Art & Inspiration Traditional images that need no explanation.

"Lil" Joe Weatherby?

 

I have been corrected, and rightly so. Joe Weatherly. Not a typo
but a brain o.

 

40ragtopdown, That's my mother and I. Cumberland Maryland. The street was Race Street. That's where we lived, The car was gold with a black top. My Dad bought it that way. It had either an Olds or a Buick in it with a stick shift. My Dad sold it because my mother couldn't push in the clutch. I remember standing on the front seat when my Dad started to race a Corvette, the top radiator hose blew off and all the coolant came out the hood louvers and covered the windshield. We had to stop because we couldn't see. The Vette was long gone. That was probably early 60's or so. I was born in 1958, I'm 63 now, and my mother is 83 That picture is hanging on the wall in my shop.

 

Hello,

That photo is a classic. The Tommy Ivo Twin was just introduced to the drag racing world and still had the black cladding. But, the Blue, Valley Home Service FED was no push over by any means.
Valley Home Services

I received this original photo from an old friend in the Standard 1320 group. (Not copied from the HAMB.) It was the black cladding on Tommy Ivo’s Twin versus the blue Chevy powered FED of Valley Home Service at Riverside Raceway in 1959.

This location at the Riverside Raceway in December of 1959 was very popular and historic. Here is a film I took of the exact race between the twin Buick FED of Tommy Ivo and the blue SBC FED of the Valley Home Service Group. The afternoon sun played tricks on the film and angles all day. The tall cliffs were just another angle to taking films of the whole quarter mile track and races.

Valley Home Services at the beginning… at :0 to :10


Riverside Raceway 1959

Twin Injected BUICKS VS. Supercharged SBC FED


1959 December Riverside Raceway Valley Home VS Tommy Ivo

As you can see, the quick Valley Home Service SBC FED takes a surprising lead and holds it for some time. Then the powerful Twin Buicks take over and “ekes” out a win in the canyon…

Jnaki

I was fortunate that my brother decided for us to drive a couple of hours east to the raceway so early in the morning. It was a long drive, but the whole day was exciting for a young teenager, until the afternoon. It was a tiring day and I quickly fell asleep all the way back home to the Westside of Long Beach. But, what a full day of drag racing action… yowza!!!

 

Black cladding? I’m seeing the black chassis and seat pan with no body work yet.

To my eye the photo shows the roll bar having a bend that makes it intersect with the main tube of the chassis.

 

Those skirts weren't designed with flats in mind.

 

That's what SHE said....

 

Needed a little more weight over the wheels...

 

Look to be welded on.

 

The Ford Wrist Twist System. Weird that this over-complicated death trap mechanism was never put into production...

 

Great way to break a thumb!

 

"Honey, we're taking the boat!"

 

The headlights. What do you use when you get across the crosswalk?

 

Hello,

The black cladding term was used as a base framework and build. By the time later in the eliminations, unless Tommy Ivo had two twin engine Buick race cars, there was a Red one that is normally attributed to his build and records.

Dec 1959

at 1:12 round one Red Ivo Twin vs. Langford/Brown

Jnaki

Tommy Ivo’ Red twin Buick FED set a record of 9.02 for the A/Gas dragster class from the 1320 Association. Then won the Top Gas Eliminator trophy.


The Red Tommy Ivo twin racing Dallas Martinson in his blown hemi FED. At 1:26