HRM] Was your IHRA car any diferent than your NHRA car? That was all I wanted to do the Oswego/US 30 Pro Stock circuit. What was going through your head during that race? The connecting rod. This year, I am considering a few varieties for graft, Growing Tom Wagner's Varieties of Tomatoes: A Gardener's Guide With Tips & Advice, Tom Wagner is a renowned horticulturist who has created several varieties of tomatoes, including the popular "Fort Vancouver Yellow Pear", "Pennsylvania Catchfly", "Santa Anna" and "Sunspot". by maxracesoftware Sat Feb 05, 2005 9:13 pm, Post The quest for an edge for those with mega deep pockets had gotten out of hand, spending with ridiculous amounts for composite engine parts like rods, valves, pushrods, and titanium valve springs, which now are also illegal and dangerous. Well, we could win the race because we were the fastest car, but we needed to set one end of the record, and before the fnal, the Santa Ana wind turned around and we had a tailwind, and we won the race and set the record. Its the engine he innovated with so much, that when his car suffered a brutal rollover in 1986 at Atlanta, he climbed out of the car and covered his hand-made dual-quad intake with his fire jacket and helmet. 2023 Power Automedia. 205 likes. Gliddens two-season streak finally ended at the 1988 Gatornationals with 22 straight top qualifiers. My favorite or ultimate? Glidden completed his career winning three events in 1990, one event in 1991, two events in 1992, and two events in 1993. Glidden ran Ford engines displacing as few as 332 inches and as large as 340. But these arent much different than then. Free shipping for many products! Along the way, Bob made occasional appearances behind the wheel of son Billys small-tire Ford Mustangs. Glidden retired from full-time driving in 1997, after an accumulated 85 NHRA national event wins, the most in NHRA at the time, which has been only surpassed by John Force and Warren Johnson. I'm sure a lot of people saw it anyway, but I at least tried to stop it. Search from the map below or add more conditions. I forget now who prepared those heads but it was certainly NOT Glidden. Bob Glidden. Post Dec 06, 2007 #1 2007-12-06T20:00. note where the casting number is - on top of a runner. Straight axles were accepted. I documented some earlier racing with Bob Racing racing Dyno Don at the 77 World Finals, Segway into the 1978 Pro Stock season. I like that. The car was acquired from its second owner in restored but unlettered shape. But perhaps most famously, the Boss 429 was the engine architecture that Bob Glidden dominated Pro Stock with. Production of the Boss 429 Mustang began in 1968 at Kar Krafts assembly plant in Brighton, Michigan. Glidden began his career in the late 1960s behind the wheel of a series of 427 Ford Fairlanes in the Stock and Super Stock ranks and later a 482 Cobra Jet, becoming one of the winningest competitors in the NHRAs Division 3. The following season in just his second full-time campaign he won three times and set both ends of the national record on the path to his first Winston championship, in come-from-behind fashion over Gapp and Wally Booth. In Pro Stock, we learned by trying things, in the early days on the car, and later we had a dyno. Ford racing icon and 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden passed away December 17 at the age of 73. My Pinto with a Cleveland, thanks to Gapp and Roush, Dyno Don Nicolson and Bob Glidden, was the highest factor 7.3x the cubic inch. Racing Engines. Photos, materials for videos, descriptions and other information are provided by the consignor/seller and is deemed reliable, but Mecum Auction does not verify, warrant or guarantee this information. I was fortunate enough to have participated in Pro Stock for about 15 of those years and have more than enough stories to fill a book! He dominated and continued to keep Ford at the top of Pro Stock, even when outnumbered by Chevrolet and Mopar. It reacted like a broken axle would. Mickey Thompson phased them into his Mustang Funny Cars, and the Boss 429 is the engine that he experimented with his compressed-air supercharger. Ford's sales literature said the Laser Stripes were so wild that "some people think they should have a switch to turn them off." As it turns out, this question is often overthought. To get an edge some of us even tried pistons in the small blocks with only two ring slots. But today, his condition took a turn for the worse. Gardeners around the world have been growing these varieties for the past 8-10 years and are sharing their experiences with others. They would break like popcorn with the bigger camshafts, especially with roller cams. HRM] You worked a little in NASCAR after drag racing. I would paint the ends with black magic marker. He led the chase from start to finish, winning five national events and securing his sixth Pro Stock championship. HRM] So what did you do when the rules changed? Drag racing fans saw the engine used in all sorts of applications. I hope you guys appreciate it, stay tuned MOre on the way. We won $10,400 at that race and we had about $18,000 invested in everything: our car, spare engines, spare parts, our truck. HRM] Wow, that's a heck of a start to a career. Valve springs back then, and even later, were a travesty. There were no trick parts to it, Glidden added. 