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We ship world wide.
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Total Performers: Ford Drag Racing
in the 1960s
by Charles Morris
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The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for
drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most
importantly, factory participation. Among the best high-
performance cars and engines were those coming from
Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company’s “Total
Performance Years” saw a breakthrough as drag racing
helped the younger, performance- and style- conscious
consumer to begin receiving some recognition.
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Factory participation in drag racing pushed the
envelope for high performance developments. Ford's
FE-series engine, Police Interceptor, GT 390, Single
Overhead Cam, Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all
covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that
made them famous – Dick Brannan’s Goldfinger, Bill
Lawton’s Mystery Mustang, “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s
Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda’s stretched Mustang, Al
Joenic’s Batcar, and more.
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Click here to view sample pages from
each chapter.
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Chap. 1 - 1960 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 2 - 1961 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 3 - 1962 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 4 - 1963 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 5 - 1964 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 6 - 1965 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 7 - 1966 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 8 - 1967 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 9 - 1968 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 10 - 1969 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 11 - 1970 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap 12 - Ford of Canada Drag Racing
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Accomplished journalist and life-long Ford aficionado
Charles Morris takes you back to the Total
Performance Years through first-hand accounts as well
as over 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since
1966, Morris has run cars in both Stock and Super
Stock classes. He is currently the owner of the original
Norristown Ford 1963 _ lightweight Galaxie and races
the car in Nostalgia Super Stock as part of the 422
Motorsports Drag Racing Team. This book is a must
read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.
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Hardbound
10 x 10"
192 pages
130 color & 290 b/w photos
Item # CT407
Price: $32.95
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Click here to buy now!
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This is a great book any Ford
enthusiast will love!
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1960 – A Break in the Clouds
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In 1958, Ford introduced a
new engine family called
the FE (Ford-Edsel).
These engines equipped
1958 Fairlanes, like the
one in the photo, first with
332-ci and later with a
352-ci displacement. Since
Ford, unlike the other
major automakers, was
abiding by the AMA ban on
performance parts, the top
offering for the new 352
would be the Police
Interceptor version with
300 advertised
horsepower. (Martino
family by way of Rob
Porter)
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The Mayfair Auto Parts 1960 Ford ran in the C/Gas class with a stock bore-and-stroke 352. With six
Stromberg 2-barrel carbs atop a custom-made log manifold and a Vertex magneto, the engine was
a sight to behold. Bob Snider and Tom Patrick gave the traditional Chevy-powered gassers fits and
the big Ford was protested each time it won a race. (Author’s collection via Mike Bernard)As
Dearborn began to distance itself from the infamous Automobile Manufacturers Association safety
ban of 1957, (which by the way seems to have been largely ignored by every manufacturer except
Ford), a new era began to dawn at the Ford Motor Company.
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Progressive minds were making inroads against the corporate bean counters and the targeting of a
younger, performance- and style-conscious consumer began to take shape.
In East Providence, Rhode Island, Ford dealer Robert F. Tasca, Sr., was influencing the folks at the
factory to get on the high-performance bandwagon. Mr. Tasca’s motivation, as he explains it, was
being “tired of seeing the youth of America drive past his dealership in Chevrolets.” In the coming
years, Bob Tasca would become a driving force behind many of Ford’s drag racing successes and
his dealership would achieve national renown as a result.
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For 1960, Ford introduced a radically redesigned body style to its full-size line. Among new models
available was the Starliner, which featured a bold, fastback roof added to the Galaxie series which
had debuted in 1959. The 1960 models were also the widest cars ever to roll off the assembly line.
More importantly, however, the engineers in Dearborn got to work warming up the FE-series engine
for the first time since its introduction in 1958.
A passenger car engine with proven reliability, the FE (Ford–Edsel) series, originally introduced at
332 ci, quickly grew to 352, producing a rated 300 hp with a single four-barrel carburetor. It was
time to up the ante with the addition of new cylinder heads, featuring the smallest combustion
chamber ever to be utilized on the FE (resulting in a compression ratio of 10.6:1), a solid-lifter
camshaft, an aluminum intake manifold, a Holley four-barrel carburetor which flowed 540 cfm, and a
dual-point centrifugal-advance distributor. This combination breathed through a set of free-flowing
cast-iron exhaust manifolds and delivered a rated 360 hp and 380 ft-lbs of torque from 352 ci.
