Best Pontiac Powered Super Stockers

[Gary Smith]

Originally Posted by oldskool

Got pics of a 3 more '74's. Don't know a lot about the cars or drivers.

If you guys know something about any of these cars/drivers please share.

Wilbert Thornton was .795 under, on this Q-list.

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

Wow I didn't know Wilbert Thornton was still racing, last I saw him was at the '80 Gators with his SS/P Safari wagon and that thing cleaned house in class back then!!

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by Gary Smith

Wow I didn't know Wilbert Thornton was still racing, last I saw him was at the '80 Gators with his SS/P Safari wagon and that thing cleaned house in class back then!!

Yeah, there are a LOT of us old timers who would still be racing, if we had the money to do it.

Even local bracket racing cost a lot nowadays. It would cost me well over $200 per race, just to go to a reg bracket race at our local track, 50 miles away. That doesn't count ANY money for the racing equipment.

Hey, according to our race expense records, in 1975, my wife only won $75 for each Stock win. But, that $75 MORE than paid all our racing expenses for the weekend. IIRC, gas was still only about 50 cents per gal. And the entry fee was LESS than $10.

Even in the late '70's, after we started bracket racing, out-of-state, where it was a 3 hour drive to the Sat nite track, and we had to rent a motel room, we won enuff to more than pay all travel expenses for the entire year. Most weekends we made 2 races, 49 total, in '78. Even tho 4 races were washed out, & we didn't win a penny, we still had the same travel expenses.

We now live in a completely different world. It takes lots of money just to stay home, eat, keep the power & AC on, & pay necessary bills.

Not many po boys making the Stock/SS racing circuit, nowadays. I realize, now, that we didn't have enuff money to race. But, I'm glad we did it anyhow. For most who really love drag racing, no other activity can really be a good substitute. Put another way: "Nothing else really does it for you."

But hey, even tho I haven't been able to race near as much I'd have liked to, I still enjoy reading about & posting about the guys & gals that are racing and/or have raced Pontiacs.

[boxmotorsports]

Russ Abrams / Mr Pontiac SD455, there has to be pictures out there of his car on the bumper

[john clegg]

Just to get the facts out there best I remember. The 73 car was custom ordered as a formula 455SD. Drove it for 2 months. Went to Indy. Won D/S. Then over the years raced it in SS/I , J , I A, JA. Then switched to Pontiac big heads. Ran Ss/AM , BM, CM. Started going 8:40s. NHRA said park it. Need to have a 25.5 chassis. To hard to fix. Bought Ken Howel’s 88 bird. Redid car To 25.5 scif spec. Switched to Oldsmobile heads. Finally ran 7.96 in SS AM which was the first 7 second run of a SS with carbs. Meanwhile J b is running the 74 bird we bought from Larry Pacey which is the old HO racing bird. JB set many records with it. Meanwhile the 73 car is in storage. Then I wanted to go faster so I built an 88 back half bird to run in CC/A. Same old motor , smaller @ 396 inches with olds heads. Best run 7.01 @ 202. Then we do a complete rebuild of the 73 car to run SS/H. Has ran 9.75. Trying to run some 9:50s. Quickest old school Pontiac super stocker now. Waiting for Covid to run out so we can beat on the bird some more. Coming up on 50 year birthday. More in it. We will find it. And we also put A 395 inch small block in the 88 bird and run SS /As. Current record holder. So that’s about 47 years on beating on pontiacs 😎

[oldskool]

John, I know this is the SS thread. But. since you're here, would you mind giving us the details of the '74 T/A Stocker, which has Mission Garage on it ? Hunter Pierdolla drove it for a while.

It appears to have SD-455 on the shaker. So, is it running an SD455 ?

Was it an SD-455 from the factory ?

I've read that Forest Pierdolla built the car. Did you or J.B. have anything to do with it ? Do you currently own it ?

Now a SS question. Since ya'll redid the '73, what about the '74, the old H-O car ? Is it still together ? Or did you rob parts off it, for the '73 ?

Sorry for all the questions. But, you have all the answers.

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by boxmotorsports

Russ Abrams / Mr Pontiac SD455, there has to be pictures out there of his car on the bumper

Sorry, I don't have any with it that high.

Will this do ?

[oldskool]

OK guys, I just found this Q-list that brings up more questions.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=96912

#35 is Sal Piacentini, driving a SS/MA '77 Bird. I've been told that this Bird was 350 Pontiac powered, and that it is the same Bird that Mike Morgan now racers.

Now, #90 is listed as Al Vanis, also driving a SS/MA '77 Bird. Since the class is the same, I assume that this Bird was also 350 Pontiac powered, at the time.

