Pickup bed covers in competition in Stock

[Ed Fernandez]

He certainly has a real San Francisco sensitivity quotient,sorta like when you disagree with a "yahoo",
you're accused of being &%#*phobic.
On a side note,the May 1964 issue of Drag Racing has an article about the pros reaction to the "new"
5 amber tree.Dyno Don didn't like it.He said the slower car has the advantage of taking a shot at the tree,
because they had nothing to lose.He still liked the flagman,yellow/green light start.Sturm,Mazmanian,Weney,Beswick,Proffit and other top dogs agreed.Nothinglike having your cake and eating it too.
Sorry for high jacking the thread but it's been blownup already.I think this is more interesting than tonneau covers anyway.

Ed F.

[Geerhead55]

Hey Ed,,,with all this talk of Superstock and Drag Illustrated magazines and Drag Racing issues from as far back as 1964,,, I'm wondering if you have or know of someone with a November 64' issue of SSDI that is willing to part with it. My collection of SSDI starts with the Dec.64' issue and I would love the chance to purchase a Nov. issue. Thanks to friends like Bob Rice who keeps me posted of E-Bay and other sightings I'm getting close, but I'm still missing that magazine. Thanks for any info or help you can provide.
Danny Durham

[bill dedman]

Danny,
Bret Kepner has a tremendous collection of old drag mags; he'd be someone who MIGHT could help you find that one.

That would be Vol. I #1, wouldn't it?

I had it, along with every other issue, but lost them all all in a basement flood in 1979..
Talk about feeling sick....

[Harry 6674]

From an engineering standpoint the beds on later model pickups are designed to create an air bubble to deflect air over the top. Thats how its supposed to work. I don't see those rope tailgates anymore anyway.

[Bill Howell]

I have run a 99 Ford Lightning truck in stock a few times back in 01-02. I ran it at my local track a few times with the tailgate up, then down. It ran a little faster with the tailgate up but I really didn't see any difference in et.
Just for the record, bone stock with a computer chip change, it would run a couple tenths under the index. I bet a real race car version of one of these would be a killer if someone was inclined to race something like that. Of course, raising the supercharger boost would be another discussion.

[bill dedman]

Thanks, Bill!!! Everything seems to point to less drag: with the tailfate in the "up" position. I think that's pne of those things that doesn't LOOK like it would work, but, it does... Laying it down flat seems to LOOK better, aerodynamically-speaking, but it just doesn't work in the real world.

I appreciate the input!!!

[Rory McNeil]

There are only a few trucks running in Stock here in Div.6, but I believe they all have bed covers of some sort on them. Couldn`t be for a little extra weight out back, could it?

[Ed Fernandez]

Originally Posted by Geerhead55

Hey Ed,,,with all this talk of Superstock and Drag Illustrated magazines and Drag Racing issues from as far back as 1964,,, I'm wondering if you have or know of someone with a November 64' issue of SSDI that is willing to part with it. My collection of SSDI starts with the Dec.64' issue and I would love the chance to purchase a Nov. issue. Thanks to friends like Bob Rice who keeps me posted of E-Bay and other sightings I'm getting close, but I'm still missing that magazine. Thanks for any info or help you can provide.
Danny Durham

Sorry I can't help.My earliest SS/DI is June 1965.The rest are hit and miss,mostly 67-69 some 1970' and a few 1980s.


Ed

I'm taking them all to the Dutch.Will give issues to the guys there who were in them.

[bill dedman]

"When the truck classes were added to the general Stock Eliminator population, it was not added."
Sp, there's nothing in the NHRA rulebook about the legality of these bed covers at all, one way, or another?

You know, the druids have always stood behind a protective shield that went like this: "The rulebook is written in a "positive" manner. What that means is, if a modification is allowed, it will say so in the rulebook. In othe words, if it's not in there, then, it's not allowed."

I think that's no longer the case. They want to make it up as they go along... That gives them infinite flexibility.

[SSDiv6]

Originally Posted by bill dedman

"When the truck classes were added to the general Stock Eliminator population, it was not added."
Sp, there's nothing in the NHRA rulebook about the legality of these bed covers at all, one way, or another?

You know, the druids have always stood behind a protective shield that went like this: "The rulebook is written in a "positive" manner. What that means is, if a modification is allowed, it will say so in the rulebook. In othe words, if it's not in there, then, it's not allowed."

I think that's no longer the case. They want to make it up as they go along... That gives them infinite flexibility.

Bill, do not take the rule book as if everything has to be engraved in stone. My view on the matter is that I believe it was an oversight on the part of NHRA and they forgot to include it in the rule book. The bed covers have been in the trucks since the class was created.