I would imgaine even with Ford's problems financially that John has been a much better person in bringing them business than bob glidden. After sporadic wins in the early '90s, Bob Glidden was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994. The 377 CID Cleveland in Bob Glidden's 1978 all white Ford Fairmont must rank as one of the greatest, if not the ultimate 'Cleveland', in all of motorsports (and that's ALL MOTORSPORTS!). A cross-pollinating workforce, as Glidden noted, is partly responsible for fewer secrets within the industry. Digital mapping, computer modeling and CNC machines all but ensure that if a secret does get out, it will be replicated within hours. Scale Auto is the leading authority for car modelers. When Bob Glidden was inducted as number four on the NHRA's Top 50 Drivers list, panelist Bob Frey said of Glidden's talent, "There never was, and probably never will be, a more dominant driver in our sport." Glidden retired his undefeated Fairmont in favor of a Plymouth Arrow in 1979 and lost only three times all year. Again, email us at [email protected]Automedia.com. Anyway, you get the point. Glidden retired from full-time racing in 1997 to help with Ford’s NASCAR engine development. “The top was gone, carbs and everything were gone.”. Bob Glidden leaves behind one of the most decorated legacies in NHRA and motorsports history. in nine national events with his Ford Fairmont — in 1978, so it was shocking that. He went on to work with Ford, developing engines for their NASCAR Winston Cup program. He worked with chassis builder Don Hardy to create this longer wheel base drag car. We promise not to use your email address for anything but exclusive updates from the Power Automedia Network. Don’t email us your competitor’s cam profile, but you can ask us to do a story on adapting a NASCAR-like camshaft with multiple grinds to help your Saturday night dirt-track car even out cylinder-to-cylinder variation. Mike Magda is a veteran automotive writer with credits in publications such as Racecar Engineering, Hot Rod, Engine Technology International, Motor Trend, Automobile, Automotive Testing Technology and Professional Motorsport World. With very little notice, he had to resurrect the old Boss 429 architecture to compete against GM’s purpose-built DRCE platform when the 500-inch rule was mandated. About Roger Driver of our '57 Chev from 1972-2019, Vietnam veteran (A Troop, 3/17th Air Cavalry Scout helicopter Line Chief and later Cobra Periodic Inspection team leader), retired ASE rated automotive mechanic. His 9.03 e.t. “I didn’t want them to gain any edge, and that’s what it’s all about.”. If before reading this you weren't familiar with Bob Glidden, you've probably seen his epic crash in 1986 in at least one Top 10 crash montages. In 1975, it's safe to say Glidden dominated Pro Stock, clinching seven wins, five number-one qualifiers, eight top speeds, and six low e.t. Personality'ssell cars. From the start of his career, racing was always a family affair. This didn't keep the Reher-Morrison guys down for long as they came back to win all four titles from 1981 to 1984. That year he was undefeated in divisional competition and won seven national events. Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from EngineLabs, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE! But if EngineLabs is to be successful, our prying eyes and ears need to uncover at least a few of the latest and greatest tricks from the engine shops, the aftermarket and leading manufacturers. 1974 was his second season in the Pro Stock field and the first of a two-in-a-row championship win. Its debut at the national level was slated for the NHRA's Summernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. His domination of the Pro Stock class set the bar high for other competitors and he will go down as one of the greats in the sport of drag racing. Most trackside observers predicted it would take Glidden … “When we started hiring outside people, it was really our downfall,” admits Glidden. You can squawk about the high-stakes involved in Formula 1 and sports car prototypes, but the ultra-close racing in Pro Stock over the years indicates there is a very high-octane rivalry yet competitive balance going on between the major engine builders. 