Race this brand new '57 Plymouth?

bill dedman · 06-13-2007, 04:47 AM

Matador Man,

There were a couple of reasons why that old tub wouldn't go 100, not the least of which was, it sat "tall in the saddle" and had the aerodynamics of a barn door. The cam was an Engle 116, which was a quick-rate-of-lift, short duration model, that was better-suited to a dirt track than the drag strip... shoulda gone with the more aggressive "95."
This thing floated the valves at 5,800 rpm, and we were turning that just before the traps.... it was kind of like a mechanical rev-limiter/speed-limiter.

Our competition wasn't equipped to match our 60-foot times, which were amazingly good for such an otherwise s-l-o-w car, so if they beat us (which they did, a lot!!!) they always had to catch us.

We learned, early-on, that the only way to make a Hydro car competitive was to make it hook 100-percent, so we locked the rear end, ballasted the back of the car, and ran slicks that would allow us a full-throttle stall launch with no wheelspin. We had a car that ran inordinately fast for the first block, and not so fast for the next 3 blocks.

I think our usual e.t. was a 13.80, which sounds absurd, now, but was right in the middle of the field at the time. We won as much as we lost... but never won anything significant. Our only claim to fame with that car was to garner runner-up B/G honors to Don Biggers at the '62 AHRA Nationals at Green Valley (Texas.)

If I had to guess, I'd think we had maybe $1,000 1962 dollars in the whole car... engine, hydro, and all. That equates to just over $6,700.00 in today's currency.

What kind of a race car can you build for that kind of money, today?

Not much... and, we didn't HAVE much, but we were relatively competitive in class racing (no handicap racing back then; everything was heads-up), AND we had a ton of fun with that ol' heap.

However, it's humiliating to think that a showroom 2007 Toyota Camry sedan can turn more MPH in the quarter than we ever did, though... LOL!

My, my; how times change....

Bill

06-13-2007, 04:47 AM	#18
bill dedman VIP Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Conway, AR Posts: 1,739 Likes: 0 Liked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Matador Man, There were a couple of reasons why that old tub wouldn't go 100, not the least of which was, it sat "tall in the saddle" and had the aerodynamics of a barn door. The cam was an Engle 116, which was a quick-rate-of-lift, short duration model, that was better-suited to a dirt track than the drag strip... shoulda gone with the more aggressive "95." This thing floated the valves at 5,800 rpm, and we were turning that just before the traps.... it was kind of like a mechanical rev-limiter/speed-limiter. Our competition wasn't equipped to match our 60-foot times, which were amazingly good for such an otherwise s-l-o-w car, so if they beat us (which they did, a lot!!!) they always had to catch us. We learned, early-on, that the only way to make a Hydro car competitive was to make it hook 100-percent, so we locked the rear end, ballasted the back of the car, and ran slicks that would allow us a full-throttle stall launch with no wheelspin. We had a car that ran inordinately fast for the first block, and not so fast for the next 3 blocks. I think our usual e.t. was a 13.80, which sounds absurd, now, but was right in the middle of the field at the time. We won as much as we lost... but never won anything significant. Our only claim to fame with that car was to garner runner-up B/G honors to Don Biggers at the '62 AHRA Nationals at Green Valley (Texas.) If I had to guess, I'd think we had maybe $1,000 1962 dollars in the whole car... engine, hydro, and all. That equates to just over $6,700.00 in today's currency. What kind of a race car can you build for that kind of money, today? Not much... and, we didn't HAVE much, but we were relatively competitive in class racing (no handicap racing back then; everything was heads-up), AND we had a ton of fun with that ol' heap. However, it's humiliating to think that a showroom 2007 Toyota Camry sedan can turn more MPH in the quarter than we ever did, though... LOL! My, my; how times change.... Bill __________________ Bill