Sorry, no letter to Penthouse here, but a pretty cool piece of NHRA memorabilia I've been hunting for a while *finally* arrived here in the sticks yesterday...this book was published by the NHRA, and inlcluded all the original hp/weight factors for each make/model/engine/hp...these are pretty rare, as there were generally just 1 per track, and this is only the second one I've *ever* seen...the tracks recieved updates, and this example covers from 1950 to roughly 1980. Anyway, below is a picture of the cover closed, and then a picture of one of the pages inside...I flipped it to a page with nothing but obscure combos just for an example... :grin:
Hey Rob, Since you have nothing else better to do ( :laugh: ) I wonder how the first 10-20 on the result sheet from '05 PSMCDR looked on the power to weight ratio! (Talk about dirt! ou: )
Mine are all overweight according to the NHRA Stock Car Classification Index .... I wonder about the others ??? uzzled: o No:
The cool part is that most of this info has the original NHRA factors on it, so you can back track and find the original weight of cars, as submitted by the manufacturers to NHRA...so you can tell who's fudging and who's not! :Brow: Most of the numbers the NHRA publishes today have been played with over the years.
I am trying to remember but, I believe that the '68 and '69 H/O were in part developed to fit in a niche class that few people fit in. I believe that it was offically rated as D/ SA ... but, I could be wrong. :bglasses: (At least this is what I remember from Dale Smith's speech at the H/O nationals during Oldsmobiles' 100th in '97! )
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Rusty: If Dale Smith reported that, I'm sure it had more to do with what he said they were rather than what they really were. Developing toward a goal for factoring in NHRA/IHRA makes a great story, but the only thing developed was what they reported. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Everybody did it, he was just better at it than most. :TU: :TU: They typically over rated the hp on the regular 442's GTO's, etc, and typically understated the real hot rods. No way in the world that a 350 hp 442 should get its clock cleaned by a puny litle 325 hp small block. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: The W45 Hurst engines were based on using available production parts from various combinations that were already in production. About the only thing they "tuned" was the distributor timing. As you know there was a big difference in the W45 non A/C cars and the W46 A/C cars out of the box. Bothe were dynomite combinations. Numbers they reported just put them where they wanted them to be. :Brow: :Brow:
Dave, In '68 is when they had the W-45 and W-46 motors with different cams, heads and horsepower ratings. In '69, they were less elaborate than that. All of the cars got the cam from the W-45 (a/c engine) also the same as the stock 442 in '69, but they got the 'D' heads. A lot of people say that the 'D' head does not flow as well as the 'C'. All I know for certain is that you can pick up a set of 'C' heads a lot cheaper than 'D's. Footnote: My friend with the '68 H/O last year was an a/c car with 3.08 gears, kink bent exhaust, and little 14's Sorry for the hijack!
Great score, Rob! Looking through the book, can you find any other cars with a factor below 9.47? That's pretty amazing.
Survey says... 8.97...or not quite 64 pounds! But, the NHRA rated the L72 in the Biscayne at 435hp, so...it actually had to weigh 153 pounds more! :laugh:
How low, can you go...how low, can you go... There are LOTS below that...in fact, there are a couple that are *half* that! :shock: But then there's the '75 Honda holding down the opposite end of the spectrum! :laugh:
What kind of car would be factored in the 5s? Factory Experimental? Modified? I assumed the book was stock class only.
You're correct BG, the book is only for Stock & Super/Stock...buuuut, there are a couple of combos in here with hp/weight factors in the 4's...think "beer can"! :shock: And the page outlining the factors for the "Cricket" kinda makes Brian's 430/400hp combo seem downright common!! :laugh:
Added another piece to my NHRA collection today...the original NHRA Tech Manual, from Maple Grove Raceway! This thing has NHRA tech bulletins, all the blueprint specs for each make/model (including camshaft specs), and lots of literature from NHRA, and from Maple Grove itself, all from about 1950 to 1980. Check it out... ------------------------------------ Hillbilly Racing Team "If you're coasting, then you're headed downhill..."
