Stock and S/S hoods

[Bob Nottingham]

Originally Posted by DeuceCoupe

Travis,
Sorry to bother you here, but it was suggested (see link from the very quiet Nostalgia section) I contact you regarding an old Fairlane question.

I tried messaging but that didnt work.

Basically, was the 66-67 Fairlane ever NHRA legal with glass hood and SINGLE 4bbl, back in the 1960s?

See link & picture of guide from (Mid?)-1968, lists only flat-hood-4v, flat-hood-8v, and glass-hood-8v.

But it seems like a glass hood SS/C=7.70 or SS/D=7.70 car wouldve had to be a single 4bbl. Wondered if you knew or eg what the McCain or Brewer cars had then, 4v-glass or 8v-glass?

https://classracer.com/classforum/sh...ad.php?t=79519

I had a 1966 fairlane in 1966 and 67 , ran a glass hood with single 4 barrel . no issues.

[DeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by Bob Nottingham

I had a 1966 fairlane in 1966 and 67 , ran a glass hood with single 4 barrel . no issues.

Well that settles that then.
Thanks very much!

[Larry Hill]

I think John Cooper and the green. 67 convertible 427 / 410 both had flat hoods.

[Stephen & Horace Johnson]

You can run the 2-4 or single 4 with the hood scoop ...I have ran both combos for years...

[Don Kennedy]

Does the Hood rule apply to the new cars from the factory??

[1347]

Originally Posted by Don Kennedy

Does the Hood rule apply to the new cars from the factory??

I believe you can run hood pins on any car, but the latch and hinges need to be all there.

The fiberglass hood is a 427 Fairlane only thing that is being discussed I believe

[RJ Sledge]

The 66/67 Fairlane 427 hood NHRA history is full of twists and turns.
This is based on my personal experience, at the US Nats in 1988 I showed up with a 1966 Fairlane 427 410hp single 4 barrel/automatic transmission with a class hood, Travis Miller told me my hood was incorrect and I needed to change it to a steel hood/hinges/hood latch setup. He also told me he had all the info on all the 1966 Fairlane 427 cars that had been built by Ford and all had 4 speeds in them. I had to change Hood/Hinges/Hood Latch, before he would let me continue racing that weekend.

Luckly I located a steel hood/hinges/hoodlatch assembly in about 1 hour and was back racing that day. I rented them for $25 for weekend.

In 1989 I was back at Indy with the car and won Class B/SA and the Eliminator, In the winners circle Travis Miller walked up to me and shook my hand and told me that he had "Researched the Ford Archives and told me that even though all the 1966 Fairlanes 427 car produced by Ford were equipped with 4 speeds......that the C6 Automatic Transmission was available to any racer who wanted one"

Since then there have been many changes to satisfy different racers whims running that combo. Way too confusing the way it is now, but thats the way things are.

Just my personal experiences.

Thanks
RJ

[DeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by RJ Sledge

The 66/67 Fairlane 427 hood NHRA history is full of twists and turns.
This is based on my personal experience, at the US Nats in 1988 I showed up with a 1966 Fairlane 427 410hp single 4 barrel/automatic transmission with a class hood, Travis Miller told me my hood was incorrect and I needed to change it to a steel hood/hinges/hood latch setup. He also told me he had all the info on all the 1966 Fairlane 427 cars that had been built by Ford and all had 4 speeds in them. I had to change Hood/Hinges/Hood Latch, before he would let me continue racing that weekend.

Luckly I located a steel hood/hinges/hoodlatch assembly in about 1 hour and was back racing that day. I rented them for $25 for weekend.

In 1989 I was back at Indy with the car and won Class B/SA and the Eliminator, In the winners circle Travis Miller walked up to me and shook my hand and told me that he had "Researched the Ford Archives and told me that even though all the 1966 Fairlanes 427 car produced by Ford were equipped with 4 speeds......that the C6 Automatic Transmission was available to any racer who wanted one"

Since then there have been many changes to satisfy different racers whims running that combo. Way too confusing the way it is now, but thats the way things are.

Just my personal experiences.

Thanks
RJ

Confusing indeed!
And I'm trying to sort out what the rules WERE, over 50 years ago.
Detective work, and some guessing.
Ford DID write "letters" to NHRA sometimes, saying something was "available" or an "option", eg
* Auto trans 427 Fairlanes and steel Galaxies
* Aluminum intake 390GTs
* Fairlane 427 Glass hoods for 1967
* C8AX-C cam factory in the (non-"135") 428CJ cars
Per my understanding none of that stuff actually left the factory in a car.

I have heard RUMORS that a couple auto-trans 427 66-67 Fairlanes were factory built, but just that - rumors. Kinda like the factory 1968 427 W-code Mustangs, that rumor finally put to bed. I think.

Of course GM & Mopar did some of that too, blessing combos that never left the factory except maybe in the trunk. So it all comes back to how the rules were INTERPRETED - in a given year. Not easy.

At least today, as I understand it, if it's in those Excel files online, it's legal to run. But, rules in past years were different. Thanks for the help.

[cobrajet2]

I think the Hinterman car and the Fastbacks Fairlane were the two automatic cars from back in the day. I could be wrong, though.
Mike

[DeuceCoupe]

Originally Posted by Stephen & Horace Johnson

You can run the 2-4 or single 4 with the hood scoop ...I have ran both combos for years...

Yes I read in today's class guides online that you can run any combo for the 66-67 Fairlane 427:
4v flat hood
8v flat hood
4v glass hood
8v glass hood

But it was strange back in the 1960s.
The only class guide I have a page of is from 1970, but dates back to some time in 1968. It lists ONLY:
4v flat hood
8v flat hood
8v glass hood

So I conclude the 4v glass hood was NOT legal circa 1968-70.
And, the Fairlane seems to disappear from the wins/records in W/P=7.70 class in 68-70 which would jive with a change in the rules.

Maybe because of the way they were factory built:
66 was all glass hood 8v (all 57 of em)
67 was all flat hood, 4v and 8v
So when they started running too good in 1967-68, NHRA was looking for ways to cull the herd down to what was actually factory built combos.
Just a guess. So long ago, I was a kid then.

But in 67 and early 68, Fairlanes set records in the W/P=7.70 class.
I figured, well, they just ran the flat hood 4v, which was W/P=8.00 or so.
But then I saw McCain's car from 1967-68, with the glass hood, apparently running 1967=SS/C=7.70 and SS/D=7.70 in early 1968 ie Pomona.

So I figured, ok it has to be a 4v under that hood because an 8v wouldve run in SS/B=7.00 class.


The flat hood 4v is so much easier, the rules never changed, no factoring, etc. Trying to capture all the history of the 1960-71 era!
Thanks