Working on a D g***er currently. Unfortuntely the 40 year old body shell I was given isn't hamb friendly. Slant six power though. Don
What am I missing here....and I could be wrong......those et's seem wrong for 1965 D/G .....A/Gas cars Like Stone/Woods/Cook would have been mid 9's @ 160.....Top Fuel would have been 7.80's-90's D/Gas cars today run around a 10.60......and when my father ran D/G in the early 70's I think it was a low 11 second maybe high 10's type car.
While I didnt find records.....Heres news article from Indy 1965 so I wasnt to far off........ Qualifying continued until 5 p.m. More outstanding runs included Chuck Griffith's 7.96 at 193.54 in the PVTA Starlite; Don Prudhomme's 7.96 at 195.22 in the Hawaiian of Roland Leong; Springnationals winner Maynard Rupp's 7.78 at 198.22 in The Prussian; Moritz and McClintock's 8.46 on gas; Alan Bockla's 8.16 at 183.66 [getting out of it a couple of times]; Connie Kalitta's 7.65 at 196.50 for low e.t. of the day; Gordon Collett's 8.80 at 144, shutting off early on gas; Eagle Electric's 7.89 at 196.06 under driver Frank Rupert's direction; George Boltoff's 8.37, 189.26 on gas; Danny Ongais' 7.96, 196.50; and Dunn and Yates' second effort of 7.71 at 190.66.<?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = O /><O></O> <O></O> Prudhomme returned late in the day to try the strip again and was well-rewarded as the Leong-Black-Prudhomme fueler was credited with a tie for low e.t. of the day with Kalitta at 7.65 seconds.<O></O> <O></O> In the always-popular A/GS cl***, "Big John" Mazmanian's candy red Willys responded to driver **** Bourgeois' coaxing with a 9.89 e.t. on two occasions. Speeds were a hair more than 150 mph, three better than the national record of Stone, Woods & Cook.<O></O> <O></O> The SWC team was not to remain in the pits, however. Doug Cook wheeled the big black Willys into staging, fired, pulled to the line, and whipped off a 9.59 at 152.03 mph. The crowd was silent, as though in respect for the tremendous performance.<O></O> <O></O> Local favorite and previous winner George Montgomery was hot on SWC's heels but managed only a 10.28 at 136.26 in the powder blue Willys. The Hurst G***er P***er Anglia suffered wheelstanding problems, as it would throughout the meet, and was left in the pits after Saturday.<O></O> <O></O> Bill Lawton hustled the Tasca Ford Mustang A/FXer to a set of 10.70 clockings, just about tops for the day. A variety of stockers p***ed tech for just as many cl***es, with Don Nicholson in B/A, Hayden Proffitt in B/A, Ed Schartman in A/G, Kenny Vogt-Bob Ford in C/A, **** Brannen's Stark Hickey Mustang in B/A, Phil Bonner in B/A, Don Gay in B/FD, Jack Chrisman in B/FD, Ed Rachansky in A/G, Bob Sullivan and Steve Bovan in B/FD, and the Bill Kraft Rambler in B/FD. It promised to be interesting.<O></O> <O></O> Wheelstands seemed to be the order of the day for the g***ers and modified stockers, but Jack Merkel set the "record" when his yellow '34 Willys did five bumper s****ers on one run. Merkel spent most of Friday morning in the Hurst Clinic, then returned the same day, along with a host of others to ready for Saturday's cl*** battles.<O></O> <O></O> Friday<O></O> <O></O> The second day featured many runs by the AA/Fuelers in an attempt at the low 16 qualifying spots for Monday's runs. At the end of the day, the Ramchargers Dodge from Trenton, Mich., held the top spot. Driver Don Westerdale hazed the big skins through the lights in just 7.50 seconds at a honking 210.76 mph. The runs were so obviously the strongest so far that the crowd remained perfectly quiet until the time was announced. The speed would stand for top time of the meet.<O></O> <O></O> Other qualifiers as of Friday night were Kalitta, 7.65; Prudhomme, 7.65; Bockla, 7.66; Dunn, 7.71; Hot Rod Magazine meet winner Nando H***e, 7.75; Ongais, 7.76; Bobby Vodnik in **** Belfatti's Golden Shadow, 7.76; Rupp, 7.78; Eagle-Rupert, 7.84; Tom Hoover, 7.88; PVTA-Griffith, 7.96; Ron Abbott, 7.99; Weekly, 8.00; Bobby Langley, 8.02; and last, but not least, reigning champ Don Garlits, 8.03. <O></O> <O></O> The runner-up for top speed of the meet at that point was Bockla in the F&M Auto Parts Chrysler. On his qualifying run, Bockla cut a tremendous 208.80 mph. The word in the pits was that if Bockla could run in the thin air in Denver, he was going to be mighty tough in Indy. Bockla's run proved the point.