Features Corvette hot rods - picture thread

LB thanks I will start searching more and I actually sent an email to NHRA but will see if they answer. I would join the NHRA if there was access to archives but do not want to join if the only thing I get is a sticker (have a ton of them anyways). If anyone knows that you can access the archives (National Dragster at the very least) if I was to become an NHRA member please let me know.

Doug thanks for that attachment, I will go thru it. Funny when I wrote articles on racing during the 300 cubic inch era of 1915-1919 of AAA (top tier racing like champ car in a sense) I had an easier time than I do with NHRA events. I know the info is out there but I have not found it yet.

Really like the black car above. I have seen it before and it is definitely cool. Looks like he has a chrome roll bar like I do-car definitely has the look and apparently the power to go with it.

The 61 Yenko Sebring car is a great car. Around 12 years ago I got to take a good look at the car close up as I was with the Packard 12 racer next to it at Meadowbrook Concours. Both the Packard and the Vette won awards that day and he followed us up to the reviewing stand-car sounded great and Greg (Ornazian) who owned the car had to rev it up here and there which only added to the symphony. The Packard 12 has long loud header pipes but I could still hear and enjoy the good noise that the 61 made.

 

Jim, were you ever involved in splitting a fuel injection unit for more air? I just wonder who's idea it was. I have seen a few of them done in the '50's so the idea has been around a while.

 

Doug although I am familiar with it I have never been involved in modifying the fuel injection units. I believe Bill Thomas was talented in doing that but as soon as I try to give him credit I would bet someone would correct me. Truth be told I know very little about the fuel injection units and have never worked on one. If I had the opportunity I would have probably enjoyed playing with them but never got the chance.

 

You might contact Down South Racer he has been keeping up with a lot of that stuff.

 

Time machine please....

 

Ok for Jim Dillon and anybody else that likes history.

The guy that used to post about records and results in Jr. Stock is member WerbyFord (only had to look back in Jr. Stock 20 pages to find him LOL) The bad news is he was last seen on the HAMB Aug 18th 2018.

Chuck Norton MAY be of some help with your NHRA archives questions.

Terry Bill and Gary Glover may be of some help for info on vettes in the Junior stock era.

Still haven't found the results post went back in all the posts on the HAMB 30 pages and takes you only back a couple weeks and I seem to remember someone posting in it maybe a month or two ago.

Member georgepan has posted this

I have found some racing results from the Centennial drag races on April 24,25th 1964 held at the Thunderbird race track. I also have results from the qualifying rounds from April 19th 1964. Unfortunately, the file is to large to upload. I will email if anyone wants. there is a list of some real great local drivers(Jack winebarger , dodge boys etc.)

 

Look at the logo For Seaport Automotive



Super Sport again

 

LB thanks for the response and I will follow up on some of it. I am kind of a statistic nut with racing in the earlier days and there is surprisingly some good info out there if you know where to look for it. I sent an email to NHRA but they did not respond. I will try again at some point but may have to find a source for archives of National Dragster. I want to know the cars that entered and were eliminated as they went thru the ladder. The NHRA only held a handful of big events every year and I am surprised this information is not readily available.

I would love to find the statistical information on the 70s Modified Production/Eliminator events as there were some great Corvettes running.

As to Seaport being Corvette specialists I am sure they worked on their share. I see their booth every year at the Monroe swapmeet although they have not known too much about the old Vettes in the 60s. Here is the Ken Clark 62 that ran out of Seaport and a great car I saw race at Milan a number of times. He also ran at Motor City and probably Detroit Dragway although I cannot seem to remember him at Detroit. There was a pretty decent meet with a bunch of gassers in 68 at Detroit where there were a few Vettes that ran gas (he ran gas in 68) but my memory is not specific about the car at that meet. I believe Detroit was AHRA at the time so maybe Clark missed it. Cool car though that pulled the wheels pretty regularly which is one of the reasons I remember the car. As I have pointed out before that during the 60s there was no stickem and so if you pulled the wheels you had the right setup for sure. How could one not like a stack injected Vette making a ton of racket pulling the wheels?

 

2019 Pittsburgh World of Wheels

 

Now THIS is my kind of Trio

 

My best friend, mentor and builder of my MG had cut the top off a Corvette 1 piece FI unit did some work to it and welded it back together. I don't know what he did and he is no longer with us, but the car ran good. They went to the Hilborn around 64. Oh I have to mention this was on my MG. Jim I have a collection of Eastern Drag News from 63 to 65 I can go through those and send you any info you wanted. And maybe (a big maybe) my nephew works for Skip Barbers Limerock raceway and may have some archives.

