What ever happened to all the old drag cars from the 60's, 70's & 80's? How does a person go about finding one of these? I would like to find an old drag car to restore back to its original condition.
Class rules change and last years winner becomes this years loser. People either build new cars to stay in the class they want to race in or sell off the parts and move on. If you watch the Barrett Jackson auctions there are NASCAR racers sold for $20K that you know it cost ten times that to build one, it may have won at Datona last year but doesn't meet the new rules and it can't be used for anything else.
I've seen several old drag cars that ended up scrap over the years. After they've been gutted, tubbed, glass removed, drivetrain removed and other items stripped off...they aren't good for much. I was lucky enough to find one that had been in a barn since to 70s. It was just a local car but I like it.
I got an old blown gas coupe in the garage. I won't restore it back to its original state though. It wasn't famouse and I want to drive it. You just have to look and luck into one, that's how mine ended up with me anyway.
My car was built in 1980 and was raced with a v6 and held a bunch of national records before i got it. still racing it today but with a small block. 30 year anniversery this year. there out there just gotta get lucky and find one
A LOT of them got junked. Back then, it was a fun hobby for the "backyarder". Therefore, many weren't that well built. After their use, they'd lay outside the garage exposed to the elements, and the new project got the garage space. In the 70's, I'd buy used speed parts advertised in a local rag called the Recycler. Almost every time I'd visit the seller's home on a weekend, ther'd be some carcass of an old drag car in the yard, providing parts little by little as the new toy got built in his garage. In the 70's, this stuff was so abundant around here, and cheap due to one or two bouts with the oil embargo/crisis, the carcass had little value to anyone
I guess that is pretty much what i am after, one that has been locked away in a barn for many years. Surely, some of them are still around???
Here's a thread on old funnycars... Those funny car bodies may still be here in NW.... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202872
Yeah, they are still out there. I bought Barry Mussers '66 nova 10 yaers ago. Great car with alot of local history. It was last raced around '85 and just sat in his garage till i bought it. He started racing it in '74 i believe and won his class with it at the us nationals in '74 and it held a national record. I have pictures of all the different paint schemes and certificates.It still has some great vintage pieces on it. I worked with Barry so i know the complete history of the car.Great stories. Nice piece.I have a few pictures of it as it is today on my signature page.
We found this one (The Mystery Willys) in New Hampshire earlier this year. Raced at Dover and Connecticut. Was track champion at Dover. Gasser Girl
He has found some good ones and is good at it!!! Back to the original question, many of the famous cars got passed on and on and ran hard. They ended up getting cut up so bad there was nothing left so they were junked. They were just old race cars back in the mid to late '70s and no one cared about restoring them back then. A few lucky ones got pushed into a corner and survived but many didn't.
Thanks for all the input guys. I know it would be a longshot stumbling up on an old car with some history. I guess it still never hurts to dream, LOL. Maybe one of these days when i least expect it i might find one. Of course, I am not sure how many would be laying around down here in Texas. Seems that most of these old cars were from the west or the east. I'm not real sure how well Texas fits in to the lost and found list for these old relics.
That's what happened to a friend of mine years ago. He was a division champ in Super Stock class in the 80's and when NHRA changed things, it got harder to win. So, it didn't pay for him to drive all the way to ThunderValley (from Wis.)and lose in the second round. A good thing is that he kept the car and plans to put in back on the street. The car is cleaner than a show car.
Some of them just sit in garages waiting to be rescued!!!! I've found alot of cars just word of mouth. Talking to people at swapmeets and the drag races. They'll tell you of a car they saw in someones garage in the neighborhood when the door was open. Or something that slipped by on Craigslist, but they kept the phone #. You have to follow up on leads. Sometimes their a score and sometimes they go nowhere. There's supposed to be a 40 Willys coupe up here some old man has in his yard on a cul desac that he raced in the 60's complete less motor. If you catch him in the right mood he'll let it go for $3500.00. Everytime I get close to it whoever I'm dealing with won't tell me exactly where it is. I know the general area, but what are you going to do? Knock on everybodies door in the neighborhood!!!!
Keep your eyes on racingjunk.com in the drag racing /nostalgia section http://www.racingjunk.com/category/150/Nostalgia.html For example...$4,000 gets you: http://www.racingjunk.com/category/150/Nostalgia/post/2060152/26-T-altered-roller-.html
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