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This flathead dragster sports the more common
three 2-barrel carburetor setup. The rail ran a
Ford truck 3-speed transmission. Only second
and high gear were used.
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Originally introduced in 1932, the flathead
Ford was still winning races three decades
later. This photo shows a “full house” flathead
with four Stromberg 2-barrel carburetors
nestled between the rails of a D/Dragster.
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The Cruise-o-Matic automatic transmission of the day was not considered up to the task of handling
the additional horsepower and torque. Instead, customers were left to choose between a 3-speed
or 3-speed-with-overdrive manual transmission manufactured by Borg-Warner. Both were hooked
to a column shifter, commonly referred to at the time as “Three on the Tree.”
Even though Ford was still a little behind the curve (they had yet to learn the GM trick of under-
rating advertised horsepower figures), the 352-ci high-performance engine fared quite well against
the competition. In a road test of the day, a 360-hp Ford finished a close second to a three-2-barrel-
equipped 348 Chevy, and bested a similarly equipped 389 Pontiac. The hot new Fords did zero to
60 in around seven seconds.
Had it been backed up by a suitable 4-speed transmission, the high-performance 352 could very
well have gone down in history as one of the most successful performance engines ever
manufactured. One must also take into consideration the fact that the 360-hp 352 was equipped
with one 540-cfm 4-barrel carburetor, while the competition of the time, both GM and Chrysler, had
multiple-carb offerings for their performance engines.
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Black Project
There exists a memo dated July 11, 1960, from Economy and Performance Division manager Dave
Evans authorizing the “lease” of a 360-hp Starliner, serial number 0G53Y, for performance
development. The interpretation is that Ford was delving into the racing potential of the new car
and engine combination while maintaining a degree of deniability. Specific details about this vehicle
are unknown at this time.
James “Hammer” Mason, shop manager at Ford Performance subcontractor Dearborn Steel
Tubing, tells an interesting story of how they wrangled a newly released Ford Falcon compact car
from Ford. They immediately yanked the anemic 101-hp 6-cylinder engine and replaced it with a Y-
block V-8. A stout 9-inch rear axle from a 1959 Ford was also fitted.
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The D.S.T. guys then took the car out to Detroit Dragway for a little competition. Mason laughingly
tells how the modified Falcon faced off against another newly released compact, a Plymouth
Valiant. While the Plymouth was still struggling to complete the quarter-mile run, the Ford was
already on the return road to the pit area. Mason recalls the Falcon’s terminal velocity was
approximately 100 mph and that those in attendance were left guessing about the Falcon since the
hood had been intentionally kept closed.
At the 1960 NHRA Nationals, big Pontiacs were the class of the field in Super Stock, with the class
win going to Jim Wangers in the Royal Pontiac entry. GM’s Pontiac Division was obviously taking
their racing quite seriously. They were offering factory part-numbered aftermarket camshafts and
related valvetrain components through their dealerships. An article on the 1960 Nationals by Roger
Huntington appearing in the December issue of Car Life magazine sang the praises of the hot
Pontiacs, but also contained the quote: “More 360 horsepower Fords were beating Chevys than
were being beaten by them.” Although handicapped by their 3-speed transmissions, the Fords
more than held their own.
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One interested spectator at the 1960 Nationals was young Kenny Vogt, son of a Ford engineer.
The impression those big Super Stock Fords made on him would later pay dividends not yet
dreamed of.
Many have been led to believe that the new Fords only faired marginally well in the Stock and
Super Stock ranks during the 1960-1961 season. However, you only need to look as far as Detroit
itself to find evidence to the contrary. Ford engineer Bob Snider and Mayfair Auto Parts proprietor
Tom Patrick teamed up to campaign a 1960 Ford two-door sedan in the most unlikely of classes –
C/Gas. Dominated by older, lighter, short-wheelbase cars, such as Willys, Anglias, and 1955
through 1957 Chevrolets, a current-model production car (especially a Ford) must have looked
quite out of place.