1972 was our rst year. The experts all agree that cleanliness is the most important factor during installation, and the lack thereof is the most common problem that leads to bearing failure. I'm too old to think about that. We tried bigger manifolds, smaller manifolds, longer manifolds, shorter manifolds, and everything in between. They had pictures of him assembling his engines standing on their end. Maybe not for everyone else, but it did for me., It's Saturday, very little racing to do, so we've opened up our collection of old drag races - the 1978 NHRA World Finals from Ontario, Ca. Was the combustion chamber diff? That was the first major event it ran. The former ATS Diesel race truck is now owned by Justin Lyons of RG Diesel, complete with an engine rebuild and ready to debut next month at the Thoroughbred Diesel Throwdown. BG] In the late 1970s I was not fnancially involved with Ford, period. [Editor's note: Glidden is referring to the 1982 rule change that mandated all Pro Stock engines be 500 ci and all cars have a minimum weight.]. It was a factory lightweight car that they had stopped racing. However, roller rockers and Jomar girdles had become vogue by then. Those early 1970-75 local and regional level Pro Stock rules were very liberal. The Chicagoland Pro Stock rules allowed racers to race at US 30 in Gary, Oswego and even the UDRA circuit. The entire venture went away after we sold Bob Glidden several engines in the winter of 1984. The Pinto is back together, and goes, and off to race The Gapp and Roush Pinto, wheeled by Ken Dondaro. No one really knew how quick that car was. There are enough fanglers out here that aren't totally locked to strictly cleveland block and heads. The NHRA did not appreciate the lesson. The Ford was destroyed but Glidden climbed out unscathed. As of 1978 IHRA was unlimited cubic inch at 2,350 pounds. By 1983, the small block Pro Stock era was over. Granted, the expense to update for some lesser teams has had some effect. When Pro Stock racer Bob Glidden retired in 1997 with 85 event victories, he was the winningest driver in NHRA history. The next stop was Gainesville, March 12, 1978, where he lost to Frank Iaconio. There was a lot to look forward to for the next season, but that Fairmont sure did make racing fun in 1978. Glidden also set a speed record in 1983 with a pass of 182.18 mph. Glidden, who amassed a record 16,035 points and lowered the national record to 8.59, fielded two winning cars that year: The first was his tried-and-true Ford Pinto that carried him to victories at the season-opening Winternationals and Cajun Nationals, and the second was his famed Ford Fairmont, with which he won the Summernationals and finished [Bob] conceded that many of his competitors knew far more about the internal-combustion engine than he did, but none of them had his will to win. The shame of it is that Ford pulled the backing from him after all those years of hard work and the love he has for racing and Ford. HRM] What do you think of today's Pro Stock class? The Arrow was as good as the Fairmont because it weighed as much as the small-block Chevrolet, Glidden admitted. I know that I have to hustle to win and that I have to go all out to afford to race. At the same time as he was dominating in NHRA, Glidden was also racing in IHRA, with success, but also a lot of drama, both with Ford and the other racers. And he's taken his daughters and made them as competitive as himself. Pro Stock engines then were built from stock castings. BG] All I will tell you is that it wasn't me. For 1989 Glidden switched to a Ford Probe that set a national e.t. At this race he took out the Bill Grumpy Jenkins Vega, driven by Larry Lombardo. No blowers or nitrous were allowed (no sheet metal intakes yet) and maximum induction was two four barrel carbs, any size. And, yes, Glidden was a mother with his 1978 Ford Fairmont, which never lost a round of competition, national, regional or match race. At the recent Houston event there were only 13 Pro Stocks. A self-taught mechanic, Glidden grew up in Whiteland, Indiana. Finally MSD came to the rescue. Glidden won eight more times between 1990 and 93 and captured his 85th and final NHRA Pro Stock victory at Englishtown in 1995 after having missed the first half of the season following a heart attack in December of 1994. Jenkins was kind of running his jaws so I pulled the chute on him at about 1000, Glidden said, pausing to laugh. I think Dave Williams mentions 351X as a designation either he or someone else coined. The original interview was from Competition Plus, Legend series. He would use the next national event, the prestigious 1976 NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis as 800.957.7223. Still, in a build-ing over here at my shop, I'm sure there are probably 50 or 60 manifolds that we experimented with, all of which we made by hand. History in the making at Four-Wide Nationals, Josh Hart looks to