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

It looks like there's a triangular loop behind the driver's seat that's barely visible.

 

There's a triangular roll bar loop behind the driver's seat that's barely visible.

 

The more I look at it you might be right. The big ding in the roof looks like the shape of a triangle roll bar.

 

You are probably right Marty. I never saw under the hood. I just knew it wasn't a Hemi. The resurrected body ran a longer wheelbase chassis. I'm sure it probably handled better, but the original looked better.

 

Good call. I did not blow the photo up large enough--it kind of looked like a 65 Galaxie with a vinyl top at the size I had it. Looked at it this morning on the 32" monitor at the shop and you are totally correct--Thanks.

Roo

 

You can see the inboard leg and the seat support/ shoulder harness mount cross bar and what looks to be the outboard leg of an old style single bend roll bar.

Roo

 

This is the original version of Batto's car (from a Pennzoil ad)


And this is Ronnie Lennon with the later version from Sears Point in 2005 (thanks to Jason Ellis and WDIFL)


Roo

 

I agree with you that it is not the Batto car. It is a close copy but the rear wheels are further forward, the hood latches are different, and Batto's car appears to have always raced as #225.

Roo

 

I did some checking and it is Bob Downey in the seat in this shot.

Roo

 

I rationalized that this may have been Merek Cherktow in an earlier post but I found an original posting of the photo (with no photo credit) and it is Leroy Goldstein at the 69 Winternationals. Every other photo of him that I found had him in a plain white helmet.

Roo

 

Roo ,and Dean,I would like to take this time to say I am sorry for dragging you both into a personal beef I have with another member.To say that I have a very high regard for you both is an understatement.You both have talked the talk,And walked the walk.My concern is directed to the state of the Hamb.We have lost too many great members here,due to overzealous criticism of a few.You will not find anyone more passionate than I on the history of Hot rodding.I have lived it my whole life.Thank you both for your insight....

 

For the sake of keeping history correct - Swamp Rat VI-IA was all red for a short time.

 

May 1964 DRAG RACING magazine. Like I posted was a "short time" but was built red, then off to California, two races then was re-painted while in California and became the all black WYNN"S JAMMER".

 

A couple of pages back Dave Downs posted a link to some of his pics from the '61 Nationals at Indianapolis. I took the liberty of doing a little quick'n'dirty editing to give them a bit more detail. And of course, credit where credit is due. Thanks, Dave!

 

Thanks 'ClayMart' !!!

I had turned 19 the week before and was carrying a borrowed Kodak camera.

 

Also - in October of 1964, the original pictures, wrapped with a rubber band, traveled from SE Pennsylvania to Fort Jackson, South Carolina in the glove box of my '58 Chevy.

 

Dave, I'm assuming this is one of the several Frye Brothers dual Buicks?
Anybody know the story behind these guys and their devotion to Nailheads? Very interesting.

 

Gary - I didn't know much about the history of the cars I took pictures of - all I knew was that I was at a gathering of the most fantastic bunch of drag cars to be seen in one place on Labor Day weekend of 1961.

 

Gary, here is a color shot of the Frye car that ttwomotor posted here last year. He has more here: http://twotogo.homestead.com/TwoToGopage3Untitled1.html
Looks like it was taken at the same event judging by the 61 T'bird in the background.


Roo

 

Gary, the thing to remember is that "back in the day", not many of the different engines or engine combinations had much of an advantage over other engines or engine combinations when they were running gasoline. Dragsters racing in NHRA events between 1959 and 1963 were mostly gas dragsters (the NHRA fuel ban). Buick, Olds, Pontiac, Chevy, Chrysler, etc. all seemed to have similar performance on gas. It was only with the fuel dragsters that the hemi had the major advantages. Once the gas dragsters disappeared from NHRA competition, all dragsters pretty much became "hemi powered"...

 

Well.....sort of George. Top Gas was around until 1971 (?), almost all gas cars were hemi or Chevy powered. I know that almost everything was used in the 50's and early 60's. There was a Packard powered altered at Woodburn in the mid 60's! The Frye Brothers were DEVOTED to the twin Buick thing for years, I wonder why? Did the have contacts at Buick, or a dealership? just REALLY dug Buicks? Ivo, Prudhomme and Nancy also ran Buicks in the early 60's, but they replaced them with Chryslers pretty quickly. Just wondered if there was some specific reason they went Buick for so many years.

 

Think this is the first Frye Bros. Twin.

 

Later Frye Bros.

 

It's the unfurling green at the Saugus, CA, drags on January 11, 1953. The track wasn't NHRA-sanctioned, and the whole scene is pretty rudimentary.

 

Pomona

 

San Gabriel, 1960: Chris Karamesines (L) takes on Kenny Safford in a Top Fuel match race at the old San Gabriel Dragway just west of Los Angeles.