King of the Hill Drag Race / Factory Appearing , Slick Tire , any interest????

[gt350hr]

 For years I have grumbled about wanting to put on a REAL GT350-500 ONLY drag race. I have some "rough rules'' scratched out .Call me a racist if you want BUT I want genuine 65-70 cars only. No clones , rebodies , tributes. STOCK bodies , no tubs, subframe connectors , flares , NON original fibreglass parts ( or carbon fiber LOL) Maximum tire size 10.5x28x15. "Production " or "optional" as produced interiors . "Original deletes" , radio , heater rear seat ('66 only) OK Original or SAI catalog optional wheels OK Transmissions, '65 =T 10 ONLY, '66 T 10 or C4 , '67-68 Top loader or C4 (sb) C6 (428) 69-70 Toploader -FMX (351) or C6 428. ANY clutch , convertor or gear set that can't be seen but the transmission case MUST be correct! ANY gear ratio! NO spools . "Factory brakes" NO rear discs.
   Now the tough part.
   Engines ,
     Blocks '65-68 ANY 8.2 deck block "MADE or SOLD by Ford" in ANY catalog even current. 69-70 351W , NO SVO OR aftermarket blocks PERIOD '67-70 428s "Production" 428 blocks ONLY NO 427 OR aftermarket blocks PERIOD. Don't try and hide cross bolts OR add them to a 428 block.
     Cranks , rods , pistons , cams lifters , pushrods , springs , rockers , OPEN , YOUR CHOICE What can't be seen , won't be considered. So that limits you to OEM valve covers . NO spacers allowed and MAXIMUM gasket thickness of .375 and must be "non metallic".
    Heads, ANY "Ford manufactured" ( key importance) BEFORE 1970 (key note) are legal . yes , rare Ford made aluminum heads are included . NO aftermarket heads EXCEPT small block C6FE (GT40) heads manufactured by Cobra Automotive. Be prepared to prove purchase if asked.
     Induction ,
      65-68 small blocks, Paxton , Webers , dual fours , three twos , single four all legal BUT the manifold MUST be an original made BEFORE 1970 Shelby "rambox" IS OK. Blue Thunder products are NOT OK. ANY carburetor that will bolt on without an adaptor on any kind is OK.
     '69-70 351s limited to ORIGINAL SHELBY lettered intake. Sorry carb is open but NO adaptor.
     '67-70 428s Any Ford , Cobra , or SHELBY lettered intake made before 1970 is OK  Carb(s) open  NO adaptor(s)
       Exhaust,
      65-66 steel tubing any design 
      67-70 CAST IRON production manifolds PERIOD small OR big block , unless you have a verified drag unit OR  the '67 Super Snake
    So as I noted in the begining , Factory Appearing Slick Tire ( FAST) Shelby.
   I am considering a max 8 car race. If more enter ( free) , the fastest 8 would compete "heads up" and EVERY place would win $$$s  I already have one company wanting to put $500 in the "pot" and others interested. Please let me know your thoughts here or a PM if you prefer. This could get media exposure too.
       Randy

[roddster]

 Yeah, but: ah, where would  this race be held?  No mention of it.
   And back-in-the-day a new-ish 67 GT 350 would run 15:30's all day, no mods.  Same, almost, as the magazines said it would.

[427heaven]

That's a fun idea Randy but talk about pushing a snowball up a hill in HELL. Originality is key here but most cars would fall into the DQ'D catagory . If gaskets or original valve covers are absent, I think that would be the tip of the iceberg for making cars illegal for competition. Most all of the cars running around have some of those discrepancies and the fact the garage queen cars that would fit this criteria probably wouldn't want to stretch their cars legs. Maybe an OUTLAW class with original looking cars but with maybe day 2 mods or period correct mods, might bring more cars out? Then the where and when? Left coast- East coast- North- South- Desolate street, abondoned airport runway, piggy backed onto an existing NHRA race? Lots to figure out.

[68blk500c]

Randy:  I am in the concourse judging camp.  But, what you propose is quite interesting; I get it.  Let all of the other draggers fall into their category and have their fun.  Your proposal would be the elite of the christmas tree camp, so go for quality, original drag cars--YES!  We understand it will be a small group of cars, which is just fine.   

[Side-Oilers]

Randy, I like the idea a lot, but my KR won't qualify.

