OK been wondering on this for a while how do you decipher the numbers on the side of a hot rod? I am thinking the number Id's the car and the letters are the class?
I would say yes, but too many tracks, strips and hot rod organizations to have commonality for determining anything!! They could mean anything from birthdays to girl friend's bust size!
I guess the question goes to the guys with numbers on the car. Are they historical? or likE "32 B" for a deuce
depends on the car....and what type of racing it did, or is trying to look like it did. You can look up the classes for current land speed racing cars here
This is NHRA from 1959 Maybe someone else can make the image larger. I don't know how, but if you click on it a couple of times you can read it.
PLEASE!!!! I did NOT say dumbass numbers….I twas a dumbass QUESTIOn for me not knowing what they meant. I am not criticizing anyone for putting them on, wanting to understand them in case I wanted to put them on.
HaHa, I would have never even thought of it that way. I think you were very clear about it, and Steve was joking.
XF is flathead Ford in SCTA. So the roadster in your picture is in the flathead powered gas roadster class. I think the "B" is from the old days when the size of the engines was from A to D, with D being the biggest. I hope this helps you. Lars
So where does the number come in? Were you assigned a number that was the same at every event? I know when I raced in the 70's they used shoe polish to put the number and class on the window but you got a new number every week,
depends on where you're racing. Land speed racing numbers usually stay with the car. Drag racing numbers used to change every weekend. Now they stay the same in some places, but change at others.
At Bonneville the letters refer to engine displacement. AA 501+ ci A 500-440 B 439-373 C 372-306 D 305-261 E 260-184 F 183-123 G 122-93 H 92-62 I 61-46 J 45-31 K 30.5-under
Ah come on now, it' pretty lame to shoe polish numbers on your car when you go to Bonneville in a car that is obviously not a race car so people will take photos of it. Speed Gems pretty well nailed it on the class thing. These days though it seems the "thing to do", for the poser crowd is to paint numbers on your rod when you go to Bonneville so people might think you have a "real" race car.
For any modern number, like a current Bonneville car, you need the appropriate rulebook. For a number based on nostalgia, you need to decide on a year and find either the rulebook or reasonably similar cars in ancient magazines. Class breaks changed frequently (remember, through the '50's and '60's bigger and bigger displacements were becoming available), obsolete engines got separate designations, and less frequently equipment rules changed. Don't just copy anything current you see...there are many highly incorrect cars classed as gassers, etc.
That is right, but they used to be: A Class....0-150 Cui B Class....150-250 Cui C Class....250-350 Cui D Class....350 Cui & over Lars
For the particular car you have pictured those are the numbers and class when it was run at Bonneville. Car was driven from upstate NY then transformed to meet safety requirements (roll bar cage installed), run on the flats, transformed back and driven home! Yes it is a "Bones' car", flathead power! I have had the privilege to ride in it and drive it on the way to Bville '12. The rest of above info should answer general questions.
But the "B" must refer to the old engine class system. I doubt that it has a flathead with 439-373 cui. Thats a pretty big flathead. Lars
It is always a learning experience. I was assuming drag race numbers, most responses are speed run numbers.
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