30 replies to this topic

[Ron Hershman]

Oh yeah... no "cool suits", power steering, radios, and hardly any rear spoiler and NO spotters.

The only luxury David Pearson had... was a cigarette lighter so he could smoke during the yellow flag laps.

[Tex]

I never knew thay had side windows on them! I used to subscribe to both R&T and C&D from about '67-'70 and apparently never noticed.

[Marty Stanley]

Oh yeah... no "cool suits", power steering, radios, and hardly any rear spoiler and NO spotters.

Radios... I'll bet if they did away with the radios the quality of racing would improve so much.

I can remember watching Richard Petty at Daytona. The race was winding down and they were on a long green flag run. A pit stop was necessary to get to the end of the race. His crew got four tires all set and ready to go. As a result all the rest of the crews got four tires out and set for the upcoming stop.

As he headed down pit road, all the leaders followed him. He pulled into his pit and his crew started to run out like they were going to change tires. However all they did was a gas and go. The rest of the leaders were on the jack about the time they realized they were all duped.

Yes, Richard went on to win yet another Daytona 500. That was racing, like it was supposed to be.

[Larry Mattingly]

Marty,

With the HANS device, and all of the other safety equipment now in the cockpit, drivers have virtually zero side vision in these cars today.

If you eliminate radios and spotters, there would be 'a big one' every other lap...

Larry

[Marty Stanley]

Hey, let's just give the radios to the spotters, but not to the pits!

[Hworth08]

Ron,

Ain't that when they really ran "Stock Cars"?

Go into your local dealership, get a deal on a family sedan with a big motor, sign an agreement to literally paint the dealer's name on the side of the car and go racing...

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday!

By 1969 the cars weren't stock except for the body parts that were usually acid dipped and the glass. All the frames were 2 by 4 inch tubing with replaceable front stubs. All the cars had to use a 1965 Galaxie floor pan but all the other interior sheetmetal was hand fabriciated.

All the cars used tublar sway bars. The A-arms were hand fabricated. The front spindles were all forged and the front hubs were steel billet.

The only legal rear end was the Ford 9 inch because it was full floating but only the housing was used, every other peice was after market. The cast hubs would crumble on the banks.

The engines were pretty stock requiring a heavy factory crank but some had some giant balancing holes. The rods were stock but any piston was legal as the factories didn't make their own forged pistons, only cast. Any camshaft and valve train but only push rod type. Only the Holley 4500 carburator, same as today.

And take the radios OUT! In the older days we could see what was beside us but we didn't look! You just have a feel for where the other cars are or you stay on your line. Pretty soon, the number of wrecks would go down or the drivers would be replaced.