Best Pontiac Powered Stockers

[oldskool]

Hey, 10.80, with a Stock legal Pontiac 350 ain't too shabby !

This is just an opinion question. Would the '69 #48 350HO heads, with their larger valves, make much difference in power output ?

[Adam Strang]

Hard to say with the bigger valve being closer to the side of the bore.

[oldskool]

Breaker ! Breaker !

As was reported elsewhere on this site, Randi Lyn Shipp won a $10k check for winning a Stock/SS combo race !

The BIG check is made out to ROCKET SHIPP.

http://classracer.com/classforum/sho...78&postcount=6

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...&theater&ifg=1

[oldskool]

OK, the next '77 / '78 Bird I wanna look at is the Dave Ribeiro Bird.

A pic I have shows lettering saying it was a nat record holder in '98 & '99. So, it should show up on the earliest DRC files. I'll take a look & begin posting links to some of those race results.

4/17/98 - Fram Nats - #8 - .779 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

On this list, just below Dave is John Rodnite, in a '77 Lemans. Not familiar with that name. Don Himes was not far behind, @ # 10, in his '77 GP.

4/24/98 - Pennzoil Nats - #7 - .946 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

5/16/98 - Englishtown - #9 1.096 under. Carol Yacavone was #8. We'll look closer at that car, in coming posts.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

5/24/98 - Maple Grove - #1 - 1.103 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

8/15/98 - Englishtown div 1 - #7 - .940 under. Dean Ribeiro was #6, in a '77 Lemans.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

9/18/98 - Keystone Nats - #12 - .942 under. Paul Dilcher was #6. We'll look closer at the Dilcher Bird, soon.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

3/19/99 - Gators - #12 - 1.116 under - L/SA class winner.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

By the way, this is a race that Lee Banister won, in his Bird.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

5/1/99 - Pennzoil Nats - #4 - 1.254 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

5/14/99 - Southern Nats - L/SA class winner.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

I find this one very interesting. Dean Ribeiro is #7, in a '77 Bird. Dave is #35, in a '78 Bird. And the Dilcher Bird is #3.

5/21/99 - Englishtown Nats - #35 - .901 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

9/3/99 - US Nats - #67 - .931 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

3/17/00 - Gators - #17 - 1.002 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

Lee Bannister won the Gators, again !

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

5/15/03 - Super Nats - #51 - .995 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2003#indextop

9/16/04 - Lucas Oil Nats - #34 - .926 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

9/16/05 - Toyo Tires Nats - #32 - .989 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2005#indextop

8/14/08 - Toyo Tires Nats - #36 - .876 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2008#indextop

6/12/09 - Super Nats - #70 - .803 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2009#indextop

[oldskool]

Looks like by late July of 2016 Dean Ribeiro was driving the Bird. Can't remember how long he raced it. I'll look it up. It was still the same color, back then, for a while. But, later he painted it what looked like a flat blue color, with decals mostly just on the back window.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2016#indextop

Don't remember seeing it on a Q-list recently. Dean has raced lots of different cars. So, I don't know even who owns the car now. Maybe Dave will see this & give us some of the details, including current status of the car.

http://forums.maxperformanceinc.com/...68&postcount=6

The best ET I've seen that Dean turned was 12.06, which was .640 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2017#indextop

On the 2018 lists I looked at, Dean was driving Chevy powered cars. So, I'll leave up to Dave whether he wants to update us on the Bird, or not.

[oldskool]

Paul Dilcher's name was on a lot of Q-lists I've seen lately. So, lets take a closer look.

This is the oldest list I can spot his Bird on. Don't know when he began racing it.

4/24/98 - Pennzoil Nats - #18 - .819 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

9/18/98 - Keystone Nats - #6 - .985 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1998#indextop

5/1/99 - Pennzoil Nats - #5 - 1.237 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

5/21/99 - Etown Mopar Nats - #3 - 1.224 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

9/17/99 - Keystone Nats - #13 - 1.103 under - L/SA class winner. Pontiac also won K/SA & M/SA.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r1999#indextop

5/19/00 - Etown Super Nats - #9 - 1.015 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

9/14/00 - Keystone Nats - #13 - 1.019 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2000#indextop

4/27/01 - Thunder Valley Nats - #2 - 1.193 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2001#indextop