1987 was another year of dominating numbers with victories aplenty: Eight wins, 10 finals, 14 top-qualifiers, and 42 round wins. The car rolled six times but the funnycar roll cage surrounding him held together. After finishing the 1978 season with seven straight victories, Glidden opened the 1979 season with a victory at the Winternationals and didn't lose a round until June, when a foul start in the second round of the Mile-High Nationals snapped his streak at 14 races and 50 rounds. “Even with the simplest things, there’s no point in feeding your competitors any information, period,” explains Glidden, now … [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. Unfortunately, but predictably, many in the industry will charge that we’re not a friend of the profession; but rather, we are the axis of evil and will seek to expose proprietary intelligence that is more classified than the CocaCola formula. We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request. When we started hiring outside people, it was really our downfall. I’ve even seen beer cartons taped around intake manifolds (at least it was the team’s sponsor!). In 1968 he changed to a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang. Remember Bob Glidden's Fairmont? 1978 was a huge year for Glidden. We acknowledge there can be some measure of friction in covering engine technology. Bob Glidden didn't have one iota of 500-inch engine technology when the edict was handed down. Ruth’s car, a clone of Bob Glidden’s 1978 Ford Fairmont, is one of several in the group that were originally built decades ago as Pro Stocks. When we found something better, those became our baseline engines. B-DEC-BG1-1 1981 Bob Glidden Fairmont Decals $12.50 This decal set represents the paint scheme and contingency decals sported on Bob Glidden's 1981 NHRA pro stock Fairmont the year after he want the Pro Stock championship in his similar appearing 1980 Fairmont. at 152.54 mph was enough to beat Wayne Gapp in the final round. After a skin-of-the-teeth victory over Butch Leal in the semi-finals in Atlanta, Glidden's parachute didn't deploy correctly. He won 85 NHRA national events. Getting back on the horse after such a crash wasn't hard for him though, because a month later he returned in a new Thunderbird to the Cajun Nationals. Well, Mr. Glidden is retired now, but after a quick search on his name I found he and his Fords are still... to this day 3rd most winningest Drag racer. His last real competitive pass came in 2003, and he did return to the track in 2010 to consult with another team. John Force, left, celebrates Bob Glidden's induction into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. Ford engine (as time progressed, the engine would displace 340 cubic inches). Bob Glidden's opinion on engine stands 11-02-2016, 10:44 AM I've been reading some of my old car magazines and in a 1980 Super Stock & Drag Illustrated they did a couple articles on BG and in one it said that in their very well equipped 7000 square foot shop one thing you don't see is a single engine stand. record at the Supernationals, locking in the season victory. However, can we also agree that there is some degree of overreaction and pretentiousness within the powertrain community with regards to secrecy? One of the most fortified cornerstones of any engine program–whether at the OEMs, on a major race team or in a weekend warrior’s garage–is secrecy. by Jeff Burk – Posted May 5, 2009 Personal comment: I have mixed emotions about this new ‘spec’ engine being the answer.Burk is absolutely correct that the nitro cars must be quicker and faster than the alcohol cars or interest will dramatically wain. All rights reserved. A winner of 85 Pro Stock races and 10 NHRA championships, Glidden developed and built his own engines with the help of wife Etta and his two sons, Billy and Rusty. It pulled the back of the car hard right and sent it head-on into the opposite guardrail. He quickly went to work on a program that was based on the Boss 429 block since it was impossible to bore his faithful 351 Cleveland to 500 inches. The Pro Stock secrecy veil is so obvious in the drag racing pits when compared to the other pro classes. “I always kept two baseline engines that we didn’t change–just kept them fresh and ready to race. All rights reserved. “We did everything in-house,” says Glidden, who won five straight Pro Stock titles from 1985 to 1989. Glidden’s reaction is understandable, given the state of affairs in Pro Stock at the time. Dyno Don and Bob Glidden decals are available. It came as a shock this Monday morning to learn that drag racing legend Bob Glidden had passed away on Sunday evening. Unlike