What's New for 1968

[Hemi Moose]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

1968 Dodge Dart GTS

* 340/275 HP
* 383/300 HP

The NHRA re-rated the 340/275 HP to (315 Horsepower), putting the car in E/Stock for 1968 (10.00 to 10.49 Wt/Hp).

The 383/300 HP Dart GTS was classed in F/Stock for 1968. A restrictive exhaust system, was the reason for the lower 300 HP rating.

A 340/275 HP,,, w/Automatic Transmission and 3.55 Gears,,,,,,,,,,14.70 @ 96 MPH
A 383/300 HP,,,w/Automatic Transmission and 3.55 Gears,,,,,,,,,,,15.00 @ 94 MPH

Paul, I bet Mr Norm sold alot of '68 Dart GTS models with the 340 & 383 engines to his customers...he also sold a few '68 Dart GSS models with the 440 Magnum engine option as well...

[Hemi Moose]

Well maybe it's time to go back in time...here's a shot of a little '68 340 Cuda F/SA.




.

[oldskool]

Well, here's another old thread with hardly anything about Pontiacs. All I saw was a couple of ads for the '68 GTO's.

But, for drag racing purposes, '68 was a big year for Pontiac. And the '68 Bird is still active & competitive today.

The '68 round port 400 engine was big news at Pontiac. It had the round port heads and a bigger cam than any other Pontiac 400 before it. Since then, the '68 RA2 400 engines have powered lots of race winners, class winners, & record setters. The Firebird base 400 engine, with the new open chamber D-port heads, has also fetched it's share of wins, thru the years. For many years the 3300lb Birds with the 330hp engine were a perfect fit for the 10lb/hp class.

In recent years, quite a few Super Stock racers have been using the '68 428 spec engine to power their GT Super Stocker. So, for lots of Pontiac racers, '68 was a very important year for Pontiac.

Have lots of '68 Bird pics from recent years. But, I'll post 7 from years gone by.

Most Pontiac race fans know all about Truman Fields & his Pontiac drag cars. You'll notice that he's in pic #2 & pic #5. The cars look similar, but are not the same car. He won Stock @ Indy '73, with the car in pic #2. He then sold/traded the car to Roy & Mike McKinney. The car in pic #5 is the McKinney car that Truman took in the trade deal for his car.

Mike McKinney won Stock @ Indy '77, with the same car that had won Indy '73. Both drivers went on to do quite well, racing '68 Birds. Pic #7 shows a McKinney '68 SS Bird gettin some big air.

And of course, pic #8 is of a '68 Goat. In recent years, NHRA lowered the hp factor, making the '68 GTO competitive. For many years, the base 400 engine was rated at 350hp, tho it was basically the same engine that was rated 330hp in a Bird. Therefore, it was obviously not very competitive.

Since '01, the hp factor has actually been lower than that of the 330hp Bird engine. It's been at 325hp now for 20 years. But, I suppose that because of the high price of real Goats, I only know of 2 '68 Goats that have been raced in Stock or SS, this century. Adam Strang had one for a while. And Tim Gillespie ran one for a while, which is shown in pic #8. They both have competitive 10 sec '68 Bird Stockers, now.

Pontiac had 428 engines in '67-'69. But, until the Super Stock GT rules came along, the 428 Pontiac engines were not popular in class racing. This is because they only came in big heavy cars. Pic #9 is the only pic I know of that I have of a 428 powered Stocker. At least I assume it was a Stocker. No class designation showing. I have no idea what kind of times it turned. I think that pic is actually of a '69 model. But, you get the idea. Only Big Heavy Cars could get a 428. Hey, 428 powered Birds & Goats would have been cool !

I'd like to see a 9 sec 428 powered '68 Bird, running in GT Super Stock. Could easily be done by somebody with the money & want-to.

Hey, even non-Pontiac guys can now build a 428 GT engine, without GM parts. The quickest 428 GT car is now a Cobalt, @ 8.90.