Register now to get rid of these ads!

History Davis ~ Ingram Jewel "T" AA / Altered ... Lotsa Pics!!!

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by HEMI32, Aug 6, 2008.


  1. Davis & Ingram Jewel T.jpg

    I've been viewing several of the old drag racing picture threads here on the HAMB ... and have been a bit surprised that no one has made mention of one of my favorite drag cars of the 60's ... the Jewel "T" campaigned by Joe Davis & Wes Ingram out of San Jose, California.

    The Jewel "T" was not only one of the most beautiful race cars of the 60's ... but it was always very competitive ... in fact, it held several National records and was the 1967 NHRA Super Eliminator World Champion!

    I'm kinda vague on the details ... but I do remember that my father used to travel with the Davis/Ingram team up & down the west coast ... I don't think he did much (if any) wrenchin' ... but rather acted as the "team photographer."

    I've been searching through tons of his old prints & slides ... and through several boxes of negatives & color transparencies ... but (so far) have found zero pics of the Jewel "T" ... I'll keep looking ... but in the meantime, here's some pics culled from the Internet:

    JEWEL T - 1967 CAR CRAFT (1).jpg
    JEWEL T - 1967 CAR CRAFT (2).jpg
    JEWEL T - 1967 CAR CRAFT (3).jpg
    JEWEL T - 1967 CAR CRAFT (4).jpg
    images from a 1967 issue of CAR CRAFT magazine

    jewelside.jpg
    Getting the holeshot...

    Joe Davis-Wes Ingram JewelT 1967 NHRA Super Eliminator World Champion.jpg
    A Lonely Sport: Jewel "T" doing a typically spectacular
    launch on a testing day ... a real shame we can't hear it!


    Davis & Ingram Jewel 'T' at Tulsa World Finals.jpg
    @ Tulsa World Finals


    ... and this quote from Wes Ingram's website:

    Wes remembers,
    I was barely 20 when I teamed up with the late Joe Davis one of the nations top 10 drivers at the time with an incredible win record. I was hell-bent on setting national records (we had at least 5) and I always built cars that would also be show stoppers. You could do that in drag racing since the cars only ran 1320 feet per race and the remainder of the time you were in the pits surrounded by race fans. It was a different world, a bit glamorous, cameras, big magazine articles and good looking women. Between races you had to learn to wrench, solve problems and get back to the starting line, sometimes with seconds to spare in spite of all the distraction in the pits. -
    Wes Ingram
     
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2021
    Deuces, Stogy, mike bowling and 2 others like this.
  2. "CAR CRAFT ACTION SHOWCASE" poster:

    Car Craft centerfold.jpg
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2016
  3. Bob Wagner photos:

    davisingrahm.jpg

    joedavisrear.jpg

    Jewel T - Engine (by Bob Wagner).jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
  4. From the Byron's Gasser Madness! website ...

    ... this Bob Wenzelburger (@NHRANUT) B&W photo taken @ the Fremont Drag Strip:

    0079jewelt.jpg


    ... this Monty Warner photo taken @ the 1967 Nationals in Indianapolis:

    67NATIONALSINDY-JEWELTAA-A.jpg


    ... this Pete Gemar photo also taken @ the 1967 Nationals in Indianapolis:

    Jewel T '67 Nats (by Pete Gamar).jpg


    ... and this Dave Edwards photo taken @ the 1969 Nationals in Indianapolis:

    69NATIONALSINDY-JEWEL-T-AAA.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019

  5. 65 impala
    Joined: Jan 12, 2007
    Posts: 1,091

    65 impala
    Member

    love it
     
    Deuces likes this.
  6. AnimalAin
    Joined: Jul 20, 2002
    Posts: 3,416

    AnimalAin
    Member

    A beautiful, fast, legendary hot rod. Thanks for posting it.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  7. 49ratfink
    Joined: Feb 8, 2004
    Posts: 18,828

    49ratfink
    Member
    from California

    cool stuff Hemi32. how come all your posts are made at 3:00 AM?

    oh happy birthday ....
     
    Deuces likes this.
  8. MikeRose
    Joined: Oct 7, 2004
    Posts: 1,583

    MikeRose
    Member
    from Yuma, AZ

    Ya, thats a great car. I know it's been talked about on here before. Thanks for posting all those great photos.
     
  9. Really? ... any idea where on the HAMB it was discussed? ... I've done numerous searches and never have found anything on the car, Joe Davis, or Wes Ingram ... I even tried misspelling the keywords ... still nothing ... Any info you might have would be greatly appreciated.

