A point of minor trivia is the product decal placement on the windows as shown on the business coupe. There was a point at which NHRA enforced a restriction on decal placement and the "stickers" moved from the windows to the body. Everyone had become aware that visibility was seriously compromised by window placement. Of course, body paint frequently pulled off with the decal so switching allegiance from one manufacturer to another was risky business. Don't remember exactly when that rule was put in the book but that seemed like a no-brainer. c
Chuck it was the 1968 Hot Rod Magazine meet and I had identified Gene Brown on another site. I don't know the owner of the 56 Chevy.
After 50 years it's hard to remember what I was doing but the bottom half of the RC bellhousing is laying there and it could only mean clutch removal. Also there are jack stands being used.
I can't place him either but Tony Janes remembered a '56 from San Bernardino with the name "Purdy and Weir." Does that ring any bells? Tony doesn't get out much any more but his memory is as sharp as ever.
Speaking of three speeds.......Was there any way to beef up the old Chevy 3 speed transmissions? Or did Jr. Stock racers just carry along a lot of spare transmissions? The reason for asking is that I have a 56 Chevy with a plan to build a 1960's style, Jr. Stock drag car out of. Since I'm a stick shift guy, this means running a 3 speed, not a Power-Glide, (or a Muncie 4 speed).
Torkwrench I can be annal at times but I believe that carrying correctness can go too far. You are not racing for class eliminator, money or national records so put a 4 speed in it and have some fun. In fact add a Old/Pont rear (58) and you will be almost bulletproof IMO. Pat
Alex Jarrell was the 3 speed guru on the east coast. Had to be someone on the west coast, but who? Corvette ratios got used, and there were some other tricks, but I don't know what they were; and these days, finding the pieces used would be almost impossible. Make the car and under hood look the part, but step up the drive train. That's pretty much how Stock is with the current Tri-Fives; they are even allowed to use 3 speed automatics and stouter rear ends. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I agree with you 34Coupe. Changing the trans and/or the stock pumpkin a lot will take ALL the fun out of being correct. Use a strong 4 sped and block one of the gears for the 3 speed thrill. Use a Pontiac, MOPAR 8 3/4, or Ford 9 inch rear for the similar Chevy look. The tires of today are much better than the old 7 inch tires of the past. Beats laying under your car in the heat.
Yes, I'm not too keen on running an original 3 speed, either. As mentioned it's not fun breaking parts. I have considered using a later all syncro 3 speed, though. However, I have no idea how strong those transmissions are. A Muncie 4 speed isn't entirely ruled out, either. As far as the rear axel, the one in my 55 has survived 8 years of the Meltdown Drags / USPEC, (Pie Crust Drags), and the first Glory Days Drag meet. Considering what is planned for the 56's engine, (a basically stock Power Pack 265), and tires, (7 inch cheater slicks), I'll probably stay with the 56 axel. The axel will be beefed up, like my 55's.....Moser axel shafts, bearing cap plates, and a trued up axel housing with reinforced spring pads.
Go with the later model HD Muncie 3 speed with a cast iron case and extension housing, that came out in the muscle car era, and was used behind big blocks and in trucks. Plenty strong with a small cubic inch engine. They are heavy, and don't confuse them with a Saginaw 3 speed just because they also have a 7 bolt side cover (the bolts are in a different order than the Saginaw's). My 56 Sedan Delivery has aftermarket Yukon axles, a 4.88, thick ring gear Positraction setup, and billet bearing caps I scored off of that auction site we all know and love. The spring pads have been welded the full length of the pads, not just the spot welds than can and did break; really disastrous with Station Wagons and Sedan Deliveries, because when those spot welds let use, the rear end housing would rotate, taking out the gas tank (unless it was a 9 passenger wagon; those used a different tank). The Delivery currently has a 300 HP 327 and Muncie 4 speed, but the plan is a 57 265 block, 56 PP heads, and an early 56 dual quad setup, used with one of my own aluminum Powerglides; my Pseudo-Junior Stocker. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
: If you go with the 265 w/ 4 bbl, I would use a 4 speed muncie or t-10 to be at least near period correct....unless you want a 3 speed for purity's sake.. Then as shown above, use a later 3 speed. The originals 3 speeds are way to self deconstructing.. As mentioned before I used to run Jr stock 56 Chevy with 3 speed, back in the day. It was modified with Lenco synro drum, ground off teeth, etc etc."slick shifting 3 speed" ....power shifting was what it was called, back then. The difference was being able to power shift 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd,..where you couldn't do it very much using a stock 3 speed... without blowing it up. Used to have about 10 3 speeds at one time, for parts, and 3 completely setup for competition. We could remove one at the track, and replace it in about 30 min. Took two every race. One in car, one in trunk. Never had issues with the stock 56 rear end. Just experimented with gears.Used 4:88's most of the time...tried 4:56 & 5:12 too. Would launch at 6,000 rpm, dumping clutch. 7" slicks....again... Jr Stock specs. It was pre "line lock" days for us. Bought a bar device that was mounted, and pivoted on bottom of dash/steering column, when you push down on the handle, and it held the foot brake...let go of it on launch. Looked like a hurst shifter but operated the brake peddle. Knob was between your legs just below the steering column.. Left hand on the steering wheel the right hand operating the brake pedal device. Release the clutch and the brake lock....at launch... simultaneously. But could ever so slightly release clutch pedal (modulate it in and out if that makes sense) and take up slack in drive train. Worked great...never rolled through starting light.. Think it actually helped not breaking rear ends, etc. Back then, For the hell of it, one day we put in a T-10 4 speed for a practice run time trail, in the morning, just to see what the car would do....as I recall the car ran several tenth's quicker than with the 3 speed. (nothing else was changed on car.) ...overall gearing was better. Easier to shift too.