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Relying on a stock-bore-and-stroke 352 for power, the Mayfair Auto Parts Ford soon looked right at
home in the winner’s circle at many drag strips. According to Mr. Patrick, he and Snider eventually
grew tired of the continued protests of their GM-powered competitors. The Mayfair team found the
most common protest was that the big Ford must have been carrying more cubic inches than stock.
Patrick relates one tale of a group of sore losers at some long-forgotten Midwest cow-pasture track.
They pooled their resources to raise the 30 dollars required for a tear-down of the winner’s engine.
Once again, an excess of cubic inches was the claim. The memory still brings a chuckle from
Patrick as he describes “officials” at this track using what amounted to nothing more than a
yardstick or ruler in their attempt to determine the legality of the Ford.
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The Mayfair Auto Parts Ford utilized a unique combination of parts to achieve a performance edge
in the hotly contested Gas class. The base 360-hp 352 engine had been fitted with six Stromberg
2-barrel carburetors mounted on a Weiand log manifold. A Vertex magneto provided the most
consistent and hottest ignition spark available for the time. Specially fabricated headers replaced
the cast-iron exhaust manifolds for both efficiency and weight savings. Getting weight off the front
allowed it to be shifted to the rear where it would do the most good off the starting line.
Coil-spring spacers and intentionally fitted worn-out shock absorbers raised the front end, adding
to the transfer of weight. Out back, long fabricated traction bars were mounted and the left leaf
spring was fitted with a lowering block which gave a 3/4-inch drop. The right-side spring remained
unmodified and under torqued. This combination worked to get the 4,100-lb sedan out of the gate
on time.
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A standard production Borg-Warner T-85 3-speed transmission, with a Hurst shifter, transferred the
power to a limited-slip rear axle sporting 5.14 gears. Shift points came up at 6,500 rpm. Quarter-
mile times of 13.00 at 107.55 translated to 440 hp at 6,000 rpm. These numbers would be
considered pretty impressive by today’s standards, and this was 1960.
More astonishing yet was the success of California driver Glen Ward, who shared dual titles as not
only “The world’s fastest Ford,” but “Dragster to beat on the West Coast” as well. Although not
highly publicized or touted by the automotive media of the time (do I detect a trend developing
here?), Glen’s stock-bore-and-stroke (352 ci) Howard Cam and Blower Drive-equipped rail won the
Top Eliminator crown in four of five meets, recording elapsed times of 9.30 at 161.14 mph. This feat
was accomplished on the West Coast, an area which could without a doubt boast the fastest
dragsters in the nation at the time. (I refer to this time as B.B.D. – Before Big Daddy.) While on the
subject of dragsters, I would be remiss if I failed to mention the high-flying Ford team from Colorado
of Bill Kenz and Roy Leslie. In their corner of the world, Kenz and Leslie were virtually unbeatable
and always on the cutting edge of technology with their Ford-powered dragsters.
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It is also interesting to note that George Chatlin’s 1957 Ford Skyliner walked off with the laurels in
A/Stock at the 1960 Nationals for the second straight year. Relying on the pre-AMA-ban, NASCAR
supercharged 312 Y-block for power, George, and according to research of regional weekly race
results as published in National Dragster, quite a few other Ford drivers were consistently bringing
home the gold with the much maligned Y-blocks. Contemporary history would have us believe that
the fuel-injected 1957 Chevy was the premier performance car of the 1950s. Research, however,
reveals that not only did Ford outperform Chevrolet in sales in 1957, but consistently blew the
highly-touted fuelies off in both NASCAR and quarter-mile competition.
1960 and the introduction of the 360-hp 352 engine option also gave rise to what became a
storied drag-racing career in Ford products for a Californian named Gaspar Ronda. Gas had
gotten his hands on one of the new Fords and was routinely spanking the competition at Half Moon
Bay Raceway on the West Coast. By his own account, Gas would often field the only Ford entry in
the Super/Stock class against a torrent of Chevrolets. He relates one occasion at Half Moon Bay
where his lone Ford faced 20 Chevrolets. He quite proudly provides that at the end of the day’s
competition only his Ford remained. Also during this time, Ronda formed a relationship with Les
Ritchey, a man who had already set every stock-class record and won every event possible with his
Y-block 1956 Ford. The partnership of Gas Ronda and high-performance shop owner Les Ritchey
would prove to be an indication of things to come as the Total Performance era came into full swing.
