[DeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by James L Miller

First, I'd like to know who at IHRA will approve fiberglass replacements for aluminum body panels? I e-mailed IHRA about five years ago and was told it was NOT legal. I wish it was legal, fiberglass nose is what $2k? Aluminum nose, $20k? I'd be happy with just a glass hood and scoop and run steel fenders. They could make the fiberglass need to weigh as much as the aluminum to make things fair.

The steel and aluminum front end rules have changed back and forth over the last several years. For a while, the only legal 1964 Belvedere HT Hemi car was with aluminum (Steel was legal, but had to run at the aluminum weight). Then they added the single 4bbl (Circle Track) combo that had the aluminum front end (steel was legal and had to run at the aluminum weight). Somewhere along here they changed the 250 maximum added weight, so it allowed the crossram Race Hemi to run in something other than SS/B(A). Then NHRA came up the stupid idea that all Race Hemi cars had to have the aluminum to be LEGAL. Steel front end parts were ILLEGAL. Fortunately someone at Chrysler worked with NHRA to allow steel to be LEGAL again.

The current Classification Guide lists the following notes for MW and Hemi cars in 1964-5:

426 Race Hemi cars with 2 carbs were available from factory with either steel or aluminum components (fenders, hood & scoop) depending on plant supply at the time motor installed in car.

426 Race Hemi cars with 1 carb were available from factory with steel components (fenders & hood) with the addition of steel or aluminum hood scoop..

426 Wedge Al component car required to have aluminum hood with hood scoop, & both aluminum front fenders to be classified as aluminum component car

I doubt that Chrysler originally built the cars with all thread and wing nuts to hold the hoods on, but I've seen the photos of cars with them from "back-in-the-day".

I know this is an old thread but I’m trying to find out whatcars ran back circa 1969-71 in W/P=7.00 class (69=SS/D and 70-71 SS/C).


I’ve concluded they were Hemi cars (not Max Wedge) but theHemi-8v cars are up in the W/P=6.00 class (1964 cars) or W/P=6.50 class (1965),UNLESS:


1. They ran the Hemi-8v factoredat 500hp but at steel or heavy weight, or


2. They ran the aluminum(64) or A990 (65) weight, but with the NASCAR style Hemi-4v factored at 470hpor so.


Jim Miller’s text implies that first none of the above wasallowed, which makes sense, as these W/P=7.00 Hemi cars don’t appear until the1969-70-71 race years near as I can tell. Then Jim says first the cars ran atthe lighter weight (aluminum in 1964 cars, A990 in 1965 cars), but could runthe Hemi-4v.


The Hemi-8v in the heavier standard steel body cars would fitthe W/P=7.00 class but these combos are not listed in the current NHRA files.


So starting in 1969 race year, these cars win in the 7.00 classes, both 1964 and 1965 model cars.


Eg were these heavy Hemi-8v cars or light Hemi-4v cars?


McCandless, 1964 Dodge won SS/D=7.00 at 1969 Indy
Mancini 1964 Dodge, won SS/DA=7.00 1969 Indy
Wren, 1964 Plymouth, SS/DA=7.00 R/U at 1969 Indy
Costa, 1965 Plymouth, won SS/CA=7.00 at 1971 Indy

Mopar Steve on pg 2 says:
“Dave Wren's car was a steelnose Hardtop built for SS/DA in 1969. I spoke with Dave Koffel (who built thecar for Wren) in detail about this car. Wren broke in the finals and RonMancini was given the Runner Up finish at the Nationals that year with his SS/DAsteel nose Hemi '64 Dodge.

For what it's worth, I own the Mancini Dodge. I have researched the 4 steelnose Hemi's that were built for SS/CA and SS/DA in 1969 and can confirm theabove as fact.”

That would imply that theSS/DA=7.00 and SS/CA=7.00 cars (Mancini and Wren at least) were steel cars and therefore Hemi-8v and not Hemi-4v cars.

So when these cars ran back in 1969-71, were these cars “heavy” 8v Hemi or “light” 4v Hemi?


Did the rules get changed in 1969 so they could run?
Because the 1964-65 Hemi cars in the W/P=7.00 classes don't seem to appear until 1969.