Pontiacs

oldskool · 08-30-2021, 06:43 PM

Haven't found many pics of '57 & '59 Pontiac drag cars. So, I decided to put 'em all on this post.

The '57 engine was a 347. I think Tri-Power was available. F.I. was available in a Bonny ragtop only, if my info is correct.

But, some guys ran it in HT models. It was eventually banned in all models that couldn't be factory equipped with it.

The biggest name I've found, who raced a '57 was John Thropp.

'59 was the first year of the 389 engine. I only have pics of 3 '59's in my files.

Stan Weiss · 08-30-2021, 08:14 PM

Ramon Lowe 58 Pontiac

http://www.classracer.com/classforum...ad.php?t=44070

Stan

oldskool · 08-30-2021, 08:21 PM

Looking back at old nat records & class wins, it appears that the 1960 Pontiacs were very competitive.

The 1st one that comes to mind is the Royal Pontiac "Hot Chief #1", which Jim Wangers drove to victory at the '60 Nats.

One of my favorites was the black "Big Iron" car. It was a nat record holder, driven by Rod Kister.

Ronnie Broadhead was a class winner & div champ.

The Lowe & Beardsley car was a record holder, as was the Samuels car. I have pics of several other '60 Pontiacs. So, I'm guessing that there were LOTS of 'em, at tracks all over the country, back in the '60's.

oldskool · 08-30-2021, 08:56 PM

There were LOTS of '61, '62, & '63 Big Pontiacs, running on tracks all over the country.

The 389SD & 421SD engines were VERY competitive. So, these cars got lots of class wins & set lots of nat records.

Then, after '63, there was very little factory help. So, MOST of the heavy hitters switched brands. Mopar went "whole hog" into drag racing, giving LOTS of factory support to lots of racers. That, along with the 426 Hemi engines, gave the factory Mopar cars a big advantage. A quick check of race results beginning in the mid '60's will show how dominant Mopar was.

Same thing happened in NASCAR. The dominant 389SD & 421SD Pontiacs gave way to the Hemi Mopars & 427 Fords.

But, in the early '60's, Pontiacs did a lot of winning, on drag & circle tracks. And I love to read about what many call Pontiac's "Glory Days".

There were some crazy classes in '61-'63. NHRA made classes for cars running some factory over-the-counter HP parts, & for very limited production models.

There were classes like S/S, S/SA, OS/S, SS/S, A/FX, B/FX, etc. For a time, those classes, plus A/S were called Top Stock, and classes below that were called Junior Stock.

One of my favorite '61 Pontiacs was raced by div 4 racers, the Moore family, with Gary Moore driving. He set a national record, won class at a nat event, & was div 4 champ, with a '61 Pontiac.

There were lots of dealer sponsored '61's. Another of my favorite '61's was driven by Carol Cox. She won the S/SA class at Pomona & Indy with it. The hottest '61's ran one of the SD engines.

oldskool · 08-31-2021, 09:28 AM

There was no shortage of '62's. They ran lots of different classes.

One of my favorites is the A/S 421SD car that Don Gay drove.

But there were lots of '62 record holders & class winners.

You'll notice that some of these pics are of Grand Prix models. The '62 GP nose/grill gives it a different look than the other '62 Big Pontiacs.

oldskool · 08-31-2021, 11:07 AM

Also plenty of '63's on the track, back in the '60's. Most ran one of the S/S or FX classes. But I did find a pic of an E/SA car. I assume it was 389 powered. But I think a non-SD 421 was also available.

I even found a couple of pics of '64 models. A 421 was still available. It just wasn't a 421SD.

oldskool · 08-31-2021, 01:35 PM

I've already mentioned that after the GTO's came out, there were very few big Pontiacs used for class racing.

I posted pics of several late '60's big cars. I forgot to post one that was raced by Jack Matyas. I think it was a '65 model. It ran G/SA. So, as heavy as it was, I'm assuming it had the Tri-Power 421 engine.

