rdefabri, Dreams are the first step towards reality. You can make it happen - so go ahead and dream - then make the next step!!!!!
Hemi, I hear ya! I'm nothing if not a dreamer, which has lead to some great experiences - I will never give that up!
Update! Rip and Nat have been cracking on this year and after some late night sessions she,s lighting the candles again.
The AHRA Nationals were held same Labor Day weekend in 1964 as NHRA's. Was won by Bobby Langley, Everman, Texas, I think using a new Garlits chassis. Previously, Bobby had built several "Scorpion" dragsters, all beautiful pieces of art, with everything, including most interesting body work done by him. I'm a new HAMBer, still figuring out uploading here, etc. Meantime, someone please do us a favor and look up Bobby Langley's history and shoot us a few pics. He is the most talented builder I ever was near. A shame his kind stopped racing, I guess because of being "moneyed out."
This thread was the coolest way to spend an hour I've had in a long time...A friend is currently restoring/ collecting parts for his fathers old rail...it used to run here in Vineland, when we had a raceway, and a dirt track all at the same location...had an injected small chevy...very innovative, some what scary car...nothing like have a gearset btwn. your nuts!
Them ol boys in the pioneer days had balls of steel, not saying it doesn't take them in todays sport BUT damn those things were squirrell as all get out and so much fun to watch. Great pics
Great thread but I feel that one of the best looking fuel front engine dragsters has been left out. Of course I'm talking about the true beuty of the poison ivy dragster. Damn that paint work is super sexy the colors just pull you in. Ok well I have to go take a cold shower now.
I will find out...it has been disassembled for a LONG time, now...but, It was Kenny Testa's ( Melini Bros., in Vineland ) fathers car...he is slowly collecting the parts for it...I just donated a set of Stainless zoomies for it. I think it was also run with six strombergs, prior to that on gas, with a 283 Chev. We still have Atco, but...well...its starting to look like Nopi-vision down there...too many people, lots of sitting in the staging lanes, waiting all night to make a pass...at least last times that I was there...
Sublime! As much as these are cars they are also true works of art. When we make art we have reached our highest calling, we know where we are when the work of art is honest, true to itself and as perfect as we can make it. And because no work is ever perfect we are tempted to do it again... only beter next time... and so it goes.
Royal Shifter Wow! You are now on my Hero list. I have wanted to have a car with the motor in front my whole life. Tim
Justbill: I saw your post and wanted to post links to Bobby Langley's information. It can be found at www.cacklefest.com and www.nitrogeezers.com. At cacklefest the history of most all the active Cackle cars will also be found. We have recreated the Scorpion 1 and restored Scorpion 5 dragsters. I was with Bobby and Ruth last night at Texas Raceway. I made an exibetion run in Scorpion 1. I will have Scorpion 1 at MOKAN and we will have both cars at Ardmor for a nostalgia race Sept. 1st. See attached flyer. Do you have any more info or photos ? I will pm you for more info if you wish. dwrfab Don Ross
I don't have any good photos of my car in its current unrestored state but here is what it loked like when it was new. Don Long chassis, Hanna body, Tony Nancy upholstery, Ed Pink hemi, paint by Cerney and lettering by Kelly. I have about 80% of the parts to get it looking this way again, maybe next year's NHRR will see it finally debut. Actually it will not look quite like this as it never raced with the late hemi. Both Steve Carbone and Dave Uyehara drove it with a 392 between the rails and then it became a bracket racer with a Chevy and 'glide. Roo
Rooman, Dumb questions - where did you get it from? How does one find a nostalgic fueler with history behind it? The good thing is that the mid-60s yielded 100's of AA/FD, but they must all be accounted for or cut up... I fear that if and when I can get "bucks up", these will be through the stratosphere
Don, when the story ran in Hot Rod (Jan '70) the car owner was listed as Chrysler dealer Ray Luckey fromTerrell, TX but from talking to people that were involved in the building of the car it seems that it was actually his son who instigated the project. Evidently the kid was selling cars off the lot for cash and sending the money to Ed Pink who co-ordinated the deal in California. Evidently when Ray found out what was going on he had Pink sell the whole deal. Larry Huff was the purchaser and he immediately had the car re lettered as Soapy Sales (by Nat Quick) and put it on a boat to Australia where he was setting up his pyramid sales scam. Steve Carbone drove the car there and I was on hand to see it make its first ever pass although I did not know that at the time. rdefabri, I got lucky. I had been looking for a car to restore and at the Indy Goodguys event in 2001 we were running Mark Vaught's FED out of my trailer. A couple of guys came over and were checking out Mark's car and we got talking. They told me that they were building a junior fueller after deciding not to go ahead with their original plans to run NTF. When I told them that I wanted to restore an old car they told me that I would know the car that they had. I was stunned when they told me that it was the Soapy Sales car that had run down under and I purchased it on the spot. Since then I have been collecting the parts to put it back as it was when I first saw it in April 1970. Once the car is done I then need to find a 70 Cadillac Coupe de Ville to tow the Bowlus trailer which I have tracked as far as Brainerd, MN so far. If I can't find the trailer I will probably eventually re-create it as close as possible. The last really hard part that I need for the car is a Powers and Reilly reverser and those things are like the proverbial rocking horse shit. Yes, that is the same Powers that owns the Rod Fuller and Whit Bazemore T/F cars and, no, he does not have any old reversers hidden in his garage <G>. Of course I would like to find a set of single drilled 16 x 11 Halibrands (mine have three bolt patterns) and a pair of Goodyear Blue Streak slicks. I did get lucky in that my car came with the original fuel tank and puke tank and although the previous owners back halved it to make it legal under the current rules they were smart enough to keep the original frame section which will be re attached when I begin the actual physical restoration. Amazingly the car still has the original red anodized front wheels and steering butterfly along with all of the original steering mechanism. I have photocopies of every story that was printed on the car when it was in Australia and that is proving to be a great source of reference material. I have not added up how much I have invested in this project and I don't really care what it costs as when I first saw the car in 1970 it was absolutely the nicest dragster that I had ever laid eyes on and eventually it will be that way again. Roo
That's a great story! Good luck with it! Sounds like you know every inch of that car and have enough information to do an accurate restore, that in and of itself is amazing!