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1961 — Super Stock Comes of Age
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Events occurring all around the world in 1961 changed the attitudes and lives of Americans. John
F. Kennedy was inaugurated on January 20th and he found his new job was not an easy one. The
Soviet Union, led by Nikita Kruschev, was clearly out for world domination, and Cuba was building a
communist power right in America’s back yard. On April 17th, the CIA-backed invasion of Cuba was
launched at the Bay of Pigs. It failed miserably and marked history forever. In South Vietnam, U.S.
personnel began using helicopters and an internal Pentagon report advised President Kennedy to
increase troop strength in that conflict. In August, the Soviet Union created a major crisis by
erecting electrified barb wire fences across the center of Berlin — the beginning of the Berlin Wall.
The race into space continued as the U.S.S.R. launched Vostok I, putting the first man into outer
space. One month later, Alan Shephard, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, was launched
from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Shephard didn’t go into orbit, but it was a first step for the United
States.
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In contrast to the world’s troubles, super stock drag racing had a breakout year in 1961. Teams
and personalities started to become known to the general public, and to automobile enthusiasts in
particular. Teams like The Ramchargers, Bob Ford Inc., and Jim Wangers and the Royal Pontiacs,
and individuals such as Don Nicholson and Arnie Beswick became the talk of local car hangouts.
This was also the year when the media finally began to sit up and take notice of the top stocker
categories at the strips. In fact, entire books started to surface dealing with how to race the family
sedan at the strip.
With the increased interest by the fans and media, and the high-revving, big-horsepower engines
becoming available, NHRA began to take a much longer look at the rules regarding stock classes,
both for safety and to allow the drivers to use all the available horsepower the factories were
building into the cars.
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The first thing that NHRA did was to add additional stock classes, from top to bottom. In 1960,
Super Stock was everything from 0-12.59 lbs. per advertised horsepower. In 1961, Super Stock
only went to 10.59 lbs./hp. A/Stock was now 10.60-11.29, B/Stock was 11.30-11.88, and C/Stock
was 11.89-12.49. Additional classes were added from D/Stock through K/Stock, for a total of 12
classes.
There were other significant changes that allowed the S/S driver/mechanic to pull the maximum
horsepower out of the factory engines. For the first time NHRA allowed open exhausts on stockers,
as long as they exited in front of the mufflers, and were permanently routed through the factory
system when closed. Also, the open header dump tube could not be any larger in diameter than the
original factory exhaust headpipe. This immediately opened a new industry, and companies like
S&S Headers, Jardine Headers, and Belanger Bros. Headers sprang into existence to compete
against Hedman Headers in equipping the nation’s top stock cars.
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Another change was allowance of any battery-operated ignition system, which led to use of
aftermarket distributors like the Mallory Rev-Pol and Spaulding Flamethrower. Also, for the first
time, floor shift conversion kits were permitted sparking still another new industry, with
Hurst-Campbell and Drag-Fast rapidly becoming the favorites. Of course, at least part of this was
due to the fact that both Pontiac and Dodge released the Hurst 3-speed floor shift conversion as a
regular production option, or RPO.
New safety regulations for stockers included mandatory use of a flywheel shield, commonly known
as a scattershield, on all manual shift cars entered in classes between S/S and C/S. These cars
were consistently revving well over 6000 rpm and a clutch assembly exploding at those RPMs could
be deadly. Most were simple armor plates welded around the factory clutch housing. There would
soon be new blow-proof cast clutch housings coming from Ansen Automotive and R.C. Industries.
NHRA also allowed any factory heavy-duty clutch and pressure plate in the same top stock classes.
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Another change was allowance of any gear ratio — providing the gears fit into the original rear axle
housing. Now a super stock driver could get the maximum amount of horsepower available at the
foot, down to the rear wheels. However, now there was the problem of getting that horsepower onto
the pavement — i.e., traction.
NHRA allowed use of traction bars or any device that would help transmit torque to the frame and/or
prevent violent rear spring windup under acceleration. The torque was now transmitted directly to
the tires. NHRA allowed any tire as long as it was only one size larger than the original equipment
tire. Soft rubber cheater slicks were allowed if they had passenger-car type tread and they weren’t
any wider than the original equipment tire width. Most of the hot stock drivers ran soft rubber tires
made from butyl rubber, like the Atlas Buchron and Goodyear Butylaire.
