Hot Rod Forum banner

When were the first NASCARs rebodied?

889 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  bentwings 
#1 ·
Does anyone know when they first started hanging newer sheet metal on previous cars?
 
#3 ·
That is my understanding but I can't find any examples.I know that I have read about (maybe only in my mind)some older body styles(60s&70s) being updated with new sheet metal,but I can't find anything on it.Today was my 39th birthday and an argument with my dad has me seeking clarity.He is a NASCAR fan,Me,not so much.For some reason I remember reading that some body styles were updated on the same chassis but damned if I can find anything about it.
 
#4 ·
A couple of articles on this...

When Stock Cars Ruled NASCAR and Why They Left - Street Muscle

https://www.reddit.com/r/NASCAR/comments/4d0457/when_did_nascar_stop_using_modified_production/

When did NASCAR stop racing stock cars?

I remember around 1988, when many car lines went to front wheel drive and you could only get a v6 in many cars. These were the sized cars that NASCAR generally used. That is when we really noticed the cars getting built on custom frames and the body skin applied to that.
 
#5 ·
It has been the practice of the OEM to use the same chassis from year to year and just update the sheet metal each model year for a long time. Perhaps that is where the confusion comes in. In the early 60's Wood brothers (Ford) started bringing in what is called white bodies which are just a bare body shell and fenders which were turned into race cars.

A white body is a shell pulled from the production line before any items needed for a street car is added to it. An example of what I call a white body is if a fellow would buy a reproduced body shell from a vendor that is only in primer and then finished off by the buyer.

Sam
 
#6 ·
Somewhere a while back there was an article about this. It started with the advent of unibody cars that NASCAR demanded. I don't remember what team actually was first but the article said 1965. The frames became tube structures and went almost unchanged for many years. Up into the 80's.

I think Bill Elliot was on the fore front at that time with the then new " rear steer" suspension that caucght everyone by surprise. He was able to drive away from the pack almost at will. The result was the restrictor plate and severe limits on " rear steer"

I think the true 4 link came about around 1970. It was still a mystery for drag racing back then but the NASCAR guys figured it out for their racing.

We had weekly betting pools at work in that era. This carried over into three different jobs for me. By ' 95 I had lost interest in NASCAR as it was already becoming " spec" racing. The streetrod became much more serious for me.

Byron
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top