Looking for Pre 1960 Ford NHRA specs

[DarrellCiaravino]

We are looking for NHRA Stock Eliminator specs for a 1957 Ford 312. We are considering putting something together to Association race Stock Eliminator and want to be reasonably authentic. We will also local bracket race.
We are considering a 312 245hp in a 1957 sedan custom. It is hard to find info about pre 1960 Ford Stock Eliminator specs, any info or links to information sites would be appreciated. Thanks, Louis Jeffery Louis72@comcast.net.

[FireSale]

If you want to Class race in an NHRA event, the car must be listed in the Stock Car Classification Guide. Nothing older than 1960 for Ford. I have pdf copies of 1958 and 1959 NHRA rule books. They aren't like the 60 and later books. More of a general description of a Stock Car with classes by a weight to advertised HP formula. I can email them to you if you want. The full collection is from 1958 to 1968. I got them through a model car builders forum.

[mtkawboy]

try y-blocksforever.com

[Rory McNeil]

Although the 57 Ford was a car seen in Stock in the 60s and early 70s, I have to think since there are no Ford combinations earlier than 1960 shown in the classification guide, NHRA must have deleted whatever information that they used to allow for the 50s Fords. Otherwise, who knows, my 428CJ powered 59 Ford 2 door sedan could have been a SS/GT car!

[DarrellCiaravino]

Thank you for the responses, Dale, I would appreciate it if you could email me that data. I Clearly understand pre 60 combos or combos Not listed are not allowed to compete in NHRA, This will be a Stocker tribute to race at Stock - Superstock association races. Thanks, again.

[DIC GEARY]

If you don't find your needed infromation I have a friend that may have what you need... message me if we can help...
Dic Geary

[DeuceCoupe]

Some info on the HAMB as well, see these threads and also the big long Junior Stock thread.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...tions.1065910/

\https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...please.671622/

As far as when they ran in NHRA, usually it was the F-code blown 312/300hp, wins all thru the 1960s in NHRA. But the 312/245hp 4bbl won now & then too, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Late 1950s it would run in the 12.60 Wt/HP class, usually the Custom Business Coupe which you could build from your body I guess, which today would be the 12.50 class. With the 2-door sedan body, other Customs could run in the 13.00 class, and Fairlanes in the W/P=14.00 class. Near as I can figure, the auto trans added about 65 lb in the old NHRA guide (which I dont have, just kinda reverse-engineered it from the cars that ran in the 1960s).

Do you have a 1957 Shop Manual? Good info in there, even cam durations & events at .100 lobe of all things. We all think of the .050 lobe standard but Ford was using the .100 lobe standard as early as the 1950s. 176-178 duration at .100 lobe, which is ABOUT 206-208 duration at .050 lobe for the 312/245hp cam.

It looks like Ford used THREE styles of 4bbls back then:
Ford aka Autolite 4100 4bbl, early version with the long-nose accelerator pump on the front
Holley 390cfm (the 1st 4150 Holley!), early variant without the external adjustable floats
Carter AFB but with VACUUM secondary pot, not the mechanical floppenvalve.
The original 312/245 I drove had the Holley, not sure how many left the factory with the vacuum AFB carb.

[Rory McNeil]

Originally Posted by DeuceCoupe

Some info on the HAMB as well, see these threads and also the big long Junior Stock thread.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...tions.1065910/

\https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/...please.671622/

As far as when they ran in NHRA, usually it was the F-code blown 312/300hp, wins all thru the 1960s in NHRA. But the 312/245hp 4bbl won now & then too, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Late 1950s it would run in the 12.60 Wt/HP class, usually the Custom Business Coupe which you could build from your body I guess, which today would be the 12.50 class. With the 2-door sedan body, other Customs could run in the 13.00 class, and Fairlanes in the W/P=14.00 class. Near as I can figure, the auto trans added about 65 lb in the old NHRA guide (which I dont have, just kinda reverse-engineered it from the cars that ran in the 1960s).

Do you have a 1957 Shop Manual? Good info in there, even cam durations & events at .100 lobe of all things. We all think of the .050 lobe standard but Ford was using the .100 lobe standard as early as the 1950s. 176-178 duration at .100 lobe, which is ABOUT 206-208 duration at .050 lobe for the 312/245hp cam.

It looks like Ford used THREE styles of 4bbls back then:
Ford aka Autolite 4100 4bbl, early version with the long-nose accelerator pump on the front
Holley 390cfm (the 1st 4150 Holley!), early variant without the external adjustable floats
Carter AFB but with VACUUM secondary pot, not the mechanical floppenvalve.
The original 312/245 I drove had the Holley, not sure how many left the factory with the vacuum AFB carb.

Every 57 Ford 312/245 HP that I even seen, came with the 4150 Holley. There was another carb used, the 270HP version of the 312 used a pair of the small based Holley "Teapot" 4 barrel carbs, the 300HP supercharged 312 used a single Teapot 4 barrel.

[Ralph A Powell]

Originally Posted by Rory McNeil

Every 57 Ford 312/245 HP that I even seen, came with the 4150 Holley. There was another carb used, the 270HP version of the 312 used a pair of the small based Holley "Teapot" 4 barrel carbs, the 300HP supercharged 312 used a single Teapot 4 barrel.

Back in the day there were a lot of 312/245 cars produced with the Autolite 4100 and Carter AFB’s. It mainly depends on which Assembly Plant the vehicles were built at. A lot of Mercury’s had AFB’s Never saw a AFB On a T-Bird.

[FireSale]

Originally Posted by DarrellCiaravino

Thank you for the responses, Dale, I would appreciate it if you could email me that data. I Clearly understand pre 60 combos or combos Not listed are not allowed to compete in NHRA, This will be a Stocker tribute to race at Stock - Superstock association races. Thanks, again.

Sent to the email in post 1 in 4 separate messages. Check you spam folder if you dont see them.