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Factory Experimental (the FX Class) and the myth...

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by George Klass, Dec 21, 2013.

  1. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    "FX", there's almost magic in the name alone. It was originally conceived by NHRA to deal with the factory's releasing high performance parts that were not in regular production or "assembly line produced". This had been going on during 1961 and threatened to continue into 1962. In the Chevy camp, for instance, the 409 engine had been installed in more than a few 1961 Chevy Impalas and Biscayne coupes by dealers and racers, probably a lot more than had ever been produced at the factory (the number most quoted as being built on the assembly line in 1961 was 142 409-equipped Chevys). NHRA was not going to have that happen in 1962. They were prepared to maintain that Super Stock cars had to be built "in quantity" at the factory on the assembly line.
    And so, to deal with the discrepancy between "stock parts" and "special equipment" the Factory Experimental class was born. The NHRA rulebook for 1962 listed the FX class rules right along side the Super Stock rules. Basically, the FX class was a "mix and match" combination of stock parts from one vehicle being used on another vehicle of the same name. An engine from one vehicle (a Pontiac Catalina 421 engine for instance) could be mated with a much smaller and lighter Pontiac (a Tempest Le Mans). The same held true with transmissions, rear end housings and other driveline components. Whatever was used on one model could be mated with another model, of the same brand. But the important point to remember is that the engine transported from one model to the other model (the Pontiac 421 in this instance) still had to meet the same specs as if it were in the original Catalina model. It still had to be "Super Stock legal". Fiberglass or aluminum body parts were not legal in 1962 for the FX class, unless produced (or released) by the factory. Same for magnesium wheels. Wheelbases still needed to remain stock for the body used. Same for suspension. Tube front axles, forgetaboutit. If you did decide to use a straight front axle, it had to come from a vehicle of the same brand, such as a pick-up truck or a van, etc. (not many Pontiac pick-ups around at the time). Fabricated round-tube axles were not permitted. You could install a bigger engine in a smaller car but in the end, what you created was a smaller and lighter version of the Super Stock car. FX did permit a slightly larger tire to be used. The restrictions for the Super Stock class was a tire with at least two tread grooves and a width not to exceed 7-inches. Drag slicks were permitted in the Factory Experimental class, provided that they fit inside the original and unmodified rear wheel well tubs, and did not exceed 10-inches.
    And as far as classification between the three Factory Experimental classes (A/FX. B/FX and C/FX), they were based on weight to cubic inches instead of the factory rated horsepower formula used in the Super Stock classes.
    All of this burst on the scene at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona in 1962.
    [​IMG]
    The big noise in the A/FX class that year was a Pontiac Tempest fitted with a 421-inch Pontiac engine. This car was assembled by Hayden Proffitt and Lloyd Cox, working out of Mickey Thompson's shop in Long Beach, CA. This was a natural combination. Both Proffitt and Cox were racing M/T owned Pontiac Catalinas in S/S competition and had plenty of pieces laying around. Installing the 421-inch S/S V8 in the Tempest was easy, the car came from the factory with a 4-cylinder engine that was actually one half of the V8 to begin with. It dropped right in with few if any under-hood modifications required. The standard S/S 3-speed (not a 4-speed) trans was used. In the rear, the factory Tempest swing-axle/transmission was replaced with a narrowed rear end out of the bigger Catalina. The drive shaft was from the Catalina too, shortened to fit (does anyone remember the factory "droopy" drive shafts on the Tempests?).
    As would be expected, the Tempest did very well at the Winternationals, winning the A/FX class with very low 12-second runs. I don't think anyone was surprised at the performance of this car. The 421 Pontiac Catalinas were more than holding their own in Super Stock competition at drag strips around the nation and the 421-inch Tempest was a scaled down Pontiac Super Stocker. The standard Pontiac Catalina had a 120-inch wheelbase and was 211.6-inches in length, whereas the Tempest had a 112-inch wheelbase and was only 189.3-inches in length. Plus, the Tempest was over 6-inches narrower than the "wide track" Panchos. That equated to a lot of iron that didn't need to be hauled down the 1/4 mile.
    <?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:eek:ffice:eek:ffice" /><o:p> [​IMG]</o:p>
    But Pontiac was not alone. The bigger engine installed in the smaller car concept was not reserved for Pontiac. The same idea occurred to Jim Nelson and Dode Martin, the owners of the legendary Dragmaster Chassis company in San Diego. Why not take the 413-inch Dodge S/S engine out of the Dodge sedan and install it in the small Dodge Lancer? The Dodge sedan in 1962 had a 116-inch wheelbase whereas the Lancer had a petite wheelbase of 106.5-inches. The Lancer was also 13.2-inches shorter overall and about 4-inches narrower.
    The 413-inch Dodge Golden Lancer ran fine, of course, but I never understood why it didn't make as much of an impact on the FX scene in 1962 as did the Pontiac 421 Tempest. Perhaps it wasn't raced as much or maybe the Dragmaster team was not as into Super Stock competition as much as Proffitt was. After all, Dragmaster was turning out their dragster chassis by the hundreds, and that was their primary focus. It's also possible that Dodge and Plymouth were less interested in using a compact car in the FX class and preferred to promote their Super Stock cars at the time. Maybe there are some HAMB members that have more details on all of this.


