By Al Vinikour 
MotorwayAmerica.com

I seem to be in an envious place — old enough to collect Social Security but lucid enough to remember the carefree days of my youth. Those days included spending most of my Sundays at U.S. 30 Drag Strip, a legendary track located in Merrillville, Ind.

My family owned junkyards nearby so if someone blew a rear-end or a transmission I’d hand them a business card, tell them to bring it in and they would receive a discount on purchasing a replacement part. Consequently I would spend hour upon hour roaming the pit area. It was a wonderful time to be a racing fan — particularly those of the quarter-mile variety.

I started frequenting the Sunday races in the summer of 1960, between my sophomore and junior year in high school. I had recently gotten my driver’s license and since I’d been driving since I was about 10 years old (hey…I learned to drive in a junkyard. You run into something…who cared?) I was well-versed on what car line was my favorite…and that turned out to be Ford.

Ford seemed to build the only vehicles that would hold up under me. However, the car line was at a competitive disadvantage during the l960-l961 era. Ford’s biggest block was a 352 cubic inch V-8 with one four barrel, rated at 300 horsepower. In 1960 the company built the sleek-looking Starliner two-door hardtop and the big mill was a 352 cubic inch V-8 putting out 360 horsepower. However, Ford’s only manual transmission was a three-speed column shifter, while others had four-speeds.

Ford 406 V-8 found
in 1962 Galaxie

Ford started the 1961 model year offering a 390 cubic inch V-8 with one four-barrel that put out an amazing 375 horsepower but still only had a three-speed transmission. In mid-year, however, Ford not only came out with its first performance four-speed, floor-mounted gear box but also tweaked the engine, added three two-barrel carbs and the horsepower zoomed up to 401. This started the cubic inch/horsepower wars that brought so much joy to us hi-po enthusiasts.

In progression over the next two years:

Ford brought out a 406 cubic inch/405 horsepower engine with three two-barrels, followed by the introduction of the 427 cubic inch powerhouse with two four-barrel carbs rated at 425 horsepower.

Chevy started the 1960s era with a 348 cubic inch V-8 with three two-barrel carbs and a four-speed rated at 350 horsepower. This beget the 409 cubic inch motor with 409 horsepower and then the 427 cubic inch V8 with 425 horsepower. All Chevys offered four-speed manual gear boxes.

1967 Chevrolet
Chevelle 396

Dodge/Plymouth did Chrysler proud. They started the era with a 383 cubic inch V8 with dual, cross-ram four-barrels. Then came the famous 413 cubic inch V-8 with dual-quads and following that were the 426 Max Wedge and then the legendary 426 Hemi with dual quads. It was during this period that Chrysler’s Torque Flight automatics were turning comparable, it not better estimated times than the four-speed manuals.

Pontiac rounded out the pack with its own blowtorches. It’s 389 cubic inch, 348 horsepower V-8 could be had with Tri-Power that spawned the 421 cubic inch V8 with dual quads that pumped out 405 horsepower. Both engines could be (and should have been) ordered with four-speed manuals.

All these high-performance engines were found in a variety of body styles. There were the obligatory lower-trim-level two-door sedans and hardtops, but they were also found in four-door sedans and even station wagons. Many of Chevy’s vaunted El Caminos were equipped with 348s. The worst-kept secret of that era was the true horsepower ratings of these big-block V-8s. It is probably not an exaggeration to say it would be safe to add at least 100-150 horsepower to the posted ratings.

To “liberate” a phrase from an old Mary Hopkins tune, “those were the days, my friend. I thought they’d never end.” Not only was that time the real Happy Days…we never had to put up with those two sniveling weasels Ralph Malph and Potsy.