History Historic Stock Car Photos

I don't know the origin of that photo, but it would be fun to know who the gesture was aimed at!

 

TRICK--Are any of the pics at Flatrock ??

 

Butch,

they are from Indiana,not Mich,,lots of F8 cars here,,,including some Flat Rock F8

http://z4.invisionfree.com/Figure_8_Raceing/index.php?showtopic=1558&st=0

Arnold. #7 SS @ Flat Rock

 

OK all you old Stock Car fans. This is a MUST SEE event for you guys. It is an annual event, but this year is special.

Nov. 5th Hillsborough NC.

http://www.historicspeedwaygroup.org/

Ned Jarret will be there this year but the highlight will be the honoring of Rex White the oldest living champion.

Be there or be square!

 

This is Al Stringer at the Sportsdrome in Jeffersonville Indiana. He worked for Jim Layman at the service station at 2nd and Broadway in Louisville Ky where the McDonalds is now. Shortly after this picture he painted the car orange and I lettered it for him. Then I built all of his subsequent cars for him until he died of cancer. His son Doug Barnes runs Highway Muffler on Cane Run Road. Allstarracing

 

This is Mason Gary at the Sportsdrome in Jeffersonville Ind. Allstarracing

 

This is a B Class car at the Sportsdrome, Jeffersonville Ind. I remember the car but not the drivers name. I think the car was totaled and the next #99 was a crown vicky painted metalflake black and orange sponsored by an asphalt company lacated on Fern valley road in Louisville Ky. Allstarracing

 

At the Sportsdrome Jeffersonville Ind. Allstarracing

 

Paul McNear Sponsored by St. Dennis Gulf on Cane Run rd. In Louisville Ky. at the Sportsdrome Jeffersonville Ind.

 

THANKS ALLSTAR for the bio's on the pics,,,I really like cars from this era,,it was in this era that I started working on dirt stock cars,,,61 ford Galaxy with a built 223 Ford six,,, raced Mt Clemens Speedway and checkered flag speedway in widsor canada,,,

What were the rules back then???,,,

What engines were you allowed?

Waht did you guys do to the engines?

could you put a chevy engine in a ford car?

What carbs?

Headers?

were you allowed a truck floater rear end?

why does it seem that SO many guys use the 1953 to 54 FORDS ?

Thanks again,,,

Very COOL era in stock car racing!!!

 

got any info on this FINE MERCURY of James Taylor?

 

MORE OLD Speedrome Pictures here....


http://www.speedrome.com/2010/results/classic-speedrome-photos/

 

WOW! Trick LINK brings back memories I used to go there in the late 70s Early 80s almost every weekend! LOVE EM

 

In the early sixties most cars were just stock off of the street, maybe with heated springs and cut out fenderwells. If it was a hardtop it had to have a roll bar and a door plate was required on he drivers door. A lot of makes were used. Fords, Mercurys Chevys, Buicks. Olds, Pontiacs, a few Hudsons but I don't remember any Chrysler products. Buicks were popular because they were tough. In the late sixties the Fords were prevelant because they were lighter and handled much better. Some Chevys were used but not many as they didn't seem to handle as well. Also there was a front bumper rule added. It had to be an automobile bumper so the Mercury bumpers became the norm. Most wanted the 58-58 Mercury rears but as they were used up we started to use the fronts and the 54-56 types. In the eatly sixties nearly all of the motors were stock. Maybe a cam or two. Then in the late sixties some engine hopups started to be used like bigger cams and higher compression pistons. One or two used headers but mostly stock type exhausts were used.
One of the tricks used in the Fords to equal the Chevy high horse 327's was to use Chevy pistons swapped side for side in the y-blocks to up the compression. Milled heads started to come into use. The tire limitations meant you didn't need big engines. Bucron tires were the tire of choice but it didn't take mush horse power to over power them. As racing tires came into use the engines got better.
Engines were starting to be swapped in the seventies although I don't remember a rule against it earlier. I do remember some pontiac, Olds, Buick swaps as a car would be destroyed and the motors could be interchanged easily.
In the seventies the 3/4 ton truck rear ends came into use. They have gear ratios suited for short traks running the trans in second gear. The regular car rears needed to be changed so most Ford users would look for the six cylinder over drive cars to get the 410 rears. Chevys were even harder to find good gears for so most swapped to ford rears. Then the nine inch rears came into being in fifty seven and that was all the rage because they were the strongent and easily could get gear ratios for. I know some of the Chevy guys used the 56 pontiac rears which were good but really hard to find even then.
The 54-56 Fords and Mercurys come into vogue because they were far lighter and better handling that the other makes. Even though a Buick could take a hit they were too heavy and slow and most were automatics. Hard to fing a straight stick big GM back then. Chevys were behind Fords becaus even though they were about the same weight the front ends were a little different and did not handle as good. It seems the tierod and crosslink system was the culprit and had to be modified. There were some Chevys that were strong and won races but the majority were Fords which didn't need modification. Also the rear spring mount locations on the Fords were right when you heated the springs in the right place also giving you the right spring rate and ride height. The Chevys mounting points just didn't give you the same geometry and usually needed to be modified.
Som mods to the Chevys were a short and long tie rod with a shaft running from the steering box to the center of the car with no center link. Smokey Bishop as well as others tried this with moderate success. one of the other ways was to cut the drag link and get the inner tierod mounting points behind the lower aframe mounts then put shorter tie rods on and cut and reweld the steering box link.
If you look at a lot of the east coast modifieds of the time you will see 57 Chevy frames were polular but the suspensions would be changed.
Around here the seventies were a big time for change. Chevy motors were swapped into fords a lot. Billy Vincent, Ray Crain Paul McNear, Gary Hottestler and Smokey Bishop were a few that did. Clevelands were used some and the small block Fords started to be a good choice. Then the cut down cars came about. I had the first frame off build with the Pink Panyher car then Ray Crain then others and suddenly the camaro contingent started and then it spiraled. Allstarracing