    I've always felt that Don Nicholson should have been elected President of the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. I don't believe that any other human being ever did as much to promote drag strip performance for a particular brand as did Don Nicholson for Chevrolet. Mention "409 Chevy" to me and the first vision that pops into my head is Don's white 1961 Impala, despite the reality that I bought a 409 Chevy Bel Air "bubble top" in 1962 for myself, from Service Chevrolet in Pasadena.

    [​IMG]
    Several racers installed Small Block Chevy V8 engines into the Chevy II's for FX competition for the Winternationals in 1962 but for all practical purposes, how many people only remember Don's white Chevy II station wagon? I would guess only about 99%. One reason was that if was "Dyno" Don Nicholson and the other reason was that his wagon took home the trophy in the B/FX class. Again, it was the engine out of the bigger sedan stuffed into the little sedan that was the hot set-up. The Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne had a 119-inch wheelbase and was 209-inches long and 79-inches wide. The Chevy II had a 110-inch wheelbase, was 183-inches long and under 71-inches in width. Unlike t-ts and d-cks, smaller was better when it came to drag racing in the 1960's.
    Here's a question. How come nobody ever installed a 409 based V8 in a Chevy II back in 1962 for FX competition? If someone did, it's a well kept secret. It would have been a tight fit but NHRA rules allowed front wheel well "trimming" to accommodate bigger engines in smaller cars in FX. It would have fallen into the A/FX class and probably been pretty competitive with a 421-inch Tempest and a 413-inch Lancer.
    [​IMG]
    Tasca Ford out of East Providence, RI built a 1962 Ford Fairlane for FX competition, equipped with Fords 406-inch Super Stock engine. Tasca's work with the V8 equipped FX Fairlanes in 1962 and 1963 eventually led to the Ford Thunderbolt program for S/S competition in 1964. I don't know when their 1962 FX car actually was used in competition, maybe at the NHRA Nationals later that year. I don't remember seeing it at the Winternationals in February of 1962. I think it may have been used more as a "test mule" for Ford brass than as an FX car, although I'm willing to be wrong about that. Rhode Island is a long way from California.
    By the way, I'm willing to be wrong about a lot of this stuff. I was 23 years old in 1962 and my memory today is not what it used to be.
    Let's see what other HAMB members remember about the introduction of the Factory Experimental class in 1962, the Glory Year of FX in my opinion.
     
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  2. 6t5frlane
    Joined: Dec 8, 2004
    Posts: 2,399

    6t5frlane
    Member
    from New York

    Nice article and I would love to see it go further through the years
     
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  3. KoolKat-57
    Joined: Feb 22, 2010
    Posts: 3,073

    KoolKat-57
    Member
    from Dublin, OH

    Great information, and a lot of ?s answered.
    It's a shame NHRA has gone in the direction it has!
    The "class" competition is all but forgotten.
    KK
     
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  4. Hackerbilt
    Joined: Aug 13, 2001
    Posts: 6,254

    Hackerbilt
    Member

    That was really interesting! Thanks!!!
     

  5. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,939

    squirrel
    Member

    Formatting removed, so I can read it....

    "FX", there's almost magic in the name alone. It was originally conceived by NHRA to deal with the factory's releasing high performance parts that were not in regular production or "assembly line produced". This had been going on during 1961 and threatened to continue into 1962. In the Chevy camp, for instance, the 409 engine had been installed in more than a few 1961 Chevy Impalas and Biscayne coupes by dealers and racers, probably a lot more than had ever been produced at the factory (the number most quoted as being built on the assembly line in 1961 was 142 409-equipped Chevys). NHRA was not going to have that happen in 1962. They were prepared to maintain that Super Stock cars had to be built "in quantity" at the factory on the assembly line.