Next, I'll take a closer look at the big 4-door Pontiac, known as the "Tijuana Taxi". The best ID I can come up with for it is a '73 Catalina 4-door Sedan. In one pic it was running V/SA. From the Class Racer Info site, it appears as tho it would have had to be running a 2-barrel engine, probably a 350. Not sure of that, at all. Ratings change. So, it may have been a 400 cube Pontiac engine, with a 2-barrel carb.

In another pic, it was running T/SA. So, I assume that either it was running a different engine combo, OR, NHRA gave the engine it was running a big hp hit, after it set a new nat record. Can't say for sure what engine it was running, for either class. Anybody know ?

Pretty sure it was a record holder. Haven't located any exact record numbers. If anybody has 'em, please post.

Mark Yacavone · 08-31-2021, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldskool

I've already mentioned that after the GTO's came out, there were very few big Pontiacs used for class racing.

I posted pics of several late '60's big cars. I forgot to post one that was raced by Jack Matyas. I think it was a '65 model. It ran G/SA. So, as heavy as it was, I'm assuming it had the Tri-Power 421 engine.

Next, I'll take a closer look at the big 4-door Pontiac, known as the "Tijuana Taxi". The best ID I can come up with for it is a '73 Catalina 4-door Sedan. In one pic it was running V/SA. From the Class Racer Info site, it appears as tho it would have had to be running a 2-barrel engine, probably a 350. Not sure of that, at all. Ratings change. So, it may have been a 400 cube Pontiac engine, with a 2-barrel carb.

In another pic, it was running T/SA. So, I assume that either it was running a different engine combo, OR, NHRA gave the engine it was running a big hp hit, after it set a new nat record. Can't say for sure what engine it was running, for either class. Anybody know ?

Pretty sure it was a record holder. Haven't located any exact record numbers. If anybody has 'em, please post.

Jack's 'vert was a 389 /338, I believe.

After a certain period in the 70's ,NHRA took the V8's out of V, W...Notice the For Sale sign ,when running T...Again, the Pontiac torque worked well in the "pure stock" Stock early 70's... Carb's too small on the 350s to be a player, with all the phony crap allowed today.

oldskool · 08-31-2021, 10:13 PM

Another Pontiac body style that hasn't been used much for class racing is the '69-'77 Grand Prix.

I've only run across a pic of one '69 GP. It's not good enuff quality to post.

Although most say the SD455 engine was not available in anything but Firebirds, NHRA allows the '73 SD455 to be run in some '73 Lemans, GTO, Grand Am, & Grand Prix models. Pic #4 below shows the mag cover back when the '73 SD455 GTO was named "Car of the Year". But, they jumped the gun(tripped the red light). Pontiac decided to NOT offer the SD455 in the GTO. Therefore, that mag cover is famous, especially in Pontiac circles.

http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...px?ENGINE=2080

I'll post a pic of a GP that was featured in the H-O Racing Specialties monthly publication "The High Output". It belonged to long time Pontiac racer John Clegg. They ran it with the SD455, at least one race.

There have been some '77 GP's raced. One that has been racing for a long time is still being raced in div 1, by Lauren Kanuik. It still runs safely under it's index. IIRC, it's the same car that was raced by Lindy Lindholm & Don Himes.

The '73-'77 A-bodies are also models that have not been raced a whole lot. But, several of these have done really well. Don Elgin is still racing his, out in the Northwest. Don Turk sold his a couple of years back. But it's still active & the new owner has won races with it. Tommy Brown still races a '74 Lemans out in div 7. Dave Ribeiro has the '77 that Bob Michael built.

And speakin of rare Stockers, how about Bob Michael's '77 Catalina ?

