That makes sense. You would have had to tow with a426 ram charger or similar to go anywhere near 11 flat. Just sayin...
I don't follow this regularly so not sure how tight the mods are on the post 65 HAMB guidelines in this thread but thanks @loudbang for including this car. I was a couple years too young in 66/67 to get to the dragstrip but finally did around 1970. As a second generation Nova nerd and owner I always have my radar out for these cars and M/P was always one of my favorite classes. Here is a very cool car and story that may be interesting to some here. It is a restored A/MP car with a few updates so hopefully it is acceptable. Amazing Restored 1966 A/Modified Production L88 Nova Glory Days Revisited: Collector Don Fezell returned to his roots with This A/Modified production L88 Nova Geoff Stunkard Feb 17, 2016 0 Comment(s) The old adage in drag racing is “there is no replacement for displacement.” That certainly rang true for many Sportsman racers in the 1960s who wanted more out of life than Stock or Super Stock runner-up accolades. Continue reading here: http://www.superchevy.com/features/1602-amazing-restored-1966-a-modified-production-l88-nova/
Love that car. I also have a 66 100 series two door post in project mode. Cars like this give me some incentive. I can't believe they wedged that big block in between the shock towers.
In the process of going M/P with my 57 Chieftain. 347 tripower, but plans are for a 389 with a B&M hydro.
Terry raced the Vette in SS/AM as late as the early 2000's, with a 396" splayed valve small block, built by Bill Mauropolis. Unfortunately he crashed the Vette pretty badly, and built a new late model car. I had heard rumors of Terry trying to rebuild the Vette, or others trying to buy the remains, and rebuild it, but Terry passed away a few years ago, and I don't know what ever happened to the Vette.
I saw this corvette run in the 70's and 80's. I had to have the car. I found it 25 years later in Phoenix. bought it. Removed the body. Put new frame and drive train back in. I did use the original short block that came with the car. I left the body just as I found it. I did a some old graphics on body to give the old school look. Car runs great. I want to keep the M/P car memories out there. I MISS THEM.
My goodness these MP cars were great looking race cars. Why or why did NHRA ever pull the rug from under this class. Thanks to all for sharing your pictures, I can hear them I honestly can.
Els good to hear that you are keeping at least a bit of the heritage of the car alive. The picture I assume is what it looked like when you bought the car? With those tires the frame would need to have been narrowed but what differential and drivetrain did it run? If you have any other details they would be appreciated by some us probably. If you have any hesitancy about cluttering up this thread there is a Corvette Hot Rods thread where we appreciate Corvette minutia moreso than some of the other threads. I agree with Offset as to the NHRA pulling the rug. I gave up years ago trying to figure out what they were doing and had done. Modified production in the late sixties and modified eliminator in the 70s was some of the best racing ever. Natural progression I assume to where we are today. The fences were packed when they ran back then with good reason.
Jim, thanx for the CORVETTE HOT ROD thread, ill see over there on that thread with more information on the car and history.
I recall seeing a discussion (maybe here) about someone spotting the Corvette in a body shop, maybe K-Falls. If by late model you meen the yellow pro car, I saw it at Woodburn, wow. Like his Corvette, top shelf detail, and the floor of his enclosed trailer was polished aluminum diamond plate IIRC. A class act for sure.
jimdillon, I saw my 62 Corvette run at BEELINE DRAGWAY LATE 70's early 80's. I have been looing for it 25 years. A friend told me he knew were car was. I went to see it in a barn in phoenix, and it was a mess. But is was all there. Someone had started to put big tires on it, but is was a bad job. So I removed the body, put a ROBERT NERIZ full cage in car. 9 inch ford rear-end. trying to stay with the C M/P style and sound I put the original 291 cubic inch motor in it. 650 rear gears. I did put a DOUG NASH 5 SPEED transmission in it. I than put the body back on it just the way it was. The paint on the body is the same. some guys tell me not to touch the paint. LEAVE IT ALONE. I will do something to it some day. Right now car historians are loving the look. brings them back. After modified production went away, cars were turned into different classes. If more cars came out of barns and garages like this, maybe the class will come back. YA, RIGHT!!!!!. Nothing sounds like a M/P car. Every time I have the car out, gearheads cant stop coming up to me and go back in time when they saw this car run in the day. COOL TIMES.
Els that is cool. I agree that it is great to make them look like they did back in the day. I believe what you did is great to help and save history somewhat. So many of these cars were made into street rods. I guess I was thinking backwards and figured you removed the look and cage and made it more streetable. I. am glad to hear you made it period correct. Good job. I am sure you have fun with it.
Thanks jimdillon. I think your corvette is the BOMB, you did what I would like to my car when the M/P newness falls away. These cars need to be driven. Not stuck in a garage or on a trailer. Lets see what happens with the nostalgia of these cars. May soon I will be driving it in city near you. That would be COOL. THANKS JIM.
I'm guessing that if M/P cars came back, they would face the same challenges the Gassers have.. tracks today are completely different from back in the day. The Southeast Gassers created by Quain Stott are strict about the Gassers rules and the result is, walking through the pits, you'd think you were going back an half century in time! Sadly, if you look under the cars, you find very strong 21st century driveline parts - the only stuff that can deliver brute horsepower to a sticky track, using a manual transmission. Like 5-digit $$$$ In a couple of years, winning over 20 eliminations and many eliminator titles, Ralph Ridgeway only lost ONE Muncie M22 (sadly, I think it was at the Nationals). With today's tracks, that M22 might not even make 2 or 3 rounds, say nothing about winning the race. So the cars might be the same - but the racing would be different?
Using Quains 1967 era rules M/P had a 7 inch tire rule which would make the high dollar trans and big inch motors kind of needless.
You're right, it would help. But I bet Ralph's heavy duty GM factory clutch disc still wouldn't make it... Those were the tracks where the dragsters would smoke for hundreds of feet. It's a completely different world today.
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