Why No 421 Super Duty in current NHRA Guide?

[DeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by Dwight Southerland

Likewise in 1970.

Thanks for the replies.
I looked in every book I have and find that:

* Literature from the day does not mention the 421/405sd for 1963:
* Automotive Industries March 1963 car/engine specs
* CAR LIFE July 63 lists 389/215 thru 421/370 (and tests the 421/370), makes no mention of the 421/405sd.
* Angeles-McCarthy book (1981, 1st ed.) shows the 421/405 for 1962 but NOT 1963. Top engine on the 1963 page is the 421/370. Top engine in their 1961 table is the 389/348, they make a note that the 389/368 was a dealer-install. Implication is, in the 1981 edition they are listing the STOCK engines, so 1963 ends with the 421.370.


Literature from the modern era implies a factory 421sd option:
* McCarthy book (1989 edition) now lists the 421/405 for 1963, but it also lists the 389/368sd and 421/373sd for 1961. So clearly these tables include dealer-only options.
* Sessler "Ultimate American V8" (1999) engine tables list the 421/405-410sd for 1963, no mention it was dealer only. They also list the 389/368 and 421-8v for 1961 ie dealer only stuff is mentioned without noting it was dealer only.
* Gunnell "Standard Catalog of v8" (2003) does NOT list the 1960 389/363 or 1961 389/368 dealer-only SD's. Oddly, it does list the 421/405 for 1961 - that's a new one. And, it lists the 421/390-405-410sd as "Catalina 2dr only" for 1963.
* The giant "Encyclopedia of American Cars" by Consumer Guide (2006) lists the 421/390-410sd as "Optional, All". LOL.


* So all the 1981-and-previous literature implies there was NO factory 421/405sd etc option for 1963.
* And all the 1989-and-newer literature implies there WAS a factory 421/405sd etc option for 1963.
* My conclusion is the NHRA Tables (1970, 1973, and today) are RIGHT. There was no "official" factory 421sd in 1963.


* HOWEVER - McCarthy (1989 edition) lists about 74 Catalina/GrandPrix cars for 1963, by serial number, that are SuperDuty cars, many with aluminum sheet metal.
* Only 14 of these are Swiss Cheese cats and these were built with 389/215 engines.
* The other 60 or so were built with 421/405-410 engines. All produced October thru March. Were these NASCAR or Match Race only or why don't they count as "factory"?
* Maybe the 1963 Super Duty cars, even though they were factory built, violated the GM racing ban so Pontiac denied their existence, and it is only now ie post-1989 that they are acknowledged. Why 1989? Is this related to the Berlin Wall coming down?


LOL, I cant figure it out, but have finally concluded that NHRA is representing Pontiac's Official Intent - there was no Factory 421sd for 1963, even though the Factory built 60 of them.


Thanks again for the help!!!