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

Pat Minick, of later Chi-Town Hustler fame, piloting the '64 Grand Spaulding HEMI Ramcharger.



The very same car as later raced by Al DeSalvo who was an all around nice guy and is missed by many at Byron and Da Grove.

 

This was the place I got hooked on drag racing, making it nearly every weekend during the early 60's. The track is still there, but the aura is so commercialized now, I can find the money to pay for parking.

 

wanna talk about ironic???....... Wally Booths Rat Pack 1 Camaro has been in my family since the early 80's,.... Tony Feil Built the engine for Rat Pack about 10 years ago !

Tony and Wally, should definitely meet if they have not in their lives, two gentleman,... really nice guys !!!

Neil

https://www.facebook.com/RATPACK1Racing

 

1962, Bob Duedall from Albany Oregon.

 

Starting line turnaround ,Woodburn Oregon 1967. Lloyd Hamilton's A/D

 

Thanks for bringing up our old '56 again. I talked to Chris Christensen over the holidays. He said the car was sold in the later 60's to
"Big Bill Bonelli" who owned Saugus Speedway at the time, now Big Bill would have been in his mid 60's and we couldn't figure out why a circle track owner would want an old gasser. Turns out their was a Bill Bonelli Jr. who would have been in his mid 20's, this make total sense. Big Bill got in trouble with the government (if you google his name, there is a ton of info on all this) and ran off and hid in Mexico in the early seventies, where he died.., in his early 70's. We then found out that Bill Jr unfortunately died in his early 50's. There is a younger brother named Frank who lives somewhere in AZ., Lake Havasu I think, who is still living as best we know, but he hasn't answered his phone. We think he may be somewhat jaded from his fathers past, not sure. Curios his name is Frank Bonelli, we wonder if he is in fact Frank G. Bonelli of Puddingston Lake fame here in San Dimas, or somehow related. We'll keep digging, and if this brings to light any "ahhh haa's" from anyone out there in "Hamb land" please let us know. Thanks a million, The Panneton Family.

 

My friend Fred Spiezio's Thunder Charger 1963 426".

 

ahhhh...the days of the firey burnout, and the quarter mile burnout...

 

Very cool, when I posted the picture I forgot that you were on the HAMB, glad you provided some history of a great '56, I remember it vaguely (it was a long time ago), but it was a strong runner

 

Its funny how so many used the name "Charger" in naming there cars before the Charger ever came out. No wonder why it was quickly adopted by Mopar. Has to be one of the best names for the muscle car period.

 

Rick, it seems doubtful that it's the same Bonelli family. See information about the deceased (1972) Los Angeles County Supervisor Frank G Bonelli of Puddingstone Reservoir fame: http://file.lacounty.gov/lac/fbonelli.pdf

"Big Bill" came from the Kingman, Arizona, area while Frank G. Bonelli's family came from Colorado.

I know it's more information than you wanted but there it is.

c

 

Thanks Chuck, you saved me some digging, now if we can
get this other Frank to answer his phone, maybe we can finally find out the fate of the '56.

 

I assume that the Chris Christensen you speak of was the same who later fielded a series of top flight BB/FC's? And man, thats one big 'chute you have mounted on the back.

 

I noticed you are in San Dimas - graduated H.S. from there lived on Shirlmar & Gaffney ave's...small world.

 

yep, that Chris Christensen. He won the '89 (I believe) Div 7. Championship driving for the Miner Bros. The parachute was an old military ring slot. The car ran 125-127 @2900lbs. with no front brakes, and San Fernando was a little short on shut down room.

 

here is a really bad pic of my pal Ivan Coffmans afx nova.i am currently helping to build a clone of this car.-Jimmy-

 

^^^^ What I'd give to be able to go out into the junk yards and bring in pieces and parts to build something to take racing. Damn I miss racing old cars. Tom S. in Tn.

 

Yeah, but Tom, it's not our world anymore. Racing now isn't like it was then...

 

Hi Island Dragway NJ 1960 will not open this year--thanks don

 

Montgomery NY 1958- thanks don

 

What happened at Island? Did the storm damage it, or just a sign of the times-lack of capital and too much public complaining?
Sad to hear it wont open, many times that signals the beginning of the very end.

 

Very, very sad. I have lots of great memories from early sixties at Island.

 

The Schiefer Roadster; three skins, one frame:


Above in its 1925 Ford skin, running a 59A Merc, 3-spd Ford toploader, and shop-built frontend quickchange. At this time the car was a dry lakes racer.


1927 Ford T roadster body still running a Merc toploader combo, probably with a Halibrand quickchange.


Santa Ana again.


1951, probably Santa Ana or Paradise Mesa.


Bonneville 1951


1955 or 1956, when the old racer was the among the fastest 1/4-miler, then the fastest 1/4-miler on Earth. Emery Cook discovered the one-gear-only concept in this car, which was then motivated by a 392 Chrysler Hemi and a Ford 2-speed tranny. Sadly the car met its demise on the Santa Ana or Paradise Mesa return road. It might still survive as one of the Bean Bandits' cars or as the first Speed Sport. Anybody got any idea?

 

Might have wound up as a Bean Bandits car, but it was not the Speed Sport roadster. Speed Sport I was built by Red Greth, Lyle Fisher, and Don Maynard in Tucson in '55.

 

Gassers at Island Dragway 1966

 

Somewhat O/T and not to hijack but, what about the travel back in the day. Cross country travel had to be a total asswhip on 2 lane roads. Especially out west with the temps and mountains. I tip my hat to racers that did it.

 

Piece of cake, no rumblestrips, just stay in your LANE. LOL. And there was real scenery, not just Mcdonalds signs. LOL.

 

Old alter at Island Dragway 60's

 

no info other than found this on a fb page

 

Great stuff! Any more pictures of the car, information and/or pictures of other S/S cars he ran against? Thanks for sharing. Really good. Maybe post them on the S/S-F/X thread here on the HAMB too ... ?
Joel