History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Cordova, not Alton and the event was The World Series Of Drag Racing.

 

Thanks! Corrected above...

 

Your welcome - my first drag race the 1959 World Series. Cordova an hour away for me.

 

Saw this video from Caddo Mills on another site and don't recall it being posted here.

 

And we were there, right Pat & Jim?

 

Yes we were! The first two pictures I have posted were taken at the same time from two different people at the same time. If you look real close at the picture MG vs Bad News on the far left near the big truck you will see the guy (3rd from the left) with a camera taking the picture of the MG and Nomad. Pretty "Twilight Zone" isn't it.

Pat

 

Thanks for posting the video Junior Stock, saw some of my hero's from back then, including the white 56 of August Hartkoff. From Austin, he flat towed that thing all across the country.

 

Shrank Brothers on the left, blown Desoto, racing Fosberg & Hubbard, Algon injected Chevy, on fuel, Fremont.


Here is a better shot of the Shrank Brothers TE-440. They were originally from Texas, moved to California, ran this blown Desoto, story was that they blew up so many engines, they just went to the junkyard, bought a Desoto engine, put their cam in it, blower, and injectors, and ran it stock...I don't know if the story is true, but it is a good story anyway


Gary Gabelich on the right, in the Lisa, Rossi, and Maldonado car (did I get this right, there were several partners in this purple car), lining up to race Tom McEwen in the Baney Ford car, Lions....


The "Poacher" in the lights at Riverside, maybe Walt Rhodes driving? Notice how the headers go straight up instead of pointing at the tires....


Chrisman Brothers experimented with this behemoth, was not successful...but it still generated stories, I remember a wide-eyed racer tell me seriously that this car left tire marks all the way down the track at Bakersfield, then tire marks in the shut-down area from locked brakes all the way to the dirt at the end, and they never gave the speed...implication was that this thing had gone so fast that the powers-that-be were keeping it secret....but it got retired soon after in favor of a more conventional car.....(drag racing stories are like sea stories if you were ever in the Navy)...


Kenny Safford at Lions


Ivo at Seattle, early '62. Ivo and Zeuschel just finished this car and immediately towed it to Seattle, after Ivo hammered out a crude body. Lots of tire smoke until Ivo learned how to master blown fuel Chrysler horsepower.


These guys were runners, blown or unblown, Carlsbad


Soon to be in motion, Ivo and Fuller work on the twin-Buick car


I'm guessing that this is a very early test of the 4-Buick car, no body... San Fernando, pointing towards the starting line, push road in background (thanks, D.N.D for the track ID)...maybe Ivo got the track to himself for testing?


The Syndicate, a last-ditch fuel effort to compete against the rear engined cars, two motors and a wing, but just too heavy...it has been restored. The twin-gas cars were very successful, but twin blown fuel cars didn't seem to be competitive...

 

Yeah, those sea stories always began with, "This ain't no sh*t..."

 

Dave maybe Art sold that twin to Bill Colburn and that is what used for the ' Iron Misstress ' with the Messershmit body

Ivo mite be making all the tire smoke with Dave using a C-T arm in the 92'

Ivo's 4 engine car is at the Pond, pointed right at the starting line a few feet away in front of the car

 

I heard the same story about Frank Pedregon. He bought junk yard 392's, put his cam in, and blower set up on, loaded the tank with 90%, and ran 'em till they blew.

 

A number of guys, in those days, did that. A new set of pistons (about $8.00 a piece back then). Grab the 'purple cans', load it up and head out. Of course 92's were still plenty full then. They finally just about ran out when Donovan showed up.

 

My fist National event was Indy "64". As we where waiting in the tech line at the shopping center, I remember seeing Mazmanians' Willys coming in. The same car that was on the cover of Hot Rod. I had never seen so many Hurst shifters, Hilborn injectors, Sun tachs , American racing mags. What a great era.

 

Don, might have been the same car, certainly configured the same way, anyone know for sure?

 

Rollbar looks different, and the Chrisman car seems to have a tube axle, Coburn's is dropped Ford, engines are canted in the Chrisman car, straight on Coburns...but at the same time the similarities are there too...anyone know for sure?

 

After the post I googled it and saw a video by Neil Leffler, and their car had inline engines & rear ends

They built the frame out of muffler tube and it started to sag in the center, had to jack it up to get the chain coupler on to connect the two engines

He said they only ran it a few times and split up and each went their own way, as each guy owned one engine and rear end

It was fun to watch as it sure did smoke the tires trying to get all that weight moving

 

The Iron Mistress is not the same car. Completely different frame, and engine layout. The Mistress was a Leffler & Coburn project. They each took the engine from their comp coupes, and built the car around them.

 

The thing I recall about both of the double engine, double rear end diggers was the drivers saying that the cars were un-steerable. Once they got to pulling to one side of the lane or the other, they had to lift completely to get the cars straightened up...

 

Great story, maybe the torque of two fuel Chryslers pulled them too hard for the steering to overcome?

 

and speaking of Neil Leffler, here is the original coupe, from Parma, OH...I remember it at the Smoker's meet in '60 (I think)...beat the Speed Sport roadster....


Dave Zeuschel warming the Smirnoff car, Daryl Greenameyer owner, probably Larry Dixon driving. The detail on this car was amazing, even the "decals" were actually painted on....glad it has been restored.


Ivo versus Ernie's Camera, Ernie Alvarado from Glendale was the owner, blown Pontiac, Bill Alexander driving.


Composite, Cederquist Brothers top, Jim Miles bottom. Jim ran the '34 before his violet Fiat, and after a '29 roadster he ran on gas....I remember watching Jim run Fontana with this car, LOUD!....it was too heavy to compete with the 'glass-bodied tube framed fuel altereds, but it was sure fun to watch.


Albertson Olds at Lions. This car went to Alabama after Gene went to the high-backed McEwen and Adams gas car, was found rotting in a back yard, now restored...



I'm not sure whose fuel car this is at Fremont, early '60s


Big


Millwinders at Paradise Mesa, probably running Jack Ewell's fuel Ardun. Note Ike Iacano on the trailer in the background, maybe '53 or '54.

 

One cool thing on Neils fuel coupe they had a alum panel that opened up for the driver to get in, well after pulling about up to the line he would raise up that panel

And it said ' Not Ready Yet ' so the starter would know when to wave them to the line

And that was first class Cool stuff !!!!!!!