It's a Day-Two car. Aluminum side-oiler, Wilwood brakes, 16-inch Torq Thrusts, Hotchkis suspension, Magnaflow exhaust out the back.   

But the car looks pretty much stock otherwise.  (Probably not stock enough for Pete & Bob... )

Interior is all original, just a Hurst T-Handle shifter added.  Top Loader, rear end, etc., are original to the car.

Factory sheet metal, fiberglass, bumpers, window glass.

One repaint, in original color.

I would love to join you and other SAAC guys for a drag strip day.   I don't need to bracket race, or run for money/prizes.  I just want to see what my car will run (street tires, full exhaust) and have some fun blowing the sweet smell of race gas out the tailpipes for 1320 feet.   

Would you consider Day Two cars, for a class of their own? Original cars could have the lion's share of the track day, but there's probably a lot of guys with Day Two '65-70 "real" Shelbys that would love to be there and have a go.

Of course: I'd rather not have to trailer my car to a far-away state.  So that limits me to CA, AZ and NV.

Hope you can put it all together. I'm ready!
Van

[shelbydoug]

Why would I want the press to see all the 15.3 cars with all of the old guys falling asleep at the wheel? They'll need to be nudged to make sure the car is in "D" for daa!

With all your rules, sounds more like a Concourse venue? Who are the Judges you are going to get to check the specs? Original cork valve cover gaskets?

I noticed how many disqualifications you listed. I think that you used my car as the model? Must be at least a dozen?

Better off with grudge matches. Now there's a list of potentials but how are you going to keep the drivers from beating each other with sticks in the pits, the fans from throwing rotten eggs and tomatoes? Do we need to check our guns at the door?

Let's have a shooting contest of who can shoot the empty "Leftie's Beer" bottles off the pit walls after having five or six?

Geese!

[427heaven]

I love the idea of getting people together for some fun car activities. When I here race car or performance car my ears perk up and start paying attention. King of the hill is a great moniker but we can already guess the outcome of who gets that title! We have our in house DRAG expert who has perfected his combination for the last 45 years, all others not so much. Curious where this goes... Having a person with a stock SHELBY running 15- 16 second quarter mile times by a Fat , Bald, Old guy, doesnt really seem appealing to the car magazines in my opinion. Most everything in my driveway would probably put the SPANK DOWN to a vintage SHELBY from my twin turbo eco boost truck to my wife's Lexus These cars are getting away from the average guy to purchase and play around with plus the AGE thing, old people don't like to really go past the speed limit anymore in anything, let alone their 100k + investments. I hope that we can figure out how to enjoy these cars before they get squirreled away in some collection, never to be driven as they were intended! Best of luck on how to bring this together.

[gt350hr]

    Guys ,
     READ carefully. This is NOT a race for concourse cars! Anyone considering participating should AT LEAST have a car with 12 second ( or lower potential). Yes the purpose is based on day two . How fast "could" a Paxton blown 347 or larger engine be? What about a 351W @ 427ci or a 428@ 470 ci?  Roller cams high compression. To add fairness and keep the power levels in tact , I had to limit steel tubing headers to the cars that originally had them. This is the same reason for the tire size restriction. I can say the same for limiting the transmissions to those proper for the specific year. The cylinder head limitations ( both year and manufacturer) are there to keep stuff "as in the day". Same for induction.
    By limiting modifications to the car itself , I am not hurting the value or allowing an unfair advantage. I also see I missed the suspension information which should be "original spring locations" , the ONLY acceptable traction bar is a weld on Traction Master if not originally equipped. I am not looking for "professional" lettered and stickered up race cars. Just "your car" "hopped up" LOL
     Venue?  To get this to happen it would HAVE to be at a deal like Mid America ( too soon for this year) or a SAAC convention where drag racing could be held. The particular venue "could" also have an affect on track length be it 1/4 or 1/8th mile. I realize there is some significant travel potential here and is why I would compensate ALL ( four or eight) entrants that would be in the competition IF more than eight entrants apply.
      The purpose here is to determine IF anyone shares my "idea"  for an interesting race.  In the past the races I have overseen are simply "fun runs" with occasional "grudge pairings". This would be a "for real" heads up race for $$$s . The $$$s come from me and or those who want to "throw in". I'd like to see Manny do a video on it. "Eight real Shelbys knocking it out at the drag strip"
     Randy

[shelbydoug]

