History Stock-S/S-F/X 1959-1966

Greetings,

I'd like to start a thread for pictures and discussion of early Stock-S/S-F/X drag racing. Let's say all brands, 1959-1966 era give or take. NASCAR ULTRA STOCK-Grand Stocks included ... ? The idea being to get at a more in-depth history rather than just what happened at the National events and what the magazines covered.

Excluding gassers, hot class cars and flip-top funnies please.

Snapshots especially welcome no matter the quality. On track, pits, garage, build shots, etc. Photo credit and any pertinent information included with post please. The aim being historical research, documentaion and networking for like minded enthusiasts. There has be alot of snapshots from personal collections out there ... let's share them? I'll kick it off with some from my own files & collections.

Regards,
Joel F. Naprstek

 

First up a snapshot from the defunct Flemington, NJ drag strip. This was shot in summer of 1962 when the track was newly opened. It was an 1/8 mile at the time. The cars are two street driven 409 Chevies running SS/S. The black one a local racer I remember only as nick-named Billy No-Doze (maybe only by our group?) The maroon car was Dickie Mauriello out of Hackensack, NJ. Dickie's car later got the full treatment and became a dedicated race car run by my cousin Joe Franco and ran the NED circuit.

Joel

 

Hi Dean,

How are you? Great stuff being posted on these forums ... I saw a bunch of great pictures from you and others. Thanks for joining in on this thread too!! My focus in drag racing has always been the great S/S-F/X era so ...

Joel

 

Here's a shot of the hot dog 409 at Island Dragway in Great Meadows, NJ in 1962. Owned by Bruce Bazaz of Bergenfield, NJ and driven by Benny Richardson this car at one point in the year supposedly had some work done on it by Dyno Don nicholson in his Atlanta, GA shop. Lots of great races that year between the Buzzard 2 SS/S and Whitey Gerdes' '62 Red Ram Dodge out of Coast Automotive in Hackensack, NJ. Others that year were Billy No-Doze's 409, John Abraitis '62 Plymouth, and late that year Jerry Stein in his first '63 Plymouth.
The Buzzard still lives as I understand i, somewhere in NJ.

Joel

 

Great pics Dean. You have alot of cars and pictures I've never seen. I was surprised to see the Hank Taylor '63 car. Do you know who's car the red '64 behind it is? Is it a wedge car of his maybe? I'm assuming the track is in Texas.
Love this stuff. Thanks.
Joel

 

Great topic Joel!! As you know this is my favorite era too. I think drag racing has went down hill since the bodies started to "flip up"!! Here are a few that aren't old photos but are cool Pontiacs. The wagon was driven by Joe Denick from Philidelphia and possibly Harold Ramsey. The coupe was driven by George Delorean from the Michigan area. Both cars recently went across the block at the Mecum auction. I'm not sure what they brought or where they went but they are great artifacts of history.

Joel do you have any Harold Ramsey photos?

 

<<Joel do you have any Harold Ramsey photos?[/quote]

Jody,

I'd say restored cars, barn finds, field finds and resto-in-progress shots of the real thing would go along with this thread.
Sorry I don't have any Ramsey shots other than maybe some from old magazines. I do remember him being THE hot dog in the early years in the northeast first with his '57 Chevy and later his Pontiacs. My brother (older than me) and his pals always talked of Ramsey kicking tail all over the place. As you may know George Weiler wrenched on Ramsey's 1959 NHRA Nationals win in Detroit.
I think, my be mistaken ... but that the Denick wagon started out at a Pontiac dealer in FL ... ?

I've ALWAYS been curios about Ramsey's '64 GTO that he match raced with. I've only seen a few MEDN bits and photos of the car. Rumors of aluminum parts for it and such.
After Ramsey sold his swiss cheese car Beswick drove it for the new owner on occasion. Somewhere I have a shot of it and him in FL. It later got an altered wheelbase! Bill Blair owned the car for awhile in the late 1990's.

Joel

 

Joel : Great Thread...as an artist ,you'll understand my passion for this era was the "California style" lettering that emerged on the likes of Hayden Proffitt, Dick Landy and the others that spread east to become "Jersey Style " airbrush lettering. Have to lokk in my "Airchives" & dig out some goodies.

 

Joel,
The '63 Tempest wagon from Florida was the Al Hodges Pontiac car. There were 6 wagons and 6 Lemans coupes built over the '62 X-mas holiday break. The Denick wagon was destined for Ramsey but somehow Denick ended up with it. This wagon pictured is the only one that survives.

 

Here's one for you Dean, maybe you don't have this one. Tommy McNeely sent me this but he didn't know the source and thought it was a track in Pyote, TX (?)
Unfortunately I lost touch with Tommy.