Pat

 

Pat I appreciate the offer but I do not want to put people to a lot of effort on my behalf. I have spoken to the curator of the NHRA museum (thanks to Roger O'Dell) and actual statistics of the races may not be obtainable but he is looking into it for me. It was before the computer age and although there were probably some records, I am not sure if anyone saved them for the sake of history. You could hope that someone kept them in a box in their basement I suppose-but that may be wishful thinking. I had thought if there was an actual record it would help get history correct. When I watch the history type channels on events that I have researched I want to scream at the way history is being presented incorrectly. I would rather avoid falling into the same trap.

If the truth be told, I cannot at this date write something that is 100% complete and accurate but would like some degree of accuracy. If you were bored and did attempt to go thru them I am pretty much interested in how the entrants fared thru the ladder of eliminations in major events as opposed to points meets. If a Corvette made rounds I believe it would be of interest.

I would assume there is some archives for National Dragster during the era and hopefully that source will come to light. I have books and info on the finals at some of the big events but I have virtually nothing on the stock classes and sports class results and I do not know of any books written on the topic that have any real results.

The other thing that I would love to stumble on is the Modified Eliminator era. It was such a great era and there were bunches of Corvettes that should be recognized but once again I am not aware of any great source for that info.

Pat I appreciate the effort (and others as well-thanks) and I will keep looking. What I find will effect which way I proceed with trying to preserve the history of Corvette racing but drag racing in particular. Can anyone name even one book that deals with the topic of Corvette drag racing in any serious way? Would love to know if any such work exists.

When I have written in the past on earlier auto racing (1915-1919) I knew the direction I was going to go and wrote it in my mind over time so when I sat down to actually write it, the task was pretty straight forward, but I had done considerable research. Not so much with the Vette stuff-maybe good stories here and there but would like to be a bit more accurate. I probably have a hundred Corvette computer files that are woefully incomplete with as many questions as answers. Once I figure out what direction I am going to head with a book or whatever then I can start actually writing it. Writing in the past has been one of those deals that you have to be in the mood and have a bunch of stuff at your disposal-I'll get there-I hope. Thanks for the offer for sure though-its appreciated.

 

Jim, I am holidays next week and wonder if the book will be finished, I need something to read. LoL


I feel bad now I even asked about this. If anyone can do it is you. Thanks for all you post.

 

I believe this to be the Nassau Coliseum show.

Pat

 

It's cool all the info in this thread, I have been though all 136 pages and have learned a lot. I keep looking for the possibility that a pic. of my 63 might come up. I purchased it in 1979 in Sregon as a wreck. It is a 340 hp 4 speed radio delete with original 4.56 gears. It was painted with blue lace down both sides. It had a partial front end and both rear fenders cut out for what I thought were for slicks. If any body has any info on this I would love to hear it. It is fully restored now but if I was younger and had any idea it was a drag car I might have gone a different direction with it. Also it had 23000 original miles before it was wrecked. Thx guys.

 

My photo, taken in 2010 at the Donald E. Stevens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

 

Quick85 I did not realize Charlie (Astoria Chas) Snyder traveled that far for a show. They came from
LI (Motion) and Charlie from Astoria (Queens NY)

Pat

 

Rosemont Ill. was that the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals ?

 

Yes, it was. A darn good show, too, with a good Baldwin-Motion Corvette display and Fred Gibbs Chevy's
"Lil Hoss" '67 Z-28.

 

Super Nova again

 

Super Rat

 

Pat, the fuel unit I saw was split down the middle vertically. I don't have a picture of one done this way but maybe Dave Grey does? He is way more familiar with the car then I am. I am just wondering what is in there, are there webs or runners? And what did they do to them to improve them.

 

NoboD I don't know what my friend did as it was just before I started hanging out at the garage. He also cut it across the top and then welded that back on, from the outside there wasn't any dimensional change.

Pat

 

Photo of a typical Bill Thomas Rochester Fuel injection with the plenum rewelded down the center. Dave

 

Thanks Dave, do you know what they did inside? I asked Frank but he wasn't sure. Would they have polished it?

 

My friends was also a smooth top, no ribs.

Pat

 

Contrary to popular belief, the 1963 Daytona 500 was not the first time the Chevrolet 427 MKII "Mystery Engine" was placed in a race car. Mickey Thompson had 2 of his 1963 Z06 Corvettes installed with the engine by Smokey Yunick and raced at the American Challenge Cup, a 250-mile GT sports car race held on Feb. 16, 1963 - 8 days before the Daytona 500. These are also the very first Big Block Corvettes.

 

.
Doug the runners inside the plenum were shortened to improve airflow. Dave

 

Thanks Dave.