    Guys ,
     READ carefully. This is NOT a race for concourse cars! Anyone considering participating should AT LEAST have a car with 12 second ( or lower potential). Yes the purpose is based on day two . How fast "could" a Paxton blown 347 or larger engine be? What about a 351W @ 427ci or a 428@ 470 ci?  Roller cams high compression. To add fairness and keep the power levels in tact , I had to limit steel tubing headers to the cars that originally had them. This is the same reason for the tire size restriction. I can say the same for limiting the transmissions to those proper for the specific year. The cylinder head limitations ( both year and manufacturer) are there to keep stuff "as in the day". Same for induction.
    By limiting modifications to the car itself , I am not hurting the value or allowing an unfair advantage. I also see I missed the suspension information which should be "original spring locations" , the ONLY acceptable traction bar is a weld on Traction Master if not originally equipped. I am not looking for "professional" lettered and stickered up race cars. Just "your car" "hopped up" LOL
     Venue?  To get this to happen it would HAVE to be at a deal like Mid America ( too soon for this year) or a SAAC convention where drag racing could be held. The particular venue "could" also have an affect on track length be it 1/4 or 1/8th mile. I realize there is some significant travel potential here and is why I would compensate ALL ( four or eight) entrants that would be in the competition IF more than eight entrants apply.
      The purpose here is to determine IF anyone shares my "idea"  for an interesting race.  In the past the races I have overseen are simply "fun runs" with occasional "grudge pairings". This would be a "for real" heads up race for $$$s . The $$$s come from me and or those who want to "throw in". I'd like to see Manny do a video on it. "Eight real Shelbys knocking it out at the drag strip"
     Randy

Problemo numero uno. There are no Shelby's as you described with 12 second potential.

Since this is a fantasy to begine with, I thought we should all drive to Hawaii to do it?

[gt350bp]

Would love to do it, but neither of my cars would qualify. If someone finds me a nice old school 68 fastback roller set up for stock or super stock, I can remove the big engine from my KR and go back to stock. 

Don
gt350bp

   

[2112]

Maybe the F.A.S.T. format would help?

https://www.fastdrags.com/fast-rules

[gt350hr]

   Doug ,
      Speak for yourself! My '66 runs 11.5s with an all iron 331 that is well within the guide lines of what I have laid out. A slightly warmed over  '68 KR with a 4.30 gear and a 10" slick would be in the 12s with EASE.
    This deal is not for the "easy chair" racer. Careful scrutiny of the guide lines could produce 600 hp engines. THAT will propel a car into the 11s easily. I've left some serious loop holes in on purpose.

[gt350hr]

Maybe the F.A.S.T. format would help?

https://www.fastdrags.com/fast-rules

    The trouble with the F.A.S.T. format is the "stock tire". THAT is dangerous ( well more so than a ten inch racing slick).

[shelbydoug]

   Doug ,
      Speak for yourself! My '66 runs 11.5s with an all iron 331 that is well within the guide lines of what I have laid out. A slightly warmed over  '68 KR with a 4.30 gear and a 10" slick would be in the 12s with EASE.
    This deal is not for the "easy chair" racer. Careful scrutiny of the guide lines could produce 600 hp engines. THAT will propel a car into the 11s easily. I've left some serious loop holes in on purpose.

With iron manifolds and stock exhaust. Not happening. Low 14's maybe. 13.99 with the wind at your back.

Still, not very exciting.


11.5's? Umm, i thought we were talking Edelbrock heads, JBA 1-3/4" headers and a T/A intake with dual Holleys? That's hardly 289hp heads, COBRA high rise and iron exhausts? 

I do understand that the Blue Thunder COBRA intake is worth quite a bit more hp over stock. Oh. I forgot. BT is Vorboten.


Look. There is an 8 second 2012 GT500 record holder but it's a computer that you start, put in D, point and hold on to. My eyes would be blurry the entire run from the shaking. You'd have to have a bright light at the end of the track for me to point it at.

In my day, 8 seconds was Pro-stock and cost cubic dollars. I remember Kenny Delco's crew getting on him for shaking the valve covers loose.

Doesn't the NHRA want a full cage for sub 12's? Nope, just 5 point. Sub 10 needs a cage.

[2112]

Maybe the F.A.S.T. format would help?

https://www.fastdrags.com/fast-rules

    The trouble with the F.A.S.T. format is the "stock tire". THAT is dangerous ( well more so than a ten inch racing slick).

Agreed.

But might be a good place to start. You could stipulate the tire you wanted.