    ... and yes, I'm still looking through my father's B&W negatives and Ektachrome transparencies for pics of the car ... still no luck :(
     
  10. MikeRose
    Joined: Oct 7, 2004
    Posts: 1,583

    MikeRose
    Member
    from Yuma, AZ

    I'm not sure... but I recognize a couple of those pics and I'm sure I saw them here.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  11. WCD
    Joined: Apr 15, 2008
    Posts: 1,712

    WCD
    Member

    Though it might have stated already, but the car held the national record for both AA/A and BB/D in 1968! Check out the goalie style face mask. Wasnt the car later adorned with an Andy Brizio style paint job?
     
    HEMI32 likes this.
  12. brandon
    Joined: Jul 19, 2002
    Posts: 6,368

    brandon
    Member

    i liked the purple fiat ....didn't they have a mustang before this car...? brandon:D
     
  13. beautiful!! That would be one to replicate!
     
  14. rustydeuce
    Joined: May 26, 2006
    Posts: 855

    rustydeuce
    Member

    Love to see an article on that someday in Rodders Journal.
     
  15. Yep! :)...

    The Davis & Ingram '38 Fiat Topolino as featured in the June 1965 issue of HRM:

    HRM June 1965 pg34.jpg

    HRM June 1965 pg35.jpg


    The Joe Davis "Colt .45" Mustang in 1965:

    Joe Davis Colt .45 in blue.jpg
    image from the DragList.com website

    ... and in 1966:

    Joe Davis Colt .45 in white.jpg
    Eric Rickman (CarCraft) photo from the DragList.com website

    Joe Davis Colt .45 vs. Gene Snow Rambunctious @ Tulsa '66.jpg
    Fresh off his NHRA Nationals victory, Gene Snow faces Joe Davis at the NHRA
    World Finals at Tulsa. The Davis & Ingram "Colt .45" Mustang had been
    converted from an AA/Altered to an early funny car. The "Colt .45" ran on
    gas or low levels of nitro. Davis & Ingram eventually sold the Mustang to the
    Oklahoma based Martin Bros., who ran the car with many updates into the early '70s.
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
    Deuces, kidcampbell71 and LindaPace like this.
  16. Church Key
    Joined: Nov 30, 2004
    Posts: 1,529

    Church Key
    Member

    Acording to Ron Zavarella of Connecticut: His family bought it from Davis & Ingram, and his older brother drove it. They had it for one year racing it in Ct., then went to Indy for the Nationals. The car was stolen at Indy never to be seen again.
     
    HEMI32 likes this.
  17. Jack (@Church Key) ... thanks for the info ... that's a real bummer ... not only for the Zavarella family ... but for any hope that the car will be found and restored to it 1967-68 glory :(
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2015
  18. Wow ... the power of the H.A.M.B. !!!

    Earlier this week, I received a PM* from a couple of HAMB newbies: @JewelT and his son @Davis_Ingram_Walraven.

    I quickly replied to their PMs ... encouraging both of them to share their stories, info, & photos here on the HAMB.

    Later that night, I received an e-mail from @JewelT ... confirming that he was indeed a friend & colleague of my father's ... and that he still has some of the slides my father shot of the Jewel "T" @ Orange County International Raceway.

    Stay tuned ...




    * {thanks @MikeRose (aka "katatonic mike") for the forward!}
     
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2015
    kidcampbell71 likes this.
  19. Chuck R
    Joined: Dec 23, 2001
    Posts: 1,347

    Chuck R
    Member

    How old am I? I remember all those cars, I am sure that I have pictures of the Colt 45 somewhere. That was the begining of funny cars. There was a lot of great racing at Fremont back then, and a lot of very talented young builders in this area. That Fiat was way cool, and still is. Altereds were huge in the later 60's and I remember seeing the Jewel T run. It was great to watch.
    Thanks for the memories.
    chuck
     
    HEMI32 and Deuces like this.
  20. As I stated in my last post, Jim Walraven (@JewelT) recently contacted me.

    One of the e-mail messages that I received from Jim contained several attachments ... including copies of some of the slides that my father shot at Orange County International Raceway (circa 1968):

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (1).jpg
    In the Pits @ O.C.I.R. ... Note the "CUSTOMS BY Wilhelm" on the side
    of the turtle-deck ... Yes, the legendary Joe Wilhelm painted the Jewel "T"!


    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (2).jpg
    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (3).jpg
    In the Staging Lanes

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (4).jpg
    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (5).jpg
    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (6).jpg

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (7).jpg
    Jim pushes the race-car back

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (8).jpg
    At the Starting Line

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (9).jpg
    The launch!