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The increased interest in Super Stock racing brought a greatly renewed horsepower race and
advertising campaign. The object was to win and many dealer ads stated: “Win on Sunday, Sell on
Monday!” Pontiac was again the leader, but it wouldn’t last for long.
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The Major Players
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Ford
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Interior of the ‘61 street race car showing
the Sun tachometer on top of the dash, a
Hurst floor shift conversion, and the dual
gauge panel under the dash with oil
pressure and ammeter gauges. Other than
those changes, the interior was completely
factory stock, with full carpet and floor mats.
(James Genat/Zone Five)
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The typical 1961 Ford Super Stock entry was a
Starliner hardtop equipped with the 375 or 401 hp
version of the 390 Ford engine, a 3-speed
transmission with a Hurst shifter, 4.10 limited slip
rear axle, and Atlas Bucron tires. Ford didn’t
release the 4-speed transmission until mid-year.
This street Ford was timed at 14.4 and slightly over
100 mph. (James Genat/Zone Five)
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Ford continued to build on its successful 1960 Super Stock entry. Ford increased both the bore (to
4.05”) and stroke (3.78”) of the 352 engine, which now offered 390 cubic inches. However, the
390ci block used in the super stock car was totally different from the standard production 390. The
block casting was internally heavier and had a special oiling system cast into it. Although the crank
was a cast-iron unit rather than machined as on most of the other super stock engines, it was very
strong. The camshaft was the same as used in the 360 hp engine from 1960, with mechanical lifters
that would easily rev over 6500 rpm. Using the same aluminum intake manifold and Holley four-
barrel carburetor as on the ‘60 engine, the ‘61 Ford entry into Super Stock was rated an honest
375 horsepower.
Ford didn’t stop there. With the introduction of the Chevy 409 and the 363 hp Pontiac, Ford
released two additional pieces that would keep its entry competitive in the top stock classes. First
was a neat cast-aluminum intake manifold that mounted three Holley two-barrel carburetors. Called
a “6V Package,” and available only over the Ford parts counter at a cost of $206.71 complete with
air cleaner, linkage, and fuel lines, the 6V Package brought the horsepower rating up to 401 and
was released just prior to the ‘61 Pomona Winternationals.
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Two significant pieces of the 6V Package were developed using hot rod technology. The linkage
was a mechanical, progressive type rather than the vacuum-operated styles used on other factory
multiple carburetor installations. The mechanical linkage opened the end carburetors at different
throttle points to avoid flooding the engine under acceleration. The 6V Package used a fuel block
with rubber fuel lines, rather than the standard metal fuel lines used on GM and Chrysler multiple-
carb units. With a low-restriction air cleaner, the 6V Package had an air flow capacity of 840 cubic
feet per minute, compared to 600 cfm on the single four-barrel 375 hp engine.
Ford still suffered from having to use a 3-speed manual transmission. Both Chevy and Pontiac had
the Borg Warner T-10 4 speed. In May 1961, Ford released a 4-speed transmission that had been
under development for some time. The problem was trying to find the right gear ratio for Ford’s
engine and car weight. Ford used the same basic Borg Warner T-10 4 speed as Chevy and
Pontiac, with a longer tailshaft housing to mate the new 4 speed to a standard heavy-duty
driveshaft. However, the gear ratios were different from both Pontiac and Chevy.
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Pontiac used a 2.54:1 1st Gear, 1.92:1 2nd Gear, 1.51:1 3rd, and 1.1 4th; while Chevrolet used the
close ratio 4 speed with a 2.20:1 1st, 1.66:1 2nd, 1.31:1 3rd, and 1.1 in 4th. Ford split the
difference with a 2.37:1 1st Gear, 1.78:1 2nd, 1.37:1 3rd, and 1.1 4th. (Bill Jenkins adapted the
same gears in Dave Strickler’s Old Reliable cars.) With the new 4 speed, the 401 hp Fords were
right in the thick of the Super/Stock competition, both in speed and the all-important elapsed time or
ET. Ford ETs were in the mid-13 second area, with speeds of around 104 mph.
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Pontiac
Most of the Pontiac super stock cars that were sold at dealerships were originally equipped with the
Trophy 425-A V-8 that displaced 389 cubic inches and was rated at 348 horsepower. Then the
teams modified them with use of over-the-counter heavy-duty parts, known as Super Duty parts.
