Glidden EXP & 1st Probe......

The Don Hardy built Glidden EXP was a P/S car of a much different era than the early Pinto's. It's short wheelbase had more power/torque to deal with as it was built for the newly enacted 500" rule in NHRA Pro Stock. The EXP supposedly had the same basic 4-link layout as the previous Hardy Fairmont, but the chassis layout as somewhat similar to the earlier Plym Arrow. But the EXP was just different enough that they had a hard time getting a handle on it 100% regardless of the chassis settings. With more time on the car Glidden might have been able to get the EXP to come around. I do remember seeing pics that showed very "different" looking bottom 4-link bars (compared to other cars). It's bottom bars didn't have the "normal" spherical rod-ends, but some kind of a solid bushing/sleeve/pivot assembly at each end. This may have been Hardy's attempt to try & cure launch body-roll since suspension anti-roll bars for the 4-link hadn't been invented/used in Pro Stock at this time.

 

 

From what I have read Glidden had a similar dislike/problem tuning his first ("technically" first, but not "recognized" as first) Probe too since it actually ended up being a Willy Reils built car instead of the planned Jerry Haas built car (Haas wasn't going to be done in time). Bob not knowing the likes/dislikes of a Reils chassis initially went with his past baseline Haas chassis settings (from the previous Haas T-birds) on the Reils Probe & it didn't respond like they had hoped. After a few tweaks they were able to get down the track though. But it wasn't until they finally got his Haas Probe (some call the "official" 1st Glidden Probe) that they started flying again.

 

 

Sorry for the hijack away from the Pinto subject, but I have always found all aspects of the Pro Stock class so damn interesting from the beginning all the way to the modern P/S car.