Older Superstock GT cars with scoops

[Jeff Lee]

Had a debate with one of my SS AMX buddies tonight. He disagreed with me and I said I would throw it out for discussion. I say with the SS/GT rules (1980 and older vehicles allowed), you can take a factory & NHRA / IHRA approved SS car from the 60's which had unique factory hood scoops (T-Bolt tear-drop, SS/AMX, HEMI A-Body, etc.) and run any SS/GT allowable engine. So you could have a T-Bolt car with a 289, a SS/AMX with a 290 and a '68 Hemi Dart / Barracuda with a 273 as examples. Assuming of course the materials of the scoop were correct as allowable.
And that leads to items like light-weight glass, seats, etc., the entire SS package other than a different engine.
I think there are some pretty cool ideas that can spring from this.

[Jeremy]

If the engine came with a scoop you get to run it open if it didn't come with the scoop you still run it but it has to be blocked off. That's what I was told anyway.
Merry Christmas

[Mike Carr]

Jeff, I understand it to be as Jeremy said. A '90's Firebird in SS/JA can use the ram air. A '90's Firebird as a SS/GT car can have the scoop/ram-air, but must be non-functional (blocked off). I could be wrong, but that was how I understood it. Maybe someone that has had a car like this, and switched between S/S and GT (Angelo Ditocco comes to mind) can answer this for sure.

B.D.

[Angelo DiTocco]

Mike & Jeremy are both correct (to the best of my recollection) - it really is more determined by the engine combo that is used.

When you mix & match bodies and engine combos in SS/GT you have several possible scenarios

You can have a body (like a late model firebird) that came with a ram-air hood.... matched with an engine combo that "was not" available with any sort of scoop or fresh air system. In this case, the fresh air system is supposed to be blocked off.

Again you can have a body (like a late model firebird) that came with a ram-air hood.... matched with an engine combo that "was" available with a hood scoop or fresh air system. In this case, the fresh air system could be left open.

Obviously when a body that was not available or produced with any type of ram air system is used it doesn't come into play, regardless of whether or not you use an engine that did have a fresh air system, you can't add anything to the car, you are stuck with what you've got.

Hope that helps

Mike good to see your still at it.... hope all is well

[Stewart Way]

Jeff
Talked with Bruce Bachelder at the Southern Nationals (or whatever they call it now) and what the replys above have stated are true. The engine must have come with fresh air to run with the scoop open. Not sure that rule is being enforced in all divisions the same.

[Tand E racing]

I recently had this conversation with glendora and was told that if the original body used came with a scoop that it could remain regardless of engine combination when used in GT classes.

[Super Sport]

Originally Posted by Tand E racing

I recently had this conversation with glendora and was told that if the original body used came with a scoop that it could remain regardless of engine combination when used in GT classes.

I'll show up with a closed scoop and you show up with a open scoop running a non-ram air engine. We'll see who gets to race! You might want to call Glendora again and this time talk with someone other than the secretary.

PS Would you please tell us who gave you the info? Finally we may be able to expose who is giving wrong answers to Stock-S/S questions.

[Tand E racing]

Supersport, I talked to a gentleman named Pat, I'm not sure what his position there is? but i'm pretty sure he's not the secretary.

[Jeff Lee]

Pat is the tech person @ NHRA.

I tend to look at it this way. If a car like an SS/AMX or Hemi Dart / Barracuda has a scoop attached to the hood it is part of the body. Obviously that body is part of an engine / body package (in these cases you had to buy a 390 X-Ram or X-Ram Hemi engines). But the end result is a open hood sccop on these type of cars was a body part. If you needed a new one in 1969 you ordered the part from the body section of the parts book.
Now if you have something like a '69-'70 Mustang or '70-'71 Barracuda / Challenger shaker hood assembly, that ram-air part is affixed to the engine and is part of that engine (offered in these examples on many engines).
I see the difficulty in the allowance of a GT class but that is what NHRA implemented.
My friend has a '69 AMX with a 290. I say he should be allowed to cross from SS to SS/GT and use a factory (steel) SS scoop. Presented as a body part, I can't see how NHRA can say no.
It get's really interesting when you look at all the trick body / interior parts of a '68 Hemi A-body!

[Philip Saran]

OK, on this same vain, would or is the fiberglass hood scoop off
a 1973/74 Dodge Dart legal for a same year Plymouth Duster??