1967 ss/ea - Page 3

DeuceCoupe · 06-28-2021, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rat Patrol

S&M ran three cars in 67.

RO23 - Buddy bought it in May of 1967 from longtime sponsor Gate City Motor Company in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ronnie was quite successful in this car, driving it to victory at the 1967 Bristol Springnationals. This was the only factory RO ’67 Hemi car the team had that year; they continued to run it into 1968 in SS/D. It us identifiable by the Cursiv style (Running writing) script ‘Lil Boss’ on the front qtr.

Lil Boss (Runnjng writing) - RO23 LW Belvedere II - SS/B
LIL BOSS (Block lettering) - Belvedere II with Hemi - SS/D, plain hood
LIL BOSS (Block lettering) - Belvedere II , 440, SS/EA, GTX hood

NONE of these cars were actual GTX’s. The SS/D car and the 440 car have Belvedere interiors and top sill chrome treatment.

The RO23s were not GTX’s ....ever.

I still have this flagged in my data.
The RO23 cars ran in the 7.00-7.69 class, with cold air scoop.

The GTX cars ran in the 7.70-8.69 class, with NO cold air.
I think that's right?

So, sure you could rebadge a Belvedere as a GTX, but seems NHRA would say "no" to the cold air hood, as the GTX didnt come that way.

Or, did they sneak an RO23, rebadged as a GTX, into 68=SS/D=7.70 class, WITH the cold air hood? That would have been illegal I think?

Then again some of these combos (all makes) were legal "for a while" and then officially illegal, so I'm not sure.

Steve Stasko · 06-29-2021, 10:23 AM

Ronnie seldom drove the R0 car. It was usually piloted by a hired driver. Ronnie drove the Hemi Belvedere that was updated to R0 specs after the parts became available. That was the car they kept through '68 at the direction of Chrysler. It ran SS/B in '67, and was moved to D in '68 with rule changes/new car releases. The cars were lettered as "GTX" early on, as Chrysler wanted to advertise the upscale model as opposed to the base Belvedere II. You can tell the difference between the II and the R0, as the II had a rectangular "Hemi" emblem where the "Belvedere" emblem was at the front of the fender after they converted the II to R0 specs. The R0 had the Belvedere emblem there. The II is with John Mahoney in Kansas, and has a vin tag from a '65 car with the car that S&M installed as NHRA was only looking for the R0 prefix on the VIN to make the car legal. Remember at this time, clones and bodies in white were a no go...the cars had to have a VIN tag stating the car was what it was supposed to be.

In '68, GTX trim was added when the car was moved to D...the R0 trim would have put the car in C, as the new Hemi A-Bodies were in B. The Street Hemi combination (which was essentially the same as the R0/W0) faired a lot better in D, than in C, where it had to go against '64/65 Hemi cars, for example.

06-29-2021, 10:23 AM	#22
Steve Stasko Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Western PA Posts: 418 Likes: 5 Liked 229 Times in 121 Posts	Re: 1967 ss/ea Ronnie seldom drove the R0 car. It was usually piloted by a hired driver. Ronnie drove the Hemi Belvedere that was updated to R0 specs after the parts became available. That was the car they kept through '68 at the direction of Chrysler. It ran SS/B in '67, and was moved to D in '68 with rule changes/new car releases. The cars were lettered as "GTX" early on, as Chrysler wanted to advertise the upscale model as opposed to the base Belvedere II. You can tell the difference between the II and the R0, as the II had a rectangular "Hemi" emblem where the "Belvedere" emblem was at the front of the fender after they converted the II to R0 specs. The R0 had the Belvedere emblem there. The II is with John Mahoney in Kansas, and has a vin tag from a '65 car with the car that S&M installed as NHRA was only looking for the R0 prefix on the VIN to make the car legal. Remember at this time, clones and bodies in white were a no go...the cars had to have a VIN tag stating the car was what it was supposed to be. In '68, GTX trim was added when the car was moved to D...the R0 trim would have put the car in C, as the new Hemi A-Bodies were in B. The Street Hemi combination (which was essentially the same as the R0/W0) faired a lot better in D, than in C, where it had to go against '64/65 Hemi cars, for example.