27 replies to this topic

[IanC]

https://youtu.be/aDK...kzZRBZiltbycndE

[Shiney005]

Johnson's XD was 1250 KG's????  Cheating Ford Motherfrockers!!!

[Rockoz]

Around this time I was getting a little involved in the behind the scenes stuff of racing.

One of the blokes I used to talk to a fair bit told me of some of the stuff that teams used to do.

 

Bathurst was a bit of an example he used.

It was not unheard of for some teams to start with an obviously illegal car.

They would dominate the race or their class, or perform above expectations, and get as much publicity as they could, primarily for the coverage for sponsors.

They would then retire from the race later on, usually in a position where scrutineering wouldnt look at their cars post race.

 

Not in any way suggesting Dick did something like that, and I doubt if he intended something along those lines he would trash the car.

 

This was still in an era where there was still a bit of scope in rule interpretation as well.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Dr Terry]

It's only cheating if you get caught !

 

Dr Terry

[Heath]

I REALLY enjoyed the Dick Johnson podcast that Aaron Noonan did. Some of his stories are out of control.

 

I haven't watched this YouTube video, I might try to make some time to if people reckon it's good.

[yel327]

Johnson's XD was 1250 KG's????  Cheating Ford Motherfrockers!!!

 

They all learnt from Harry.

[Bruiser]

I like old Dick Johnson, seems to be an honest no bullshit kind of a bloke,
always seemed to be grinning (when not in tears) and always good for a laugh
Ford folks may have made him their poster boy, but he did
race that Zupps Lj in his early days so he was a bit red as well deep down, I suppose
Maybe the guy who made the video could be wrong about the weight

Good video, Ian

Speaking of old Ford heroes, Allan Moffat is having a hard time these days
He has dementia, very sad to see him now

https://m.youtube.co...h?v=ZIUWw5SNc_k

[Rockoz]

I like old Dick Johnson, seems to be an honest no bullshit kind of a bloke,
always seemed to be grinning (when not in tears) and always good for a laugh
Ford folks may have made him their poster boy, but he did
race that Zupps Lj in his early days so he was a bit red as well deep down, I suppose
Maybe the guy who made the video could be wrong about the weight

Good video, Ian

Speaking of old Ford heroes, Allan Moffat is having a hard time these days
He has dementia, very sad to see him now

https://m.youtube.co...h?v=ZIUWw5SNc_k

 

 

He is a good larrikin.

I was outside his behind the pits garage one night at Bathurst as he rebuilt the engine on the Saturday night.

He had the very deep crowd of onlookers laughing as he joked his way through the rebuild.

Ciggie hanging out of his mouth most of the time.

He didnt fare well in the race, and his commentary during the race was good too, with less expletives than the night before.

He was good value.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[IanC]

Never ever crossed my mind where these cars come from. But Dick Johnson's true blue being a police car only months before that race is a story in itself.

[RallyRed]

I have watched 1/2 of the vid. Some good old footage there.
I recall being at Oran Patk on a Friday night? for the twighlight racing. Gary Willmington turned up in the first ever XD race car ( an unispiring light metallic blue colour ). It was reported then that it was a smart moove as they had used bog basic 6 cyl.XD "Taxi Pack" weights in the info submitted to CAMS.
I have never heard the ute version of this?.

[Bruiser]

How’s about the building of the second car - the whole thing
beneath his house???

Those guys sure were a different breed than today’s race drivers

[Rockoz]

I have watched 1/2 of the vid. Some good old footage there.
I recall being at Oran Patk on a Friday night? for the twighlight racing. Gary Willmington turned up in the first ever XD race car ( an unispiring light metallic blue colour ). It was reported then that it was a smart moove as they had used bog basic 6 cyl.XD "Taxi Pack" weights in the info submitted to CAMS.
I have never heard the ute version of this?.

 

I was there that night too.

It was claimed to be the first XD to race.

I was centre field that night in a tow truck. The only one there from memory.