Most of these had been developed in testing to make the car more reliable through racing, be it
NASCAR or drag racing. Pontiac engineers developed cams and heads that greatly increased the
horsepower just to see what it would take to break one of the new Trophy series engines. It was
from these parts bins that the Super Stock race motors were built. The really serious teams pulled
the old 425-A engine out and set it aside.
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Jim Wangers drove Ace Wilson’s Royal
Pontiac in S/S class at the ‘61
Nationals. Royal Pontiac was the
biggest name in Pontiac racing east of
California, and had several cars in
various classes, including a pair of
identical Catalina coupes at the ‘61
Nationals, one for S/S and the other
for S/SA. (Jim Wangers)
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Into the empty engine compartment went one of the “available over-the-counter only” heavy-duty
engine blocks. The block was completely different from the standard 425-A block. It had four-bolt
main bearing caps to keep the high revving forged-steel crankshaft together. The 425-A crank was
a cast unit. The top of each cylinder had a small chamfer cut into the wall that matched the new
compression chamber. Along with the new block went a heavy-duty oil pump and an 8-quart oil pan.
The pistons were forged rather than cast, and when combined with the new heads, they had an
11.2:1 compression ratio, up from 10.75:1 in the 425-A engine. The cylinder heads themselves,
had larger intake and exhaust valves, hardened high-ratio rocker arms, heavier valve springs,
retainers, and push rods. The machined combustion chamber was slightly shallower but elongated
to allow clearance for the bigger valves. This was the reason for the chamfered cylinder bore.
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Valve timing was controlled by a special McKellar #7 grind camshaft. The #7 cam was specifically
designed for drag racing, with horsepower being developed in the 4200 rpm range and beyond. It
used mechanical lifters instead of hydraulic types as in the 425-A, and easily revved to 6500 rpm.
The intake manifold was an aluminum unit that mounted a trio of Rochester two-barrel carbs,
basically the same system as used on the 425-A including vacuum-operated secondary operation.
All the top teams removed the vacuum system and replaced it with a mechanical progressive
linkage that opened the end carburetors at designated points so as not to flood the engine under
hard acceleration.
There were many other heavy-duty parts in the package including a special centrifugal advance;
dual point distributor; special tuned cast-iron exhaust manifolds; deep groove pulleys for the water
pump and generator belts; a clutch fan that would float at high RPMs instead of absorbing
horsepower; a heavy-duty clutch assembly with a lightened flywheel that allowed the engine to rev
quicker; lightweight aluminum bumpers and radiator; a heavy-duty 3 speed with Hurst floor shift; the
T-10 wide ratio 4-speed transmission; and rear axle ratios from 2.56:1 to 6.14:1, all available with
the Saf-T-Track limited slip differential. The preferred drag racing gear was 4.55:1 with Saf-T-Track.
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When all these heavy-duty parts were put together, it added up to an advertised rating of 363
horsepower, which actually was much closer to 400 horsepower when dyno-tuned. However, the
NHRA rules at this time recognized only advertised horsepower. NHRA officials got smarter, later. It
was the 363 horsepower version that found its way to the top drivers like Lloyd Cox of the Mickey
Thompson team (tuned by Hayden Proffitt), Jim Wangers and the Royal Pontiacs, Arnie Beswick,
Harold Ramsey driving the Union Park Pontiac, and Bob Harrop on the East Coast.
The same engine could be used with the 4-speed Hydra-Matic transmission for competition in
Super Stock and A Stock Automatic classes, depending on which body style was used. In a sedan
body, the combination ran S/S, but in a convertible, it could run as low as B/S. Lloyd Cox, with his
wife Carol driving, campaigned this combination successfully in A/SA throughout 1961. However,
the Hydra-Matic had to be beefed to be able to take the increased torque and to shift at the RPM
that offered maximum horsepower. The pressure regulator valve was modified by shimming the
regulator spring. The shift points themselves were modified to hold the transmission in a certain
gear to higher RPM.
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Many dealers like Royal Pontiac, performed these modifications for anyone who wanted it —
voiding the warranty of course. However, racing the car in any fashion, either on the street or on
the track, also voided the warranty. The elapsed times for the modified automatic cars dropped at
least 1/2 second over a factory stocker.