his previous years, he started the season strong. Glidden began his drag racing career in the 1960s in a Ford 427 Fairlane. (BTW, there will be a story on that very topic coming soon!). Expert columnists offer tips and solutions to modeling problems about muscle cars, racing vehicles, dioramas, and trucks. EngineLabs is launching this week with the objective of analyzing the many avenues of engine technology, especially racing and street performance. His wife, Etta Glidden, was his crew chief with both of their sons by her side. Might be sold now--last time I talked to the guy was over a year ago. Your information will be collected and used in accordance with our  Privacy Policy. Neat cars though, at least I think so. The Ford Fairmont is a compact car that was produced by Ford from the 1978 to the 1983 model years. He drove his new car, a Ford Probe, to a national e.t. The engine is a singularly original Glidden built Boss 351 Cleveland unit, the only one he ever sold with one of his cars, almost every single component has been massaged in some way Originally painted Red, the car was refinished in its distinctive Stars and Stripes livery by Glidden's partner Bob Allen Glidden came back in '85, led the points race all season, and won five national events. “Not one single warning,” Glidden recalled. Take A Walk Through Reviva, More Power With Less Boost: Banks 1,200-HP Tri-Charged Duramax, Piston Installation Tips With MAHLE Motorsport, Fire Power: Performance Distributors’ SOS Coils For The LS, A Guide To Ford V8 Engine Block Casting Numbers, 1952-1996, A Guide To Mopar V8 Cylinder Head And Block Casting Numbers, Godzilla Rising: Cracking 1,400 Horsepower With Ford’s Newest V8, HEMI Power: Paramount Performance Makes 2,500 HP With Gen III HEMI. He was 74 years old. though the cams did not have much lift by todays standards the competition wasn't using any more, and the clevelands cleaned up..... -1978 nhra gave BG 150 lbs off his weight break for using a long boxy fairmont. After a victory at the Mile-High Nationals in July that year, he went on to win six of the seven final races of the season. © 2017 Power Automedia. When he retired, Bob Glidden had the most wins in National Hot Rod Association (NRHA) history. The Fleet: '79 Fairmont Boxtop: The turbo-box ... ,4.30 gear,MM Adj.Lowers,Baseline Pro-launch#2,Anti-roll bar,UPR K-member,A-arms,Coilover kit,Manual rack,Bumpsteer kit.Engine complete 648hp, 508lbft tq.93 octane N/A. But there are other factors, the least of which is the practice of reverse engineering. Upon his moving to the professional ranks, Glidden quit being a full-time mechanic and sold his two Cobra Jets to buy a Pro Stock Pinto from Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush. Pro Stock icon Bob Glidden, one of the most dominant forces in the history of NHRA Drag Racing, died Dec. 17. “Even with the simplest things, there’s no point in feeding your competitors any information, period,” explains Glidden, now 68 years old. he doea a good job and has 5 times the personality of bob glidden. Feb 13, 2021 - Explore sam stoltz's board "Bob Glidden", followed by 311 people on Pinterest. Because we open up to seeing a couple of pro level pro stock operations like Bob Glidden’s and they consist of a dually truck and a large but not insane enclosed trailer. By clicking Sign Up, you agree to the  Terms of Use. He reached 76 career wins by the end of the season, with 49 of them in the '80s alone. Even though Glidden did not get to test his Plymouth Arrow on a drag strip until one week before the 1979 NHRA Winternationals, the Direct Connection 355 cubic inch displacement (CID) engine ran a best of an 8.50 elapsed time (ET) at 157.50 mph. As cool as Bob Glidden's Fairmont was there is just something about tubbed cars that I absolutely hate. He started out in Stock and moved up to Super Stock. He quickly beat his own e.t. After a slump in 1976 and clawing back up to the podium in 1977, Glidden took back the crown in 1978, collecting 16,035 points and claiming several victories not only in his trusty Pinto, but in his Ford Fairmont (a car that was later undefeated). 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That was a never ending deal.”