I really "P" them off and we don't even have turbos. For them to complain about LOL

You running all the div 2 meets?

[bill dedman]

Arguably, some of the most unique cars ever to come from Detroit were the A/FX 1963 Pontiac Tempest 421's that ran in A/FX.

They shoe-horned some of the dual-quad Super Stock 421s that were also run in the "'63 Swiss Cheese Catalinas" into the engine bay of several Tempest coupes and wagons before the G.M. front office pulled the plug on factory involvement in racing, early in 1963. Hayden Proffitt had built an "unofficial prototype" 421 Tempest for the 1962 Indy race, but I don't think it was factory-connected. It probably did set the stage for these later, factory efforts, by showing that it was an effective package, though.

Their drive-train was strange, indeed. Tempests, until the '64 models, used a transaxle and a "rope" driveshaft that sow-bellied under the car with a sag in the middle, so they didn't have to put much of a "driveshaft" tunnel in the floor. The 421 A/FX cars used that same setup, but their transaxles were worthy of note, too. The transaxles were based on the Corvair Powerglide transaxle, but I seem to remember that they had two cases, with two planetary units, giving four speeds forward. The ratios were fairly close, and this transmission could be had with a clutch OR a torque converter!!!

Unfortunately, being basically, modified Powerglides originally designed for the 6-cylinder Corvair, they just didn't have enough "beef" to withstand the rigors of match racing on resin-enhanced starting lines, and nearly all got replaced in pretty short order, with 4-speed Hydros and '57 Pontiac rear ends. I believe at least one survives, intact, today.

The "swiss cheese," lightweight '63 Catalinas (so-called because of the frame having been vociferously attacked by a BIG hole saw) were interesting race cars, too, but lived in the shadow of the Mighty (mighty fast!) 421 Tempests.

If the G.M. "front office" racing ban hadn't come through when it did, I'm sure that Pontiac would have built more of these rare cars, but alas, not enough of these or the awesome Z-11 '63 Chevys ever made it into the Class Guide (back then) because of restrictive rules regarding eligibility.

[Sean Ward]

I like my car it is the only Chyrsler Imperial racing in stock anywhere 81 imp 318ci weighs 4080# will run a second under and it is fun fun fun. of course the second under is with new motor.

[bill dedman]

Thanks, Dwight; I was in Iowa all the time he raced that car, so I never got to see it run, but I figured you probably saw it lots of times.

Bill

[doug schriener]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

Johnny Bartlett, Salem ,Oregon...because he had to make all the speed parts himself instead of throwing cubic money at the car.
(That's the way it used to be done)

Mark-If you want to recall something odd,how about Ted Harbit and his Studebaker?

[art leong]

Originally Posted by Sean Haning

You running all the div 2 meets?

Yes

[Ed Fernandez]

Anything that Billy gets his hands on is cool.It wouldn't surprise me if he showed up this year with a
closed body 1 HP Amish wagon to run in V.


Ed F.

Jim Mantle's Pacer fits the bill also.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Jack also built a '63 four-dour hardtop for SS/R to butt heads with Dwight Cox's Indy-winning '66 Impala. He also built a '73 SD Firebird, but gave out on NHRA's decision to do breakout racing on the indexes.

I think Don O'Malley's '64 Corvette is cool. So is Eddie Miranian's '68 when he runs it with the 3x2 carbs.

Pillo's SS/B Hemi. Neil Smedley's turbo Firebird. And who was it that built the turbo '80-something T-bird for R/S? Blew everybody away with NO sound.

Mark Y. - If you are going back as far as Johnny Bartlett, you are going to leave out a lot of this crowd.

My personal favorite cool door car, although not a Stock or SS car, was the Wayne County Opel B/G.

Oh really? Then I better not bring up Ken Wilkinson's Jeep station wagon.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by Wade_Owens

Was there an aluminum head Buick, 2x4 deal in or around the mid 60's?

Also, what about the 4 cylinder Pontiac Tempest with a Q-jet?

Any body ever try or own one of these?

Wade

The Pontiac 194 and a half, with the 4GC is way too high horsepower.

Same with the 68 Firebird Sprint Q Jet Cammer

The Chevy II 4 cyl is way too deep into W/S...3 speed only,too