All this got me to thinkin back on the 1st Stocker engine I had built.
The car was a '68 Bird, with the 330hp D-port engine. It was in the winter of 1974. That was back before you could go on the internet & find the info you needed. I wrote to H-O Racing Specialties & got their opinions on how the car should be set up. They were nice enuff to send me the basic info I needed.
Also wrote to NHRA & got written specs for the engine, car, & class I was building. When I saw that small combustion chamber size I realized that the machine shop would have to cut 'em down quite a bit. But, at that time I think I only had one set of the correct heads. Assuming I may need to take a little off the surface later on, for some reason, I told the machine shop guy to cut only enuff to leave at least 1cc cushion. That way the heads would pass tech, AND leave just a little meat for the future, in case it would be needed.
Well, I knew very little to nothing about engine building. But this shop had built some Stock & SS stuff, including a 389 Pontiac SS engine. So, they built my engine & I stuck it in, along with a long tail(Didn't even know they came in long & short) TH400 trans & the 9" Vitar(anybody remember them ?) converter that H-O had recommended.
Well, it wouldn't run anywhere close to the nat record, which I think, in E/SA, was a mid 12, at that time. But, it did run high 12's & my girlfriend(now wife) could cut some good lights, so she won her first 6 races in a row at local tracks. She also won the biggest race of the year(LA State Championship) at our closest track, near Monroe, LA.
Took it to a div 4 points race at LaPlace, LA. Wesley was one of the tech guys. When he took a quick glance at the car, he said that if I'd cover up the radio hole in the dash & put the correct factory fan on it, I could bring it back & he'd take a closer look. Well, we were 5 or 6 hours from home & I didn't have the correct fan. Didn't even know what fan was correct. So, we just loaded up & watched the race.
That was my introduction to competitive Stock racing. Thankfully, bracket racing came to our area that next year, & we found our place. I've always loved Stock class racing, but bracket racing worked out much better for us. I always enjoy thinkin back on all of it.
Considering what the Stock rules were back then, & what they are now, it makes me wonder why they even call the class "Stock", nowadays. Today's Stockers are quicker than the Super Stockers were, back then. Julie Biermann drives a '68 330hp Bird Stocker & turns 10.70's. That's 2 full secs quicker than we ran & almost 2 sec below the '75 E/SA nat record. Yeah, Stock ain't what it use to be.