Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland
Interesting points that you bring out. Here is what I have found in the 1970 Classification Guide
1963 LWG is the same as currently listed. 7.82 factor and 425hp. That makes the shipping weight 3324 for a Galaxie 500 2dr hdtp. Probably the published weight to NHRA was 3325, but so goes rounding. I have seen the claimed shipping weight to be 3270 and 3300 in other publications over the years. An interesting fact about these cars is that the LW components were available on a wide variety of car models and body styles, from a 300 2dr sedan to a Galaxie 500 XL 2dr hdtp.
1964 lightweight component car. Only listed for a Galaxie 500 2dr hdtp. The current factor of 8.93 and 420hp makes the shipping weight 3750 lbs. In the 1970 Class Guide, the factor is 8.33. If the power rating back then was 425, then the shipping weight is 3540 lbs. However, I have no documentation that tells be what the engine was rated back then. But, if you assume that the 3750 shipping weight is correct, then the power rating was 450 (3750 / 450 = 8.333...), which in probably the case, since the Thunderbolt has a power-to-weight factor of 7.13 in the old book, and that would have the shipping weight at 3208, very close to the 3206 calculated from today's Class Guide.
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Thanks again Dwight that confirms what was said over on fordfe.com. Two folks over there had a 64 LWG and confirmed the car was 3750 with no driver, and could make that weight almost full of gas too. The old factor they remembered was 450-460hp (450hp in the 1973 book).
The 460hp makes sense as an earlier factor, because using "only" 450hp would have put the Thunderbolt into AA/S, so NHRA probably rated the engine at 460hp deliberately just to put the Thunderbolt barely into S/S with the Hemi, so the big Galaxie stayed in AA/S.
450-460hp seems low for a prepped 427 HiRiser, but as I Gonkulate both engines, 425hp was equally low for a 426 MW Stage 3. Both of those are factored at about 80% of what they actually made as prepped, to turn the MPH they turned.
I am finding that to be pretty much true, whether its the Tri-5 283s, the LM1, the z28, the 427 HR, the MaxWedge, etc, a "winning" combo engine typically was only NHRA rated at 80%-85% of what the prepped engine actually Gonkulates to.
If the engine was overrated, of course the combo would not win. But even if it was rated "right on", it would still lose out - there were so many good combos way underrated (80%-85%) that they dominated most of the classes.