I was involved in something pretty damn cool today. In preparation for the upcoming Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, one of our friends, Bubby Wilton, needed to ensure that his Top Fueler would move under it's own power without any issues. The car has been together for around 6 months, and up until today, it was just used for cackle events. Bubby wanted to check the clutch and the brakes, so he needed a push truck. A fellow HAMB'r, hotrod49, has pushed some Fuel cars in the past, and his '49 Chevy pickup is set up with a removable push bar, so he offered to help Bubby. We all met up at Bracket Field in Pomona for the test. Here's a little history on the car: The Wilton and Doss AA/TF was probably the most successful Top Fueler on the West Coast that was powered by a big block Chevy. Bubby Wilton and Del Doss were both hard-core Chevy guys, so they had no interest in running a Hemi. Back in the day ('66, '67, '68), the car ran as fast as 7.14 @ 196mph. The partnership went separate ways, and Bubby Wilton went on to build some of the baddest drag boat engines in the country. Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and the original Woody Gilmore chassis was found in a dilapidated condition on an open trailer in Fontana, California. It was a mess. It had been extended, and somewhere along the way, the car was converted to a small block Chevy. After a lot of hours and money, the car was returned to it's 1968-era condition. I have heard BBCs on nitro in the past, but the combination that Bubby put together on this car sounds KILLER. It's louder and it thunders harder than any nostalgia nitro Hemi I have ever been around. It sounds like it's on Kill. Well, everything went perfect. The car lit right off after it was pushed, the clutch felt right, and the brakes worked perfectly. It's ready for the Cacklefest!!
Great story, glad the car was found and restored. Bubby Wilton was former a partner with Kenny Ellis in the "trigster" and a great tuner. He showed Bob Keilty and I some tricks to get our blown Desoto to run better, no one was better on the barrel valve than Bubby! Great guy, glad he is doing ok...
Having grown up in the San Gabriel Valley ( Temple City area) I remember the Wilton / Doss car . Nice to see it running strong again .
Matt Robbins spearheaded the restoration on that car. Matt chose to have me do the chassis restoration, and he is a great guy to work with.
http://youtu.be/qnHbjYtk2nU http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nHfkxGEX7Yc Took these two videos that Saturday. Enjoy.
The Jalopy Journal