5/17/02 - Super Nats - #27 - 1.013 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2002#indextop

6/18/04 - Super Nats - #29 - 1.016 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2004#indextop

Paul's Bird is on many Q-lists, up thru 2018. Because of hp hits & index reductions, thru the years, some of the old Stocker combos get to the point where they can no longer run a sec under. For many cars, unless they can
be made quicker, it becomes hard to even run a half sec under. Some have the money to make the latest go-fast upgrades. Some don't. And, some just sell the old car & buy some other combo, that has a softer index. Or they quit racing all together. And I suppose a few switch over to bracket racing, although I'm well aware that MANY Class racers hate bracket racing & would rather quit racing, than run bracket.

I noticed that Paul made a Vegas race, back in 2013. Also saw him on a div 3 list. Don't have a clue as to how many different tracks he ran.

11/1/13 - Vegas 7-7 - #75 - .677 under

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=280529

[Dave Ribeiro]

oldskool ,

Sorry , I haven't had time to respond with everything going on ???

1) My son Dean had bought Mark Yacavone's white 78 Firebird ... He then sold it to Dave Batta a couple of years later !!! I think Dave still has the car & is racing a 67-69 camaro now ..

2) I sold my Red Firebird to Dean in 2015 , when I bought Bob Michael's car
(77 maroon Leman's ) Which was Johnny Rodnite's old car !!! Bob, did the motor & painted the car which was White before ..

I have a bunch of National Records ( NHRA + IHRA ) , Class Wins and Q- sheets to send you in the next couple weeks !!!

Thanks, again for all your Pontiac support & be Safe ..

later, Dave

[oldskool]

A BIG THANKS for all the info Dave !

For any pics or copies of nat record certificates, etc, that you wanna send me, it is probably more convenient to do it by Email

Same goes for any of you other guys who don't wanna take time to post on this thread. You can all send me your Pontiac info by Email. I'll sort it all out & post some of it on this or the Pontiac SS thread.

Email: speedbarn455@gmail.com

After seeing that Rodnite name, I remembered that it was on some of the early DRC Q-lists. So, I looked up some of 'em. I found this one very interesting. On the list, is the Yacavone Bird & your Bird, the Rodnite '77 Lemans & Dean driving a '77 Lemans, & also Don Himes & Bill Groton, driving '77 GP's -- a pair of each.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=40284

So, (1) what's the history of the '77 Lemans that Dean was driving ?

(2) What happened to the Bill Groton GP ?

(3) #96 is Larry Munk, driving a V/SA '78 Lemans. So, did that car have a Pontiac 301, maybe a 2-barrel ? Looks like it could have had a Buick V6 or a 305 Chevy.

[oldskool]

Chad Smith bought the Paul Dilcher Bird, in 2018, which has probably already been mentioned here. He got it down into the 11.70's last year, at this race.

6/7/19 - div 1-2 - #71 - .568 under.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2019#indextop

Ran 11.514 @ the Dutch Classic.

"...1037 Chad Smith...I/SA...#78 11.514..."

So far this year, there have been 3 div 1 races. The car has not shown up on any of the Q-lists. Don't know what Chad's plans for the car are. A 400 powered '77 Bird is not the best choice for a competitive Pontiac powered Stocker, in 2020. I suppose a '77 350 powered Bird would be better. And even a '78 400 powered Bird should be a little better. But, at 260hp, any '77 body with a 400, EXCEPT a Bird, would probably be a MUCH better choice. But, as always, if you can run your index or quicker & avoid heads-up runs, you have a chance to win the race.

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by oldskool

So, (1) what's the history of the '77 Lemans that Dean was driving ?



(3) #96 is Larry Munk, driving a V/SA '78 Lemans. So, did that car have a Pontiac 301, maybe a 2-barrel ? Looks like it could have had a Buick V6 or a 305 Chevy.

Dean sold it to Kyle Riley, who had a towing accident on the way home .Kyle re-bodied the car and won a race or two with it..I think you might have missed it.
The Stevenson family then had it for years, and now the Larsen family has it.

(3) Larry's car went to Billy and Don..As a 79, it is being raced by Billy , as we speak.

Larry ran the 231 Buick , as V/SA is 6 or 4 cylinder only.