    And so, to deal with the discrepancy between "stock parts" and "special equipment" the Factory Experimental class was born. The NHRA rulebook for 1962 listed the FX class rules right along side the Super Stock rules. Basically, the FX class was a "mix and match" combination of stock parts from one vehicle being used on another vehicle of the same name. An engine from one vehicle (a Pontiac Catalina 421 engine for instance) could be mated with a much smaller and lighter Pontiac (a Tempest Le Mans). The same held true with transmissions, rear end housings and other driveline components. Whatever was used on one model could be mated with another model, of the same brand. But the important point to remember is that the engine transported from one model to the other model (the Pontiac 421 in this instance) still had to meet the same specs as if it were in the original Catalina model. It still had to be "Super Stock legal". Fiberglass or aluminum body parts were not legal in 1962 for the FX class, unless produced (or released) by the factory. Same for magnesium wheels. Wheelbases still needed to remain stock for the body used. Same for suspension. Tube front axles, forgetaboutit. If you did decide to use a straight front axle, it had to come from a vehicle of the same brand, such as a pick-up truck or a van, etc. (not many Pontiac pick-ups around at the time). Fabricated round-tube axles were not permitted. You could install a bigger engine in a smaller car but in the end, what you created was a smaller and lighter version of the Super Stock car. FX did permit a slightly larger tire to be used. The restrictions for the Super Stock class was a tire with at least two tread grooves and a width not to exceed 7-inches. Drag slicks were permitted in the Factory Experimental class, provided that they fit inside the original and unmodified rear wheel well tubs, and did not exceed 10-inches.

    And as far as classification between the three Factory Experimental classes (A/FX. B/FX and C/FX), they were based on weight to cubic inches instead of the factory rated horsepower formula used in the Super Stock classes.

    All of this burst on the scene at the NHRA Winternationals at Pomona in 1962.

    [​IMG]

    The big noise in the A/FX class that year was a Pontiac Tempest fitted with a 421-inch Pontiac engine. This car was assembled by Hayden Proffitt and Lloyd Cox, working out of Mickey Thompson's shop in Long Beach, CA. This was a natural combination. Both Proffitt and Cox were racing M/T owned Pontiac Catalinas in S/S competition and had plenty of pieces laying around. Installing the 421-inch S/S V8 in the Tempest was easy, the car came from the factory with a 4-cylinder engine that was actually one half of the V8 to begin with. It dropped right in with few if any under-hood modifications required. The standard S/S 3-speed (not a 4-speed) trans was used. In the rear, the factory Tempest swing-axle/transmission was replaced with a narrowed rear end out of the bigger Catalina. The drive shaft was from the Catalina too, shortened to fit (does anyone remember the factory "droopy" drive shafts on the Tempests?).

    As would be expected, the Tempest did very well at the Winternationals, winning the A/FX class with very low 12-second runs. I don't think anyone was surprised at the performance of this car. The 421 Pontiac Catalinas were more than holding their own in Super Stock competition at drag strips around the nation and the 421-inch Tempest was a scaled down Pontiac Super Stocker. The standard Pontiac Catalina had a 120-inch wheelbase and was 211.6-inches in length, whereas the Tempest had a 112-inch wheelbase and was only 189.3-inches in length. Plus, the Tempest was over 6-inches narrower than the "wide track" Panchos. That equated to a lot of iron that didn't need to be hauled down the 1/4 mile.

    [​IMG]

    But Pontiac was not alone. The bigger engine installed in the smaller car concept was not reserved for Pontiac. The same idea occurred to Jim Nelson and Dode Martin, the owners of the legendary Dragmaster Chassis company in San Diego. Why not take the 413-inch Dodge S/S engine out of the Dodge sedan and install it in the small Dodge Lancer? The Dodge sedan in 1962 had a 116-inch wheelbase whereas the Lancer had a petite wheelbase of 106.5-inches. The Lancer was also 13.2-inches shorter overall and about 4-inches narrower.

    The 413-inch Dodge Golden Lancer ran fine, of course, but I never understood why it didn't make as much of an impact on the FX scene in 1962 as did the Pontiac 421 Tempest. Perhaps it wasn't raced as much or maybe the Dragmaster team was not as into Super Stock competition as much as Proffitt was. After all, Dragmaster was turning out their dragster chassis by the hundreds, and that was their primary focus. It's also possible that Dodge and Plymouth were less interested in using a compact car in the FX class and preferred to promote their Super Stock cars at the time. Maybe there are some HAMB members that have more details on all of this.


