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

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Royalshifter, Dec 12, 2007.

  1. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
    Posts: 11,946

    tommyd
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    from South Indy

  2. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
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    History of Art Chrisman.

    Art_01.jpg


    Chrisman and his family moved from Arkansas to Compton, Calif., during World War II and owned an automobile-repair shop, Chrisman & Sons Garage, where Chrisman quickly learned about cars and developed an interest in racing. Chrisman and brother Lloyd began racing the family’s ’36 Ford four-door sedan in the mid-1940s before buying their soon-to-be-famous No. 25 car in 1949. (Below) Chrisman recorded the first quarter-mile run at more than 140 mph at Santa Ana Drag Strip in February 1953.

    Art_02.jpg


    Chrisman’s familiar No. 25 made its way into the history books as the first car to run in Great Bend, Kan., at the inaugural Nationals, NHRA's first national event in 1955. Chrisman took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, then made the opening lap of the race. (???? lap at drag strip)


    Art_03.jpg


    Art_04.jpg

    In 1958, the slingshot-style dragster was beginning to make its mark. The Chrismans, along with Frank Cannon, built their famed Hustler I dragster, which immediately won the Best Engineered Car award at the 1958 Nationals in Oklahoma City (pictured). The car, powered by a blown 392-cid Chrysler engine stroked out to 454 inches, recorded the sport's first 180-mph run with a 181.81 at Riverside Raceway and won the Smokers Meet in Bakersfield in 1959.


    Art_05.jpg

    Chrisman ran the Hustler I dragster through the end of the 1962 season, scoring Top Fuel runner-ups at the 1960 and 1961 Bakersfield races. He then went to work for Ford Motor Company's Autolite Spark Plug Division, which put an end to his racing career but not his driving career.


    Art_06.jpg
     
  3. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
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    Last edited: Oct 16, 2016
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  4. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,289

    jnaki

    Davc,
    You are right again. Sorry... My clip is not Leonard Harris. The K88 stands out, my old eyes are not what they used to be...Gee, my wife might be right (oh no...)..."It is not what I see that is always right"... I took down the video and will rename it shortly. Please delete your reply movie clip if you want to make sure all remnants are gone...
    Thanks again for keeping it correct...

    Junji
     
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  5. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    No problem, my eyes are also fading, and I have had my own share of mis-identifications, especially on this thread! Dave


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  6. D.N.D.
    Joined: Aug 15, 2012
    Posts: 1,385

    D.N.D.
    Member Emeritus

    Hi Guys

    You guys are lucky if only your eyes are fading, its all fading on me

    Remember the song line ' 39 and holding - holding on to everything I got ' that's me big time

    DND
     
  7. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,132

    DDDenny
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    from oregon

    Those of us in your (our) situation got your back DND.
    I've not been feeling great lately myself so when my friend in Bakersfield offered a plane ticket to the CHRR I really had to think about it, about two minutes of thought that is.
    Funny thing about it is after I decided to go I started feeling better, what's up with that.
     
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  8. Gabe Fernando
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 309

    Gabe Fernando
    Member

    This is one hard act to follow.
     
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  9. Gabe Fernando
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 309

    Gabe Fernando
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    You have lots of company 'old timer'.
     
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  10. wrenchbender
    Joined: Sep 5, 2007
    Posts: 2,337

    wrenchbender
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    Chrome don't get ya home
     
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  11. thehazguy
    Joined: Aug 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,849

    thehazguy
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  12. thehazguy
    Joined: Aug 12, 2010
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    thehazguy
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  13. tommyd
    Joined: Dec 10, 2010
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    tommyd
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    from South Indy

  14. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,289

    jnaki

    Dave,
    I just read that Mickey Brown died in 1959, so the film clip was renamed 1959 Lions blown Olds FED vs Sidewinder. Now, the question is: did he die in the Scrima Adams Chassis Research dragster or this version upload_2016-10-16_15-49-56.png
    Thanks,
    Jnaki
     
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  15. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Actually he died in this car, the Scrima & Adams blown gas burner. Gene Adams Olds engine, Ronnie Scrima chassis. Note the "squirrel cage" rollbars, which failed to protect his head. Mickey's fatal crash inspired Kent Fuller to build the three-point roll bar to keep the driver's head inside the bars in a crash. It looks like a TE-440 but a lot of dragsters had roll bars like this.
    [​IMG]


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    Last edited: Oct 16, 2016
  16. blackrat40
    Joined: Apr 19, 2006
    Posts: 1,167

    blackrat40
    Member Emeritus

    Hey Dave, Why was that style roll bars called a "squirrel cage"?
    I ran a TE-440 in '65 (and survived) :>) Mickey\'s Race Cars (6).JPG
     
  17. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,796

    Marty Strode
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    Dave,
    Great shot of Gene and the crew ! Gene remained loyal to Engle Cams, probably wore more of their T-shirts than most anyone. When I was building a blown 392, I asked Gene's opinion on cam selection, he said "Call Engle, and Talk to Jack, he will sell you just what you need" !
     
