History Bonneville Record Car / NEED HELP!

Thanks for the kind comment Hyfire, the color was (is) a 1975 Rolls Royce Caribe Aqua. Chrysler wasn't known for great colors in the 50's

 

Very very cool! Loved the interview w Frank.

Later, Bill

 

Amazing shot!!!:d

 

Good to see you're making nice progress Josh! Some killer photographs and archival stuff you've managed to dig up as well!

 

It's the right place.

 

Josh,

Definitely the right place!

Any idea what color the '60 Dodge was?

 

Josh,
I can verify that info on the 59. I drove that car many times. I even street raced it in Thousand Oaks while I had it on loan from Norm Sthiles to rebuild the carbs. It still had the orginal 3 speed trans with the Hurst floor shift that Norm Thatcher had installed. It also had the headers that Norm T. built for it. The hemi went into another car and when Norm S. bought it there was a dual quad 413 in it. The car was white with black front enders and hood. These were installed in about 1969 or 1970 when Norm S. hit an abandoned car on Van Nuys Blvd at the overcrossing for the railroad tracks. It was early morning and Norm was on his way to work. I was working for Norm at the time. He and my dad operated at Texaco gas station located on Loren and Van Nuys Blvd. It was right across the street from the GM assembly plant. Was torn down and turned into a Burger King. The 59 was the first all steel stock bodied car to go 200 miles per hour at Bonneville. It did it in 1959. I saw a lot of Norm Thatcher creations as my dads shop was one block down from Norms.
Dan

 

Thank you for sharing these stories and photos. Love the car!

That interview is the best. Never get tired of listening to old guys telling stories.

 

First a correction. The 59 was not the car that Norm drove to 200 mph. I got it mixed up with the later car. The connection is the engine. The blown 413? that was in the Dodge and then was dropped into at least two other cars before Norm switched to 426 style engines.

A little history. Norm Sthiles was my adopted uncle. He and my dad met through my dads auto parts store. Auto Parts Emporium was located on Van Nuys Blvd and was right down the street from Norm Thatchers shop. Delano street was the dividing street. I was only 9 years old when I first started hanging out at dads store in the summer and on school vacations and holidays. I met Norm Thatcher in 1962 as a ten year old. He came by my dads shop to see the ten year old kid who was building his first engine. I don't remember if he was impressed or not but dad says he was. After that I would walk or ride my bike over to Norms shop to see what was cooking. I was into Studebakers but was very impressed with the Mopars that Norm was working on.

In 1963 my dad and Norm Stihles rented a shop off of Sepulveda to work on their projects. That is when I got to know Norm better. Yes he was a gruff kind of guy. That seemed to carry over from his Marine days as a drill sergeant. He and I had many a spirited conversation. He was a perfectionist and demanded that from me to. At the time I didn't like it but I can tell you that his pushing made me a better mechanic. In 1967 dad and Norm bought the Texaco station. Norms dad, Cliff, was a great guy. He and I got along great. He drove trucks (bottom dumps) and kept the trucks in the back lot of the garage behind the station. I learned a lot working on those trucks. Norm drove the 59 Dodge to work every day.

I think I got my love for the Mopar brand from the two Norms. I later went on to drag race Mopars in Stock, Super Stock, Pro Stock, Funny Car and Top Fuel in the Southern California area. Norm and I had a falling out over a transmission that I r&r'd and my friend rebuilt. He never liked the way it worked but it never got fixed as far as I know. The 59 was in good shape the last time I saw it which was about 1977. Norm came to my wedding and I stopped by shortly after that at Norms house in Arleta. In his backyard were the 59 Dodge, 56 Packard, 70 Challenger 440 auto(think Vanishing Point), 68 Riviera, Honda 750 and various other vehicle/projects. I tried in 1996 to talk Norm into letting me restore the Dodge to it's racing glory and then sell it and split the profits. He never warmed up to the idea. I looked but I don't have any pictures of the Dodge.
Dan

 

This article from the Chrysler Performance Handbook by the editors of Hor Rod Magazine published in 1963 may shed some light on the wedge engines that Norm used for his land speed efforts.