In late Summer of 1961, with the 409 Chevys and 401 Fords winning consistently at the strips,
Pontiac made the following announcement: “Pontiac is now offering to qualified drivers a 421 cubic
inch high-performance engine option. The engine is rated at 373 horsepower and features dual
four-barrel carburetors, a solid-lifter camshaft, and high-capacity aluminum exhaust manifolds. The
421 engine is available only with related heavy-duty driveline components. It can be fitted to any
Catalina or Ventura 2-door model.” What this all meant was that a few drivers around the country,
notably the Mickey Thompson team and Royal Pontiac in Detroit (who had qualified drivers) could
install a 421 cubic inch racing engine in their drag car from parts available over-the-counter.
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The 421 used a 1/4-inch longer stroke on the crankshaft, with a .30-inch overbore to obtain the
421 cubic inches. The cylinder heads were the same as those used on the 363 hp engine. Instead
of the normal three two-barrel carburetion, the 421 had an aluminum two four-barrel intake,
mounting a pair of the big Carter AFBs. The 421 came from the factory with those beautifully
designed aluminum exhaust manifolds, that even had an open bypass to exit exhaust gas without
restrictions. Of course, being available to only a few teams, the 421 Pontiacs were forced to run in
the Optional Super/Stock (OS/S) class. Clearly, the 421 Pontiac had established itself right at the
top of the class from the time it was announced.
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Previous | Next
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This has been a sample page from
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Super Stock: Drag Racing the Family Sedan
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Super Stock takes a look at what was, in the 1960s, the most
popular class of drag racing - factory Super Stock. It traces the
evolution of the cars, the engines, the rules, the personalities, and
many of the teams, from its beginnings in the mid-1950s through to
the 1960s and the era of the Super Stock 409s, Ramchargers, 421
Pontiacs, 406 and 427 Fords.
This was a time when Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors competed
on a weekly basis, at local drag strips throughout the country, and
the saying “...win on Sunday, sell on Monday...” had real
significance in the marketplace. This is also the period that saw
emergence of the term “musclecar” and the production of a whole
class of American automobiles – which are now the most sought
after by collectors, restorers, and performance enthusiasts.
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Click below to view sample
pages from each chapter.
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Chap. 1 - 1955-60 Racing
Chap. 2 - 1961 Drag Racing
Chap. 3 - 1962 Drag Racing
Chap. 4 - 1963 Drag Racing
Chap. 5 - 1964 Drag Racing
Chap. 6 - 1965 Drag Racing
Chap. 7 - 1966-68 Racing
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Included in this book are first person accounts of what drag racing
was really like in the early 1960s. How the manufacturers controlled
the competition and even the results of the races, and how the
sanctioning bodies attempted to control the manufacturers, who in
turn simply sidestepped the rules. Appendices include all of the
major event winners and the rules defining the classes as well as
information detailing the engines and chassis’ competing in Top
Stock categories. Also includes detailed coverage of the American
musclecar era, coverage of the famous drivers and teams of the
period and vintage photos and accounts of the early days of
American drag racing.
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Hardbound
Item: CT953
Price: $Discontinued
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Click here to buy now!
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"It's the best, best, best, single work I've ever encountered on a
subject so dear to my heart." -- Steve Magnante, Hot Rod Magazine,
May 2002
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This is a great book and something no racing enthusiast should be without.
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Other items you might be interested in
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Total Performers: Ford Drag Racing in the 1960s
The 1960s was arguably the most important decade for drag racing. It
had exciting cars, thrilling races, and most importantly, factory
participation. 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.
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Price:
$Discontinued
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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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Fire, Nitro, Rubber, and Smoke:
Bob McClurg's Drag Racing Memories
Fire, Nitro, Rubber, and Smoke is top drag racing photographer Bob
McClurg's highly anticipated follow-up to his best-selling Diggers,
Funnies, Gassers, and Altereds. McClurg drew upon his substantial
photo archives to deliver hundreds more of the best drag racing photos
ever taken, including many gems that have never been published
before.
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Price:
$29.95
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Slingshot Spectacular: The Front-Engine Dragster Era
Out of drag racing’s early years came one style of drag car that stood
above the rest: the front-engine slingshot dragster. Now you can follow
the history of the front-engine dragster in Slingshot Spectacular: The
Front-Engine Dragster Era, with over 350 vintage photos and personal
stories to help you smell the nitro and feel the horsepower of the good
ole days of front-engine, top-fuel racing.
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Price:
$22.95
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