So, does anybody here have more info on the Bird Al was driving ? 350 Pontiac power ? Who owned it ? Who was the next owner and/or driver ? Is the car still racing ? If so, owner, driver, engine ???

Sorry, but this is the 1st time I've even been aware of this car, and that Al Vanis even drove a Super Stock Firebird.

[oldskool]

Another question.

Found this pic of what was painted on the rear of the '72 SS/K GTO that Truman Fields raced.

It infers that the car was an NHRA nat record holder in '72, '74, & '75.

I have a pic with a caption saying that Truman set a mph rec. But, I thought that Truman only raced the car in '72. He won Stock @ the US Nats, in '73, in his '68 Bird.

So, my question is: Did Truman drive the SS GTO after the '72 season ?

Was he driving it when it set the '74 & '75 records ?

If not, who was driving it ?

Does anybody have any race results for the car, when Truman was driving it ?

Don't know if he won any races or got any class wins with it. Anybody have more info about the car ?

Still lookin for pics of the '72 Bird Stocker that Pontiac supposedly provided Truman. Haven't found any proof that he actually raced that Bird. Anybody have pics or info ?

https://www.dragracecentral.com/drcstory.asp?ID=14902

[oldskool]

Div 3

At the Beech Bend div 3 race, Don Kennedy qualified #4, @ .962 under, with a 9.138.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...er=30#indextop

His little Sunfire is one of the top 3 quickest Pontiac powered GT Super Stock cars ever.

I'm sure I've already mentioned that Robert Cruzen ran an 8.90 in class @ Indy, in his little 428 powered Cobalt. Also mentioned that Don won the GT/EA class last year @ Indy & Todd Frantz won the GT/FA class in a 428 powered Cobalt. I assume that all 3 cars run the alum E-head version of the 428.

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

[oldskool]

Originally Posted by oldskool

OK guys, I just found this Q-list that brings up more questions.

https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCStory.asp?ID=96912

#35 is Sal Piacentini, driving a SS/MA '77 Bird. I've been told that this Bird was 350 Pontiac powered, and that it is the same Bird that Mike Morgan now races.

Now, #90 is listed as Al Vanis, also driving a SS/MA '77 Bird. Since the class is the same, I assume that this Bird was also 350 Pontiac powered, at the time.

So, does anybody here have more info on the Bird Al was driving ? 350 Pontiac power ? Who owned it ? Who was the next owner and/or driver ? Is the car still racing ? If so, owner, driver, engine ???

Sorry, but this is the 1st time I've even been aware of this car, and that Al Vanis even drove a Super Stock Firebird.

This answers some of what I wanted to know.

"...Al Vanis...traded 77 Lemans to Bob Michael' for a 77 Firebird S/S..."

So, Al traded his '77 Lemans for the '77 Bird from Bob Michael. He was running SS/MA with it -- same as the 350 powered Sal Piacentini Bird. So, was Al's Bird also 350 powered ?

I ask since weight can be added to most cars in order to run a class lower than it's natural class. But, from what I can find, it appears that there was a 35hp difference between the 350 & 400 SS engines, in '77 models, at that time.

That would require a large amount of added weight. Over 400lbs, if my math is correct.

SS/M is 14 lbs/hp. '77 400 engine had a 285hp factor for SS. 14 x 285 = 3990lbs. NHRA weight was just over 3500lbs, for a '77 Bird. Don't think rules allow that much added weight, to run a lower class, do they ?

http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...4&MAKE=Pontiac

http://www.classracerinfo.com/Engine...spx?ENGINE=764

Therefore, I assume that a 400 powered '77 Bird could not run as low as SS/MA. If I'm wrong, someone please explain.

Assuming I'm right, either Bob had a 350 in the car when he had it. Or, Al changed it over to a 350 after he got it. Assuming Al was familiar with a 350, since he'd raced the '74 350 powered Ventura.

As a side note, Sal won the SS/MA class at that race.

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

I love to search for Pontiac powered cars, on the old Q-lists. On the list for that race, besides the 2 birds mentioned, Steve Smith's '92 GT Bird was Pontiac powered, & was #33. Peter Biondo is listed @ #96, driving a 2000 Bird. I assume that was Phil Monteith's "Hatari" Bird, in which Peter did so much winning.

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

If any of this info is wrong, somebody please post the correct info. And, if I missed a Pontiac powered GT car, please post that info, also. Thanks !

Below are pics of a Bird which had:
"Bob Michael
Bob Peters"
on the door. Bob has had so many Pontiacs, I don't if this is the one Al traded for, or not.

I had the 2nd pic labeled "Bob Michael @ Indy". I have no idea what year these pics were taken. But, with solid center wheels, plus Winston on the tower, in the 1st pic, I assume neither pic was taken this century. Probably not the same car Al ran in 2005. I have no idea.