Yes, things happened differently at the dragstrip in the early 70's. Some scary things were raced by todays standards.I raced a 3200lb big block Nova, high 9's 140mph. It had 6cyl drum brakes w/metallic linings up front, with big Mopar drum brakes w/ organic linings in the rear. Thought it was the best of both worlds. Cheap, light and stopping was never a problem. No internet then to bounce around ideas and reviews of performance parts, just word of mouth and car magazines. Most stuff was put together with a large helping of used parts. You had to "TRY"stuff, money was spent trying to go fast. Most guys didn't have the money for the cylinder heads and work that it took for the horsepower of today.If it didn't make the car go faster ,it didn't get bought. If you wanted a real safe car, you borrowed Mom's. Hope that sheds some light for those not old enough to remember. The 9sec big block was all iron and all used parts except rings, bearings,gaskets, and a roller cam bought with an IRS refund. You can go fast on a budget, its just not as pretty. Bill