And speaking of Larks, on a quick non-GM sidetrack, let’s not forget that Studebaker has stepped up with a fiberglass-panel package for the compact Lark series and also offers a thin-wall fiberglass Avanti body option that knocks 150-pounds off the curb weight. The sad part is that the Studebaker 289 and 304 V8’s are tapped out at anything over 350-cubic inches so they’re non-starters in the FX war. But the guys in the Chrysler Kokomo Forge and Foundry Division say their counterparts in South Bend have been ordered to dust off the old Packard 352 and 374 V8 tooling even though those power plants were last used in 1956. Could be we’ll see a fleet of lightweight Avanti exhibition cars powered by revived Packard mills displacing over 450-inches…if Studebaker can hold on until the recent sales slump improves.
Getting back to GM news, at Pontiac, the fiberglass GTO body panel package of 1964 has been one-upped. Now the entire body shell is a fiberglass replica and last year’s 421 Super Duty has gone all the way out to 468-cubes for ‘65. Wangers also has a new print advertising campaign that’s running in Motor Trend and Hot Rod right now. The GTO letters are shadowed with the words “Get The Others” and there’s a shot of a bright red fiberglass GTO sitting on a feather. At my local Pontiac dealership I saw the new Tempest / LeMans sales catalog. It has a special page devoted to the GTO FX package and they refer to it as the “Drag Goat”. Maybe the Buick guys and Pontiac guys are talking after all.
Under the hood of the new Drag Goat there’s a wild aluminum dual quad intake manifold with six-inch tall runners leading up to the plenum chamber. But the freaky thing is the little one-barrel carburetor that’s tucked in between the Carter AFB’s. Seems the Carter 3-barrels lack idle circuitry so this tiny one-barrel is needed as a starting carburetor – just like a pre-war Rolls Royce Ghost. So far these GTO’s (and Buick’s Skylark) sit on the stock 115-inch wheelbase – with Swiss cheese frame rails. We’ll see if they start shifting wheel base figures once these things hit the track.
Chevy’s really turning up the wick too. Last year’s fleet of over six hundred Z-11 Chevelles went over so well they’ve focused on the compact Nova for FX racing this year and are calling it the “Si-Va”. Seems consumers in Latin American countries are hip to the fact No-Va translates to “it doesn’t go” in Spanish. When the press got hold of this apparent boo-boo, GM ran with it and last year’s jump in Nova sales proves that any publicity is better than no publicity. So they’re riffing on the pun with the Si-Va FX cars, it’s marketing genius. But instead of that crazy low-go W-motor – with its’ hefty pistons and quirky chamber-in-block construction, there’s a new canted valve engine on deck for ’65. With 499-cubes it’s one-inch shy of the new limits. Leave it to the Chevy guys to milk the last drop!
What’s really intriguing is talk of the twin engine Chevelle FX package. It sounds crazy, but since the NHRA rule book doesn’t specifically say how many engines one car can have and still be legal for FX competition, Chevy has taken a page out of the Gas Dragster book and is rumored to be considering the installation of two all-aluminum L79 327’s in the Chevelle chassis. With several inches of engine setback and those lightweight aluminum small blocks aligned nose to tail, these could be tough to beat. I hear GM insiders are calling it the “Freight Train” FX package. The new Muncie 4-speed – introduced in the Corvette last year - looks to be the obvious choice though there is talk of a modern aluminum-case automatic transmission hitting the showroom soon. I hear they’re calling it the Turbo 400 or something like that.
Ford’s in the mix too. Remember the rumored 482-inch Ford Galaxies from 1962? Seems that program is back in full swing – but with SOHC hemi heads and factory-issue Hilborn fuel injection just like on our Mopars. I sure wish Stu would have let us keep that bone for ourselves. After all, Chrysler worked closely with Stu back in ’53 on development of the original individual-runner Hilborn fuel injection setups for the Indy campaign.
These things are slated for installation in a fleet of Mustangs and Falcons. The rumor mill says they’ll need to build at least 1,000 of each to be legal for NHRA and Nascar strip competition. Considering each engine is likely to cost well over $5,000 to assemble, Ford is going to lose money on every car. But with the recent discovery of that twelve mile deep gold mine on Ford property in Cuba, Henry’s boys are rolling in cash and don’t seem to care about losing a few million here or there. For them it’s Total Performance, damn the losses.
Getting back to my new altered wheelbase Dodge race car, I’ve got the Super Hemi out for a quick look-see and the body is at the paint shop for some lettering. I spent a lot of time checking the little details inside and was amazed to find what appear to be titanium connecting rods in place of the heavy forged rods they stuck in last year’s ’64 Race Hemi. The crankshaft has knife-edged counterweights and the inside of the block has integrally cast wings that appear to direct the oil windage back down into the pan.
And speaking of the oil pan, like the timing cover and valve covers, it is stamped from thin gauge aluminum. Couldn’t weigh more than a pound! The heads are very similar to last year’s iron castings but now they’re aluminum. The combustion chambers feature huge hemispherical voids – natch, but the new three-valve layout places twin exhaust valves opposite the single 2.50-inch intake valve. This thing is going to breathe like crazy! For the most part, I don’t really see where I can make any improvements to the engine package so I’ll just check clearances and button it all back together.
As for the body, there is none of the puckered quarter panels found on the early hand-crafted FX cars done by Amble-Wagon. Since demand ramped up, Chrysler designed a specific one-piece altered wheelbase quarter panel just for the FX package cars. Now they have the same fit and finish as an Imperial. Gone are the surgery scars of old. The fiberglass is also top notch. The guys at Plaza Fiberglass do a great job and with a lucrative O.E. contract like the FX program, no doubt they want to put their best foot forward - and keep it there so Chrysler stays happy.
I’m puzzling over the paint and graphics I want to apply to the car. I’m not usually a fan of silly names on race cars and much prefer to apply lettering and logos that refer to the sponsors involved. The stark white factory paint is a great jumping off point. I’m leaning toward a two-tone effect. Maybe I’ll spray a coat of translucent blue or red over the top surfaces and mask off the horizontal flanks so they remain white. That’s where I’ll apply the name. Track promoters and booking agents always want some kind of catchy name so they can print up exciting posters to advertise upcoming match races and get good crowd attendance.
I’m not into the whole show-biz game. All I want to do is line up against the latest FX machinery from GM and Ford and let ‘em have it! I want to show those clowns that our engineers are better, our cars are faster and our drivers are the greatest. Sure, I like playing around with other Mopar “friendlys” when there’s no Brand X competition around, but I live for clobbering those Cammers, Goats and Skyarks. Heck, they can stuff three engines in a Chevelle and our Super Hemi will still spank it.
But to keep the show promoters happy, I’ll go with the two-tone paint and an appropriate name…I’m thinking “Flight of Fancy” should just about nail it.
