Interesting Story

[JIMS409]

This is an interesting tale:

Won't mention any names on this, but I HEARD of a famous East Coast 409 with a just as famous engine-builder who MAY HAVE HAD a trick or two performed on the engine.

(I say "heard" and "may have had" to avoid law suits). As for the trick, I don't know how widespread it was.

The story goes like this....... The '09 was sold to a gentleman who raced it under another Chevy Dealership's name for several years. The first time he did a complete engine teardown to replace bearings, rings, springs, re-do the heads, etc., there was a ittsy-bittsy problem. The rings were WAY too small for the pistons. After doing some measuring, it was discovered the
engine builder used an ingeneous way to maintain the legal c.i. displacement by overboring and destroking.

If everyone remembers, a protested engine size was determined by removing a sparkplug, pumping the cylinder full of fluid, and multiplying it by the number of cylinders. Full teardowns were
not done in those days.

One thing for certain, that '09 could sure twist up the Rs.

 

[wrench]

heh heh

So, what was the rule then? Displacement or the bore/strock combination?

Great story, uh......tip........yeah, that's it.....

 

[jim_ss409]

I remember Freds story about a guy that used to bore out seven cylinders and stay within specs on #1 because that's the only one they ever checked.

 

[tripowerguy]

In 1959 Les Richey protested Don Nicholson and Don had to take a head off. I was there and saw it done. The track official then measured the bore and stroke of #2 cyl because that was the side that was taken off. He was legal so then Don said do want to check the cam but Les declined because he didn't want to spend any more money. Probably a lot of cheating went on during the factory wars because if you didn't win you were shut off fast. Roy

 

[tripowerguy]

Also I rode in that same car at the Winter Nationals in Pomona. I was talking to Don as he was going to go to the staging lanes and he said take it up and so I got to drive that car about 100 feet. As I remember, which leaves a lot to be desired, Don turned 109 mph that day and I don't remember the et. He was running against 350hp 348's and the best any could do was 105 mph. I know that the NHRA was talking to him about factory experimental but I don't remember if they reclassified him or not. Ther were 61's with 350hp 348's running SS I know and they were screaming foul. Roy

 

[tripowerguy]

Sorry about the post in the wrong story I wanted the last post on the picture about Don Nicholson at Detroit.: Roy