Features Corvette hot rods - picture thread

NOPE

 

Well, let me try something else. Shot in 1978.

 

That's 63/64 so that works. I lived on LI back in the day when Motion was HOT and Corvettes were just fast cars meant to be raced and driven.

Pat

 

Pat, I'm going with 1963 on this one, it seems that I can see the split through the right side glass.

When I saw the first Motion cars I thought they were overdone in the looks department, and that
was in 1968. I finally grew to dig their uniqueness.

 

Gary Reynolds posted this picture in the Vintage Shots thread of the 4o Willys of Stoltz and Velasquez with a 58 Vette in the background. After working all day apparently my brain has gone soft. Being that Stoltz was running AA/G and has a 66 Chevelle push car it probably is 66 or 67. The 58 Vette has no bumpers so it has to run in M/Sp if 66 or 67 (gas I suppose if 68). What is up with the hood cut outs?

 

Yup, '63 has an extra piece of stainless trim on door in front of the wind wing. None of the other coupes have it.

 

Maybe has an engine setback M/sp was allowed 25% also did you notice the dual axle on the utility bodied push truck,

Pat

 

Pat I did notice the truck. I worked for my cousin's truck equipment business for a number of years where we built many trucks from the cab and chassis stage and so trucks are something that seem to catch my eye.

You are probably correct on the setback and I thought of that. I still would like to see other pictures of the car. The picture is a bit fuzzy when I increased the size and cropped it but to me it appears they added some material to the hood where the cowl vent and cowl would normally be. I suppose I can understand the middle modifications moreso than the two side cutouts. If I had to make a guess maybe they ran the headers up and over and those cutouts are where the headers are routed. With a 25% setback the engine is into the interior space and routing them may have given them the option (especially to guys that want to run tandem axles on a relatively small truck).

 

Jim I just got my fat ass back from a benefit bicycle tour for the VA in Albany. First time on a bicycle in 3yrs, did 10 miles in an hour 15. It was a humbling experience. But back to the Corvette, if it had an engine setback to its limit 25% in a Corvette would be over 25 inches, for guys that would put another axle (they didn't live in NY the tolls would kill them) maybe they cut the firewall and cowl to access the motor and those add-ons covered what they cut out.

Pat

 

Pat you may be right. Somewhere I saw an early Vette with headers exiting over the top although probably not the case with this car. If it was 25 inches or so that would put the engine totally in the interior. Since you ran MSP do you remember any C1 Corvette that did well in MSP with any setback? I have pictures above my desk of 3 MSP Vettes that ran at Detroit and Milan when I was a disciple of those tracks and all ran stock location (and two of the three won class at Indy, a big block and small block when they were switched over to gas in the late 60s- same car and same drivetrain as when they competed in MSP).

Would surely like to see a picture of what these guys did. Imagine the stock Nazis today-Oh the horror of it all.

 

Saw this '61 today in Orinda, CA. Don't know anything about it other than 4-speed and cheater slicks on the back.

 

Sting Ray that is Bert Brown's 61. He occasionally posts here. The car is referred to in several different ways such as the Grassman, Osterman 61 and other times Nicholson and Wade is added to the name. The car took home the B/Sp trophy at the 62 Winternationals and actually went a few rounds in street eliminator, including taking a win light against Hayden Proffitt in the 421 Tempest. I have pointed out before that this car came down the assembly line right behind Mazmanian's 61. Pretty cool that both won major races and both survive.

 

What kind of wheels are on the front?

 

American Racing LeMans (magnesium flat spoke)

Spelling correction, thanks Denny

 

Jim, very cool, I had no idea I was standing next to royalty, lol.

Enloe, don't know.

 

Gringo got it, I think we posted at the same time.
And Denny.

 

Correct on the front wheels. On the rear he has American Torque Thrusts. To Corvette drag race nuts such as myself the car is pretty high on the cool meter IMO.

 

Well I can't afford those
They probably wouldn't work on my 66 anyway

 

Pretty much pegs my "Cool Meter" as well

 

The car is pretty good in its own right but the tune from Nicholson and Earl Wade I am sure didn't hurt. Hugh Osterman turned a 13.23 at 106 in 1962 at the Winternats-not too shabby.

