This is my car. A little info, original T-bolt, 496" Hi-Riser loaned to me by Jim & Jackie Gonia for these runs. Built by Panella Motorsports makes 919 hp, C-4 and 8" converter by Len Schneider, 4.30 rear 3375# with driver. My 454 Hi-Riser has iron heads and d-intake with 660's and makes 711 @ 6300. Thank everyone for your views and comments, Phil
Yeah Ghost. It is still a great car, but when the poster claims fastest Tbolt it should still at least be a 427 and preferably a 4 speed and pretty much legal for S/S. Should have just said 9 second 64 Fairlane.
it's good to see after fifty years ,i would still choose this over a new car, no radio no problem,if it break's i can fix it,don't need no stupid computers ...
@@64fairlane305 Yes, I know all about Holman-Moody, those guys know how to build a tough race engine that lives. But ".......it will last" is a relevant term, especially with race engines. I know you know this stuff, and no disrespect meant. For racing, "it'll last" much longer than a stock engine of course, or a race motor built by some amateur.........but that still doesn't mean it'll last like you would expect a dependable engine built as a daily driver. Also......you build a true race engine and tune it the way it's suppose to be tuned for racing......that engine won't behave & run worth a shit as "a daily driver". Probably last ya a whole season or 2 if you're in serious competition much of the year. Look......anyway you cut it, a 427 Ford side oiler runs like hell, one of my favorites.......but it WILL cost you to keep it, and race it all the time, pure & simple. Hell, they all do. But these nice Ford racing engines are damned expensive. And more power to anyone who can afford to keep them going year after year racing. This 'ole boy don't make a third of the money I used to.......I'm lucky if I can afford to go WATCH you guys race......LOL!!!
Absolutely amazing. Todays Cobrajet Mustang runs in the 8's with all the latest technology and yet the magnificent FE 427 totaly holds it's own..Impressive
Never get tired of seeing this T-Bolt run, his time probably would have even been faster if he could have avoided the wheel stand off the line, real thrilling for those of us who love the classic big blocks of the 1960s.
My old friend, Ken Dondero (RIP) was very good friends with Phil. In fact, Kenny was still alive when this went down. I still believe a Ford T-bolt is the best factory hot rod, ever. I am also a old FE builder & racer in my "Hot Diggity" dragster from the '80's. For Phil to run this quick at almost 3400# is phenomenal, yeah, we ran 8.50, but with less than 1/2 the weight.
@@threynolds2The SS/A National Record is held by Ray Paquet's Thunderbolt, while SS/C is a "Minimum": www.nhra.com/stats/14-mile-records-super-stock-eliminator
In the 80’s, f40 came with 480 hp as the fastest and strongest car. this came in the 60’s with 600 stock hp. Says it all really, this is a brute of a car
Well Ford Underrated the HP Values for Insurance purposes in the 60s, to keep rates down, but Thunderbolts were only rated at 425 HP not 600 HP ! They weren't 427 SOHC CAMMERS! .
@@TheMrPeteChannelrealistically, they were just GT40 engines (505 hp) with better airflow. I’d say they probably made about 550, a tiny bit less than a Boss 429 S-code.
Awesome car. thanks Phil for the info. it's an original t-bolt but the drive train is modern state of the art. no put down. always dug those cars: Phil Bonner, Gas Ronda, Butch Leal. Those were drag racings glory days.
big skynyrd fan, saw them in asheville in 75, but i am sure glad you waited for the real music to be over before skynyrd came on. that thunderbolt is music to my ears. a beautiful car. wow!! that is awesome. hope you guys continue to enjoy it. peace
I used to work for Phil Bonner in Cumming GA. He was a great guy. Real cool guy. Many talks we had. He actually couldn’t find his T Bolt and asked me to help him to locate it. Someone I don’t know how, but I did in the back of a machine shop in the same area of town. I’m not sure if he was able to buy it back but he had the lead.
Wow this brings to mind a German word called zietegest ! It simply means " the time in the moment" Think about it !! Saturday's , the drag strip , bad Ass cars , badder Ass motors, beautiful woman , ice cold Pepsi or coke , hot dogs , and don't forget the smell of the drag strip and burnt rubber ! Oh man those were the days. The 60s and 70s and you know you could have a blast on 20.00 dollar bill .😜😎
Grandpa Bill, i think ya talking 'bout "Zeitgeist", well so true 'n i think those days will come again. Look at these cars today, they look all the same. Plastic allover the whole vehicle 'n everything is electronical...they are more like computers than cars. Sad but true, but i don't think that todays cars will be there after 50-60-70 or more years. They are not so solid and durable like the good old ones, that's for sure. Stay safe 'n have a good one, Skål👍🤜⚡🤛🤘
@outdoorsman766 In fairness, these cars weren't anywhere near factory stock. They were purpose built drag cars not suitable for the street. I'd give my kidney for one though...
@davembanks Actually, I was 16-17, and yes It was a true Thunderbolt. He traded a 1970 Hemi Super Bee with a blown motor for it in 1974. The motor was gone, but he built a 427 side oiler for it and raced it in California for 2 seasons, never won anything with it and let me drive it to school when I got my license. It was an Automatic car originally. He put a 4 speed in it when he raced it, but put it back to auto for me. That's how it was when he sold it. I don't know if he has any pics of it.
