From: Gary Pavlovich <glpavlovich@xxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Racing Polys
To: 1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx
Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 12:16 AM
Jim,
Very cool story on your Poly racing days. I would
love to own a 1962 Dodge Dart. While I like all the
62-65 cars I would have to say the '62 Dart would be my
first pick and of course it would have a 402" Poly Stroker
motor in it.
Thank you for sharing your history with us.
Gary Pavlovich
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Rowland" <dodge440@xxxxxxx>
To: <1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2011 6:31 PM
Subject: Re: Racing Polys
>
> Don;
>
> I used to race my parents 1962 Dodge Dart, Sedan, at
Route 30 in Gary, IN. That car was a 318 stock 2 Barrel. It
was a radio delete. It had an open rear end and I am
assuming it was 3;23 but it may have been a 2:
something because on the open road it would get between 17
and 20 mi. to the gallon. Also it was single exhaust
power steering and manual brakes. It ran in F/SA. It
was a 727 trans. It weighed exactly 3,000 lbs. Also,
stock 14 inch wheels.
>
> The first time I took it to the track i had a cutout
put on the exhaust, standard 6 inch by 2.5 inch
galvanized plumbing pipe and a screw on cap. Back in
the day it was against the law for a welder to weld a
cutout on a cars exhaust system if they were still on the
car. I found one in Chicago Heights, IL to do the job,
I even remember their name (The Brooks Brothers). Most
welders wanted you to take the exhaust pipe off the
car and then they would weld the cutout on it. The
pipe and cape ran about $1.25 and the welder charged me
about $2.50. He just cut a small hole in the exhaust
pipe and welded the pipe over the hole at a 45 degree
angle. The next step was a seat belt only on the
drivers side. Try explaining that to your
parents!!!!!! They will buy the safety logic but why for
only the driver. I forget what i told them, something
like I did not have the $ $ for two or the driver is
essential to getting help if there is an accident. What ever
it was they did not make me take it out.
>
> Anyway, everyone was going to be at there on opening
day, March of 63, and we were excited. I paid my fee
$3.00 and go to tech. They tell me to take a
hick until I get a drive shaft loop. thats when I
first learned about unibodies My buddies were running
Gm cars and they had the X frame, thus a drive shaft
catch. The next week I got two long threaded cheap
bolts 1/4" by 1 1/2 inch fine tread, several nuts and
a piece of steel probably 4'L x 1.5 W" from the trash
at the gas station. Located the spot on the floor
where the drive shaft was mostly still in the tunnel
hump. Drilled two holes though the floor dropped in
the bolts and put two nuts up to where they would keep
the steel piece of the drive shaft and then put the
other 2 nuts on after the small, and I mean
small. piece of metal.
>
> The next Sunday, i passed tech with flying colors. In
those days the rules said at some point the drive
shaft had to be encompassed for 360 degrees. It did
not say specifically what type of steel or what width
and thickness. If my dad saw it i would point out it was
another engineering safety feature that I read about
to make the car safer.
>
> We get to the line and i make my first ever pass and
with that cut out open I thought i was driving a max wedge.
I make my first pass and my time slip said about 16:45 and
80 something MPH. My buddy said i should let him drive
it. I forget his et but he upped the MPH over 90. I
was mad. I did not realize at the time that the MPH was 60
ft before and after the finish line. I do not think he
knew it ether and just kept his foot in it as long as
the engine was still climbing. It was not his car as
long as he could get it stopped. So i came back and
and made 3 or four runs with a best time in the 16: teens.
Every body always lost in that class to a 1958 Old's
98 or 88 Convertibles, there were several, with the J
2 option, 3 deuces. Man did they pull on the top end.
Kind of like how the Hemis would fly by the Thunderbolts
in mid to late 64. Never did win a trophy with that
car. I never realized until much later i was always
smoking the right rear way too much.
>
> That is one of my other poly stories.
>
> Just a side note and I will sign off. I would race a
friends 64 Pontiac Cat. three on the tree 389 2
door with a deuce and he would always beat me by
about 3 bumpers. If I opened up the cutout I would
have him by usually 2 to 3 cars. I kept telling him to put
on a cutout.
>
> Jim
>
> 1965 Coronet 440CI
>
>
>
> The next week we took a couple of long bolts
> On Jan 30, 2011, at 6:49 PM, Donald Gallimore wrote:h
>
> Gary P wanted to know who raced polys.
>
> Back around 1970, my brother and I raced a 318 Poly in
IHRA/AHRA Pure Stock.
> Pretty much a stock set-up in a 1965 Belvedere
1. With a slipping tranny, we
> set the National Record. Best run was a 15.96 in
L/SA. This was in legal
> trim. Back then that was a very amazing
performance for a couple of guys with
> limited financial resources, if I can say so.
Would have been nice to see the
> performance if we'd had a good tranny and the right
gears.
>
> Akron Don Gallimore
>
>
> ----
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>
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>
----
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