Re: 63 Daytona 500 / 63 Sport Fury/Hemi availability/additional information Dayt

[wally breer <wbreer@xxxxxxx>]

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Hi
      This Hemi business sure has a lot of people cornfused, the Hemi was
released for '64
The development work was done at a lightning pace,in fact even the
Automotive trades magazines weren't really sure of how quick this engine
appeared. The March 1964 edition of "Motor Age" Magazine (of which I still
have a copy) proclaimed that The "Plymouth People" armed with a 13 year old
Chrysler engine walked all over a hord of Fords at Daytona Beach nailing
down first ,second and third place creating at that time the "fastest"
Daytona 500 ever with Leaders (Plymouths) making laps of well over 170MPH!.
Judging by the 13 year starement its clear that Motor Age writers were
equating the "New" Hemi with the old Firepower Hemi.
The June 1964 edition of "Car Life" puts things in proper perspective, as
they discuss the '63 Daytona race pretty well describing it as a Ford and
Pontiac show.Chrysler's role is discussed and  I quote... "In the major
league of stock car racing ,Chrysler has traditionally
been content  to muddle along with the occasional gestures of assistance to
the eternally loyal Lee Petty and more recently Cotton Owens. Petty's
Plymouths obtained a reputation as reliable tortoises among a field of hares
and little effort was expended by the factory to boost horsepower until 1963
with the 426 cu in in a boxy body with poor aerodynamics. Young Richard
Petty urged one of these cars to a dismal 154.785 MPH in the Daytona 500
qualifications and then got himself towed to sixth place in the airstreams
of the winning Fords".
Now on to January '64 ,with the magazines description of Plymouth playing
"possum" at the Long distance race at Riverside setting the stage for one of
the most stunning automotive debuts in recent racing history!
Ford put on a show of confidence despite rumors of  from Goodyears' San
Angelo Texas test oval that certain Plymouth's were doing the oval at speeds
over 180MPH!
Thinking that 1964 was going to be repeat of '63, Ford and the "Total
Performance" crowd got a rude awakening and the Ford men stood in
awe-stricken silence while Paul Goldsmith and Richard petty both launched
themselves around the high banked  2.5 mile oval at more than 170 MPH
stopping only after several unofficial 175 MPH laps had been recorded.
The Five fastest qualifiers that fatefull day were in Plymouths, all
registering speeds of over 170MPH (ie: Paul Goldsmith @ 174.910 MPH ,
Richard petty @ 174.418 MPH)
The fastest FoMoCo was Marvin Panch which got around at 167.068 MPH.
On Race day Plymouth took it all with what was described as Plymouth
utilizing a "design ploy" which was in Chrysler's bag of tricks for years,
harkening back to the 50's,the Hemispherical Combustion chamber! Chrysler
returned to duty the Hemispherical chamber and the double rocker shaft
system and came up with a layout the offered the optimum in breathing
efficiency!
The race was a rout with the Ford boys crying "Everything is going for
them"(Plymouth)
"They are so smoothly shaped that its as hard as hell to draft them ....even
if we could stay
somewhere behind. As it is they just run right away from us down the
chutes!"
The '64 Daytona 500 was further described as a most impressive victory for
Chrysler ,more impressive than Fords 5 car sweep of 1963. Apparently the
Fords had to wait for the faster 427 Chevies to blow up before inheriting
the lead!
So gang it appears that the '64's have it.

  Wally
   '63 Dodge
   '63 Plymouth


----- Original Message -----
From: <SReasbeck@xxxxxx>
To: <1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2004 6:51 AM
Subject: Re: 63 Daytona 500 / 63 Sport Fury/Hemi availability




Richard was indeed at Daytona in 63, but it was a wedge car, not a Hemi.
Hoover tells me that the whole Hemi concept was not hatched until late
summer/early fall of 63, which is one of the reasons they used existing B
motor
technology for the base.

The first Hemi blocks were cast in late 63, for use in the 64 Daytona 500. A
couple of weeks before the 500, and they had problems with the cylnder walls
cracking. They cast another run, which wound up in the 64 Daytona cars.

There were no Hemi cars of any kind in 63, a "mule" did not even exist
because it was a race only engine.  They went right from engineering to
Daytona, and
later to the drag strips.



Steve R.

--
[

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