At Island Dragway a couple Friday nights ago. Ronca Jr Stock, one picture from the driver's seat of my tribute 57 Jr stocker
There were plenty of fans at Indy this year. A lot of them were under the bleachers trying to get out of the heat. I am as hard core as they come but I watched the second round of T/F, F/C and Pro Stock from the Top Eliminator Club building as it was a lot nicer in the air conditioning. Another thing that a lot of people forget is that there is a lot more seating capacity at Indy than there was in the past. Roo
As an addendum to the comments regarding attendance at Indy, I'd like to point out how much I've enjoyed Indy racing on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday each and every time I've been there. Those days of the week draw a somewhat different crowd than Saturday, Sunday Monday. Of course there are the diehard tourists that are on the grounds for the entire six days and camp out across the street with campfires, dancing girls and who knows what else, but during my limited visits to the Big Go, I became acquainted with another group, those who only attend on the days when Stockers and Super Stockers are the prime attraction. If you've never participated at Indy, you might not be aware of the schedule that puts Stock on the track twice on Wednesday, once again early on Thursday morning, and then goes directly into class eliminations. Super Stock runs once on Wednesday, twice on Thursday, again on Friday morning and they goes directly into class runoffs. The people I'm talking about are typically standing at the spectator gate when we arrived from the hotel just after dawn, they carried their own coolers and folding chairs, and they chose a convenient pit spot near the staging lanes from which to spend the day in the midst of the cars that they like best. They are knowledgeable, courteous, and dedicated to Stock and Super Stock. They cheer for the winners, they commiserate with the unfortunates, and they are genuinely enjoyable to be around. I've only been there a handful of times and but since I know some of the local racers, the Stocker spectator crowd felt comfortable circulating around our pit spot. There were times when I could count fifteen or twenty people, standing around our area, talking, laughing, tapping a few beers, and generally having a ball. There were similar gatherings in multiple locations up and down the pit lanes. In 1994, on my best trip ever to Indy, I managed to stay in the show until the late rounds. On that occasion, when I arrived at the track on Monday morning, nary a die-hard Stocker fan was to be seen. That's when I realized that they only show up on the days when Sportsman racers are the show. When the beer-wagons begin using up all the track time, they're at home, probably prepping for next year. I raced Stock and Super Stock for over 40 years, traveled a fair bit, raced in a dozen or more states, competed in two countries and never once encountered this phenomenon in any other locale. I miss that crowd! c
Does anyone have any more info on the "Top Cat" '57 Belair hardtop pictured earlier? I ran Bobby Warren in the final round at the '69 Gainesville divisional and this car brought back some memories. I believe this car was red and belonged to one of Bobby's customers but he was driving it that weekend. I asked Bud Rowe if he ever had a car with "Top Cat" on the door and he said he hadn't and didn't remember the car. This was the very first divisional they had in GV and we are still going there 50 years later. Jimmy Parker Stock eliminator racer for 57 years and counting.
...And my inspiration for building screaming full size 283 Chevys. Somehow, Powerglide Camaros didn't work for me .(Sorry, Chuck ;-)...Carry on, my friend. I'll be back too, when I can.
It’s been at least 50 years now but I believe I remember seeing the Top Cat 57 Chevy down at the old Hwy 258 Dragstrip near Jacksonville N.C. and I believe I remember the car as being black. Since the picture was posted I have been considering posting my recollections of seeing the car as I considered my recollection to be pretty accurate. However, after seeing Jimmy Parker’s post I’m beginning to second guess my recollections. Before Jimmy’s post I was sure I remembered the track announcer referencing that car in regards to Bud Rowe but apparently that isn’t correct. I wonder what else I’m misremembering (LOL)? One thing that made the car memorable to me was the cartoon reference of the car’s name. But also the fact that several times the car made a pass during time runs the announcer after giving the ET for that car (which I clearly do not remember) would comment that the car had run under the national record for the class it was running that night so I was definitely paying attention to the car. All these years though I was thinking for sure that it was Bud Rowe’s car. Oh well.