 

We have some Wheel Hounds on this thread everybody was on top of that question. Three people posted the correct answer at the same time

 

Jim I know of a few, not many though, they were not conducive to putting the motor that far back, not too practical. Mazmanian's car was successful (don't think it was setback) most of the others ran CM/SP. The foreign cars like mine and Joe Lunati's car, Sam Parriot, other Deven bodies pretty much ruled the class.

Forgot to press the post button for Jim's 2473

Pat

 

Pat, I have great respect for you and your input and opinion as you were there and your car was a warrior from the era. I was a bit late to the party as I did not start spending inordinate amounts of time at the local strips until 1966. I have to rely on my flawed memory and books and articles written on the subject moreso than first hand knowledge. That being said I cannot deny that I fly the Corvette colors when it comes to drag racing-a character flaw I suppose. I wondered about setback on these early Vettes as I suppose I am not familiar with any that ran well enough to get any serious ink. I ran with guys that ran early Vettes and they hooked pretty well with the stock location. The black Midwest 57 (driven by Kanners and Bob Schaeffer with big block power) could pull the wheels with ease with stock location so I do not understand the setback. I would like to find a Corvette that did well with the setback-I am sure there are one or two.

At my home tracks (which were home to the big three so they were not backwater tracks) the Corvettes in MSP pretty much dominated during 66 and 67 when I was getting started. They were the home tracks of Bill Coon and his 57 Bird in MSP and he was no slouch. He towed out to So Cal in 67 for the Winternats and won class but the black 57 I referred to above bested him at the local tracks every time I saw them run. There were a decent number of other makes in MSP (my memory is not good enough to document them) and they did well but generally the Vettes took home the hardware. Gianino with his small block 57 Vette was pretty dominant as well. Both Gianino and Kanners won at Indy in MSP and both cars also won with the same drivetrain and engine combos when they did away with MSP and switched them to gas (Gianino in 68 and the BBC 57 under different ownership in 69). There was another great running BBC powered MSP57 Vette sponsored by Berkley Auto Electric-called Go-rilla-great running car.

Sam Cunningham from Texas allegedly was the man to beat in Texas with his DM/SP 61 Vette. He also towed out to the 67 Winternats and won class and also had two class wins at Indy (63 in CM/SP and 67 DM/SP).

On the West coast I am sure there were a few strong running MSP Vettes in addition to Mazmanian such as Bones Balogh who won at Indy with his J & J Muffler car in 1962. If he had continued to campaign this car who knows how successful it may have been.

I wish that there was a source for the major event wins during the era and I believe I may find a few Vette victories in MSP. In looking through the records for Indy during the MSP era-1960 through 1967, 40% of all Modified Sports wins were by Corvettes. There were 27 class trophies for Modified Sports during that era and 11 of the wins were listed as won by Corvettes.

There is no denying that there were some great cars that dominated many races such as Parriott's Kurtis (4 time Indy winner) and Lunati's Devin (3 time Indy winner) and the MGA's of Guzman/Ward and Bill Manning, both Indy winners. These were all great cars and I am sure there were many great makes other than Corvettes that had numerous class wins but my inability to document the national wins of all of the makes including Corvette in MSP handicaps me. As well as the other makes did very well, which there is no denying, if Indy was any indication of success, Corvettes did more than hold their own IMO.

 

Enloe : The American Lemans wheels , are not cut on the backside for disc brake calipers. You will see them on '64 and back drum brake cars only. Your Ansens would look great on your '66.

 

Perfect, they'll fit on ,my 63.....now to only find a reasonable priced set

 

56 Corvette at Bonneville

 

And someone paid $8500.00 for it.

 

Jim you are absolutely correct, and I know about all the names you mentioned. I thought you were referring to Corvettes with a 25% engine set-back and I never saw that many. Yes many names you mentioned ran extremely well with no or 10% setback.

Pat

 

Got some fat tires mounted out back and added some old school caps.