    I've always felt that Don Nicholson should have been elected President of the Chevrolet Division of General Motors. I don't believe that any other human being ever did as much to promote drag strip performance for a particular brand as did Don Nicholson for Chevrolet. Mention "409 Chevy" to me and the first vision that pops into my head is Don's white 1961 Impala, despite the reality that I bought a 409 Chevy Bel Air "bubble top" in 1962 for myself, from Service Chevrolet in Pasadena.

    [​IMG]

    Several racers installed Small Block Chevy V8 engines into the Chevy II's for FX competition for the Winternationals in 1962 but for all practical purposes, how many people only remember Don's white Chevy II station wagon? I would guess only about 99%. One reason was that if was "Dyno" Don Nicholson and the other reason was that his wagon took home the trophy in the B/FX class. Again, it was the engine out of the bigger sedan stuffed into the little sedan that was the hot set-up. The Impala/Bel Air/Biscayne had a 119-inch wheelbase and was 209-inches long and 79-inches wide. The Chevy II had a 110-inch wheelbase, was 183-inches long and under 71-inches in width. Unlike t-ts and d-cks, smaller was better when it came to drag racing in the 1960's.

    Here's a question. How come nobody ever installed a 409 based V8 in a Chevy II back in 1962 for FX competition? If someone did, it's a well kept secret. It would have been a tight fit but NHRA rules allowed front wheel well "trimming" to accommodate bigger engines in smaller cars in FX. It would have fallen into the A/FX class and probably been pretty competitive with a 421-inch Tempest and a 413-inch Lancer.

    [​IMG]

    Tasca Ford out of East Providence, RI built a 1962 Ford Fairlane for FX competition, equipped with Fords 406-inch Super Stock engine. Tasca's work with the V8 equipped FX Fairlanes in 1962 and 1963 eventually led to the Ford Thunderbolt program for S/S competition in 1964. I don't know when their 1962 FX car actually was used in competition, maybe at the NHRA Nationals later that year. I don't remember seeing it at the Winternationals in February of 1962. I think it may have been used more as a "test mule" for Ford brass than as an FX car, although I'm willing to be wrong about that. Rhode Island is a long way from California.

    By the way, I'm willing to be wrong about a lot of this stuff. I was 23 years old in 1962 and my memory today is not what it used to be.

    Let's see what other HAMB members remember about the introduction of the Factory Experimental class in 1962, the Glory Year of FX in my opinion.
     
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  6. SOHC427
    Joined: Apr 5, 2009
    Posts: 1,048

    SOHC427
    Member

    Nice reading, look forward to seeing this thread grow!
     
  7. skywolf
    Joined: Jul 1, 2006
    Posts: 1,867

    skywolf
    Member

    Thanks for the information. Subscribed !
     
  8. Hey George,
    Ive been spending a lot of time on your Website and I really enjoy it.
    Great job ,Thanks
     
  9. eppster
    Joined: Jan 26, 2011
    Posts: 223

    eppster
    Member

    THAT'S A INTERESTING POST AND i HOPE MORE PEOPLE CHIME IN WITH ADDITIONAL HISTORY!
     
  10. Brad54
    Joined: Apr 15, 2004
    Posts: 6,021

    Brad54
    Member
    from Atl Ga

    GEORGE! Great to see you here posting your first-hand accounts of the history of our sport. I'm damn happy to see you putting it all into the record.

    -Brad
     
  11. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
    Member

    George happy to see someone that really was there and knows his business clearing up the history for us. Enjoy your website also.
     
  12. Great article and well written! What ever happened to your '62 "bubble top" w/409? They are/were one of the neatest cars out there along with the SD powered '61 Pontiacs.
     
  13. 327-365hp
    Joined: Feb 5, 2006
    Posts: 5,429

    327-365hp
    Member
    from Mass

    Absolutely! Thanks George!
     
  14. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    What happened to it? Same thing that probably happened to all the cars that old farts like me ever owned, we sold them for peanuts 'cause we never realized they would be worth so much in the future. We lived for today, off with the old, on with the new.