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (10).jpg
    The late great Joe Davis (left) and Jim Walraven (right)

    Jewel T @ OCIR 1968 - by Bruce Olson (11).jpg
    Joe & Jim discuss "racing" with O.C.R.I. staff
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
    Deuces, kidcampbell71 and LindaPace like this.
  21. Jim Walraven also shared some interesting "factoids" about the Jewel T:

    • Joe Wilhelm charged around $900 to paint the car ... that was big dollars for the 60's!

    • A-1 Plating of San Jose did all the chrome work

    • Jim made the chrome firewall

    • 24 volt electrical system

    • 427c.i. BBC

    • Vertex magneto

    • Don Hampton blower

    • Hilborn Injection

    • Jim made silicone rubber header plugs to keep the valves warm after every run

    • They welded a skid plate on the bottom of the oil pan because every time Joe would come up to the starting line, the car would flex (with the torque of the engine) ... and sometimes the oil pan would scrape the ground!

    • Custom B&M transmission ... wrapped with with a blanket type scatter shield

    • Olds rear end

    • Simpson Drag chute

    • The wheelie bars were fabricated from leaf springs and chromed

    • 11" wide slicks

    • Joe Davis sanded & polished the Halibrand magnesium wheels by hand
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2015
    Deuces and kidcampbell71 like this.
  22. Here's the "JEWELT World Champions" logo:

    Jewel T Logo.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
    Deuces, kidcampbell71 and LindaPace like this.
  23. ... and the "spec sheet":

    Jewel T Spec Sheet.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
    Deuces and kidcampbell71 like this.
  24. Jim also explained that Wes Ingram had left the team in 1967 and that:

    The last race we {Joe & Jim} ran the "T" was in Portland, OR. The engine destroyed itself at the 1000' mark. We had a ballistic blanket around the torqueflite and when we tore it down, it fell out in pieces. Somehow a foreign object got into a cylinder and wasted the engine. This was shortly after we set the BB/A record in Arlington, WA. {April of 1968}

    The Jewel T was sold to a family due to Joe's failing health. Trailer with Jewel T and tow car was stolen at the next Indy meet. I would have liked to have been setting on the turtledeck with a double barrel shotgun when whoever it was dropped the tailgate.

    So this Dave Edwards photo taken @ the 1969 Nationals in Indianapolis just may be the last known photograph of the Jewel "T" (before it was stolen from the Zavarella family) :(:

    69NATIONALSINDY-JEWEL-T-AAA.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jul 9, 2019
    Deuces and kidcampbell71 like this.
  25. ShakeyPuddin55
    Joined: Dec 22, 2004
    Posts: 1,906

    ShakeyPuddin55
    Member

    Great stuff!! Thanks for posting.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  26. Chuck ... You are old! :D ... I don't have any recollection of their Fiat Topo ... or the Colt .45 Mustang (I was only 4-5 years old) ... but I have vivid memories of the Fremont Drag Strip from the late 60's ... and of course, the Jewel "T"! ... Any chance you have some pics of the Jewel "T"? ... if so, please post 'em here.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  27. THAT is interesting stuff... I like the old pics and the history that goes with it..
    Thanks for sharing.

    Rick
    (1939fiat)
    1966-67 BB/A
     
    Deuces likes this.
  28. Ingram_son
    Joined: Aug 31, 2008
    Posts: 17

    Ingram_son
    Member

    Here is a quick time line
    1964 Fiat campaigned in BB/A, sets and lowers record, wins class at Nationals
    1965 Fiat campaigned,
    Wes leaves team starts to build A/Altered
    Colt 45 started by Joe using same chassis As Fiat sometimes competing as both cars on a race weekend
    Colt 45 wins new class at Nationals F/X
    1966 Joe campaigns Colt 45 wins CC/FD at Nationals
    1967 Joe and Wes join forces again and build Jewel T from Wes' A Altered
    Wins almost everything. Points, Nationals, World Finals Super Eliminator
    Wes retires from drag racing.
    1968 Joe continues with the help of Jim Walraven until motor breaks in Portland.
    Joe retires and sells Jewel T which is stolen the next year.

    There is more but I will save that for later.

    Alan Ingram
     
    HEMI32 and Deuces like this.
  29. slammed
    Joined: Jun 10, 2004
    Posts: 8,150

    slammed
    Member

    Way to work them keyboard's 32Hemi!! Lotta history you dug up on this race car.
     
    Deuces likes this.
  30. Alan (@Ingram_son), Welcome to the H.A.M.B.!!! ... and thanks for posting on this thread ... I started it as a bit of a tribute to the Jewel "T" and to Joe, Jim, & your father ... I hope you will continue to share stories & pictures here on the HAMB ... and encourage your father to do the same.
     
    Last edited: Mar 4, 2015
    Deuces likes this.

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.