So, I'm moving a box of old car mags....

[goinbroke2]

Moving stuff around so of course I pull a couple out to read for a minute or three.
Pop Hot rodding May 1982, they took a brand new 2.2 charger and in 3 weeks built it for Y/Stock for the Winternationals.
17.30 index and they crack off 16.34's and eventually a 16.259 which led to the line;
"Under the index by 1.041, we logged the furthest under-index in NHRA history!"

They also wrote; "it was the first time a front wheel drive vehicle had qualified first in any eliminator in NHRA competition...and with only three weeks to prepare."

They lost first round (breakout) to Dave Moreno's big block Mustang.


crap, gotta go, found lots on "Mr Dirt" too!

[Michael Beard]

Too bad 16.30's is little more than an index-runner today. The FWD classes and indexes are a mess, in both sanctioning bodies. In NHRA, the car is crazy heavy for one class and obscenely light for the next. In IHRA, the same run that's -1.04 under in the 1/4 is -.30 under in the 1/8.

[Winklovic]

I remember that series on the Charger. It was a good read.

[ALMACK]

Originally Posted by goinbroke2

...crap, gotta go, found lots on "Mr Dirt" too!

I remember the Mr. Dirt articles in SSDI.

Still read them occasionally before the start of the racing season.

[Mike Carr]

Originally Posted by goinbroke2

17.30 index and they crack off 16.34's and eventually a 16.259 which led to the line;
"Under the index by 1.041, we logged the furthest under-index in NHRA history!"

And -1.041 would not even QUALIFY at some of the recent past US Nationals field (adjusting for a current -.741). 2004 (-1.051) and 2013 (-.78 and change/-1.08 under the old Index) come to mind.

[ALMACK]

[goinbroke2]

Yeah, that's it Alan, good read. My point, before I had to take off was that mags actually did stuff like that, including hotrod etc. Building a Stock or SuperStock car in a mag would be awesome to see today but I don't remember seeing anything in many years.

I had a PM about "Mr Dirt" aka Brett Kepner, loved the articles and when I bought my mustang I went to the ford dealership with the "gt drivetrain in a lx body" part numbers. (mean mr dirt mustang)They wouldn't sell me what I wanted so being a dummy I bought a loaded GT instead. Still have it 27 years later though...

Loved his "Giant Killer" article in the Jan '94 issue of SS&DI and the article on racing a rental "rentals in the real world" in the Aug 2000 issue of Drag Racing USA which was a spin off of Bracket Racing USA. (which was my all time favorite mag, even more than SS&DI)
Trying to upload the pages like Alan but this POS scanner I got isn't working, dang it.

[james schaechter]

I really like the old articles too. If you get a story in most mags in print now, it is a bought and paid for infomercial.
I will say that comparing a three week wonder from decades ago and lamenting that it won't qualify isn't any real comparison worth talking about unless of course you pluck a bunch of other cars from that same era. Pull any stocker from back then. Change nothing and see if you can qualify at Indy. LOL.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by james schaechter

I really like the old articles too. If you get a story in most mags in print now, it is a bought and paid for infomercial.
I will say that comparing a three week wonder from decades ago and lamenting that it won't qualify isn't any real comparison worth talking about unless of course you pluck a bunch of other cars from that same era. Pull any stocker from back then. Change nothing and see if you can qualify at Indy. LOL.

True enough... Just for comparison..1978 Gators ,we qualified 16th. As luck would have it the top 16 got invited to the piston party at a local Pontiac dealership.
Oh, our ET ? .... 2 tenths under the index (high 13's in R/Stock)
Right now a good one has to go high 12's to qualify at Indy, with all the "enhancements" in the spirit of Stock Eliminator of course.

[JRyan]

That car had "advancements" Mark. They had backcut valves which at THAT TIME weren't legal.

Jerry