I am looking for info on an old gas dragster/competition roadster I have. It is about 125"w/b fed with a steel T body on it. The body has a bit of original paint left. Red body, mostly white lettering Ir was called BONANZA II. B/G 199. I am told it may have ran Epping NH. possibly out of Mass. I have the body and rolling chassis with an early ( 55 type) Chey rear and Palamides mags. Torsion bar front susp. Looks to have had every imaginable engine wedged between the rails. If I can find enough info I may restore it. If not I will make it legal for actual racing with a Nailhead in it. I will try to get some pics up this week. I know, no pics-it doesnt exist!
SO here are a few pics. This is the 364 Nailhead I plan on running at this point. However, if I can get some history on it I might be persuaded if I can find out what it originally ran. Trans are another issue. I have a bunch to chose from, depending on what engine and what I have for adapters etc... Any trans I use will need to be adapted to the Chevy rear that's in it now. I am hoping to at least have it cackling by next year if not race ready. Only time and money can stand in my way...
I notice in one of the pics that the lettering on the panel says"Heads by Bill Do...." This may be a long shot but there was a guy in Saugus Mass named Bill Donahue whose son Paul raced back in the 1970's. Paul last ran an alcohol dragster awhile back. I don't have his contact info but he is a bartender at the Saugus VFW post..He may be able to supply some info. If you get hold of him tell him Ray Smith said hello.
Neat digger. I wonder if the 55-64 Chevrolet rear end is welded up, spider gear blocks used, or what. Open rear ends were used in most diggers; made for less of a hairy ride if an axle broke. Post your progress. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
Butch, the spiders are open. I am assuming they launched it by adjusting left to right side pressures in the slicks. Ray, thanks for the lead. This is exactly what I was hoping for. A lead here and there can turn into something-sometimes. I am planning on bringing the car to Epping/New England Dragway Sun to see if anyone there has any info. I would have brought it to the NHRA reunion if I had time to get it out and loaded etc... I hope someone there remembers it. If not, I will definately make it a legal car to run at nostalgia events with the nailhead.
Put the nailhead in it and head to winter port maine 1/8 mile outlaw track. They will let you run it just as it is, no modern updates needed.
The chassis tubes are pretty poor condition. I can live with the fact that they are not at all straight due to years of use, motor changes etc... But if I run it, I need to make sure they are in good condition. Surface rust on the outside is not a major concern, but many of these old chassis' rot from the inside out. I have a friend with a 10ft table who can help me put new tubes in if I run it. Then, if I need to I can add a few in the cage area as needed. Fortunately they would be hidden by the body. Even a mishap at 65-70mph or more in the 1/8mi can be bad if the chassis is in poor condition. Ultimately if I can not run the car it will become a cackle fest car. Perhaps it will end up in the new museum they are going to break ground on in Loudon this coming Fri.
Hi Joe, I was thumbing through some old magazines this morning, and I may have come up with some information on that B/C body you have. Vinnie Goodmaster ran a series of BONANZA race cars out of New Haven, CT. I found a picture of a steel body BONANZA 1 in an issue of Rod & Custom.
Just found this thread, wicked cool man. Paul Donovan had a machine shop in Melrose for awhile too. I delivered auto parts out of the same building while he was there, I learned a lot from him in the short time I worked there. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Upon re-looking at the pictures I think the heads may have been done by Bill Doan who used to work with Paul Motor Burns from Marblehead. Paul still has the shop(Motor Inc) and if Bill is still alive he could probably supply info if he was the one. Paul ran a AA/FD called the Spirit of 76 awhile back.
Thanks Jack (Church Key) and SafariNut. I need to find time to make a few calls and follow up on their leads. Maybe next year I will be able to make time to get further on this project.
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