I too have been searching for anything on the 1968 Pomona Winternationals. I found a barely readable newspaper link here, gives the winners and R/U, and ET but no MPH. From that I've started building my results tables as I'm trying to do for the whole era. Lots of blanks, some guesses, corrections welcome! https://newspaperarchive.com/pomona-progress-bulletin-feb-04-1968-p-27/
Shain, That “pre line loc” sounds interesting. Did you stay with the 4-speed after your trial run? Great info from you and Butch! Thanks. Randy Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Chuck I'm no help other to say, it is NOT Wayne "Jr." Hopkins I e-mailed him the picture and he said it's not him. Pat
John (Torkwrench), I believe I understand your dilemma and have thought along the same lines. I have another 61/62 Vette project that I keep pushing out of the way but I have gone back and forth between recreating a small block modified sports theme or a 1968ish F/S theme. The guys I ran with had two old Vettes we ran in the 60s and the F/S we ran in 68 (61 Vette 263/270) brings back some really great memories. We ran a 5:13 with Henry axles and it could take a pretty good beating on launch (maybe 6000rpm-can't remember exactly) but the tracks were a bit different then as you know. Without the track prep you had less chance of leaving parts on the line. You and I have both had fun at the pie crust event and I have been a bit more daring with launching at a higher RPM than when the track is prepped. I would like to stay as close as I can to the old school ways to see if I can actually run some good numbers without going the easy route but I also don't want to be constantly repairing the car either. I have a Pontiac housing set up for the Corvette width and either way I will go with that because I would like to have some fun out of the hole. Your plan may work better at the pie crust event but that is one day a year. I suppose if you had a three speed built special it may do the trick, but if I was to throw in my two cents, I would improve your driveline and stay a little more true to the old days on the engine setup. It was great watching your brother run his 59 at the Glory Days and it reminded me of the old days for sure. Did the fact that he is running a big inch small block lessen the thrill of seeing him and the car make passes to you? Certainly not to me. No matter how we try we cannot replicate the old days to a certainty. Your55 is a great car and I am sure you will do well with your 56. The fans and myself included would love to see it launch like they did in the old days even with the sticky surface. Figuring out your combination is up to you.
The older Vettes are a few hundred pounds lighter in weight than a sedan or wagon so that must have helped the life span of the rear ends some what.
The Line lock button release setup by Hurst (I think) was just being introduced about that time. What we used was the fore runner. Back then (late 60's) you had to run "original" the 3 three speed (or go to a powerglide for an automatic class). 56 Corvette had either a 3 speed or powerglide only. So couldn't use a 4 speed by NHRA's logic. 4 speeds were never allowed in 55 or 56's full bodied cars then. Only 57's could..which never actually had them from the factory in full bodied cars...only came in Corvettes.. But NHRA said OK.... put them in your Bel Air hardtop, or whatever body style you like.... anyway.
Terry you may be right but I am still amazed with the punishment we gave those rear ends and they held up. We used Henry axles and Summer brothers if I remember correctly but the housings held up pretty well. James the axle you pictured is not uncommon. I have a set of Henry axles out of a Pontiac housing from the 60s out of an old drag Corvette and a set of Henry axles from a 60 Vette that ran a 427 with a Doug Nash 5 speed and allegedly launched in the 70s and 80s in the 9000 range. I forget the number of splines but it not in the 30s for sure (would have to drag them off the shelf). When I bought the remains of the car the owner gave me the old axles and you can see where he marked them and told me he had over 200 passes on them and they are still in excellent shape. The rear end now has a different ratio with Strange axles which are the axles I have in my avatar car with a 427 BBC (Ford 9"). I realize that there was nothing magical about Henry axles but they were certainly not all bad for the times. I even broke a set of axles with my black 62 which is pretty close to stock, so I switched to Moser axles which are fatter in the main area but still have what appears to be a weak area if they were used in a car with more power. As you and I know James we have seen a few cars at Byron get a tow rope after failures at the line.
Thank you for the nice complements about my car. This car was built and owned by Charles Cockerham and Bill Jefferis in 1968. Ed Sielski help with parts for this car. Paint and Body work were done by Jim and Jack Trost. Bill Jenkins helped with all the special modulations to the car. Bill Jefferis was the engine builder. this is post 4364663
Very nice! These pictures are from my personal "Shelf of Shame." These were very old, aftermarket 12-bolt axles, from a modern Stocker (small block, 3250# Camaro, w/Powerglide) with modern track prep. These axles were in use well beyond their effective life span so the breakage is on me. Both broke on the starting line during Q1 at the Winternationals about twenty years ago. It is my theory that the right-hand axle had crystalized due to many years of hard use. It is possible to see the crystalizing in the profile of the break. When that one let go, the left-hand axle said, "Screw you, I'm not going to carry this load alone," and it broke about a tenth of a second later. The pattern of the metal separation at the break is visually entirely different from side to side. The car never broke the beams. It jerked sideways but did not move forward.
I'm curious to know if you remember what the 1st gear ratios were of the 3 speed vs the 4 speed that ran several tenths quicker.
The Jalopy Journal