finish the job and pick up first four-wide win in Charlotte, Five unforgettable moments from the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, After Pomona wreck, Force team had their hands full getting a new car ready, It's been a long road, but Matt Hartford is breaking new ground in Pro Stock, Adapting and adjusting are secrets to Justin Ashley's early-season success. by bill jones Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:27 am, Post "When we started hiring outside people, it was really our downfall," admits Glidden. The red and white Thunderbird. Jan 17, 2014. Injection was supposed to bring Pro Stock closer to a production vehicle example, although the mandated injection used on NHRA Pro Stocks is not even close to what a production automobile uses today. Early Pro Stock engines were primarily warmed up Super Stock engines, the bigger the better. Offering top notch Aluminum Cylinder Head Porting and Cylinder Block Machining Services for High Performance Racing Engines by Race Engine Builder Steve Schmidt. by Guest Sat Feb 05, 2005 10:12 am, Post The story of Blair's Speed Shop is excerpted from Bob McClurg's latest book The American Speed Shop published by . Community for the 351 Cleveland Ford engine enthusiasts world wide. The expense to run a Pro Stock car is unbelievable. From Fort Vancouver Yellow Pear to Santa Anna, these, This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, Bob Glidden's Undefeated 351C Powered Pro Stock Fairmont. Some say the short field problem is due to the cost to conform to the new 2016 mandated rules. Cylinder walls were honed to a mirror finish. His '78 had the swoopy red, white, and blue paint scheme. (meaning braze) It made me remember when a customer in the early 80s brought in a set of cleveland 4v heads he had got from Glidden from his pro stocker. I have heard that they are going to get Pro Stock back to more stock parts, and if they do that, that could help. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Dragzine, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! Only a few dragstrips hosted a local level Pro Stock program and logistically, I was in decent shape. BG] Well, we bought up all the old junk 429 stuf we could fnd and that's what we raced with for the next, oh, 15 years I guess. In 1978, it put Glidden on top at midyear with wins at four events, including Indy and the World Finals. I get much less oil in the spray washer this way. But it was just a real short wheelbase, and it just wasn't built for the big engine. He was really just being an asshole. I had three dogs adopt me three and half years ago, they're a handful, and we've got macaws, so I fnd plenty to do here. (9/24/78), and The World Finals, at Ontario Motor Speedway( 10/8/1978). He began racing on the streets in the 1960s, then took his skills to the track first in Super Stock and later in the recently formed Pro Stock class in a used car purchased from Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush. Bob Glidden owned Pro Stock in the mid- to late-1980s, winning five straight championships from 1985-1989, a streak that coincided with his domination of the NHRA national event in Phoenix,. All rights reserved. I remember when Bob Glidden was top dog with his Thunderbird in the NHRA during the 80's and Bill Elliot was ruling in NASCAR with his Coors - Melling . Most of the penalties were directed at me. Things just happened that way. Boss 351 CI Cleveland V-8 engine Finished in Stars and Stripes Red, White and Blue livery by Bob Allen Rigid chromoly tub frame Roll cage Glidden-modified oiling system, pistons, rods, crank, valve train, heads, fuel, ignition system and manifold Hooker headers Fiberglass dashboard Dash-mounted Moroso tachometer Simpson safety belts HRM] Did you dislike it just because it was ugly, or was it an ill-handling car as well? Back in early Chicagoland Pro Stock, you could make any mods to the engine you wanted. For at least 15 years, most all Pro Stock racers local regional, circuit, and even racers in the big three sanctions (NHRA, AHRA and IHRA) were hands-on racers. Bob Glidden won every one of those 5 consecutive races. HRM] Can you talk about the rumors of nitrous? BG] Well, we thought they were all very fortunate. Glidden's penchant for secrecy, notable even in the notoriously tight-lipped Pro Stock class, meant his innovations remained his own, but it also led to rumors and suspicions amongst his com-petitors. Bob was [is] the hardest working guy in drag racing. The next race was the July 16, 1978, the Summer Nationals, at Englishtown Raceway, Where Bob debuted the Undefeated 1978 Ford Fairmont. See all 8 photos Glidden improved his engine building and race craft and that helped . It wasnt really ahead of its time because the chassis hasnt changed that much over time. Hajek's current engine came in a roundabout way after Bob Glidden sold off his Cleveland parts to John Healy when Glidden switched to Boss 429s. Most of it I didn't have any control over. While this reduced NOx output for emissions, this loss of compression really hurts power. Von Ahn chose a 1970 block with correct casting numbers, as