  18. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    I'm really not sure -- also called "Skid bars" --- I also ran a TE-440 and survived-- in '62, but San Gabriel management told me no blown engines in it, -- tubing was only .65"


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  19. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Marty, Jack was our camgrinder, went to him in '65 with a idea about how to take advantage of the moist air that blew into Lions around 8:00...so we could run leaner and use the air to cool the engine -- we were a couple of young dumb kids but Jack took us seriously and ground us a special cam for top end....and we very briefly broke the 1320 record with it.....a great guy who treated his customers right!


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  20. Dave
    You are being a little modest in your praises for Jack Engle...We were Engle Distributor in Dallas and sold thousands of his cams...I usually was the orderer so mainly gave Don Moody hard time when placing orders..now, that Don Moody was "a piece of work" LOL
     
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  21. jnaki
    Joined: Jan 1, 2015
    Posts: 9,289

    jnaki

    Hey Guys,
    I originally had the films labeled 1959 at Lions, but so many people have told me that it should be 1960. I caved... but, Mickey Brown died in 1959, so I should have stayed with my first naming of my film clips. In order to get to the bottom of this series of events, I contacted Dimitri Lazaris D_Lazaris on the HAMB. He currently has the original frame that he has built into a fabulous fed shown here on the HAMB. "Antique Doll " upload_2016-10-17_5-4-23.png Here is his answer to the question:
    Hi Junji,
    I think the video of the Olds dragster was Mickey Browns rail that was the Quincy Automotive dragster.
    The way we know our dragster was the one in the crash was when my dad purchased the dragster in 1973 he knew Wayne Talley. He was the one that purchased the rail after it crashed at Lions. He was there the night it happened and was a tech inspector.

    You can still see the dents on the cage where it went on its side.

    Also, we know Mort Smith, the driver of the car. According to Mort they were having a hard time beating Tommy Ivo and that is when they put the bigger Olds in. Going from a 371ci to a 394ci. He had about 3 runs in the rail and every time the rail was handling bad at the starting line. That's when Mickey Brown offered to drive (Mort warned him to take it easy).

    Mort was able to identify our dragster as well because of the body on it.

    Here is a picture of our rail where you can see the body. Look at the rear bottom rail and you can see how the body wraps around which is a giveaway that it is our rail.[​IMG]

    Scrima-Adams-Smith did have a homebuilt chassis that Ronnie made before the chassis research Te-440. And a lot of the times it is mistaken for the one that crashed. But the Engle advertisements show that it is a Te-440 that was campaigned in 1959.

    We do have a Chassis Research brass serial # on our rail. Scotty Fenn started sending them out to have put on rails to show they were genuine Chassis Research and not home built.

    Thanks to Dave and Dimitri for solving my question... to paraphrase a familiar quote:
    "OLD AGE WILL OVERCOME YOUTH AND SKILL EVERY TIME"...but in this case. Old age is just old age and may need some help...
    Jnaki
     
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  22. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Thanks! That clarifies the chassis, I was mistaking this car for their earlier car, which I saw run at San Fernando a I had no idea what happened to it after Mickey' crash.


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  23. ttwomotor
    Joined: Jul 26, 2012
    Posts: 726

    ttwomotor
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    from Illinois

    Pretty sure I agree but don't remember for sure <G>!
     
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  24. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
    Member

    Bill Flynn, of New Haven, Conn., waged war with the Tasca Fords in the 1960s with his Yankee Peddler Barracuda and had a competitive heart from the beginning. The former New England Junior Archery champion and two-time minor-league batting champ was working in the service department of an auto agency and fixing up his car on the side. A trip to Connecticut Dragway in 1962 ended in a humbling defeat and an “I’ll show them” attitude, and he did.

    email flynn.jpg

    "Fast Eddie Schartman" short early history.

    He built his first drag car, a flathead-powered '40 Ford, when he was 14. By the time he graduated from Berea High School in 1956, he was already a skilled racer. He journeyed from Cleveland to Flagler Beach, Fla., for Daytona Speed Week in a street-driven ’56 Chevy with a stroked-out 338-cid engine and won everything in sight, and shortly afterward, he set the NHRA B/Gas record with a full-race ‘55 Chevy.

    Schartman went to work for the Cleveland-based Jackshaw Chevrolet dealership, which had a pretty good pipeline to Chevy high-performance parts and was frequented by Chevy’s biggest doorslammer star, “Dyno Don” Nicholson. Schartman was running a ‘62 Chevy out of the dealership that regularly sent the local Ford drivers packing, and the two became friends, which led to a job offer from Nicholson, who asked Schartman to move to Atlanta and build engines for him in 1964. Soon, Nicholson got a Mercury factory deal and a new A/FX Comet station wagon known lovingly but unflatteringly as “The Ugly Duckling.” Schartman took over the wheel of Nicholson's '62 Chevy – for 50 percent of the winnings – and made a killing down South.

