RPM's - Aint they got high?

I have no idea why, but a minute ago I was thinking about Frank Warren and Ed Negre being sponsored by 10,000 RPM Speed Equipment back in the day (as was Dale, Sr. once in the Negre car) and remembering how we used to think that was an absolute impossible RPM number to even dream of a stock car motor turning. That was in the day of such racing movies as "Red Line 7000." Things sure have changed, haven't they?


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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 03/14/17 05:00:45AM

I can't say for sure but Smokey's Chevelle sure sounded like it turned more than 7 grand at Charlotte in'67.

I remember Junior J running some headers for awhile that made the car sound like it was absolutely screaming when the driver got off the gas. Don't think I ever heard anything quite like that before or since. In Smokey's case, who in the world knows what he may have really had or been turning. Can you imagine having to be a NASCAR inspector when anything Smokey built came through tech?

Dennis Andrews said:

I can't say for sure but Smokey's Chevelle sure sounded like it turned more than 7 grand at Charlotte in'67.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Dave Fulton said:

I remember Junior J running some headers for awhile that made the car sound like it was absolutely screaming when the driver got off the gas. Don't think I ever heard anything quite like that before or since. In Smokey's case, who in the world knows what he may have really had or been turning. Can you imagine having to be a NASCAR inspector when anything Smokey built came through tech?

Dennis Andrews said:

I would think what you remember were the 180 degree headers that junior used. For some reason Junior seemed to be interested in my work and would often let me try some of his 'stuff' . Those headers made it sound like you had another 2,000 RPM.

I sure miss some of the sounds and smells of 'the good ol' days'

180s. Runt liked the way they sounded.

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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®

Jim,

I heard Charlie Glotzbach talking about Smokey's car in Atlanta in the 1969 Dixie 500...I think. Charlie drove it...and led a few laps. Smokey kept bringing him into the pits and holding him up...strangely. He said he though the engine had a 180 degree crank...sounded really different. That was the first time I had heard that term and was told it had something to do with firing two cylinders at the same time.

Is that right?

Jim Reep Jr said:

You ain't lived until you've had one of those engines "let go" turning near those numbers. Its nigh on to losing several years off your life. They do kill all the bugs in the immediate area however !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The remnants make for great boat anchors too !!!!!!!!! I should have saved the broken parts for 20 yrs to sell on EBay too .

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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®

Instead of the normal 18436572 firing order...how would this config fire? I've also heard Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins talk about changing firing order waaaay back in the early days of the sbc...mainly , I think to help cool #7 &#5 cyl. Does that make sense...and have the round track guys also done that kind of experimenting? Getting to talk to these dudes about this kind of stuff has been awesome. The stuff normal fans do not get to hear...the kind of stuff Grump would probably not have revealed back then...and small time racers like me never experienced.

Jim Reep Jr said:

Yes, there are two ways of doing a dual firing V-8. A 180 crank & just grinding the cam's last four cyl. 180 out. Either way, you fire 2 @ once. It makes for a very different sound especially with 180 headers, but they too have to be redone slightly. Duel firing a V8 also requires a reworked electrical system. Harry Hyde said a duel firing Hemi sounded like a stick of dynamite going off with each cly report. Fun stuff, but less RPMs & slight torque gain. Definitely a short track application . I have no knowledge of Yunick doing that, but I have heard rumors, then , who hasn't?

Jeff Gilder said:

Jim,

I heard Charlie Glotzbach talking about Smokey's car in Atlanta in the 1969 Dixie 500...I think. Charlie drove it...and led a few laps. Smokey kept bringing him into the pits and holding him up...strangely. He said he though the engine had a 180 degree crank...sounded really different. That was the first time I had heard that term and was told it had something to do with firing two cylinders at the same time.

Is that right?

Jim Reep Jr said:

You ain't lived until you've had one of those engines "let go" turning near those numbers. Its nigh on to losing several years off your life. They do kill all the bugs in the immediate area however !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The remnants make for great boat anchors too !!!!!!!!! I should have saved the broken parts for 20 yrs to sell on EBay too .

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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®

Back in 1972, Jimmy Scott from Amelia, Virginia won the 1972 NASCAR Virginia State Hobby Championship. Two things about his car stand out. First, it was a 1958 Chevy - the only one I ever remember seeing in weekly track action. Painted bright orange, the car carried the number "3va" and had a bumblebee painted on it. Second, I've never heard another car at a weekly track sound like that one. When it backed off to go in turn 1 at Southside Speedway you could hear it over the field. The fans called it the bumblebee car and went nuts when it ran... and won. When the good Lord passed out mechanical knowledge, he left me out and I haven't the faintest idea what made that unusual high pitched soiund. I'm sure some of the board members here like Butch Zervakis and Bubba Tatum's son or maybe Worth McMillion's son remember that car and Ray Lamm may have some photos of it.


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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"