per F.A.S.T. "Not one single warning," Glidden recalled. BG] Well, I'm a lucky old fart! HRM] OK, let's talk about IHRA and turbo cars. Everyone in the NHRA community is saddened to learn the news of Bobs passing, said NHRA President Peter Clifford said in a statement. Home of world class custom built blueprint engines for street, racing, and pleasure. Select the pin () to see company information. BG] When I was a kid, a lot of adver-tisements on television were for Ed Martin Ford: "Home of the Fast Fords." After a couple of runs the ring seal went to hell. For a 339, the car had to be 2,475 lbs. Discover the Best Heirloom Tomato Varieties Comparable to Big Beef, Title: Discovering Heirloom Tomato Varieties Close to Big Beef We did everything by hand. https://www.tkmperformance.com Related Articles SMX Cylinder Head Gets New Valve Seats Part 2 1967 Nova with a 421 Small Block Chevy Engine, Content for engine professionals and enthusiasts, Speed Density vs Alpha-N Tuning Strategies, Solving Engine Bearing Fatigue Failures with Silver Based Materials, Gaige Herrera Dominates NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, 1993 Buick Roadmaster Hearse w/ Twin-Turbo 427 cid LS3 Engine, Engine Sealing: High Performance Head Gaskets, All-Billet Chrysler Hemi-Based NHRA Pro Mod Engine. Size was limited because there were really no large stroker kits like today, or oversized aftermarket blocks to go into the later mountain motor size range. Shorter wheelie bars are now required at 66 inches. How about any sub 400 cid Ford with canted valve heads? He went on to work for Ford on its NASCAR engine development program. The car featured a chassis with quite a few similarities to todays current design. We need to win this race', John Force gunning for third straight Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals win, Jacob McNeal is living out a childhood dream with Charlotte Top Fuel debut, Are you ready for a Cuadra quad? It's neat to see he once raced an FE. On the port floor about 3/4" in from int. In Northern California, side grafting wasnt very successful either. BG] The way I did the plenum, the top of the runners going to the engine. For 1982 NHRA went from a power-to-weight formula to a new 500ci displacement limit for Pro Stock. One of the most interesting was NHRA mandating materials and minimum weights for all engine moving parts. FORUMS. Credit for pics goes to Petersen Museum, all pics found on the net. Carbon on Estamino was late to mature. Community for the 351 Cleveland Ford engine enthusiasts world wide. Glidden commissioned chassis builder Don Hardy to build a new Ford EXP for the season and was planning on running a 351 Cleveland engine in the car. How did you get into cars? I had been a regional Sportsman bracket racer since 1969, raced Pro Stock from 1975-1989, then left in 1990 to become one of the original Pro Modified racers. If a racer ran a canted-valve engine such as the Ford Cleveland, they had to add another 50 pounds. Back in the early 1980s, we really dominated with the small-block, These wins brought him and the Undefeated Fairmont, the NHRA Pro Stock Championship for 1978. The Boss 429 engine featured a semi-hemispherical combustion chamber head fit over a massive 4.900-inch bore-spacing block that allowed for huge pistons and plenty of room for valves. A career so full of hard work, miraculous wins, and pain-ful controversy deserves to be celebrated, so we took on the legendarily private Bob Glidden and tried to get him to spill some secrets. Overall he won 9 times that season, ending the 1980s with 49 wins. Glidden set world records that stood for over 10 years mainly because he bought up all the stock of those special Shogun 429 heads he used and nobody else could get them.. he probably learned something from those heads. It's just free information if they saw it. A group that it seems most people have forgotten was Reher and Morrison, from back in the old days. A 10,500 RPM limit has also been mandated. Here are my 3 off the top of my head -. That was how we made a living. This website uses cookies for functionality, analytics and advertising purposes as described in our, http://www.nhra.com/museum/features/feature16.html, http://www.dragracingonline.com/special/top5_1.html. Unfortunately, the 9 rear end assembly harbored a defective Detroit Locker. That's a cutthroat business. And those handsome bookings are what helped me afford to run on a professional level with decent equipment. Bob Glidden will certainly never be forgotten. And in 1988 he won five of the last seven races en route to his fourth straight title. What was that experience like? Within five runs at a private tire test, Glidden bettered the world record with the Mopar, a record the Fairmont held. This video is about the two week wonder, as Bob Glidden called it. A Pinto. But there were 29 Pro Mods with a weak purse. BG] Nope, no. During the height of nitrous accusations in the mid- 1990s, Glidden pointed out to the NHRA how easy it would be to hide the power-adder, dem-onstrated on his son Rusty's Pro Stock car, which had qualified for a race and been through tech inspection. My 