Joel

 

Well here are few of my all time Chebby racer, Dave Strickler from York, PA. Some of these photos actually came from Mike Strickler, Dave's son. Dave's father was into photography and took lots of pictures. Mike is the keeper of the Stricker racing legacy. I've been lucky to become friends with Mike over the last few years. He's a racer just like his late great father and yes his car is a four speed!!!

 

Hi Dean,

Great website and great work! Dover huh? I have some early shots from there, will post them at some point. You went to SVA too ... small world.

Great to have you contribute.

Joel

 

Here you go.

 

In ref. to the Z-11 aluminum wheel, Dave ran them on his daily driver, a '63 Split-window 'vette. Mike has photos of the 'vette with the wheels on it. We think he moved them back and forth between both cars. I don't know the brand of wheel, anybody know? You don't see many photos of the Z-11 with them. By the way, Dave's Z-11 was the first one built. Think he was connected back then?

Joel, this is like the old Yahoo group days!!

 

Better than the old Yahoo days Jody! That was a good time though. I gave up on the old one when it got too "modern" if you know what I mean. Hope we can keep this one focused.

Not sure but I think those wheels were Carrera (?) wheels? I've only seen them pictured on the Z-11 for the Little Elim. runs at the NHRA Nationals. Think I recall them on some Bill Thomas/road race Corvairs or something ... they used to be advertised in the '62-3 magazines.

I've got to get to work on a T-shirt design with some red hot Ford on it!!!!

Joel

 

doen anybody know anything about this one?

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=147756

 

The picture of the '63 Z-11 looks like Parnelli Jones wheels, at least that's what the VW wheels that looked like this were called. The Tempest wagon went for something like $675,00 at Mecoms auction, the coupe I think was in the $300,000 range. The wagon, for sure was a 421 still with the Corvair transaxle according to the articles. Wish I would have seen it run. Good thread.

 

docauto do you still have that car? I remember when you posted that first, cool car!
-Dean

 

This is pop's '55 B/Gas Supercharged "Lucille"...
http://hotrodrevival.com/ShowArticle.php?articleid=137

Here's my '55 D/Altered "Locomotion". Run in the '60s with a big block, then re-named "About Time" and launched with a setback 331ci 327.

Next up is "InBomber", a '57 210 Sport Coupe that ran from 1962-69 and won H/Stock at the '68 NHRA Nationals powered by a Rochester injected 4spd 283ci and pictured in Car Craft Magazine

And lastly my '59 Ford "Jack The Ripper", ran from 1961-70, pic kinda sucks it just got rained on haha, currently powered by a 600hp 506ci mill on 7" cheater slicks


-Dean

 

Dave Lyall's NASCAR Grand Stock ultra stock Fairlane. Everytime I see Jody's Fairlane I think of this car.
This car was built for the NASCAR drag circuit. It was a complete tube chassis car but not a flip-top type. It ran a wedge FE motor, tunnel port with two 4bbls, 4-speed. Somewhere I have a letter from Dave describing the car. It was featured in one of the NY based magazines, CARS etc. titled 90 Day wonder. Taken at an Atco, NJ NASCAR U/S circuit meet.

Joel

 

First of two shots of Kenny Warren's Virginia Twister NASCAR '65 Dodge. Location is Cecil Co., MD. Started out as an A990 car like many AWB cars did back then.

Joel

 

First of two shots of Kenny Warren's Virginia Twister NASCAR '65 Dodge. Location is Cecil Co., MD. Started out as an A990 car like many AWB cars did back then.

Joel

 

Second of two shots of Kenny Warren's Virginia Twister NASCAR '65 Dodge. Location is Cecil Co., MD.

Joel

 

Here's what the Flemington NJ Strip looks like now. We had a hot air baloon ride over it last November. The county or township must own it , or use it, as there were a number of road dept. trucks parked there.

 

Thanks! Great shot ... I'd heard for years that the place was still there but never got down that way to take a look.

Joel

 

Great thread!! I'm going to scan pics of my dad's 62 Catalina that he ran until 64. One of his pics are runnin 4 wide with a Thunderbolt.

 

got a new project today....thinking something along the lines of a malcom durham (sp?) and tom strum ... 64 chevelle...stock wheel base...the s/s and fx stuff is some of the best .... back when racing was actually cool.... brandon

 

Someone post some pictures of Arnie Beswick's stuff !

 

Hi Dean. Yup, still have it. I've been collecting period pieces (corvette motor, early tunnel ram, headers etc.)

Just wish I had some time to work on it!

Maybe some old history on the car will get the motivation going....