Read that article, seemed to be more than a few errors in the article, not the car? It looks like it has/had a 405 F engine, in essence—and talks about starting as a 61 changed to a 62? Are they not different wheelbases? Not sure of that, maybe someone did it? . But really nice job bringing that back. Thank you !!
Are 405 F exhaust manifolds the same as ram j, k? Same as this? It seemed to me the 405 F engine was almost a hand built prototype for later 390 HP cars…I often wondered about exhaust manifolds in those years, have no personal experience, beyond observing stock ram exhaust manifold not very good. Those 405 manifolds , the ideas anyway, probably later evolved to huge max wedge “up and over” castings
I have written before on this site of vivid personal memories in 1962 of the Hot Rod Magazine spl 300 getting into the high 12’s , turning the fastest time of all ‘stock” cars at whatever BIG meet it was..faster than all of them , dozens of 421 poncho, 425 409 (and forget 406 etc fords, at that point). Not sure if rams, might have been same engine as big red?
The reason it is so clear is the place I hung around , Donuts Please/Big Burger ranch (in Cambridge, Ma ..every night was like American Graffiti, drags from midnight on, on route 2E at Lake st..; often 20 cars. We even had a painted line. That place was populated by about 25 60-62 Chevy guys, 1 61 or 62 ford, 4 or 5 57 chevs, a few 60-62 corvettes , some hot rods (including a 56 Plymouth “stock” convert with a 413)--- (the 62 2dr Chev coupes with 327 or 409 were common) ---and me . I had a 300D 392 in a 57 D500 convert, Packard OD, 3;70’s, Velvetouch metallic disc, oil truck 11” 3800 lb clutch./ —after blowing up two 325 D 500 factory stick hemis –they threw rods. ( 56-61 mopar trans column stick with pin syncros is pure junk, another story) . I did OK, best capture was a new 421 Pontiac tri power Ventura coupe. But could not match 425 409, w 4;56 .
Anyway,, that year a big heavy 300 turned the lowest time of any stock car, maybe 12.9 , at Nationals, I rubbed it in, on all those chevy guys like crazy. And it was an automatic!! ( the NEW aluminum 727!) The first time ever an automatic had a faster time than a “stock” 4 spd stick , after it was all over ; early 727 62 racing automatics were unreal, really hard shifts, throttle type “detent” kick down, no dumb part throttle 3-2 downshifts----- later softened up. Would spin on 5-5500 rpm1-2 shift, like later J-K , but 57-62 body has far better traction than J-K at drags.. ( I had both..J spins really easy)
Ha!! “an automatic Chrysler kicked yo poor chevy 4 spd ass! “
But the Chrysler did not win, because the guy was asleep on the line at the FINAL run, against a Pontiac, --Chrysler turned the faster time but lost. Shortly after this, the smaller body cars took all this over..
To get a full size 300 from the normal 15’s into the 12’s is simply unreal. I think Ray Brock of HRM was doing it..at the end running a cam over 290 degrees. We need to remember how that HRM car impacted a whole generation in 62-63 —including me ..the Daytona beach high speed runs were fading in 62, but a fast street quarter miler held everyone’s attention. No longer were 300’s known as “fast on the top end, but dogs off the line” .
Beach boys songs etc,-- 409, Jan and Dean’s Deadman’s curve, Granny’s superstock 413, little deuce coupe…etc etc set the tone
By the way, fastest car in Cambridge/Boston in those days was a 50 olds with 59 J2 394 olds hydrostick, 4:11 ( rumors it was stroked to 450 or so) , but way cool: it had center of tri carbs on gasoline, end carbs on methanol. He would put 2 lengths on anyone off the line with that 4:1 first gear in hydrostick.. 50 Olds suspension ideal for dragging, long converging C channel bars rigid from axle to trans U joint cross member . Some GM pickups have that too from this period. Car raises straight up, no spin, goes like hell. That guy was very smart….unbeatable on street. 2nd fastest was 55 T bird with 430” Lincoln in it. Could not get power to the ground. (typical of ford wheel hop) , often started in 2nd gear.
In 63 one night a 426 beige Dodge 2 dr showed up, 3 speed stick. Max wedge , 4 bolt dumps and all, no back seat, I think fiberglass bumpers etc killed the fastest 13.1 sec chevy. Great days for MOPAR. I won 150$. Must have been 100- 150 guys watching this at 3AM, lot of $ bet, on route 3 north straight from 128 on ramp. 425 hp Chev blew up at top of third, about 6 feet behind Dodge, which was still in 2nd (~ 3;70) . Still remember 425 hp chevy headlights jumping up and down at shifts..
Someone needs to make that HRM special again..and race it in nostalgia stock. …Do all the Chevies in , ----yet again..
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 'Mike Zagata' mzagata@xxxxxxxxxxx [Chrysler300]
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2015 8:59 AM
To: 'Tony Rinaldi'; Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [Chrysler300] Big Red
There is a 300B race car that many may not be aware of. It was raced each week at Fonda Raceway in Fonda, NY (place where Shirley Muldowny started). It was raced by Mr. Shultis from Halcottsville, NY in “A” stock automatic and won its class each week for several years. Mr. Shultis sold the car to Don Garlits and it resides in Don’s drag racing museum in Ocala, FL. It may well be the most successful Chrysler 300 in existence. Mike
This months MOPAR COLLECTOR'S GUIDE (July2015) has an interesting article on BIG RED - Bud Faubel's record breaking '62 300 - now totally restored by Jim Kramer. Check it out!
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