<O></O> <O></O> It is interesting to note that of the 16 qualifiers, three used Dodge motors, one each used Plymouth and Ford, and 11 had Chryslers.<O></O> <O></O> In Top Gas sit-out qualifying, also 16 spots, the field ended in the eights Friday. Low mark belonged to Earl Poage at 8.26 with a 188 in the mile per hour department. Collett followed at 8.27, and Boltoff was third at 8.30. Top Gas speed at this point was 192.70 by Collett, with Boltoff at 191 and Jim Minnick at 191 in the fifth spot with an 8.42. Former champ Phil Hobbs, was in at 8.31, just ahead of Minnick. The slowest of the g***ers was in at 8.75, a good e.t. for gas anywhere.<O></O> <O></O> The fastest speed for the stockers went to Gas Ronda of West Covina, Calif., Friday with a 133.76 for the A/FX Mustang. Melvon Yow's '65 Hemi Dodge cut the low e.t. at 10.34. That run put him in the low spot for Top Stock, with Ronda on his tail at 10.51. Other qualifiers were Len Richter-Bob Ford; Bill Lawton-Tasca Ford; Herb Candless-Mr. 4 Speed; Paul Norris-Holman-Moody; Les Ritchey-Performance ***ociation; Bill Shirley-The Professor; Arlen Vanke-Leohr Chrysler/Plymouth; Dave Yall; Joe Smith-Fenner/Tubbs; Wes Kogle-The Original Dependable; Al Joniec-Al Swenson Ford; John Hagen-The Fugitive; and Paul Richardson, Jack Thomas, and Jack Werst in a three-way tie for 16th at 11.44.<O></O> <O></O> Saturday<O></O> <O></O> .....
I'm with Tony, those times are way off for 1965. As an example, Stone,Woods and Cook A/GS, came up to Oregon in 1964 and ran 9.80. In 1968 Big John Mazmanian brought the Austin to the same track and ran 8.90. For 1965 I would think the D/G record would be mid-11's.
McGurk, That is an odd list, normally they would state the driver, engine and ET and MPH, along with the track and the date set, like it was published in National Dragster, and in the back of HOT Rod. We just finished a '55 Chev G***er that would have been a D/G in that era, around 10 lbs per inch, hoping for low 10's.
Our '56 (when owned and raced by Dennis Coker) held the D&E/G record several times from 61-65 when it was sold and I have the original NHRA records to prove it. In '61 it had the D/G record @ 13.06 @ 106mph, set at the first Winternational in Pomona. The E/G record it held in'65 when it was sold was 12.48 @110 mph with a stock bore & stroke 283. Our dads '56 (Panneton Jones & Christensen) ran similar #'s (12.52 @ 111mph) to Dennis in C/Gas with a stock bore/ stroke 327. When we found out our red car (Yesterdays Child) was Coker's old car and asked dad did he remember him, be said, "hell yes I remember him, he was really fast in E, with a fricken 283, he ran as fast as us and we had a 327 in C! The D/G record was held for a long time by the recently restored Scribner Bros. '56 in the low-mid 11's @ 115-117 as I recall. Maybe a D/Gas Dragster would have run in the mid 8's but I highly doubt it. Dennis bought the 283 "fuelie" short block new '61 after he ****tered the original hopped up 265. He said those forged pistons had the top ring really far down, so I took them to Bourgoise & Wade and they put them in the mill and lowered the deck of the piston about .100, so I had a .100 taller dome, (pretty forward thinking for 1961), they cut the deck of the block .100 to zero deck the pistons then fly cut the valve pockets for the Isky 505 flat tappet, and Dennis ported and polished the 461x heads himself, then topped it off with a set of Hilborn's and a dual point corvette distributor, a Muncie 4 speed & 5.86's out back in the '57 Pontiac rearend. He said he killed several T10's before getting the Muncie which never let him down. He also got some Cooks Machine axles that worked grate after killing several sets of stock Pontiac axles. He originally ran Dougs tri-y headers, but then Jardine made him some long primary tube 4 into 1's and he said that really woke it up.
Thoes times look a little fast for the time. I had a '56 Chevy in '65 and '66 and I think my best times in the D/G cl*** was around 14.20s. at 100 mph. Small block 327, 6,2s roller cam and 4:56 gears and drove it everyday, as it was the only car I had at the time, dame I miss them days, life was simple then.