    I grew up in Los Angeles, with a 1-car garage, never had a barn to store old stuff in for "the future". I've had a lot of cars in my lifetime. Never regretted anything I ever bought, my regret is all the stuff I didn't keep ('40 Ford coupe, '55 Chevy, '30 Model A roadster, etc.)
     
  15. Yeah, like the one owner "64 Corvette roadster ( both tops, cloth one brand new, 300 hp, 4 spd, Flipper hubcaps, white w/ red int.) I bought for a grand and later sold for 15 hundred and thought I was in high cotton. This was in 1969 or 70
     
  16. frank spittle
    Joined: Jan 29, 2009
    Posts: 1,672

    frank spittle
    Member

    Very enjoyable read George. I was 18 in '62 and at Concord drag strip every Saturday night. I remember Dyno driving in a Chevy 1 ton car hauler with the '62 Bubble Top on it...pulling an open trailer with the 327 fuel injected Chevy II wagon. It was the beginning of the unimaginable factory race cars that would follow.

    Richard Broom, who was also only 18, went to work for Dyno and drove the '62 Bubbletop in '63 while Dyno drove the '63 Z-11. By then the '62 had the Z-11 engine and aluminum body parts. About 20 years later Broom was Rick Hendrick's crew chief on the blown fuel hydro and when Rick switched to NASCAR Broom stayed with him for a while but didn't like round track racing and moved on. I still stay in touch with him.
     
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2013
  17. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Back on track some more about the FX classes for '62. Last night I went over to a buddy to borrow some of his old Hot Rod magazines, just to jog my memory about the FX class in 1962. The March issue had a big article about installing the 327 fuel injected engine and 'Vette 4-speed into the Chevy II. What I didn't remember until I read the article was that Chevrolet had a complete kit available for the swap, including all the relevant part numbers. The factory part numbers were the key to what was allowed in the FX class in '62 and what was not permitted. If you could order it from the factory, you could use it in the FX classes. For instance, the '62 Pontiac Tempest driven by Hayden Proffitt and later by Lloyd Cox had a S/S Pontiac 421 power plant, which included aluminum rods, special pistons and a custom cam. These pieces were never legal for S/S competition. They were manufactured by Mickey Thompson and had Pontiac part numbers. Anyone could order those pieces from a Pontiac dealer, who would purchase the parts directly from M/T. Remember, to be legal for NHRA S/S in '62, cars needed to be built "in quantity" and be assembly line produced. To be legal for the FX class, the parts just needed to be "available" from the factory or have a factory part number.

    Back to the Chevy II V8 for a minute. According to the article in HRM, the 327 V8 swap added only 120 pounds to the car over the factory straight-6 engine. The car weight (2-door sedan) with the V8 was 2908 pounds (without driver), with 56.9% on the front wheels. This is one of the reasons that Nicholson opted to use the 4-door wagon, considering how nose heavy the 2-door sedan was. If you notice the photo above of Proffitt's Tempest running at the Winternationals, you will notice that the Chevy II in the other lane (also running in A/FX like the Tempest) was a 4-door sedan, most likely for the same reason.

    Another thing about the Chevy II's, the stock rear suspension was a single leaf spring. NHRA would permit additional leaves if the racer wanted them, but the "swap kit" from Chevy included a traction bar instead, and maintained the single leaf springs.

    Speaking of rear suspension systems, the Tempest used coil springs to hold up the trans-axle and swing arms (like the Corvair). Proffitt maintained the stock coil springs in the rear when he installed the straight axle housing, and built his own "ladder bars" out of square tubing.

    The Golden Lancer used the stock (but beefed up) leaf springs in the rear and built some nifty tubular ladder bars. Ladder bars or "traction bars" as NHRA referred to them were legal in S/S classes as well, provided that the original suspension system was retained. NHRA was a little more lenient with the rear suspension systems in the FX classes. The front suspension systems had to remain stock for the car used, or be available for that brand vehicle from the factory. We really never saw the "tube front axle" suspension systems in NHRA FX competition for several years, that was something that kind of took off when the match race madness craze hit the drag strips.

    Some random notes. Photos in HRM for both the Pontiac 421 Tempest and the Dodge 413 Golden Lancer show that the batteries have been relocated into the trunk. There was nothing in the NHRA rulebook for the FX class that addressed this (it was illegal in S/S to do this) but apparently it was permitted in FX. HRM also reported that the weight for Nicholson's 327 B/FX wagon was 2980 pounds, and 3030 pounds for the Lancer and 3140 pounds for the Tempest, all without driver.