. Ford said they'd never get back into NHRA pro stock and they haven't. See more ideas about bob glidden, drag racing cars, glidden. Bob Glidden made over 750 hp in basically this way and eventually went 8.30 in nhra trim. 1988 was the last year of the Thunderbird for Glidden, but the car wasn't retired until he won his fourth straight title. Right out of the gate, he came out guns blazing with five of seven wins. His final win was at the Mopar Parts Nationals in 1995. he came to the 1979 Winternationals with a Plymouth Arrow powered by a smallblock. I know where there's an almost exact replica (but smaller rear tires) for sale, drag car only--351c 4V/C4-- but solid..and a proven race winner. “That was technology that I didn’t intend to pass on. Bob ran our combination for the first time at the 1985 WinterNationals and destroyed every national record in the class (letting of the throttle at 1000 ft.) in his rout of the class. — Bob Glidden, “It was my technology and there was no point in letting the cameras get inside my manifold,” defends Glidden. Almost every single component has been massaged in some way. No longer wanting to manage more than 20 possible variations of different engine sizes and vehicle wheelbases, the NHRA in 1982 set down one formula: 500 cubic inches and 2,350-pound minimum weight. OK, now I see them. Glidden’s reputation for secrecy, of course, was memorialized following his wild finish-line crash at Atlanta in 1986. Accomplished with Ford 427, 428CJ and Boss 429. The entire venture went away after we sold Bob Glidden several engines in the winter of 1984. Mandating another nitro ‘spec’ engine is a mistake! After sporadic wins in the early '90s, Bob Glidden was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994. Mike Ruth, who races a Bob Glidden tribute Ford Fairmont, started the Midwest Nostalgia Pro Stock Association (MWNPSA) to race like-minded drivers with similar tribute cars, "paying tribute to … Other accolades include back-to-back championships in 1974 and '75, three from '78-'80, and five championships in a row from 1985-'89. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont was the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America; Lincoln-Mercury marketed the model line as the Mercury Zephyr.In contrast to the Maverick, the Fairmont was a completely new design, no longer based upon the Ford Falcon. He qualified number one 23 consecutive times and claimed nine national victories. “You could very easily get lost with your own changes. My "love affair" with Fairmonts and Bob Glidden's success in pro stock in the late 70s and early 80s inspired me to take the whole Fairmont process a step further (severaI, actually) to develop several parts packages that are 70s-inspired. For the first time in a long time, Glidden had his work cut out for him in 1980. Mopar engine. In '79, the undefeated Fairmont was retired, and Glidden hopped in a Plymouth Arrow where he opened the season with a Winternationals victory. I imagine we ran bigger ports than anyone else, but I don’t have a clue what the other people ran.”. Okay, Bob, it’s nearly 30 years later. Glidden has his Fairmont in this movie and he’s running against Monzas and late 1970s second gen Camaros, etc. There subtle differences between the 1980 and 1981 cars. He finished second to Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins at the Supernationals in his new ride, his Pro Stock debut. record and speed of 8.83 at 154.90. Pro Stock drag racing is one of the most secretive motorsport disciplines, at least in pit ritual. Our thoughts, prayer, and deepest condolences are with the Glidden family at this difficult time.". “I hired them to get work done but all our information kept getting passed on”. The engine is an original Glidden-built Boss 351 Cleveland unit, the only one Glidden has sold with one of his cars. In keeping with the spirit of this conversation but in the context of our mission, we’ve set up a hotline for ideas: [email protected]. record of 7.277, the fastest in NHRA Pro Stock history at that time and won the championship. Most of the development was with cylinder heads and intakes. On Sunday, December 17, Glidden died at age 73, after being admitted to an Indianapolis hospital for an undisclosed illness on December 5. they have their PR man with Force. Glidden had been very successful running a small-block Ford in the early era, including a stretch in 1978 when he won a record nine straight national events. What would the cameras have seen? 