That was when there were no fuel cars (dragsters)so they went 8.60 on GASOLINE. From the 1963 Hot Rod annual D/G 12.58, 110.97mph. Don
I also ran in D/G in '65-'66 with a street driven '57 2dr sedan 283, 4-speed, 4:88s, Rochester fuel injection, and the best I did was 14.0. at 100mph.This car was actually a legal stocker, but we ran in D gas, because the slicks were too wide (by 1/4 inch) for stock . We did surprisingly descent in that cl***, not because the car was fast (it was actually slow for the cl***), but because it was dependable and always made it to the other end of the 1/4 mile and was very consistent. As I recall, the good running D/G cars from that time and at our tracks,(Island Dragway and E-Town) could run in the mid 12s, but many were inconsistent making us somewhat compe***ive, even though we couldn't match the times of the strong runners.
In May 1965, Gene Moody from Bloomfield, Indiana set the D/Gas NHRA National Record at Cecil County Dragway in Rising Sun, Maryland. The record was 11.90 e.t. at 115.38 mph. His race car was a 1955 Chevrolet. The record stood for the entire 1965 season. Incidentally, this is the same car that Gene Moody won the NHRA NATIONALS in Indianapolis with in 1963, 1964, 1966, and 1967. He was also the 1965 NHRA World Champion in Street Eliminator.
According to my 1964 NHRA Rule Book the D/Gas weight break was 11.5 lbs. per cubic inch. I believe the weight break was the same for 1965. That would have made Gene Moody's 1955 Chevy with 288 cu. in. small block weigh in at 3312 lbs.
I ran a Rochester fuel injected 301 SBC with Muncie 4-speed in a much lightened '57 Chevy back in '65 and the best it ever did was 11.93 at 116.71. I usually made it through two rounds of elimination before the Willys coupes put me on the trailer.
I need to check that bit about the Scribners, it may have been C/G they held the record in for some time.
Not sure about 65 but looks to me that some of the replies here are for different cl***es. I ran E/G in 65 then stepped up to D/G in 1969. I know that the last record I know of was set by **** Shroyer in his 1952 Anglia the "Shroyer Shaker" at 10.99. I remember him setting it in Pennsylvania at the York's Summer Nationals when won the Modified Eliminator 1970, I think.!! I remember it well as I did not want him to reset the record as back then we all ran against the national record! Shortly after that I was also running 10.85 to 11.00 ETs. 125 to 133 MPH. My car the Studa Skuda is pictures. I ran at Westhampton, National, English Town and Islip. Islip was a 1/8 mile. 6.91 @ 108 MPH was my best at the 1/8th...
**** Chase won D/G as the 1965 Winters 12.47 at 112.21 mph.Gene Moody won the World Finals in his 55 Chevrolet 12.47 at 109.48 mph.In 1966 ed Elam won D/G at the Spring Nationals 12.12 at 115.20 mph.Harry Luzader was the D/G winner at Indy 11.72 at 114.06 mph.I don't know if Luzader was in he 32 Ford or not.All this info came from the Hot Rod and/or Car Craft magazines that covered the events.
**** didn't the Wappid Wabbit hold the record for a while or was '65 the year that they broke @ indy?
Just found the old man's Connecticut Dragway comp permit... he was running 178+ in 1/4 in 1965. Not his best time, but that was was his "run group." Believe he actually built Danny Ongais' (and many others motors) back then. I'll see if I can find some of his time slips. The "Dragmaster East" for any of you who knew him... Cheers, L76
I remember my neighbors D/G Willys. It ran high 11s in the '64 - '65 era. Although the pearl white paint job has a golden yellow patina now the car still exists and in the same family.
Hello, The NHRA at the time (1965) had lists, but again, the top fuel. funny cars, and fx cars took the center stage. The little guy cl***es were on their way out of the whole scene at various dragstrips. We saw it happening locally in So Cal. But, the one thing as far as records go, here is set of records taken from the January-February listings in the Drag News Weekly Newspaper that went to all dragstrips across the USA. Jnaki Even the local drag news began to get skimpy with the “little guy” cl***es and their writings began to get almost the full story being top fuel race cars and fx cl***es. There was no mention of any other cl***es running. The future trend had started. Other ads for the dragstrips showed top fuel races for each day event and night time events. The only mention of gas coupes and sedan cl*** racing was a match race between SWC and Mazmanian. No cl*** racing, but just a match race. The strips were trying to capitalize on those popular racers and left off the true racers that got left off of all cl***es represented. The trend had started. Even the stories printed were columns after columns all about top fuel cars and round by round eliminations coverage. Now, if one were to go into the 66-68 years, it got worse in coverage and writings. Then they eliminated all cl*** records as there weren’t any cl***es to record, other than top fuel, fx and now funny cars. The downfall of drag racing was now present and… gone forever…YRMV
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