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

Jack's first all steel Comet fuel coupe [ in the pic above ] was all time cool with the exhaust pipes running to the back under the rear axle, like Gene's Blue 554 coupe and boy did they both sound great on a big load of nitro

 

Early shot of Ron Colson and Gary Wood's gasser. This car was followed by a AA/GD before Colson went on to drive various front line floppers and Wood founded Stiletto, making steering components.

 

From the legendary Hot Rod magazine story where Garlits explained what it took to go 200 mph after being the first to do that at an NHRA meet. I can still remember walking across the street from the gas station where I worked (after school and during summer vacation) and buying that magazine from the newsagent.

http://www.hotrod.com/features/history/articles/1307-swamp-rat-vi-teardown/

Roo

 

Very early photo of Leal's AWB car in the factory blue before the orange and white paint and Torque Thrust rear wheels. Looks like an AHRA event judging by the Ultra Stock classification.

Roo

 

Vivid memories indeed! I recall the same thing at Bowling Green. Watching the fire-up for the next round got the crowd fired up.
One of the saddest requirements was self starting in staging. (72 or 73?) Out on the podunk trail where they were roll started up the track, country announcers in the tower would work up the crowd and shout drivers nick names and where they were from, giving speed or win stats. A $3 gate pass let you in the pits or the safe side and any time nitro was involved, it was better than the Super Bowl.
Tom S. in Tn.

 

Looks like they were in a hurry building this car. Not a Mazmanian trait.

 

........ same Fomoco guru in a Vette??
{ I suppose it could be worse like someone I know who put a BBC in a T'bolt to run in Modified elim }

 

I 'think' this is the same car in the Garlits collection in Fla. today.

 

John certainly owned and built some beautiful cars but the rear wheel well cut-outs on the Corvette were cut that way when I first saw in in 1961 and I don't recall it ever being re-done. Not as esthetically pleasing as some but they got the job done.

 

I could never understand those fender cut outs my self, looks like they took a saber saw and never put a roll on the edge just not up to Maz's standards at all

Did not make since the rest of the Vette was first class with his always pretty candy red paint jobs

 

Thanks Chase - here is a little more of the story: http://twotogo.homestead.com/TTGHistoryVH.html

 

Picked up the current Hot Rod Deluxe and saw this short item from their history of the Golden Age of drag racing. I was just thinking about this car last week! I remember when the article ran in 1966 (the story says 68, I think it's a typo ), and have often wondered what became of the car. I think I recall the car was too heavy and was due to be redone, but then zip! THIS GUY MADE HIS OWN ENGINE FROM SCRATCH! Even as a 13 year old, it made an impression on me! His name was Byron Barnes, a machinist in Long Beach. The mystery is.....where is it? Scrapped. Under a tarp? Last seen in 1978, according to the article. ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING?
Read on:

Ignore the pic of the Sox & Martin shop.

 

Check out D/G winner D (Dennis) Cocker. That would be our '56 Chevy, "Yesterday Child". Dennis gave us the 4 foot tall Trophy
from this race, as well as the one he won @ '64 Winternationals in E/G.

 

BeBee & Mulligan

 

The Surfers. Note fancy paint job!

 

Tom S. in Tn......the car in Garlits Museum is the 1941 Willys that was part of the 1989-1990 USA Racing Nostalgia Tour set up by Johnny Rocca. The other car on the tour was a Stone-Woods-Cook replica that Johnny Rocca still has. The Pittman car was donated to the museum by Rocca and his former wife.

The 1933 Willys (pictured at the British Drag Festival in 1964) was destroyed in May of 1965, at a track in Mineral Wells. Texas. Ironically, Mineral Wells was K.S. Pittman's home town, and is where he rests today. RIP K.S.

 

Are you and your brother planning on attenting Tribute to Gassers this August 29th event? It appears they have a nice set of special guest speakers. It's at Automobile Driving Museum, El Segundo. Dick M.

 

Believe it or not, Mikio won that race with crap coming out of the pipes. Devcon with nitro running past it...

 

One time Rocky heard that the stuff ' Egg Keep ' would seal any water leaks in the block, well when Pat hit the switch and the raw nitro came out of the pipes before it fired some the egg keep came out too

I don't think it ever came off of the truck windshield as it was not too good on any glass !!

 

Check out the B/SR winner.

 

Apart from our famous contributor Dean there are lots of familiar names on that list:

Johnny Loper B/G
Kay Sissell F/G
Chuck Finders A/GS
Doug Cook B/GS
K S Pittman C/GS
Hugh Tucker A/SR
Jim Shores C/SR
Sam Parriott A/MSP
John Mazmanian C/MSP
Jim Nelson AA/D
Gary Cagle A/D
Hayden Proffit A/FX
Don Nicholson B/FX
Jess Tyree S/S
Earl Wade A/SP

Roo

 

Also note...no idler pulley and tiny diagonal supports on the frame. Probably more interesting things in this shot if you look hard enough. They hated excess weight.

Mike