@krankensteinrocks Thought you were knockin the blue oval cant have that anyway my apologies to you. my 95 has run a best of 7.09 at 204mph. long live FORD POWER!!!!!
Cool. There are a couple of T-bolt cloans running in NHRA Stock, and Super stock. The Stockers can reach 9.70's, (9" tires) on a good day. John Calvert has one. Nice video.
@@f4udhorn Any time I have a bad day I watch this, and it cheers me up. LOL! Last summer I was pitted with Robert Pond. He brought his T-bolt to Numidia Dragway for the Class Racer Nats. Nice guy.
The cammer was a nightmare to time and tune. It was for that reason they weren't the absolute unequivocal engine of the day. When done right nothing else even came close. But GETTING it there was nigh on impossible.
The 427 FE's don't flow as much as the Canadian 428's and neither can compare with the Chevy SB2's....I've had them on a flowbench. The FE's are workable as shown by the SS/A 1/4 mile National Record, 8.53 held by Ray Paquet's '64 TBolt
The higher profile results in more weight transfer to the read wheels at take-off. This gives the car better traction and a better launch. Generally, drag races are won in the first 100 feet. It's all about the elapsed time.
Good stuff my buddy,s dad has a cyclone 427. His uncle had a thunderbolt ..as a 12 yr kid hauling water every weekend at Milan's drag or central city Michigan was the best !!!!!!!!!!!!!m
I know that low 9 second run probably felt like a 6 flat at 250mph. I know it would have been faster without the wheel stand on the launch, but it looked so cool 😎. I can't believe how awesome these cars were in the 1960's. It's still hard to wrap my mind around, over 600hp available in the 1960's. Truly awesome 👌
I love getting Chrysler feathers flying. I seriously love all the classic muscle machines from all camps. If I were to pick out the fastest, buick gs,gsx,wildcat,gnxturbo always made a great showing at the track. Also pontiac, especially the 69,455sd trans am and 400 ram air goat, and firebird, 421sd wow! Also a given, Chevy 409,427,396,454,327,350 So there's so much more than just a hemi, although I dont know any car enthusiast who wouldn't love to have one. I will point out a friend of mine owned a 440six pack cornet built by ramchargers racing, you could watch the gas gauge needle move when accelerating 😁. I will end with, why whenever a debate about muscle cars comes up the only thing you hear from the Chrysler camp is hemi, hemi hemi. Just remember, they bought the rights to that they did not design it 😉 I remember my 302 2bbl, stock 70 mustang. Automatic would do 60 in first gear, bark second, chirp 3rd. I constantly decimate 340 challegers, they would always want me to raise the hood because they couldn't believe I was running a 302 2bbl. True story. I eventually lost to a 326 Pontiac.
@ShadenGheist must be the ultimate buzz to have driven both of those classics. In nz we have a lot of muscle cars from the states, i owned a 73 Mach1 and a 65 289 ranchero, stripped both to bare metal for a restore which did all myself as i was a car painter. used to drag race the mustang, it ran low 14s also had a genuine kawasaki Z1RTC only several dozen made in stock condition it ran high 10s but not built for drag racing, in the states (you guys built these things) nice to talk to you
THE 427 FORD HIGH RISER ENGINE IS WHAT THE CHEVY LS IS BASED ON. TECHNICALLY CHEVY RESURRECTED THIS ENGINE THAT WAS HIGHLY REGULATED AND BANNED IN MANY VENUES OF RACING. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THE LS IS 100% BASED ON FORD DESIGNS. NOTHING REMAINS FROM THE OLD SMALL BLOCK CHEVY.
FORD FE MOTORS WON LEMANS YEAR AFTER YEAR AND CHEVY MOTORS BLEW UP. IN 1961 CHEVY WITH THE CORVETTE PLACED 10TH AFTER 3 MOTOR CHANGES WHICH TOOK 20 MINUTES EACH TO CHANGE. THEIR CHEVY BIG BLOCK WERE ALSO GRENADES AND LEMANS WINS HAVE ELUDED CHEVY FOR ALMOST A 50 YEARS PERIOD UNTIL THEY COPIED FORD AND WON WITH THE GENERIC FORD THE LS IN THE DAYS OF MASSIVE POLITICS IN RACING WHERE ENOUGH SPONSORSHIP CAN SECURE YOU A WIN. IN 1966 ALL THE WORLD ENDURANCE RACE TRACKS WERE DOMINATED BY THE 427 FE ENGINES TAKING 1-2-3 PLACE FROM LEMANS 24 HOUR TO DAYTONA TO DOZENS OF MORE TRACK ALL OVER THE WORLD AND EUROPE. YOU BETTER BELIEVE THIS IS THE REASON GM TOOK A 50+ YEAR OLD FORD DESIGN AND REGURGITATED IT. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THE LS IS 100% COMPLETELY BASED ON FORD DESIGNS. NOT 11111111111111111 ONE DESIGN ASPECT OF THE OLD SMALL BLOCK CHEVY LIVES IN THE LS. IT IS ALL FORD.
