'71-'73 Super Stockers & Stockers are Waaaay Cool!

[MAD IRISHMAN]

The 351C equipped cars have been some potent combinations in drag racing over years. Especially in Stock & Super Stock. I was lucky enough to check out the "Mean Disposition" of Ed Nowakowski at the Gatornationals Class Winner tear down shed. (actually a local dealerships service bays). It was a really well engineered piece with beautiful pearl white paint and a Jack Rousch built 351. The other Super Stocker I was lucky to see run was Harold Stout's SS/I '71 Mustang. Again an exquisite piece of machinery as all Harold's race cars were. Harold told me that if he ever spun the tires on the starting line or missed/broke a gear shifting they had to tear down the engine because the rod bearings would be toast. Mind you, Harold left the starting line somewhere north of 9,000 RPM. It was awesome to watch it leave the starting line!
Couldn't find some pictures of some cars I know of like Gary Glazener, David Picht, Len Schneider, Verne Buchanan's Stockers. If anyone has some pics of these cars please post! The automatic equipped cars were/are more than competitive but the stick combos were bad ass!

 

[Spike Morelli]

You Mad Irishman........I like where your head's at. The Funny Car blog was a different take on these cars, and now, some classy draggers! Those out there will forgive me if I'm not a road racer, my pulse quickens at the drags, both on land and in the water. Being an "old guy", well it's just natural to like a lot of what was. There's nothing like the smell of shredded rubber stuck to your car's rear lower body flanks. Nitro too, in the case of Fuelers. I'm involved with the engine side of things a bit. Love your posts.

 

[MAD IRISHMAN]

You Mad Irishman........I like where your head's at. The Funny Car blog was a different take on these cars, and now, some classy draggers! Those out there will forgive me if I'm not a road racer, my pulse quickens at the drags, both on land and in the water. Being an "old guy", well it's just natural to like a lot of what was. There's nothing like the smell of shredded rubber stuck to your car's rear lower body flanks. Nitro too, in the case of Fuelers. I'm involved with the engine side of things a bit. Love your posts.

I appreciate your enjoyment of my posts. I see we are not only older but a little bit nuts as well. You for trying to meet the grim reaper aquatically and me for running NHRA Stock eliminator for 20 years. LOL (Our motto in Stock "spending money we really don't have, to buy things we really don't need, to impress people who really don't care") My only regret about life is not being born about 5 years earlier. Then I would have seen the front engine fuelers in their heyday. As it was, my interest in drag racing came about right when Garlits brought out the rear engine car. My personal drag racing hero was Bob Glidden. He used to test back in the seventies at my home track (Edgewater) on Saturdays. We all got to say hey to Bob, Etta, & the boys as we were lined out of the gate waiting to get in for some bracket racing that evening. Nobody thrashed harder or made more horsepower out of a 351 Cleveland in Pro Stock than Glidden! He wasn't too bad at making copious amounts of horsepower with a 429 Shotgun Hemi either.

 

[Spike Morelli]

Mad Irish......If you click on the first photo that I posted above, you'll see behind me, a Chevy, a Pontiac, and a 351c Ford.....I like them all, although some more than others. The Gen 2 426 Hemi was destined for a Bonneville car where you must use a Factory block and heads.

 

[72ESA]

Here’s a few of my favourites.

 

[c9zx]

I too love the real cars, Stock, Super Stock, and in the old dat Modified Production. I ran at Edgewater in 1972-1973. I saw a lot of great cars there. I also had my 1966 Cyclone partially stripped there when I blew a head gasket and had to leave the car until the next day. That was the end of the Cyclone and all of my tools that were in the trunk. Who says thieves shouldn't be bull whipped? 72 ESA, good to hear from you again. Chuck

 

[Idaho Chris]

What kind of times/speeds were these guys running back in the day?

 

[PoFoMoCo]

Gents, what a great thread! Many thanks for the pics and the stories!

 

[72ESA]

What kind of times/speeds were these guys running back in the day?

A time frame is necessary to make a relevant comparison...Stock is very different today as a result of rule changes that allow aftermarket parts, and improvements to tire design. The current crop can run in the mid to high 10's over 120mph...30 years ago they would have been in the high 11's, low 12's at 115ish.

 

[Cleveland Crush]

Here’s a few of my favourites.

Indeed, nothing like a 71-73 popping a wheelie to get one's attention