Then... Almost 50 years later... Probably doesn't have any of the old stock class tricks anymore or the Stahl traction system.
Jimbo I don't know exactly but Jr. Hopkins does, he related the story goes something like Jerry Stahl made the headers for Jack Merkels car and happened to look underneath it at the rear suspension and soon after that the same idea (a 3 link set-up) shows up with Stahl's name on it. So the story goes by those who were there, now there is very few left. Pat
If I'm wrong, I hope Jimmy Parker will step into the discussion. This may be overly simplistic but, in theory, it worked much like the factory suspension on a Generation III or IV GM F-body (1982-2002 Camaro/Firebird) although it was not as well-suited to a Junior Stocker leaf spring as compared to the coil spring set-up in the later car. It featured a single, shorter torque arm that was anchored just to the right of the differential housing. This excellent picture of the device was lifted from page 232 of this very thread: Most of us (those possessing the "less mechanically gifted" gene) settled for slapper bars using a solid snubber to control the spring during launch. Both methods played hell with the ride qualities but they got the job done. Note that Stahl's bar was solidly attached at the front crossmember point. On my later model, coil spring applications, lI found that it actually worked better if the front of the bar was on a pivot or even allowed to "float" within a ten or twenty degree arc.
Thanks Pat and Chuck for the explanation on how it worked. Maybe my brain is just getting old at almost 72 years old but I must admit I do not remember Stahl making this part. I do remember all the sets of headers he used to send to Dick Moroso when he had Performance Automotive on Canal Street in Stamford. Each week a New set of headers went on the Corvette and every Monday morning Dick would call him and let him know weather they worked or maybe him go slower! I was there for some of those phone calls and I can tell you every set of headers did not work. Some did but the process seemed to take months before they figured it all out. Was the traction device before Jere and Dick Moroso were working together which started in 1966 ? I know their deal only last about a year or maybe 1 1/2 years before Dick opened Moroso on Putnam Avenue in Greenwich, CT right next to a McDonald's. Jimbo
My grandfather didn't understand it himself. He got it his friend to weld the rod ends solid at the axle I think. That low 13 pass was the fastest the car ever ran. Said even then he could still feel it spin all through 2nd. Unfortunately the car's performance was never realized before the year rule. For which he continued to hold a grudge against Wally Parks. After that he sold the car for a huge loss and stopped racing.
I was on the lower side of the planet at the time of this happening but if you look at the photo in Stahl's ad and read line three of the "features" I think that you will find that the front of the bar was able to move back and forward between a pair of rollers to obviate suspension bind due to the housing moving longitudinally due to the leaf spring geometry. Roo
I remember him talking about the roller in the front. That was probably what got welded on my grandfather's car rather than the rod ends on the axle housing because he realized later the suspension was in a bind.
Well I don't seem to be able to find the picture I was talking about and maybe I just dreamed it. Here is one I have but it does not show the rollers. Sorry.
My friend, Joe DeLorenzo, had the Stahl bar on his 57 record holder. He was a believer in the system. Later on, Joe talked me into the single bar concept. I believe Jimmy Parker knows something about this also. Chuck, I never could understand why the late model torque arm was on the left side of the housing. The GNX Buick was that way too. It seems to me it would be less effective that way.
I have no idea regarding the left/right positioning. Probably had something to do with cupholders, ash trays, and E-brake levers. In the original configuration, the torque arm was mounted in rubber at the front, was it not? Come to think of it, never took a good look at an original. It was realized, early on, that the bar has to have some freedom to move without binding. I've seen it addressed in several ways but having it locked down would have certainly been counterproductive. As it turned out, the torque arm concept was so effective that NHRA eventually ruled that it could not be used on cars that didn't come with a torque arm from the factory. That was after even a Corvette reportedly turned up with a solid rear axle and a torque arm in place of the independent rear suspension. Currently, the lower trailing arms cannot be adjustable in length, (I think that rule was recently dusted off at Indy)?
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