's. Our calling is to share advice, showcase new ideas and expose risks in the competitive and exciting universe of the internal combustion engine. Flying the Ford banner nearly his whole career, Glidden had amassed 85 national event wins and at the time of his retirement and held the NHRA record for most wins. 1989 is the last year that Glidden won a championship. "He was a true competitor who left a lasting legacy of excellence both on and off the track. The oiling system, pistons, rods and crank all received the Glidden touch, as did the valve train, heads, fuel and ignition systems. Top Fuel teams will tear down their engines right in front of the spectators. But EngineLabs is not designed to be a clearinghouse for proprietary and highly sensitive informaton. His final win was at the Mopar Parts Nationals in 1995. Great how-to content and kit reviews help builders of all skill levels to improve their 1/16, 1/24, 1/25, and small-scale models. Others include former Super Gas, Super Comp, and Comp Eliminator cars. He is most closely associated with Ford cars, a manufacturer that he used throughout his career, except in 1979, winning the world championship in a Plymouth Arrow. I wanted to know more about this unique dynamic, so I called Bob Glidden, Pro Stock’s winningest driver and certainly its most celebrated guardian of the secret manifesto. © 2020 Power Automedia. What was the big secret? He was 73. Images courtesy of Ford Motor Co. “We didn’t attempt major changes,” adds Glidden, who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2005 and is ranked Number 4 on the NHRA’s Top 50 Driver list. Built in the space of two weeks, the Fairmont's box-like body shrouded a 332-cu.in. A winner of 85 Pro Stock races and 10 NHRA championships, Glidden developed and built his own engines with the help of wife Etta and his two sons, Billy and Rusty. “We really didn’t have any sort of an engine to use. Pro Stock teams go to extreme lengths to conceal their engines from prying eyes. The engine technology landscape certainly has changed since Glidden epitomized the independent builder. "Everyone in the NHRA community is saddened to learn the news of Bob's passing," said NHRA President Peter Clifford. Video: The Birth Of A Crate Engine. The year that followed set the tone for Glidden's career with his first ever Pro Stock victory at the U.S. Nationals. After a transmission failure in round two of the finals caused Shepherd to withdraw from competition, Glidden went on to win the championship yet again. Here's a list of highlights from Bob "Mad Dog" Glidden's career: Before going pro in 1972, Glidden had great success in different Ford Fairlanes and even more so in 427 Cobra Jet Mustangs with sponsorship from Ed Martin Ford. After barrel rolling six or seven times, Glidden crawled out of the rollcage and shrugged off the safety crew only to remove his fire jacket and place it over the intake manifold. Did not Bob Glidden kick some ass in NHRA Pro Stock? Glidden remains one of the most decorated quarter-mile racers in history. He spent most of the season chasing points leader Lee Shepherd and the Reher-Morrison Camaro. The car was undefeated during the NHRA season and never lost a national event. We'll send you raw engine tech articles, news, features, and videos every week from EngineLabs. Bob started the 1978 season with a Ford Pinto but replaced this car with this Fairmont. One of the things with the 351 cleveland is, the old prostock racers such as bob glidden were taking factory stock parts like the nodular iron cranks, cleaning them up some, and were getting a hell of a lot of power on a "stock" crank from Ford. “They would have seen the size and shape of the ports and the angles of the plenum,” says Glidden. Bob Glidden had enjoyed the best season of his career thus far — seven wins. Another drag racing version of this Fairmont body is also available. One of the supposed … He won three major events, two of which were the Spring and U.S. Nationals. He also triumphed in Bowling Green Kentucky in the final of Division 3, where he was awarded an extra 400 points after setting a national e.t. The first generation of Pro Stock cars were governed by the weight-per-cubic-inch benchmark, which evolved in a spider’s web of weight breaks often decided by inside politics. By the end of the season, Glidden tied Don Prudhomme's record of most national event wins in one season and broke the Pro Stock single-season record of six set by "Grumpy" Jenkins in '72. We want to hear suggestions, tips, tricks and even criticism that can help us present the exciting universe of engine technology to all engine enthusiasts.
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