Carroll Warling still races his '74 Lemans, Super Stocker. He held the nat record with it for a while. I think that was in SS/MA, IIRC. He has run it with a Lemans nose & a Grand Am nose. He ran a 400, back then. He's now running in GT, with an iron head 428. Sat he ran a .930 under, 10.94, which was good enuff for the #2 qualifying position. DRC listed his Lemans as a '68. But Norman said that was wrong. It was his '74.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2021#indextop

Many of ya'll will recognize some of the names associated with these cars I'm gonna post pics of.

Mark Yacavone · 08-31-2021, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldskool

Also plenty of '63's on the track, back in the '60's. Most ran one of the S/S or FX classes. But I did find a pic of an E/SA car. I assume it was 389 powered. But I think a non-SD 421 was also available.

I even found a couple of pics of '64 models. A 421 was still available. It just wasn't a 421SD.

The Alaskan is a 389 tri-power...not a 421.in J/Stock ..More web dis-info.

08-30-2021, 08:21 PM	#3
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Looking back at old nat records & class wins, it appears that the 1960 Pontiacs were very competitive. The 1st one that comes to mind is the Royal Pontiac "Hot Chief #1", which Jim Wangers drove to victory at the '60 Nats. One of my favorites was the black "Big Iron" car. It was a nat record holder, driven by Rod Kister. Ronnie Broadhead was a class winner & div champ. The Lowe & Beardsley car was a record holder, as was the Samuels car. I have pics of several other '60 Pontiacs. So, I'm guessing that there were LOTS of 'em, at tracks all over the country, back in the '60's. Attached Thumbnails

08-31-2021, 09:28 AM	#5
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs There was no shortage of '62's. They ran lots of different classes. One of my favorites is the A/S 421SD car that Don Gay drove. But there were lots of '62 record holders & class winners. You'll notice that some of these pics are of Grand Prix models. The '62 GP nose/grill gives it a different look than the other '62 Big Pontiacs. Attached Thumbnails

08-31-2021, 11:07 AM	#6
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Also plenty of '63's on the track, back in the '60's. Most ran one of the S/S or FX classes. But I did find a pic of an E/SA car. I assume it was 389 powered. But I think a non-SD 421 was also available. I even found a couple of pics of '64 models. A 421 was still available. It just wasn't a 421SD. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 08-31-2021 at 11:29 AM.

08-31-2021, 01:35 PM	#7
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs I've already mentioned that after the GTO's came out, there were very few big Pontiacs used for class racing. I posted pics of several late '60's big cars. I forgot to post one that was raced by Jack Matyas. I think it was a '65 model. It ran G/SA. So, as heavy as it was, I'm assuming it had the Tri-Power 421 engine. Next, I'll take a closer look at the big 4-door Pontiac, known as the "Tijuana Taxi". The best ID I can come up with for it is a '73 Catalina 4-door Sedan. In one pic it was running V/SA. From the Class Racer Info site, it appears as tho it would have had to be running a 2-barrel engine, probably a 350. Not sure of that, at all. Ratings change. So, it may have been a 400 cube Pontiac engine, with a 2-barrel carb. In another pic, it was running T/SA. So, I assume that either it was running a different engine combo, OR, NHRA gave the engine it was running a big hp hit, after it set a new nat record. Can't say for sure what engine it was running, for either class. Anybody know ? Pretty sure it was a record holder. Haven't located any exact record numbers. If anybody has 'em, please post. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 08-31-2021 at 05:02 PM.

