engine size in 1987 nhra pro stock for the bbf guys!

was just on youtube looking at some old 1987 nhra national events when bob glidden was running and was wondering what was the spec on those engines for the bbf guys and what heads were they running! loved to watch the fords in pro stock dominate the class back then! don't watch it for no other cars but the fords!

Typically 500" and A441 hemi heads

ok cool! so when was the older a460 motorsport a heads used, and in what class were they running them in the 80's:?:

Around that time the NHRA limit was 500", and I think the IHRA had no cubic inch limit (IIRC the IHRA limit later became 815", and then something like 840"). The NHRA 500" engines usually used a short deck block. In NHRA trim Bob/his sons did eventually try the wedge heads. This was because he had reached the Hemi head's limit on compression numbers, and the GM guys with wedge heads/more compression were starting to catch & pass him.

And IIRC in IHRA trim Bob only used the Hemi heads, (and not the wedge heads) because getting bigger compression numbers wasn't as much a problem with the larger IHRA engines.

nitrous.f wrote:was just on youtube looking at some old 1987 nhra national events when bob glidden was running and was wondering what was the spec on those engines for the bbf guys and what heads were they running! loved to watch the fords in pro stock dominate the class back then! don't watch it for no other cars but the fords!

In 1987, isn't that where they had all of those different weight factors ...?
Probably a Cleveland engine in a 4 door Maverick or Fairmont or something like that.

The NHRA 500" max rule started in 1982, so no Clevelands or weight break rules in NHRA Pro Stock in 1987. And IIRC the 5 year body rule was in effect in '87 so the Maverick body wouldn't have been legal in 1987, but the Fairmont body would have been legal until 1988.

how interesting! what kind of et,s were they running with those heads in the nhra 500" class just looking back at the days when guys really wrenched on there rides. I think they were around 2300-2500lb, could be wrong!

NITROUS FORD wrote:...... I think they were around 2300-2500lb......

When the NHRA 500" rule went into effect it also mandated a 2350lb minimum weight.

NITROUS FORD wrote:ok cool! so when was the older a460 motorsport a heads used, and in what class were they running them in the 80's:?:  

Never where from my understanding, the hemi heads would kill them.

DILLIGASDAVE wrote:The NHRA 500" max rule started in 1982, so no Clevelands or weight break rules in NHRA Pro Stock in 1987. .

I was only about 10 years off ... back then, the years all somewhat run together.

Thunderbird, blue and white with Chief Auto Parts on the door and hood in 1987.

dfree383 wrote:

NITROUS FORD wrote:ok cool! so when was the older a460 motorsport a heads used, and in what class were they running them in the 80's:?:  

Never where from my understanding, the hemi heads would kill them.

Were they only run through testing on a dyno?

The Aheads wouldn't fall out of a tree for nhra pro stock,The bastard a460 (style) head was better.
Frank I. ran those a few times ,But the Boss was best. In ihra the fastest about this time (87) was a 6xx ci (BOSS) engine. Bob Gliddens, he went 7.00 and 199 with it.

This was his last pass in IHRA TRIM

BOSS 429 wrote:The Aheads wouldn't fall out of a tree for nhra pro stock,The bastard a460 (style) head was better.
Frank  I. ran those a few times ,But the Boss was best. In ihra the fastest about this time  (87) was a 6xx ci (BOSS)  engine. Bob Gliddens, he went 7.00 and 199 with it.

This was his last pass in IHRA TRIM

Come on man ,

Gary Blair wrote:

BOSS 429 wrote:The Aheads wouldn't fall out of a tree for nhra pro stock,The bastard a460 (style) head was better.
Frank  I. ran those a few times ,But the Boss was best. In ihra the fastest about this time  (87) was a 6xx ci (BOSS)  engine. Bob Gliddens, he went 7.00 and 199 with it.

This was his last pass in IHRA TRIM

Come on man ,

http://www.theoldone.com/prostock-T-Bird/ When Bob Glidden and the 1987 Thunderbird comes up, I always wonder how much this guy has do do with it.

You beat me to it. I would like to have one of those engines in my T-bird.  Steve                   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41_BV0T187Q

A couple years ago, my neighbor freshened up the motor for the current owner of one of those cars. I don't know who the owner is, but it was cool to check out the car.



























.

cletus66 wrote:A couple years ago, my neighbor freshened up the motor for the current owner of one of those cars.  I don't know who the owner is, but it was cool to check out the car.






.

What heads are those, C's?

68formalGT wrote:

cletus66 wrote:A couple years ago, my neighbor freshened up the motor for the current owner of one of those cars.  I don't know who the owner is, but it was cool to check out the car.






.

What heads are those, C's?

I have no idea. Out of my price range.

I have owned this 1986 since the 90's..it was raced in IHRA pro stock then (7.30's ish @ 195 or so)..it had a Sonnys hemi and lenco then,it is a Bickel built car

so if the motorsport a460 heads were built in the 80's someone had to be running them in some kind of class! for what they can still put out on the track and on the dyno, just would like to see some pic of some fords with the old a460 heads and some et time from the 80-90's! love the t-birds to with those bbf with hemi heads!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Mustang-SVO-Ford-Motorsports-Drag-Test-Car-Vintage-Article-Project-514-/301504870330?nma=true&si=g2W38h0Vcbr2ThPZdl6u4EUZ30Y%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557 This one had A Heads and ran mid 10's and made about 650HP.

They are claiming 704HP and 9.90's in the article I linked. The info I have was 648 and mid 10's from another article in 1987. You can scan the link with the magnification feature and read most of it if you want.

A460 heads were never approved for use in Pro Stock Glidden tried E460 heads but the engines never made the power that the B 441 Hemi made.

Sorry A441 is right. The C followed by the E and both were a major amount of work for Bob.