339 and 342 cubic inch Clevelands got close to 12,000 RPM. The block is a rare furnace-brazed Boss 351 casting with markings that indicate a Roush origin. Even today, only John Force (134) and Warren Johnson (97) have more event. Offered as a "believed to be" all original GT with 351 cid (5.8L) V8, four-speed manual transmission, and the engine-mounted "shaker" hood scoop. They all run on gas and air. Copyright 1996-2023, NHRA. BG] I didn't know I'd be runner-up. The Dana rear had a 35 spline spool (No more Detroit Lockers). That's where I bought my rst car that I turned in to a race car, a 1965 Ford Galaxie. Glidden began his drag racing career in the 1960s in a Ford 427 Fairlane. Ford hadnt offered Glidden any factory backing in his years prior. Related Articles What Goes Into Steve. The Chicago 1975 season was coming to an end, but I got to run once at US 30 and the last day at Oswego. His last real competitive pass came in 2003, and he did return to the track in 2010 to consult with another team. BG] Oh, diferent deal, you know, after I quit racing, my hat was of to him because for years and years he stayed competitive. Brent. Bob takes the win. He fought like you wouldnt believe, his son Billy confirmed. Over the years, weve gotten asked numerous times about connecting rod length and the impact that has on an engines horsepower and durability. The Fairmont provided the perfect bridge from one manufacturer to another. He used the Probe to win at the Fallnationals, which was his 67th career victory. -I had heard that Larry Widmar (theoldone.com) was THE reason for Gliddens big Ford head success. Not really, the Fairmont served its purpose, Glidden said. Don had the car rebuilt into a Mustang II not long after the Winternationals in Pomona. And he completed the season with five straight wins and his eighth Pro Stock championship. The Quest for the Perfect Heirloom Tomato Variety 0 dealers found. One key difference: The Cleveland V8, as the engine is also known, employs canted valve heads. In the world of tomatoes, there are countless varieties that offer unique flavors, textures, and growth habits. The results were as Glidden put it, the worst handling race car he ever drove.. Most built their own stuff and tuned it, and raced with only one or two volunteer helpers. This video documents the 1978 pro Stock Tour, and all the NHRA Pro Stock races that the Fairmont was undefeated in. HRM] Well, if you were just lucky, was anyone good? In 1983, even the NHRA dumped factoring. He swept 5 of the first 7 events and 7 out of the first 11. Well, Lee goes out, second round, and we get to the fnals. NOTE: Established in 1945, and still operated by Phil Lukens Blair's is the oldest continuously operated speed shop in the world. . This is my favorite Bob Glidden car. My transition in 1975 from bracket racing a 122 wheelbase mid-eleven second, two-ton '57 Mercury to racing in a low nine-second 99 wheelbase, Pinto Pro Stock car, was quite a jump. - https://t.co/DUze73cQrL pic.twitter.com/XTPyBJgdHB, ENCORE: GLIDDEN'S FAIRMONT - NOTHING LIKE UNDEFEATED. We were just battling the NHRA with the rule deals. Gliddens Don Hardy Fairmont debuted at the 1978 NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, N.J., and from that point everyone in the Pro Stock field was racing for second place, whether it was qualifying or eliminations. HRM] In 1986, you crashed and covered the engine when you got out. Rod bearings were chamfered with pin hole and extra clearance, netting .0035. Perhaps you can come up with some categories to make this more than an exercise in "who's is bigger or badder". Do to the factored rules, most Pro Stock engines were small blocks, and usually de-stroked. record at 7.277 secondsthe quickest Pro Stock run in NHRA history. Boss 302 ought to qualify since the heads are more or less shared. After bracket racing with acceptable accomplishments, my quest in 1975 was to run heads-up Pro Stock. It was kind of like the Plymouth Arrow when we came out with it. Unfortunately for the competition, Glidden learned more with each run regardless of the combination. In what is unquestionably one of the greatest losses the sport has ever endured, drag racing legend and 10-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Bob Glidden passed away today at the age of 73 following a brief illness. Glidden ran Ford engines displacing as few as 332 inches and as large as 340. The "Bob Rydey" 584; 582 Air Camando EFI; 618 "Super Air Commando" 632 "Air Enforcer" Pro Street Engines. They put weight on me and took a lot off the GMs but at the end of the season it didnt matter because we had plenty left. After that year, Ford sent a person down to our shop to meet with me and we put together, at that point, still a small deal, but small deals were better than nothing, put that together with me to race Ford again. by SBC Sat Feb 05, 2005 8:20 pm, Post The lightest and strongest components available were needed to crank those engines that hard. Sadly, it turned out that last day was the end of the Chicagoland Pro Stock at US 30 and Oswego forever!
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