Salt City Shaker AWB Nova

[sharp]

Hey guys, just wondering if this Nova is Trakable and does anyone know when the real car was built?

[reedeezel]

I would guess mid-65 to 66 as the altered wheelbase era was memorable, but short-lived. This car should fit well within the TRAK guidelines.

[skip]

First, I really love the job you've done on your AWB / A/FX Chevy II, anyone who has built one of these AMT AWB cars is aware of just how "simple" this kit is.  As in how it lacks a whole lot of stuff other than the Go-Fast equipment to make it a realistic AWB race car. 

I am currently working on the '63 Tempest "Funny Car" (Funny Farmer) which is the same basic chassis as the "Rat Packer" Chevy II.  (Guess I need to post a few pics of what I've got going.)  Which includes swapping out the spindly little dropped front axle that always breaks with a straight axle.  Swapping out the undersized Big Block Chevy engine for an injected 421 Pontiac.  Right now, I am working on "tin work" at the rear of the body and frame to get rid of the gap at the end of the frame to the end of the body and tying the rear wheel tubs into the body as well as giving the sides of the body some sort of sills to tie into the frame.  For such a "simple" model this represents a lot of cutting and fitting (sheet styrene) tinwork.  I will also be reworking the front frame area to represent a "Bill Thomas" type Funny Car Kit by adding the parallel bars over the front framework.   I've already cut out the front fender wells and am working on replacing the firewall as well as adding some front fender bracing...  Some days I think I shoulda just built it out of the box... LoL!

I believe this and all the other "period correct" AHRA and NHRA AWB & A/FX race cars and match racers have been allowed on TRAK for a long time. As long as they are historically correct and fit within the cut-off for TRAK (Pre-1969) they are allowed. That being said, unless it can be proved otherwise that a certain body style was not converted and raced in AWB or A/FX configuration then it should be allowed (following the logic that's been recently applied to the Gas Classes - see below). However, I don't recall ever seeing any Rambler based AWB or A/FX cars running on the national level, so maybe that may be a stretch! LoL!

What has come into question of late is the "Neo-Gassers" such as those running in the current Nostalgia Gasser organizations, most of which due to their increased safety equipment such as roll cage configurations like funny car style cages, electric fans, non-spindle mounted twelve spoke Halibrand & American and other front wheels, tires which were not available (*pre-1972) - huge slicks, front runner drag tires,,, blah, blah. Might and probably should experience a little pushback even though they are "based" on (albeit updated) Gas Class rules, they are not period correct. There has been discussion on TRAK of late whether to accept certain new models such as the Mobius Chevy II Gasser, it seems that the general consensus is leaning towards backdating to fit within the parameters of TRAK.

*(NHRA killed the Gas Classes (I think) at the end of the 1972 Season.)

[41chevy]

The first car with the altered-wheelbase modification was an early 1964 A-990 Plymouth. The modification was conducted and well documented in the Chrysler Structures Lab. The Lab's report is included in the book We Were The Ramchargers. Jim Thornton came up the radical altered-wheelbase concept, building on the minor wheelbase alteration of '64. The altered-wheelbase cars would be the A/FX that would go head-to-head with the SOHC Fords and Comets.
The twelve factory sponsored racers got bodies that had been dipped for their A/FX cars. The bodies had been framed in the Los Angeles plant and shipped to an aircraft supplier with a large acid tank. This process known as "chemical milling" was a common weight-reduction process for aircraft assemblies. Eight of the cars were delivered for the altered wheelbase modification. The other four were left with the standard wheelbase for A/FX at the NHRA 1964 Winternationals. The racers were also provided with a complete A-990 car to get all the parts and screws to quickly assemble their A/FX racecar.
So it is TRAKable.

[skip]

Paul, Thanks for the great information, I knew that the Mopar Camp was the first out of the box with the altered wheelbase modifications, I just always thought it was Dick Landy. Makes sense that the Ramchargers team would be the first. The team was made up of Chrysler Engineers after all, so they had the knowledge and inside pull to finagle access to parts and even to "special" groups to get things done.

I was referring to the fact that even though AWB & A/FX NHRA and AHRA cars are a well-documented fact, this modification was done to a very specific set of cars. So, taking a car that wasn't historically run in A/FX and juxtaposing it into one shouldn't fly, that would be for Gas Class cars or Neo-Gassers in my book, but that wouldn't be a gasser then it would be an Altered. (I seem to remember a certain metalic blue '55 Chevy AWB that ran as an Altered, sure there were others.) As far as fictitious teams or sponsors, not a problem as long as it meets the A/FX / AWB criteria in the first place and said sponsors were active during the period they ran. Fictitious Teams and Sponsorships, even to models bearing the builder's name as driver etc., have been common since the dark ages of model car building (Hank Borger for one). Why stop it now?

When I worked for Boeing, I got to see the Chem-Milling process first-hand, they can do some pretty amazing stuff with it. Such as using a liquid rubber (similar to "Plastidip, the tool re-coating stuff) masking off areas that they don't want etched away creating multi-layers of material thickness. It takes a chem-milling operation a few hours to do what rotary-milling would do in days especially on aircraft skins where the multiple material thickness creates strength and reduces stress in the sheet metal itself. It's all done by timing the material in the acid which erodes the material away at a specified (known) rate they can get the gauge reductions to within thousandths of an inch.

[41chevy]

After the Mopars the Chevy II /Nova was the most prolific AWB cars followed be Ford Fairlanes. Nicky Chevy built, raced and sold AWB Novas. Dick Harrell and Bill Thomas ran AWB 1965 Novas which the AMT AWB Nova is based on. Art Christman, Don Schumacher and Don Nicholson ran a 1965  AWB Comets. Late 1964 Sid Foster ran a AWB Ford Thunder Bolt as did Bobs Ford in Michigan and Rockaway Ford in NY in early 1965 driven by "snake" Austin in both NASCAR and AHRA drags.Van Clive Motors ran an AWB Fairlane in early 1965. Mr Unswitchable GTO's (a pair) in early 1965, Chevelle and Pontiac AWB's were rare because they were non unibody cars.

Mopars were the most prevalent because in late 1965 you could buy from the dealer, a step by step how to book with photos and dimensions on building a Dodge or Plymouth AWB car. I'll go into my files and scan it for posting here.
I saw the Chem mill process when I worked at Grumman Aircraft too. Interesting process. Paul