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

Was that the funny car that Chuck Finders crashed and lost a leg in the accident ?

 

Was afterwards...

 

A famed chassis builder and gasser driver, Chuck Finders was well known in drag racing before racing funny cars. From an Ohio base, Finders drove the Warlord Cuda, Nick Varough's Satellite, and the Rollins & Finders Cuda. He formed a partnership with Ken Thornburg on the High Speed Vega. The High Speed Monza (pictured) came next. The car was raced in NHRA Division III events and in match races. It was in this car that Finders suffered a terrible crash. He was racing at the PRO National Challenge held at Union Grove, Wisconsin. Chuck hit the guardrail, severely injuring his legs. Finders was out of racing for a couple of years, but returned to racing in 1980 in a Pro Comp AA/A. He has raced off and on for the last 25 years. Thornburg later owned the Centurion line of funny cars. (Gary Newgard photo; draglist.com info)

Quote is from a funny car history page. Won't post a picture of the Monza mentioned, to new of a car and it looks to be of the more modern 125" wheelbase variety funny car. The front wheels being different, spindle mount wheels with no brakes, pretty easy to swap. The mystery goes on!

 

Jack Jones

 

Is that Island Dragway in Great Meadows, N.J.
Jimbo

 

Hello,

It has been noted that after the showing at the 1959 Bakersfield Smokers inaugural March Meet and getting eliminated in the first round with the carburetor version of the Hemi was not a high point in Don Garlits history. But, he got a lot of help from the Westcoast drag racing folks. He change a few things and continued his Westcoast road trip after the March Meet & began to rip up the California dragstrips with more power and attitude.

But, for us, the initial sighting in December 1959 was a power show at Riverside Raceway. Only to be marred by the controversial run against Art Chrisman’s Hustler 2. People were complaining, and upset that the race took on a new meaning… “a California rolling start.” Popularized by the consistent stop/go quickness at the noted red stop signs prevalent in all traffic zones.

The race was highly anticipated by everyone and sure the nerves were extremely high. Starters, staging folks, pit crews, both drivers, and all of us waiting for a good drag race. The Eastcoast contingent was anxious to prove to the Westcoast contingent of the viability of a win. This was one of those crowd up to the starting line, stand up in your spot on the dragstrip edge and watch what happens. Lucklily, I was already next to the starting line on the actual dragstrip since earlier in the day. I did record a race that will go down in history for this event.

Jnaki

Controversy was there and for weeks, people were confused. We certainly were, but it happened so fast that I did not know I had recorded the whole episode on film in living color in the faded afternoon.

In those days, the color processing took several days and then the viewing at our Westside house for our weekly teenage hangout was happy and sad to see the controversial start.

You be the judge:
Riverside Raceway in 1959 Don Garlits vs Art Chrisman Hustler 2

 

Is this the re-creation that was built by Bob Bilbow to honor his father ?

 

Joe Lunati.

 

Great info on a legend. Thanks.

 

Not in motion but a great picture...The Zookeeper and The Greek at SEMA back in the day.

 

Logghe Liner mini-set...circa 1964-65.

 

I can still see the accident at Indy that took his life. The car looked and sounded like a huge blow torch as it went through the traps.

 

Bob Leverich at St, Thomas...

 

Hello,

In the Gas Coupe and Sedan Class at Lions from 58-61, our Positraction rear gears worked well in our 58 Impala and then in our 1940 Willys Coupe with 671 SBC motor. But, our close friend always complained about his 34 Ford 5 window coupe with a big Oldsmobile motor in all different variations. Single 4 barrel, to 3 twos, to dual quads and even 6 Strombergs were all tried in different forms.

This, after all, was a daily driver to high school, a weekend drag racer and daily driver to an afternoon job that paid the bills. In 58-59, his best time was in 13.58, but the average time was low 14’s. That was a good time for a real dual purpose coupe from that time period.

But, for all of the different combinations, his big complaint was the locked rear. He chuckled at the thought of the guy that bought his 1934 Ford 5 window coupe driving to Colorado with a locked rear end.

“A stock 34 Ford rear end, with the spider gears welded so it would spin both wheels at the same time. It was hell going around corners, chirping the inside tire as you turned. We broke a lot of axles also…”

“It was a good thing that we all knew of a friend, whose dad owned a junkyard (near both of our old Westside of Long Beach houses) and luckily there were a lot of axles sitting around. I think we were his best customers. We ran a 39 Ford tranny with stock gears. Seemed to blow a lot of first gears so we put in Zephyr gears, supposed to be much stronger, they weren't.”

Jnaki

That was a conversation via email talking about his old, black 1934 Ford 5 window coupe.

1957-60… My friend’s black 5 window Ford coupe running in A/Gas class with the big Oldsmobile motor, but still, a daily driver to high school and an after school job. (1st Photo is a copy from the web)

This year, he and his wife are celebrating 55 years together. I was in his wedding in 1967.

 

Cole Foster collection from Lions...

 

Cool car, thanks for posting. Here it is in action at the 2017 Meltdown Drags.
In looking at the Bangshift photo posted earlier, it appears the rear suspension must have been re-worked at some point. In this shot the rear of the car sat a lot lower and the wheel well cutout took out part of that cool lettering.

 

Tom Hanna...

 

Garlits at the '59 Smokers meet


Jim Agawa's Bantam bodied altered - Pontiac powered, photo taken by Karen White at San Luis Obispo


Johnston and Flores, at Lions


Jay Roach built the blown Olds for this big A gasser, from the Santa Barbara area


Tony Waters roadster with GMC power going off against the Hashim & Hylton flathead dragster at Bakersfield...Smoker's photo


Don Montgomery's Hudson sedan with Buick straight power, at Santa Ana. Screwdrivers of Culver City photo.


Paul Sutherland's coupe at Lions

 

The Chrisman coupe, before it was the hideous Dobie Gillis coupe.

 

Sanford, Maine long ago

 

Wiebe...

 

Kansas John....

 

Dale Armstrong, later to be Kenny Bernstein's crew chief for many years.

 

@buickfunnycar.com can you post your pics directly to the site so we can get rid of all these red x's. Thx