Features Ford Thunderbolts Photos Wanted

Scotty Brock owns it.

 

I'm with you all too! Thats why mine will not be done for awhile, it will only get an FE.......Al

 

Here are a few of the one and only '65 T-bolt driven by Darrell Droke. Thanks to Geoff Bradley for sending them to me so they could be included in this thread.

 

This is what I have on the Tasca car

 

Hey thanks...

 

Thanks for posting jody....Luv that first shot. Looks like Lions Dragstrip

 

Washington state 1973 Jeff Wittig & Mike O'Day







This was Gas Ronda's Thunderbolt, Jeff sold it to Bob Glidden in 74

 

Anyone remember MotorVille in Fresno?

Not a Thunderbolt but a '64 sedan/post car I've been playing with & hopefully will complete very soon. Waiting on the slicks to show up & some period wheels. It's sbf powered with auto. No power add ons.













paco

 

Jeff Wittig 1973

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=1887700&stc=1&d=1363228408

 

?.........
Was Drokes 65' a DST built car?

It amazes me what is called a ThunderBolt these days.
Tom S. in Tn.

 

Yes, built at DST, with twist leaf front suspension and a High Riser. SOHC came later.

Regards,
Dennis

 

" twist leaf front suspension "

Thanks for your reply Dennis.
I tried to Google the term twist leaf suspension and did not come up with much.
?....... What exactly was twist leaf front suspension?
Tom S. in Tn.

 

I'm not Dennis but the "twist leaf" front suspension was the same set up that was used in the first A/FX Mustangs and Bonner's Falcon. It used a section of leaf spring from the front strut rod mounts to the lower control arm along the route of the strut rod and was mounted firm on both ends and provided spring action "twisting" the leaf, sort of like a torsion bar twists for spring action on a Mopar.

This photo shows it under Dick Brannon's Mustang:

 

Falcon Red has it right. There were more than one name for it. My understanding the idea came from a tractor.

The vehicle was designed to accept a SOHC engine, but delivered with a High Riser. There were so few SOHC engines available, that at least 3 of the initial 10 H-M Mustangs were delivered with HR's.

Re front spring, note Item 6 in PO attachment.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Dennis, Darrell called me about something else and I asked him about the front suspension. He liked to tweak things but was told by Ford not to touch the front end at all!!l

 

Thanks fellows. There isn't a day I log on to here I don't learn. I never saw this type suspension before.

Let me ask another question; I've seen lists of the 64' Thunderbolt build sequence and purchasers etc., but would the run of DST cars have started with the 63' Fairlane experimental cars and then have ended with this 65' for Darrell Droke?
I've seen photo's here of the cloverleaf hood, but the 65' appears conventional, but a little different yet.

Tom S.

 

twist spring look closely

 

Speedyb, thanks for those photos! Are those recent photos of the spindle assemblys? It looks like enough there for a good machinest to reproduce the brackets. That car of Brannon's sure is torn up, glad ol' Dick survived, he is a great one to talk to and fun to be around.

Tom S, after looking back at the photos it looks like the bubble on the '65 was lower in the front and flatter going back with the rear about like the '64s. Probably more airodynamic and easier to see around too.

 

Don't want to go off topic but the parts pictured above are or were owned buy some one in Gastonia NC that was selling a fiberglass mustang body and tube chassis, Do a google search for "afx pro street mustang 1965 Gastonia"

 

I always thoght the 65 Bubble hood looked a bit different on Drokes car. More angle front to back......

 

Were the Tbolts delivered from the factory with the headers on the motor or in the trunk? Also, I know that there were a number of different exhaust systems installed by the racers, but did the cars come with any exhaust system on them, again, from the factory?
Thanks ahead of time,

Doug

 

Doug, glad to see you made it over here from classracerforum. I "think" they came with a Y -pipe and a single glass pack but someone will chime in soon with the answer. Tom.

 

It's still amazing to me all the places to get info on this thing called the Internet...I hope it's not just a fad......

 

No kidding! Maybe it will catch on after all. If you click on "search this thread" and type in exhaust you will find several comments. Tom.

 

Try Larry Davis down around Birmingham, AL and if you do, tell him Paul McConnell from AP Green Refractories sent you asking.

pdq67

 

The original 777 Taunton Ave. place is now a VW dealership

 

The cars were delivered driveable with a street legal exhaust system. Four tube equal length headers, balance tube, then a 1.75" single exhaust thru a muffler at the rear. No exhaust system components in the trunk, only an Exide battery.

As the stock manifolds were four tube equal length headers, they came installed on the vehicle. No cast iron exhaust manifolds were ever developed for the 1964 Ford Thunderbolt.

Regards,
Dennis

 

A photo of the stock muffler set up can be seen at post number 3250.

 

Tibor Kadar (former Summit Bracket Racing World Champion)
was runner up in the Stock final at Vegas yesterday with Tom Nolan's new T bolt clone.
Would this be the first time ever T bolt in an NHRA Stock Eliminator final?


I hope the mods can disregard the front wheels in this picture ;-)

 

John Calvert won A/S at Indy a couple years ago!! ROY.