08-31-2021, 10:13 PM	#9
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Another Pontiac body style that hasn't been used much for class racing is the '69-'77 Grand Prix. I've only run across a pic of one '69 GP. It's not good enuff quality to post. Although most say the SD455 engine was not available in anything but Firebirds, NHRA allows the '73 SD455 to be run in some '73 Lemans, GTO, Grand Am, & Grand Prix models. Pic #4 below shows the mag cover back when the '73 SD455 GTO was named "Car of the Year". But, they jumped the gun(tripped the red light). Pontiac decided to NOT offer the SD455 in the GTO. Therefore, that mag cover is famous, especially in Pontiac circles. http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...px?ENGINE=2080 I'll post a pic of a GP that was featured in the H-O Racing Specialties monthly publication "The High Output". It belonged to long time Pontiac racer John Clegg. They ran it with the SD455, at least one race. There have been some '77 GP's raced. One that has been racing for a long time is still being raced in div 1, by Lauren Kanuik. It still runs safely under it's index. IIRC, it's the same car that was raced by Lindy Lindholm & Don Himes. The '73-'77 A-bodies are also models that have not been raced a whole lot. But, several of these have done really well. Don Elgin is still racing his, out in the Northwest. Don Turk sold his a couple of years back. But it's still active & the new owner has won races with it. Tommy Brown still races a '74 Lemans out in div 7. Dave Ribeiro has the '77 that Bob Michael built. And speakin of rare Stockers, how about Bob Michael's '77 Catalina ? Carroll Warling still races his '74 Lemans, Super Stocker. He held the nat record with it for a while. I think that was in SS/MA, IIRC. He has run it with a Lemans nose & a Grand Am nose. He ran a 400, back then. He's now running in GT, with an iron head 428. Sat he ran a .930 under, 10.94, which was good enuff for the #2 qualifying position. DRC listed his Lemans as a '68. But Norman said that was wrong. It was his '74. https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2021#indextop Many of ya'll will recognize some of the names associated with these cars I'm gonna post pics of. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 08-31-2021 at 10:43 PM.

08-30-2021, 06:43 PM	#1
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Haven't found many pics of '57 & '59 Pontiac drag cars. So, I decided to put 'em all on this post. The '57 engine was a 347. I think Tri-Power was available. F.I. was available in a Bonny ragtop only, if my info is correct. But, some guys ran it in HT models. It was eventually banned in all models that couldn't be factory equipped with it. The biggest name I've found, who raced a '57 was John Thropp. '59 was the first year of the 389 engine. I only have pics of 3 '59's in my files. Attached Thumbnails

08-30-2021, 08:14 PM	#2
Stan Weiss Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Phila, PA Posts: 797 Likes: 0 Liked 735 Times in 386 Posts	Re: Pontiacs Ramon Lowe 58 Pontiac http://www.classracer.com/classforum...ad.php?t=44070 Stan

08-30-2021, 08:56 PM	#4
oldskool VIP Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: The Land of Bayous, Boudin & Crawfish Posts: 1,668 Likes: 223 Liked 748 Times in 363 Posts	Re: Pontiacs There were LOTS of '61, '62, & '63 Big Pontiacs, running on tracks all over the country. The 389SD & 421SD engines were VERY competitive. So, these cars got lots of class wins & set lots of nat records. Then, after '63, there was very little factory help. So, MOST of the heavy hitters switched brands. Mopar went "whole hog" into drag racing, giving LOTS of factory support to lots of racers. That, along with the 426 Hemi engines, gave the factory Mopar cars a big advantage. A quick check of race results beginning in the mid '60's will show how dominant Mopar was. Same thing happened in NASCAR. The dominant 389SD & 421SD Pontiacs gave way to the Hemi Mopars & 427 Fords. But, in the early '60's, Pontiacs did a lot of winning, on drag & circle tracks. And I love to read about what many call Pontiac's "Glory Days". There were some crazy classes in '61-'63. NHRA made classes for cars running some factory over-the-counter HP parts, & for very limited production models. There were classes like S/S, S/SA, OS/S, SS/S, A/FX, B/FX, etc. For a time, those classes, plus A/S were called Top Stock, and classes below that were called Junior Stock. One of my favorite '61 Pontiacs was raced by div 4 racers, the Moore family, with Gary Moore driving. He set a national record, won class at a nat event, & was div 4 champ, with a '61 Pontiac. There were lots of dealer sponsored '61's. Another of my favorite '61's was driven by Carol Cox. She won the S/SA class at Pomona & Indy with it. The hottest '61's ran one of the SD engines. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by oldskool; 08-31-2021 at 08:08 AM.