MOKAN dragway back in the day.......early 60's pix

I grew up in Pittsburg and my older brother ran an X/F dragster in the early 60s, Pontiac 4 banger (half a 389 out of a tempest) at MoKan and the Wilbert's who owned MoKan lived abuot three blocks from us. Hix Automotive sponsered the car and Danny Hix had a pink full fendered 32 three window with a blown Olds in it, his brother Cliff built a 53-54 Willys with an Allison aircraft engine in it in the mid 60s, don't remember if it ever ran. Spent a good number of Sundays at MoKan.

 

MORE pics!!!!! Awesome.

 

Found the picture of my brother beside his trailer in the mid 60s, from feft: Sherwin Patton, Larry Adams, Roger Adams, don't have any pictures of the car, anyone has any please contact me. The car was sold to Fulton Wilhelm(?) in the late 60s and was running a Pontiac V8 then, would like to know if it still out there and available.

 

isn't that mack weston's old plymouth--the green 47

 

BTTT in hopes more folks may have old pictures to add to the history.

 

I need to get the pictures out and scan some more. I'm not sure if they are from MOKAN Dragway though.

Chris

 

Here's a link to a post about a magazine story on Mo-Kan dragway http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=827148 Tim Jones

 

Patiently waiting........NOT. Just kidding.

 

No kidding, those were cool and the public wants more!

The Mustang of Carlos Mitchell was cool...Tall Paul Ford was just down the street from me. I can still hear the theme song: "Tall Paul, Tall Paul. You get a better deal when you get Tall Paul."

 

Is that the guy that had a 55 chevy in H stock class that had a 265 with side mount motor mount bosses?

 

Larry, Remember that day well, we thought it’s just another day of racing. A ‘55 flat towed by your ‘57 nomad, no enclosed trailer in site!!! Those were the days... Dave

 

Wow theres some names and people here that I knew well but haven't heard of in along time.

If I remember right Mack Weston passed away a couple years ago. Hell of a mechanic and a great guy.

Talked to Larry adams just awhile back.

 

I don't know. He has moved to Branson and isn't doing to well. I probably won't get a chance to ask now.

 

Yeah I believe haydens 55 was yellow.

 

Is that the guy that had a 55 chevy in H stock class that had a 265 with side mount motor mount bosses?

Don't know if it was really a 265 with side motor monts? He told us it was a Canadian block, to my knowledge no one ever protested him so it still remains a mystery?

We raced there often in the mid-late 60's, towed from KC, we always refered it as "Going to Pittsburg"
We purchased a Bantam body A/A from the Hicks Bro's and put a blown 440 BBC, great pro build chassis.

 

You got a tank of gas for $ 5.00 but who had $5.00 ?

 

Hicks Brothers?

 

American Hot Rod Reunion nostalgia event is at MOKAN this Sunday. Lots of old timers are usually there for the day.

 

I was there the day that Garlits was to make exhibition runs and hurt the engine on the first pass. Benny Osborn was there and Garlits was looking at his car and ask Benny if he could make a change or two and Benny's car picked up 3 tenths from the previous pass. At least the was the story going around. I know the car went sub 8 seconds as far as I know that was the first time it ever did.

 

C & H "Big Iron" Chevy pick up gasser.

 

Is that the gasser truck that Lee McFarland from Branson drove on the street? His license plate was X GASSER

 

Not that I know of.

 

Hello,

After our 40 Willys 671 SBC motor coupe accident at Lion’s Dragstrip, we pondered what we would do with the parts we took off of the bare bones body we left at the scrap yard in August of 1960. The parts were sitting under a tarp in Atts Ono’s backyard, while the 671 SBC motor was inside his garage in the far corner, also under a tarp. 5 months seemed like a lifetime at this point of the timeline.

So, since MO-KAN is in the middle of the USA, we were wondering if anyone could remember if their dad or grandfather bought a 292 c.i. SBC blower spec motor with an Isky-Gilmer blower Kit back in January of 1961. (Actually, the motor sold in early March.) It was advertised in the Drag News weekly paper that went all over the USA. We got a call from a guy in the Midwest and he was interested in buying the running motor from us.
similar look in a sbc 671 motor
He knew of our accident and wanted to get some reassurances that the motor was in great shape. When he was satisfied, we made a deal to buy/sell the motor. The problem would be to get the motor back to the Midwest. So, he flew out West, got a postal money order and we struck a deal. We helped him crate up the motor and he got it loaded in the commercial moving company van and off it went.

That was the last time we saw the motor. We never heard of the motor in any hot rod or race car, ever. So, does anyone remember old stories of your dad or grandfather from 1961, that they were the proud owner of the 671 powered SBC motor from the Westcoast of the USA?


Jnaki

If you have any kind of verified documentation or photos, please contact me via the HAMB CONVERSATION PM. ASAP Thank you…

 

Hello,

I had previously posted a request for some information as to the history of purchases someone had from back in 1961 on our 292 c.i. SBC 671 supercharged motor. It was purchased by a guy from “The Midwest.”
61 years ago...
Now, the next bigger question is almost the same thing: Where in the Midwest is Atts Ono’s Red 1940 Willys Coupe? According to his brother, the days of purchasing the Willys Coupe by a hot rod guy from the Midwest to the actual loading of the completed Willys into a moving van was done in a puzzled, troubling time for the remaining family members.
1964
So, little is/was saved from that time period in 1971 of the complete sale and paperwork after all of these years. Atts Ono was gone and as most feelings were about such things, there is a cloud over what was saved and what was remaining all of these years later.


Jnaki

There are plenty of photos of red 40 Willys Coupes on the internet and here on the HAMB. But, perhaps, the current owner does not want to say he did not build it, originally and that it was their project. Despite the history, it remains a mystery as to where it might be located in these current times.

So, if anyone can talk to your parents, grandparents or relatives that were deeply into hot rods or drag racing back then, see if you can find any information about the missing cool hot rod that was featured in PHR Magazine in 1966. Thank you and send me a PM via the HAMB conversations. Or... post here, so we can all see what happened when the moving van arrived at its final destination.
1964