    One other note. Non-factory hood scoops were not permitted in either FX classes or in S/S classes. Some racers used them in 1961 but NHRA soon made them illegal.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Note the classification of Hayden Proffitt's 1961 Pontiac, OS/S. Illegal for Super Stock competition (S/S), it was required to run in the Optional Super Stock class. Cars like this were the reason that the Factory Experimental classes were even conceived. The factories were releasing new high performance parts almost every day, parts that were either in short supply or almost impossible to get "unless you knew somebody". The Chevy 409 was "sort of" assembly line produced in 1961, but as time went on that year, new "upgraded" parts became available (heads, intake manifolds, etc.). Sometimes it was tough to tell who was running what.

    [​IMG]
    Dave Strickler's S/S car with "illegal for S/S completion" later in the season, running in OS/S.

    GM racers seemed to have the most problems in the early 1960's, despite the fact that the 409 powered Chevy's cleaned up at both the 1962 Winternationals in Pomona and the Nationals in Indy. Chevy released the Z11 Impala in time for the NHRA Winternationals in 1963 only to find out that it was not going to be permitted to run in the S/S class. It was never built as an FX car, it was conceived as a S/S car. Maybe they never produced enough of them (they built 57 of them), I don't know. I do know that NHRA was pulling their hair out in clumps with all the trick factory cars built exclusively for drag racing.

    [​IMG]
    This '63 Z11 Chevy had to cover up the S/S on his door and run in the Limited Production (L/P) class at Pomona.

    [​IMG]
    This one chose to run in the A/FX class in Pomona.

    And then to top all of this off, General Motors bailed out of racing all together in 1963. Although none of the Chevy or Pontiac guys realized it at the time, this proved to be a blessing in disguise. It now meant that anyone could build an FX car, you didn't need to be a "GM factory racer". All you needed was a compact car (a Chevy II or a Chevelle), a S/S engine, and a chain hoist.

    http://georgeklass.net/super-stock.html
     
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  18. belair
    Joined: Jul 10, 2006
    Posts: 9,013

    belair
    Member

    A great thread . Thanks for posting this.
     
  19. skinnydude
    Joined: Feb 18, 2008
    Posts: 169

    skinnydude
    Member

    Very nice article well written, very good information . thanks
     
  20. Paul B
    Joined: Sep 29, 2007
    Posts: 941

    Paul B
    Member

    good read thanks
     
  21. frank spittle
    Joined: Jan 29, 2009
    Posts: 1,672

    frank spittle
    Member

    Hayden Proffitt told me at one of the Super Stock Reunions I organized that when Vince Piggins contacted him to tell him they would not be factory supporting racers any longer he would be receiving a cash severance. He told me he took that cash and traveled to Detroit and had a deal with Plymouth when he left.

    He also told me he assumed G.M. was spending too much money with their racing programs and asked Vince if that was the reason racers were being dumped. He was told their racing programs had been too successful and G.M. suits were terrified General Motors was going to be declared a monopoly and broken up by the Justice Department.
     
  22. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    We can't leave Ford out in the cold for 1962, although they didn't have much going for themselves in FX that year. They were barely involved in FX at the Winternationals, but the Ford factory had 10 specially constructed A/FX cars built by Andy Hotten's Dearborn Steel Tubing shop for the National event in Indy. These were full size 2-door sedans with fiberglass front fenders, hood, rear deck lid, aluminum inner front fender panels and bumpers. Fiberglass doors had been planned but weren't ready in time. The 406 engines also had some updates, including a new intake manifold and dual 4-brl carbs.

    [​IMG]

    But even with all the light weight equipment, the cars still weighed 3320 pounds.

    [​IMG]

    The biggest problem for the "lightweight" Fords in A/FX were the 421 Pontiac Tempests in the other lane. Between the 421 Royal Pontiac Tempest from Michigan and the 421 M/T Pontiac from California (to my knowledge, the only two 421 Pontiac Tempests in the FX class), the Fords went down one by one. 1962 was not a banner year for Fords in the FX classes.

    [​IMG]

    Ford probably would have been better off concentrating on the smaller Fairlane body instead of using the full size car.