Great place to view the action from.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Shiney005]

 It was reported then that it was a smart moove as they had used bog basic 6 cyl.XD "Taxi Pack" weights in the info submitted to CAMS.
I have never heard the ute version of this?.

Then there was Holden who submitted a VC SL/E to CAMS for homologation forcing Brock to carry a complete air con unit on the passenger floor and a radio taped to the transmission tunnel. The SL/E was used because it was the only car fitted with the new big valve heads.

 

 Air con. Brock VB This was VC in 1982 after finally being homologated with big valve heads.jpg   326.53K   4 downloads

Edited by Shiney005, 13 September 2023 - 10:07 AM.

[yel327]

Wasn't it because the VC HDT was based upon an SL/E?

[Rockoz]

Yeah Byron that is correct.

All the Commodores running the big valve heads raided the dealerships for the required parts.

From memory Gricey actually stuck with small valve heads around then and it paid off for him.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Shiney005]

That sounds about right, as it would have only been the HDT road cars that had the big valves.

[RallyRed]

Small world Rob!.

Imagine that A/C unit bouncing around inside if there was a roll over..ouch.

[Rockoz]

Small world Rob!.

Imagine that A/C unit bouncing around inside if there was a roll over..ouch.

 

 

Lots of race tape.

The scrutineers were really on to them to make it safe.

Was just for a single round.

Then I think there was some trickery behind the scenes with homologation of models.

Some teams ran big valve, others ran small valve.

In the wash I dont think there was a huge difference between them as far as track performance went.

There were huge inconsistencies in scrutineering in the 80s with Group C.

As well as some other rules too. Channel 7 seemed to have a lot of say particularly with regards to Bathurst.

One driver managed to drive in another teams car after his owned failed early, even though he wouldnt have been cross entered.

One team at scrutineering one year seemed to not have the 100mm clearance block used on their cars, even though it went under every other car I watched go through.

Some teams had to follow the rules more stringently than others it would seem.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[Potta]

One driver managed to drive in another teams car after his owned failed early, even though he wouldn't have been cross entered.

 

Moffatt?

[Rockoz]

Moffatt?

 

Yep.

His RX7s seemed to be able to bypass the height check too.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

[yel327]

There was always talk about the Moffat and Bond XB coupes in 1977 having alloy blocks in them. Not sure if that is another Ford urban myth or not.

[Shiney005]

Yep.

His RX7s seemed to be able to bypass the height check too.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

Not to mention the extra gear in the gearbox!

[Dr Terry]

There was always talk about the Moffat and Bond XB coupes in 1977 having alloy blocks in them. Not sure if that is another Ford urban myth or not.

I doubt that there was an alloy version of the Cleveland block made in those days.

 

Dr Terry

[yel327]

I had the same thoughts. GM had tried with the small block in the early 60's and didn't even manage heads. Winters made them alloy heads and blocks for the 427 in 1968/9 though so it was technically possible. It would have been done here though you'd imagine if there was any fact behind that rumour as the Cleveland was gone in the USA and noting but a curiosity by 1977 other than for its use in Panteras.

[caterham2]

I like old Dick Johnson, seems to be an honest no bullshit kind of a bloke,
always seemed to be grinning (when not in tears) and always good for a laugh
Ford folks may have made him their poster boy, but he did
race that Zupps Lj in his early days so he was a bit red as well deep down, I suppose
Maybe the guy who made the video could be wrong about the weight

Good video, Ian

Speaking of old Ford heroes, Allan Moffat is having a hard time these days
He has dementia, very sad to see him now

https://m.youtube.co...h?v=ZIUWw5SNc_k

Ford were not interested in the XD Falcon being raced, so Dick took on the task of homologation. Clever Dicky noted that in the Ford lineup was a "taxi pack" model, a stripped down poverty pack version. This is the 1250 KG figure he submitted and had accepted along with all the other paperwork. Not cheating, just smart. BTW the H, the old fox, used to send his cars through scrutineering with wheels that had divers lead weight belts fastened  to the inside of the wheels to make weight. Apparently no one spotted those,