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Three thousand miles away in Norristown, Pennsylvania, a young man named Richard LaMont was
poring over the latest issue of his favorite automotive publication. By his own admission, Rich found
the stories outlining the exploits of a racer named “Gas” at Half Moon Bay in a hot new Ford
“romantic.” Providing a perfect example of the phrase coined by Robert F. Tasca, Sr. of “Win on
Sunday, sell on Monday,” the young Pennsylvanian soon found himself behind the wheel of a brand
new 1960 Ford Starliner, packing the awesome 360-hp engine. Ford Motor Company’s return to
racing, along with the introduction of a product with a performance image, had launched another
long and successful association with their products. Following the addition of a lighter flywheel and
4.86 rear-end gears, another hot Starliner began making a name for itself on the streets around
town (a very common venue for competition among the youth of the time). And contrary to popular
myth, the 409 Chevrolet was not invincible, as Rich LaMont counted a number of them among his
string of stoplight victims.
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Next
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This has been a sample page from
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Total Performers: Ford Drag Racing
in the 1960s
by Charles Morris
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|
|
|
|
The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for
drag racing. It had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most
importantly, factory participation. Among the best high-
performance cars and engines were those coming from
Dearborn, Michigan. Ford Motor Company’s “Total
Performance Years” saw a breakthrough as drag racing
helped the younger, performance- and style- conscious
consumer to begin receiving some recognition.
|
|
|
|
|
Factory participation in drag racing pushed the
envelope for high performance developments. Ford's
FE-series engine, Police Interceptor, GT 390, Single
Overhead Cam, Cobra Jet, and Boss 429 are all
covered in detail. See the cars and the drivers that
made them famous – Dick Brannan’s Goldfinger, Bill
Lawton’s Mystery Mustang, “Dyno Don” Nicholson’s
Eliminator Comet, Gas Ronda’s stretched Mustang, Al
Joenic’s Batcar, and more.
|
|
|
Click here to view sample pages from
each chapter.
|
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|
|
Chap. 1 - 1960 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 2 - 1961 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 3 - 1962 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 4 - 1963 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 5 - 1964 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 6 - 1965 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 7 - 1966 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 8 - 1967 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 9 - 1968 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 10 - 1969 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap. 11 - 1970 Fords in Drag Racing
Chap 12 - Ford of Canada Drag Racing
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Accomplished journalist and life-long Ford aficionado
Charles Morris takes you back to the Total
Performance Years through first-hand accounts as well
as over 400 rare photographs. A drag racer since
1966, Morris has run cars in both Stock and Super
Stock classes. He is currently the owner of the original
Norristown Ford 1963 _ lightweight Galaxie and races
the car in Nostalgia Super Stock as part of the 422
Motorsports Drag Racing Team. This book is a must
read for all drag racing fans, not just Ford enthusiasts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hardbound
10 x 10"
192 pages
130 color & 290 b/w photos
Item # CT407
Price: $32.95
|
|
Click here to buy now!
|
|
This is a great book any Ford
enthusiast will love!
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Other items you might be interested in
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Gasser Wars: Drag Racing's Street Classes: 1955 to 1968
Author Larry Davis combined his own image archive with many rare,
never-published images from racers, fans, and track photographers all
over the country. He also did extensive research and interviews with
former drag racers. The result is a comprehensive, entertaining, and
nostalgic look at drag racing history.
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Price:
$22.95
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Factory Lightweights: Detroit's Drag Racing Specials of the '60s
Among racers it has never been a secret that a lighter car is a faster
car—particularly in drag racing. When Detroit’s automakers got
involved in organized drag racing, they paid heed to this principle,
issuing a series of rare race-only cars that became legends in their
own time. Factory Lightweights: Detroit’s Drag Racing Specials of the
‘60s chronicles these rare cars that still inspire admirers and imitators
today, like the Ford Fairlane 427 Thunderbolt.
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Price:
$22.95
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Ford Galaxie & LTD Gold Portfolio 1960--1976
Contemporary road and comparison tests, specification and technical
data, driver's reports, long-term tests, new model introductions. 176
pages, 475 pictures and illustrations. Softbound.
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Price:
$29.95
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