 

This was a 54 Mercury and if memory serves me had a Cleveland in it. You can see the 3/4 ton truck rearend. It was a front runner and won some races. I believe James totaled the car and was hurt and sat out a while then came back with a Chevelle which he ran part of a season then if I am correct he sold the Chevelle to Larry "PeeWee" Holbert. Somebody might be able to correlate this. James daddy Jim also raced and was was constant winner.
There were two Jim Taylors. The other one drove the Fairground Liquors number 7 and Lived in Louisville Ky I think. These Taylors lived in New Albany Ind. James dad got hit really hard in the drivers door of a 56 Mercury sedan in 1968 I believe and was hurt very bad. He was hit by Sam Hines and it drove the seat out of the passengers door and knocked Jim out of his shoes. Jim came back and drove a race or two later but then retired. I don't think he ever completely recovered from the wreck. Allstarracing

 

love those Studebakers - keep 'em coming!

 

Great thread!! I love all the old pictures.

Does anybody have any pictures of any of the Don Thompson Excavating #27 race cars? Don was my great uncle and I would love to see some of his cars. I was just too young to remember them in detail when my dad took me to the races. I even have a couple of his famous white Don Thompson 27 Racing Team hats still.

I'm also related to Jack Bowsher and helped crew part time for Bobby Bowsher when he was racing ARCA in the early '90's.

 

You are going to have to give us a little more info,,,

what years did they race?

what type of cars?

What are the Names of the drivers?

At which race tracks did they race?

Which racing series did they race with?

Which major races did they win?

Which years did they win track or series chamipnships?

 

Well I think Larry Moore was the most noteable one.

 

Yes, Larry Moore was indeed his most noteable driver. Tom Bowsher was also one of his drivers for a short time. The cars were orange with yellow 27 and wheels. Don's home and business was in Fairborn, Ohio. Don was the last owner of the Dayton Speedway. He is famous throughout westcentral Ohio for giving out his Don Thompson 27 Racing Team hats. I've included a picture.

I don't remember what series his cars ran in, but I know there was at least some ARCA races. I also remember his car winning a race at the Clark County Fairgrounds and after the race, Larry picked my up and shoved me in the car for the ride back to the truck. Something I will always remember. I remember a race at what I believe was Tri-Cities (?) near Cinncinnatti.

Don was also very good friends with Jack Bowsher and he even sponsored Jack's son Bobby in ARCA in the late '80's.

I wish I had more details but I don't. Would appreciate any help finding any pictures of his cars.

 

Don was drunk one time at Michigan Speedway and handed out a few hundred dollar bills. My uncle owned a Sprint car and was good friends.

 

I think that Don was drunk more than he was sober, but he really loved racing. But he was aslo a very generous person. He helped out a lot of local racers that raced at Kil-Kare, Columbus Motor Speedway and Shady Bowl. I know if I had been of age and wanted to race, that he would have probably fielded a car for me, but I was too young.

His cars would have ran in the '60's and '70's. Many were ARCA races. I believe that all of his cars were Chevys. I remember being at his farm once for a family picnic and they were working on an early '70's Monte Carlo.

No one knows for sure how many hats he handed out through the years, but it was in the thousands.

 

( First World 100 - 27 Larry Moore & 20 Chick Hale)

does this look familiar???

 

I can not post very much more or we will get closed down, if i find older cars i will post them

larry moore hidelburg

 

Tricknology ryan and metalshaper has set us up a place to post the late photos.. its called Dogfight..they moved closed and moved the early coupe thread and added a historic thread.. Bobby