Yeah, that 427 was so good Ford had to redesign it into the 428 since the 427's thin bores led to BHGs and overheating issues. Even the 428s weren't very good, so please remove the hyperbole and post specific technical facts to back your argument. So far I see no correlation between the two except both being v8s. They don't share block designs, crank, firing order, bores, heads, v angle, size, nothing! Big block Chrysler's do have only a few minor details in common with the FE blocks. the old SBC, 1955 265 has more in common with modern LS's that any engine built. The direct lineage is irrefutable.
THE ONLY REASON THE 427 WAS REDESIGN WAS DUE TO THE FACT IT WAS BANNED EVERYWHERE IN RACING. IN THE A/FX LIGHTWEIGHT WARS THE THUNDERBOLTS WERE BANNED AND THE 427 BY THE NHRA WAS REFACTORED AT 550HP WITH A STATEMENT BY THE NHRA TO THE PUBLIC AS FOLLOWED: "WHAT WE DO NOT WANT IS A ONE WINNER AND THIS IS WHAT FORD IS EASILY CAPABLE OF DOING". IN NASCAR THE 427 HIGH RISER AND THE 427 SOHC WAS BANNED WHICH USED THE SAME BLOCK. THE LATER 427 TUNNEL PORT IN 1967 WASN'T BANNED BUT NASCAR USED A UNDERHANDED TACTIC TO STOP IT BY LIMITING IT TO A SINGLE CARBURETOR SETUP WHERE IT WAS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR A DUAL QUAD SET WHICH THE 426 CHRYSLER HEMI WAS ALLOWED TO RUN FOR YEARS. JOHN DELOREAN'S BROTHER GEORGE WAS ONE OF THE ENGINEERS AT FORD WHO HELPED DESIGN THE FORD TUNNEL PORT ENGINE. HE GAVE HIS BROTHER THE FORD DESIGNS FROM THE TUNNEL PORT AND THIS IS HOW PONTIAC MADE THEIR RAM IV AND V HEADS. IN LEMANS THE 427 BY 1968 WAS BANNED. IN 1971 THE 427 SOHC IN TOP FUEL WAS ALSO BANNED IT WAS TOO FAST. IF THE 427 FORD HAD HEATING ISSUES LIKE THE CHEVY BIG AND SMALL BLOCK WHICH CONSTANTLY BLEW AT LEMANS THEY NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL ANYWHERE IN RACING WHICH THESE MOTORS DOMINATED AND HAD TO BE RESTRICTED AND BANNED TO STOP FORD FROM DOMINATING. TO SUM IT ALL UP THE LS IS ALL BASED ON THE FORD 427 HIGH RISER ENGINE. NOT 11111111 ONE DESIGN ASPECT REMAINS FROM THE OLD SMALL BLOCK CHEVY. THE LS IS ALL FORD. YOU COULD ALSO PUT IT THIS WAY. THE LS IS A RAISED PORT 351 WINDSOR WHICH IS WHAT THE 427 HIGH RISER MOTOR WAS BASED ON.
THIS PARAGRAPH IS YOUR ATTEMPT TO CONVINCE NOT ME BUT YOURSELF THAT THE LS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE 427 HIGH RISER ENGINE. BUT THE TRUTH IS THE LS IS COMPLETELY BASED ON THOSE FORD DESIGNS---->>>>>Yeah, that 427 was so good Ford had to redesign it into the 428 since the 427's thin bores led to BHGs and overheating issues. Even the 428s weren't very good, so please remove the hyperbole and post specific technical facts to back your argument. So far I see no correlation between the two except both being v8s. They don't share block designs, crank, firing order, bores, heads, v angle, size, nothing! Big block Chrysler's do have only a few minor details in common with the FE blocks. the old SBC, 1955 265 has more in common with modern LS's that any engine built. The direct lineage is irrefutable.
Ronnie Big Block Dodges, Fords and Chevrolets can run in the mid to high 8 second times but they are modified more than the 427 Thunderbolt that ran the 9.23 and 151 miles per hour. To get the 9.23 you have to have a car that is running at it's best and a driver that did not make any mistakes off the line. Featherston probably lost a few tenths coming off the line because he raised the front end, but was still a great run.
@@fasx56 Yes, I like people who have these Classic 60s Super Stock cars to try to keep them as period as possible, but of course with more reliable, updated and safer parts etc.
What world record? My son holds the street legal, road registered record in OZ for his R32 Skyline at 8.04sec. It produces 1150hp at 8500rpm at 1.5 bar on 95ron pump gas. Its his daily driver, and looking at it you would never know. Its completely stock with air con power steering etc etc. Wilkins Racing Engines. Sydney OZ.
I saw these cars raise in Detroit in 64. Chrysler Mopar ruled and dominated. But these little Fords won when I saw them. I believe, at the time, that owners had to sign an agreement not to race these cars on the street. My dad had a 63 Fairlane...but not anything like these cars..lol! Wish he did!
I had a '63 and a half K code Fairlane 500 Sports Coupe, too. One of the best and quickest cars ever for those times. 13.40's with mini-slicks (bucrons)
