1969 camaro hood

[Dwight Southerland]

Half of this problem with what is accepted is the inconsistency in the verification by NHRA tech. So they accept a letter from Carroll Shelby that can be questioned by critics for some obvious reasons. So they accept bogus engine-trans-body combinations because of a snafu when some tech person put in writing to a racer that the combination was legal to race in spite of no factory documentation. So they allow bogus camshaft specs twenty years after an engine was in production. So they allow scoops and body kits to be retrofitted to cars after they were produced. So they allow intake-carb parts because of one installation on a factory show car. The infuriating part is that the justification for one case is rejected when presented for another case. It's like your Mom refusing to let you eat a cookie because it will spoil your supper then turning around and feeding cake and ice cream to your brother.

Then, for them to come back thirty years later and start punishing racers for something that has been standard behavior is like blowing on smoldering coals.

But, remember that the definition of "legal" to NHRA tech is what they say passes and it does not have to agree with facts.

[Billy Nees]

Way too many buddy deals, ego massages and personality conflicts over the years. I don't know how the system could ever be made impartial.

[Future Super Stocker]

It seems that everything is out of control. What happen to having fun in a sport that we love to do? Super Stock is nothing more than (Bracket Racing with Rules). It appears that the rules have been manipulated or changed. Why is that? If no one is going to approach this with NHRA, then why all the complaining? Hope it all works out.

[sammy pizzolato]

Dwight you are right on Target. parts that were allowed for 43 years like hoods are now not allowed.NHRA should have left it alone and now the old cars are fighting for there lives with the likes of the new cars.it makes life long racers like myself just want to call it quits!!!! and the new cars with fuelinfection should be in a FI class at least A -D if you want leave all the AA - AAA and cars higher then A alone. and if a old car wants to run a class higher then A then you would would have to run the FI cars heads up.this would fix the problem.

[countrypuppy4865]

Mr. Sammy,

They have that already in place. It's called IHRA.

[Michael K]

Originally Posted by Randy Loge

David..to my knowledge you are correct! There was also a shortage of shakers for challengers making the glass hood an available option.....

This is my understanding also. The parts required for shaker hood systems were limited, so a glass T/A style hood was substituted. Technically it wasn't an option...it was a substitution.

Same applies to the 70 440 six barrel intake manifold. Aluminum was substituted due to a lack of iron versions.

[61powerwagon]

Originally Posted by Alex Denysenko

As many of you might know I worked for Mr Norm's Grand Spaulding DODGE AS A LINE MECHANIC IN THE EARLY 70'S Arguably the largest high performance Dodge dealer ever, I probably prepped more new Challengers then most of you have seen, the ONLY car the fiberglass hood came on in 1970 was the 340six pack T/A! Anything else with ram air got a shaker with all due respect to mr Hakim I don't think that he was even legally driving yet in 1970.
FYI:
We had a 440-6-pack automatic Challenger house race car which replaced our 68 440 "M" code Dart which got sold driven mostly by our nervous manager Joe Nagle and occasionally me we actually tried a shaker to glass hood comparison test at US. 30 drag strip for kicks because people were stealing the T/A hoods off the lot the shaker was quicker and faster.

I know I'm a late on this but I can offer up first hand experience on this. Mr. Hakim is correct about the N94 Hood option being available on Non T/A Challengers. Because I in fact own one. I own a real black N94 code 70 Hemi Challenger, 3.54, 4 speed car. It built 5/12/70 and ordered out of Seattle by a guy working at a dodge dealer to race. It's a bare bones car, radio delete, console delete, no stripes, manual steering, and manual brakes. The only option was the N94 Fresh air fiberglass, I have the build sheet to prove it's the real deal too.

[61powerwagon]

Originally Posted by David Hakim

It puts the data book as solid evidence the hood was an available option on non T/A Challengers.

The Shelby letter you speak of was crafted around 10-15 years ago by a man whose memory was probably a bit skewed.

The Dodge dealer data book was printed in 1970-71 and distributed to hundreds of Dodge stores.

Also, pick up a 1970-71 Mopar Service Parts catalog and go to the fuel section. There, you will see the 340/440/HEMI air cleaner baseplate part numbers listed and in the footnotes, it calls out "w/ option code N94-Fiberglass hood."

Your claims of the hood being "bogus" is very weak and without merit. .
The glass hood was listed as an available option on Challenger models with 340/383/440-4V, 440 Six Pack and 426 HEMI.

Therefore, NHRA accepted it and has allowed the hood since the early 1970s. (There are shots SS/D - SS/DA HEMI Challengers from back in '71 with the glass hood and yes, there are racers also running Shakers).

Now, how many non T/A Challengers actually had the glass installed at the factory, probably less than three units.

Your correct about the N94 option. The options was made available to non T/A Challengers 4/13/70.... After the T/A production run. There are only 5 known 1970 cars.

Black Hemi 4 speed
Red Hemi Auto.
Green 383 Auto.
Blue 383 4 speed
Blue 340 Auto.

As well there is a 1971 383 known. I own the black Hemi, it's the earlier build date of all known N94 cars too. There has been over the years speculation that the hoods were substituted for the Shaker hood while they were redesigning it with crumple zones crash safety. That has been proved wrong the fiberglass was made available so late the redesigned Shaker had already been out.

[Dick Butler]

As Long as the organization has the vast pool of racers willing to just suck it up and change the classes, motors, hoods it will remain the same. When the Modified Hot Rod Association, or Nostalgia Drag Racers become more popular we will watch the shift. Only problem is being at the "Big Go"