    "The Ugly Duckling"

    fast1.jpg


    Nicholson’s new bosses at Mercury, however, did not appreciate still seeing his name on a Chevrolet, so when Nicholson got a new Comet coupe in 1965, Schartman got the Comet wagon. Schartman claimed the Mr. Stock Eliminator win at the 1965 NASCAR Winter Drags, but he had grown tired of working for someone else and handing over half of his winnings, and his relationship with Nicholson had become quite rocky. Mercury so valued its young racer that when he demanded his own car, it gave him a Comet – and a lucrative (for the time) $5,000 sponsorship from the Cleveland-area Mercury dealers – albeit with a wedge motor instead of the cammers bestowed upon others on the factory deal to finish 1965.


    fast2.jpg
     
  25. thehazguy
    Joined: Aug 12, 2010
    Posts: 1,849

    thehazguy
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  26. thehazguy
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    thehazguy
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  27. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
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    Gary Dyer

    Dyer_01.jpg


    Dyer began racing at 18, when he drove a Cadillac-powered Ford coupe at a local Illinois track. For the next 10 years, he competed with a stock ’56 Chevy and several gas coupes. Dyer soon became interested in the new breed of factory experimental stockers that were gaining popularity in the early 1960s.

    At the end of 1963, Dyer teamed up with John Farkonas and Ed Rachanski to run an A/FX Mercury Comet during 1964. Later that year, Farkonas and Dyer joined with Pat Minick to run Norm Krause’s A/FX Dodge. Dyer spent the bulk of his career driving for Krause, the owner of Grand-Spaulding Dodge in Chicago who was famous for his iconic Mr. Norm's ads.


    Dyer_02.jpg


    Midway through 1965, Krause bought Roger Lindamood’s factory altered-wheelbase Dodge and equipped it with their blown match race engine. They began to record unbelievable times, including an 8.63, the quickest Funny Car run of 1965, at Lions Drag Strip.

    Dyer_03.jpg


    In 1966, Dyer drove a Dodge Charger (above) with a square-tube chassis built by Dennis Roland and John Buttera. Dyer made more than 120 appearances with the Charger that year.

    Dyer_04.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2016
  28. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
    Member

    Very Early Dyno Don

    Nicholson had a diverse history in the sport, racing in several different categories. In addition to his Pro Stock wins, Nicholson also scored national event victories in Stock and Modified, and he advanced to the final round in four other categories, including Funny Car.

    Before he raced on asphalt, Nicholson was a successful dry lakes competitor in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Here, he and his team work on one of his dry lakes entries, the Blair’s Speed Shop flathead Ford-powered entry.

    nicholson-01.jpg


    A mechanic by trade, Nicholson not only worked on his own cars throughout his career, but he also helped his brother, Harold. In this photo, taken in Santa Maria, Calif., in 1953, Nicholson, who is on the far left, helps Harold prepare for a run with their shark-nosed Bantam.


    nicholson-02.jpg


    Nicholson picked up his first national event win at the inaugural Winternationals (1961), taking home the trophy in Stock.


    nicholson-03.jpg


    Nicholson with “Big Daddy” Don Garlits on the starting line


    nicholson-06.jpg


    nicholson-04.jpg

    The dates of the final two photos are unknown, and both are probably best described by the caption that accompanied the photo in the file. (Above) “ ‘Dyno’ Don Nicholson, whose nickname was inspired by the chassis dyno shop that he operated in Pasadena, Calif., was a complete racer. He was a renowned driver, expert engine builder and tuner, and highly skilled in clutch and chassis setups.” (Below) “Two of Nicholson’s best friends during his career were longtime crew chief Earl Wade, left, and header manufacturer Jerry Jardine, right.”


    nicholson-08.jpg


    nicholson-07.jpg
     
  29. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Incredible post, Thanks!! That's my old boss Don Blair in the top picture, the tall guy with shades behind the roadster. Don and Harold's Bantam roadster was probably the first drag racing Bantam, mid-50s, ran with a blown GMC, but didn't go straight, so the Pomona management banned it until Harold could figure out how to get it to handle (Harold died in '59 at San Fernando, driving the Akins and Hawkins blown flathead dragster). Don's dyno shop was just down the street from Pasadena City College, at C.S. Mead Chevrolet, and listening to the high revs of whatever Don was tuning made studying there impossible (I know, was a student there in '62). Don also liked to street race, and stalked his victims on Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, blew me off badly in my Olds powered roadster). One of the great drag racers of all time...
     
  30. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
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    The SOUND of the "Blown Hearse" is what got me into drag racing. The D&E shop was right down the street from my grade school and once I heard that sound of un-mufflered blown engine I had to investigate. Long story short I was the pesky kid that hung around the garage on Saturdays until I was "accepted" and became the "Hey Kid" in hey kid grab me a 1/2 inch box wrench because Dicky Doyle had trouble with walking quickly and crawling out from under. Learned a lot including some choice swear words that I made the mistake of trying out on my mother. First and only time I literally had a bar of Ivory soap shoved in my mouth.
     

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