    [​IMG]



    [​IMG]
     
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  23. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I'm not aware of any factory involvement with the FX classes from Ford in 1963. The lightweight '63 Galaxie fast backs were holding their own in the S/S class and no one knew for sure where the NHRA FX classes were going anyway.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    And then in 1964, Ford released the Thunderbolts that were so successful, in the S/S classes. The Ford factory stayed away from FX until the A/FX Mustangs were turned loose in 1965.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    And along with the A/FX Ford Mustangs, FoMoCo also promoted the A/FX Mercury Comet's.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    At Pontiac, things were moving along (quietly) in FX despite the GM racing ban. The full size 1963 421 "swiss cheese" Pontiacs were released. No one is 100% sure of how many were actually produced but the best figure I've ever heard is an even dozen cars, all painted silver. These cars, like the Z11 Chevy's, were intended to compete in the S/S class, but I'm not sure that ever happened.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The big news from Pontiac were the "official" 421 engine '63 Pontiac Tempests designed for the A/FX class. Those that know told me that there were six 4-door wagons built and six 2-door Lemans coupes produced by the factory. They were apparently not all built the same. For instance, some came with the Pontiac trans-axle set-up in the rear and a few were built with the regular transmission bolted to the engine and a standard rear end housing installed.

    All were basically snuck out the back door before the racing ban took effect.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Pontiac racers are a loyal bunch, but the issue at the time was that there weren't that many around the country that were in the Pontiac camp. Pontiacs were not an inexpensive car, especially when compared to the hundreds (it seemed) that were racing Chevy's, Fords and Plymouth/Dodges.
     
  24. Awesome reading there Mr Klass :cool: Any Oldsmobiles in the mix sir? Particularly of the '64 - '65 flavor. Thanks again for the way cool history!
     
  25. George Klass
    Joined: Dec 31, 2007
    Posts: 1,076

    George Klass
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I'll try to wrap this up with the Dodge and Plymouth FX endeavors.

    In NHRA Super Stock competition, the Dodges and Plymouths had a distinct advantage, a great automatic transmission. When you combined a great automatic trans with the 7-inch rear tire requirement in S/S, you had a winner. The majority of Dodge and Plymouth Super Stocker raced in the S/SA class (the A was for "automatic"). In that class they were for all practical purposes, unbeatable. The 413-inch wedge engine morphed into the 426 wedge and then into the 426 Hemi. Just by adding the larger FX legal drag slick tires to the S/S cars, plus relocating the battery to the trunk, the cars could be pretty competitive in the FX classes, even in A/FX class.

    [​IMG]

    This 1962 Dodge was the Ramchargers first entry into the FX class.

    Of course, racers being racers (including racers inside of the Dodge and Plymouth factories), they pushed the envelope a little too far, with the Altered Wheelbase models originally produced for the FX class. The original "funny cars" were not that funny to the NHRA brass.

    [​IMG]

    It may say A/FX on the car but it's was that in name only. NHRA never bought into this, period. Of course, by this time, the match race madness frenzy was off and running around the nation so it really didn't matter that much. These cars were booked in by drag strip promoters for best-of match racing (2 out of 3 or sometimes 3 out of 5). The fans loved it and who cared if the cars were legal or not?

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Eventually, NHRA allowed "some" modifications to the wheelbase in the FX class. The figure agreed upon was 2%. Some Dodge and Plymouth racers did build cars to meet those 2% wheelbase alteration requirements.

    [​IMG]


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    But the reality was that after 1965, the NHRA Super Stock version of the FX class had moved so far away from it's original concept in 1962, it eventually died a natural death.

    It was fun while it lasted...
     
  26. Rem
    Joined: Mar 6, 2006
    Posts: 1,257

    Rem
    Member

    Yeah, a great read, thanks, an eye-opener. You normally think of FX as growing out of the gasser classes, with all the hype around them these days.
     
  27. Car Fox
    Joined: Jul 28, 2013
    Posts: 27

    Car Fox
    Member

    Here's two A/FX doing battle at the Winternats in Pomona looks like Lindamood vs Lawton I wonder who won
     

    Attached Files:

  28. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Thanks for posting it the way it was, George, instead of the modern, history revisionist bullshit version.
     
  29. japar
    Joined: Jun 30, 2007
    Posts: 264

    japar
    Member
    from Seekonk Ma

    I think it was the guy driving the Mustang that won that race
     

    Attached Files:

  30. phat rat
    Joined: Mar 18, 2001
    Posts: 4,920

    phat rat
    Member

    You didn't mention one guy who was firmly in the Pontiac camp. Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick with his 421 Tempest wagon the "Grocery Wagon" and his 421 cpe
     

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