History Old Time Philadelphia area Hot Rods + drags

How about posting some pictures and articles about Philadelphia area Hot Rods and drag cars from years back. I will start with the Satans 32 coupe.

 

These guys were friends of mine from Philadelphia. They have passed on but their memory lives on !

 

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Atco Drags early 60's

 

Hi Goldy funny you posted this today, I was looking through some my old pics from working on the fuel cars and found this, Alittle off topic but being you have this now I thought you would like to see this,,,, Tim Jones

 

A few from Philadelphia Modifiers

 

AUSOME pics, my wife is from Philly and Uncle Dave still lives there near Ogance (sp ? ) Thanks for posting these !!

 

I'll see if I can get my dad to dig out the pics of his 56' Chevy and his 40'

 

I was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, left for a tour with the Air Force on Jan 17 of 76 exactly two months before my 20th birthday (17 MAR 56). From the summer of 72 until the fall of 75 i don't think I ever spend one weekend at home during the racing season. Gosh, some of the racing I saw was good, some great and the rest was spectacular.

There were weekend's I'd help crew a modified at Grandview Saturday night, drive to the Morgantown toll plaza on the Turnpike, sleep in the back of my car and get up Sunday morning to work with somebodys drag car at Maple Grove.

Correct me if I'm not up to date on these roundy-rounds

CLOSED: Reading, Penn National, New Egypt, Flemington, Dorsey Park, Nazareth.
OPEN: Grandview, Bridgeport, Big Diamond, Selingsgrove.

Dragstrips
CLOSED: York, Vargo, Pocono Mt, Island (just this year)
OPEN: Maple Grove, Atco, Cecil County, Englishtown (most unfriendly locals ANYWHERE!)

All this while doing high school, working in a gas station after school. If I got 4 hours sleep I was doing great. I didn't burn the candle at both ends, I just threw the whole box in the fire.

It was some of the best times in my life.

 

not trying to nitpick, just help with correct name: Ogontz

 

Those are GREAT picture's !!!!!!

 

NickJT Do you have any more pics of this car, My comp coupe I'm building has the body angle set just about the same way, Thanks Tim Jones

 

Dragsled, thanks for posting. As you know, I was part of the 79 Challenger Philadelphia Flyer crew back then and I am now restoring the car. Here is a current picture of the Philadelphia Flyer 79 Challenger Nitro Funnycar . This is the way that I found it and it needs to be completely restored.

 

WOW! This is great guys, keep posting these awesome pictures. If you know the names and places, type in the information with the pictures.

Beatnik pirate posted some great shots of early Atco NJ drags. Atco opened in 1960 and is still in operation today. Those shots look like 1960 or 1961.

 

Check the Philadelphia Modifiers site, there is a section about the history of the club and a section with members rides, one of them has old pictures.

 

Nick JT ; Your pictures of the original Philadelphia Modifiers racing at Hatfield are awesome!!
My favorite car of all time, and the one that inspired me to live my entire life drag racing is "MY SIN" That car in it's day was unbeatable at Hatfield. Tony Tierno built that thing so low even I could look over the roof and I am only 5'5" !! "My Sin" was powered by a flathead with a Scott blower on top. I used to help push start that coupe on the starting line when I was only 13 years old. It wasn't real pretty or detailed but it would run the balls off of the competition to take Top Eliminator ! thanks for posting, Goldy

 

Very cool, I was born in Philly way back in 1953. Frank

 

thanks for the pic Goldy , the car looks better than I remember it when it was sitting in another part of the shop, Here's a couple pics of the flyer when i worked on it the one doing the burnout was the T Bird we burned in seattle and then we went to the Probe body, Tim Jones

 

The Fiat bodied competition coupe with the Potvin Blown Oldsmobile engine was run by the Bowers brothers. They set the NHRA National record for the class, with that car.

 

Anybody remember "Soul Survivor, Ghetto Missile or a certain orange hemi Challenger with 4 mufflers on Front Street?Aww my misspent youth!!

 

Short interesting acknowledgement of the Bowers Boys.:
http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/0612rc_1940_chevy/viewall.html

I remember watching and street racing on Darien St. between Pattison and Packer back in the early '60's up to the early '70's (now populated by buzzy ricers); another spot was up at Big Boy's on the Roosevelt Blvd. near Cottman, as well as Decatur Rd. north of there. Quite a few cars trailered up to these places to race. I recall one early '60's Comet with a tube frame and acid dipped body that showed up at the N.E. Philly spots, and I hated it since it was a fast Ford

After most of I-95 was built but many sections not open yet, we used to drive around the dirt piles and race up on the open 4 lane highway, a couple times with Philly cops watching with interest.

Disclaimer: While I am still alive, not overly debilitated, and never hurt anyone else, I don't condone street racing.

 

I'll never forget the Street Racing that took place in S.Phiily --

Guy i knew had an awesome yellow mopar. He was at starting line on Darian Street got out of the car and his girl friend got in driver seat- the crowd went nuts. She pulled hole shot ( 4-speed) , lost it ,the car went forward then sideways, wiped out about ten cars lined down the street watching. We had to use crow bar to remove his fender from tire so car could limp home. The best part about it was we did not know another guy we knew was either asleep or stoned and was lying in the back seat the whole time and went for the wild ride!

The cops chased us from one area to he next ALL NIGHT LONG ! Street racing was unreal.

I wish someone had filmed those awesome days.

 

This picture was taken at the drags at Hatfield Pa. (25 miles out of Philly) around April of 1962. We were push starting my very first dragster , I was 17 years old. I built this dragster in my driveway using a 1937 sprint car. We won Top Eliminator many times at Hatfield and Langhorne.

 

Nick JT ; I remember well, Darien Street, Decator road, the Meadows and of course Big Boys. I was from North Hills in Abington Township ( 6 miles out of Philly).
In the fifties we would cruise on York Road, hang out at the Green Arrow and cruise down the Blvd to Big Boys. In the sixties we would hang at the Hot Shop in Abington on York road and cruise to the Hot Shop at Broad and Stenton.

 

More on Ray and George Bowers Fiat bodied competition coupe. Ray Bowers was more known as "Turtle" back then. The Bowers brothers took their competition coupe to a track in the south to make record runs. The area NHRA director was named "farmer Dismuke". After making runs quicker and faster than the current record the car had to go to the "Barn" to be torn down or inspected. An argument ensued between Farmer and Turtle and farmer denied them the record. They towed the car back to Philly and changed whatever Farmer did not like. They also painted a picture on the car of Farmer laying flat on the ground being run over by the Fiat with tire tracks over his fat belly. They later went to the next record runs in Virginia and set the national record and passed tech. even with the mural on the car. That competition coupe class changed and therefor that record was never broken.
Turtle is alive and well and still a member of the Philadelphia Modifiers.

 

Looking for any pics of the "Hose Bros." dragster. They were in the Oreland area. Dragster had a small block chevy.

 

ahhh, now I need some chicken wings and beer from Union Jack's. We should have a meet there when the weather breaks!

 

goldy, great story about turtle. ray and his wife are the best. i look forward to see you at atco this year.