So a MP would have its own front suspension, and rear suspension from the same brand of car? What about a engine swap? Till what year did they race MP cars? Could a early '70s car be one? Or was the class completely different by that time?
Yes to the front susp. No to the rear . Alot of M/P cars had Pontiac/Olds rears..Later, 6.50 and 7.17 Dana 60's Engines had to be same family as the car. Remember, M/P was a step up from Stock. It was cu. in. to weight, basically any engine mods, carbs only. Still 7 " tires like the Stockers M/P lasted until '81, when NHRA did away with Modified Eliminator and replaced it with Super /Gas.... Yuck! This video is a little new to be Hamb-ish (only 31 years old), but I wanted to illustrate the sights and sounds of Modified. Cotton's car was an inline Chevy six with a modified cast iron production head. Thanks to Wayne (MEMORIES) and the Class Racer Forum for the link
No, limited to 2X4s or 3X2s. One of the interesting rules of MP was that the tire couldn't hang out past the fender line, but the inner wheel well could be modified for tire clearance. Looks to me like this (and the same basic rule in SuperStock) were the beginnings of the race cars that started the ProStreet look. Larry T
I don't want to be quoted for exactness.....BUT suspensions basically the same as stock, but an upgrade on rear axle permitted. No altered wheelbase. I thought when I read the rules it said ANY motor as long as you didn't modify the firewall. My Vette really needs a front bumper to qualify for the 60's MP. I don't know what years exactly.
I go out to the shop for, like a WEEK and come back to find you guys still at it?! Well, you're all doing some thorough research and that's good. BTW, when the local axle cars were classified as M/P's, it was probably because they didn't know where else to put 'em (probably a catch-all class) AND our local yokel little track did things their own way. I was a punk kid then, but my brother (Rocky) was there bangin' gears. Maybe he could shed some light on this. All I remember for sure was seeing M/P on the windshield of axle cars. By the time I finally hit the strip (after my street racer career ended), M/P was about gone and was a pretty serious class. I've raced a lot, but almost always in "T/O" : Time Only or Test and Tune (I'm not really a competitive type, but love to test and love the rush). Scotty
Love this Falcon. Have been trying to determine what my cougar would have been in 71, I think SS/DA, Super stock "D" automatic. 70 429-460, Stock front susp but the tires are 12 wide. This makes me think it would not be M/P, Input, opinions? Dave
I don't think they put a 385 series in a 70 Cougar. 428 or SB The tread portion of the tires can't stick out in S/S .Can't tell that from the picture.
Source unknown: ...On the drag racing accident............ http://www.atlasf1.com/2001/aus/preview/... ...NASCAR's mortal enemy in stock car racing, USAC, was quick to point out to Chrysler that it was continuing to use the same rules it had in 1964 and the Plymouth and Dodge Hemi teams were welcome to compete on that circuit in 1965. Many did, including Paul Goldsmith, Bobby Isaac, and David Pearson. Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises went drag racing. In a Barracuda that they called "Outlawed," Petty attracted large crowds wherever his raced. Unfortunately, on 28 February 1965, the same day that a 100-miler was being run at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina, Petty and "Outlawed" were at Southeastern Dragway in . During a match race with Arnie Beswick, the Barracuda experienced transmission problems off the line. As Petty tried to find second gear, the car started to get loose. When Petty finally got it into second gear the car suddenly broke loose, turned towards the spectator area, and hit the embankment. The Petty Blue Barracuda vaulted the embankment, being launched almost straight up, which carried the car over the fence that was supposed to protect the spectators, and into the crowd. Seven people were injured when the Barracuda slammed into the people who had come to watch the match races. One of these suffered severe head injuries, but there was an eighth victim, Wayne Dye - an eight-year old from Austell, Georgia. He died of his injuries before he reached the hospital. Petty suffered light injuries in the violent crash, but the shock of the young boy's death stayed with him for years.
I had the chance to talk to Al Vanderwoode of Flying Ducthman fame. He told me that a bunch of the cars that looked like that stuff your showing ened up as exibition racers. The gas class rules didn't allow stuff that fit in A/FX and other way around. Some of the altered wheelbase cars would'nt fit in A/FX and because of fuel experimentations were placed in Altered classes. Track operators just wanted to draw a crowd so they'ed book a show and call it what worked best.
The crowds definitely liked the exhibition cars. That in my opinion is where the funny cars really got their start. Fuel, blowers, injection it just kept getting wilder. Was fortunate around here as U.S. 131 Dragway was a stop for most all the big boys when they were on tour. Seems as though Arnie "The Farmer and Grand Spalding Dodge were there almost every week. Probably not but looking back it seems that way.
...you forgot to include what city/state it happened. "...Unfortunately, on 28 February 1965, the same day that a 100-miler was being run at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in Weaverville, North Carolina, Petty and "Outlawed" were at Southeastern Dragway in Dallas, Georgia."
Of course, you're right. I didn't want to bring it up. Georgia has a bad reputation for drag racing fatalities.
I didn't read this whole thread, it kinda went wherever. Did anybody point out that the 'white car' the nova that he called an AF/X is actually a gasser? AF/X had to have fuel cell in confines of the body and as produced front suspension, ie: 'a' arm suspension couldn't be replaced with solid axle (among other stuff). Why's he worrian about us not knowing the difference?
The white Nova is far from a Gasser. It has an altered wheelbase. Gassers had to have the stock wheelbase. I'd say that car falls into the early Funny Car category.
hotroddon, can't believe you didn't pick this out, being the stickler for historical detail that you are, but straightaxlenovas car is clearly a gasser, straight axles were not allowed in Factory Experimental, period. Why would you need to see if the wheelbase is altered to know if it an FX car? Wheelbase alterations did not begin to take place until 1964, but FX was a class a year or two previously to that. The altered/gasser thing, as it pertains to Petty's car, irrelevant. NHRA didn't know what to do with these cars in 1965. Chrysler built the AWB cars to run FX, but NHRA banned them. The races and match races were not done at NHRA events, they were at AHRA, UDRA, NASCAR, and outlaw tracks. NHRA has never been a trend setter in terms of knowing what the fans like. They sit back and watch and figure out how they'll make money on it and then find a class for it. The great number of the best top fuel wars was when NHRA had a ban on fuel. Nice to see rules for Modified production, but of course that class was not exactly like FX, and came after the demise of FX. No overlap. It's fun to sit back and read all this. It is important to be accurate I think, but it is impossible to make broad sweeping statements about a rules structure without knowing what year car you're talking about, and exactly what year of historical significance you are trying to emulate. Ultra Stock was another class, I think NASCAR or UDRA used. It applied to early funny cars, like the long nosed door slammers. NHRA called some of these Experimental Stock, and a bunch of the altered wheelbase cars ran this class in '66/'67 before all the rules structure got shaken up again.
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