 

Wow Incredible story! I hope to hear and see it run... I was looking at photos of Mr Thatcher and was trying to place where I seen his mug before then I figured it out.. He might be the guy in some photos I have of mid to late 50's tech videos like how to change a tire type thing... My friends dad (a teacher and fellow car enthusiast) filmed the videos I guess for his auto shop class in one of the San Fernando Valley High schools.. I will look to see if it is him and if there is anything useful on them..

 

Any updates for this? I'm really anxious to see, and even more so hear, a video of it running.

 

Congrates on YOUR Find, Musta' been a "pretty damn NICE BARN !!!!!

_________________________________________________________________

I've watched ONE of those 300's , at the End of a Mile & one half Stright Stretch at

150 mph.........................With a Friends '32 Sedan, right beside IT !!! WOW


Keep your gown Down ! , an, Bee KOOL.


Smokey II

 

WOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't change a thing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A piece of history, for sure ! OHV Delux,..Not many know that trans mission builder name ! I heard it, when Tom Mc Cahill did an article on one of these.

4TTRUK

 

Norm Thatcher was one of my all time heroes.

I am glad you found the car, Josh. Your doggedness to get it right, get all the related dope, stories, people, etc., will let the legacy live on. Kudos.

 

Thanks for the update, I'll just be patient and check back in from time to time.

 

what a read!!!! Im glad that you found this car and are preserving it, not restoring it. Someday maybe I can be so lucky, cant wait to hear it run!!!

 

Looking forward to seeing upload..The suspense has been killing me

Glad you had a good day with Dad

 

Wow.. Just read through the whole thread. This is easily one of the best threads on the HAMB right now. There aren't a lot of threads on here with as much history and quality as this one has.

Thank you for sharing this with us and keeping us updated!

 

Josh (@Hyfire) -

Very, very cool!

What a great (& memorable) way for you and your father to spend your Memorial Day weekend!

I can't think of a better way of honoring Norm Thatcher's memory than by getting the 392ci HEMI in his old '58 Chrysler 300D running again!

Quite an accomplishment! ... Congrats!

 

Congratulations
Sounds great!
It sounds like it may have a bit of a choppy cam in it.

When you guys have time, after you run it a bit it would be nice to hear it idling a bit from the exhaust pipes.

More vids, driving etc.

Thanks alot for sharing this with all of us.

 

Here's the "embedded" versions of @Hyfire's vids:

​

 

Man. That car is filled with history. Norm was quoted and featured often as a speed kinda guy by Motor Trend and Hot Rod back then. That Chrysler and the 57 Plymouth run by Hot Rod Magazine at Bonneville helped put Chrysler Corp on the map.

 

Wow! Truly amazing! Too bad every old car unstarted for 40 years doesn't fire up like that and sound that great.

 

So cool!

 

Your Dad's reaction to starting it up says it all! That is an awesome find.

 

NICE! Glad it fired right off. That smoking ballast is probably just burning off some oil. They do get quite hot, that's why they're made of ceramic. Better the ballast gets hot than the coil, or frying the points. If it's got the dual point distributor the dwell is a bit longer, which means the current is flowing a little longer through the ignition system for each spark than it does in a single point ignition system. Just carry a spare and you'll be fine.

 

Here is the Bonneville result sheet. I need some help reading this one.

It lists Norm's Friday run as the record, but also lists the 154.10 time. So did racing continue Saturday?

I know from daily Los Angeles & Salt Lake City newspapers that covered each day of Norms runs that the following records had been broken as written below:

BONNEVILLE 1958
(Monday???) First Run 130 MPH
Tuesday August 26th 144.291 (New Record)
Wenesday August 27th 145.191 (New Record)
Thursday August 28th 148.577 (New record)
Friday August 29th 156.387 (New Record)

 

And then I got a surprise. After Bonneville, Norm took the car back to El Mirage Dry Lakes for one last race on September 28th, 1958.

He beat his old El Mirage record and set a new top speed:

 

THANK YOU to Jack for this "new" info. And to Dry Lakes Wheel Man (Ron) for the lead!

I have a couple questions:

1.) How do El Mirage and Bonneville compare top speed wise (Due to surface, temps, altitude and so on).
2.) What days of the week would they have run El Mirage back then?
3.) Anyone know anything about the Road Masters Club?




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