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

Joel,

Here's a shot of the Bill Clay car after it was painted yellow.
I don't know the photographer, but it came to us from Ray Hruska in Wichita.

 

Joel and Verne,

I was looking through some stuff this weekend, and came across an article on Don Nicholson in HR magazine, April 1980.
In it, he (Nicholson) tells a story about towing the 61 Impala to Easy Street Dragstrip in NC after the NHRA Winternationals. The author, Gray Baskerville, then puts in parenthesis - (it was eventually to become a 62 Bel Air).
Is this one of those things I write off to creative story telling?

Mark

 

Mark, I would read that as meaning the '62 Belair was his next race car, not that any part of the '61 Impala physically became the Belair. IT's the same thing as saying Strickler's '63 Z-11 "became" a '64 Mopar. That's just how I would look at it.

 

The Northwind at Mason dixon dragway. Dont know the year, probably the late 1960's.

 

Mark, Verne,
I agree with Verne on the '61 becoming his '62 car. I really don't put much stock in the way alot of "history" was written in most of the magazines. Nicholson is gone as is David Heath (Kentucky Colonel) but there are others still around that ought to know the real story of the '61 car's evolution. Hubert ought to know as well as Earl Wade and others. I wonder if the original '61 really was repaired of there was a second car built in '61.
OK, I know nothing about this scan, or where I got it other than there's the bent up '61 behind Don Nicholson and group. I think the fellow second from the left is David Heath (KY Colonel) but that is just a guess.
Joel

 

Great stuff! Thanks for posting it. A/S ... when did the 409's last run in A/S? 1965?
Joel

 

Was this the car at the '63 NHRA Nationals with a bent up left front?
Thanks Mark.
Joel

 

Bill Clay wrecked the car on the way to the 63 NHRA nationals,and had to weld a top from another car befor they would let him run. After that he painted the car yellow, but the hood and finders were never fixed.

 

Joel and Verne

That article just confused things for me, thanks for the insight.
On that photo you posted of the Nicholson 61, I have a few other photos with that gent second from left in it - I think it's Richard Broome - also a guess at this point.

Mark

 

Fanbelt,

Contact me if you could - markjascher@hotmail.com
Thanks!

Mark

 

Ex-Harold Ramsey '63 Swiss Cheese Car. This pic was taken at Cordova, IL after the altering was done by Larry Johnson and crew. Note the plexiglass scoop. This pic was found in Pete McCarthy's Pontiac book.

 

Joel,
Joe sold the car to mystery owner #2 in early '66, so I'd guess that's when that photo was taken. The class is in shoe polish on the window so it looks like A/S is correct for '66.
When Ronnie Evans returned from the Army in '67, he rebuilt the old Zorro car into his new Wildfire car and was still running B/S with the 380hp motor.

 

Ok Mark,
I'm trying to make an educated guess with the hope of opening discussion on alot of this stuff. Broome it certainly could be and the shot may be at the NC track as legend/history has it. Broome is still around isn't he? I thought he was still building engines or something in the NC area. I know very little about him and his Z-11 ... a black & gold car, right?
Joel

 

That certainly could be Verne ... I lost track of the shifting/dropping classes from year to year. Great to get discussion on all this stuff. These private snapshots are terrific.
Joel

 

Good stuff Zettles ... the car as it was in Bill Blair's collection was pretty much as seen here except without a motor and a blowewr injector jury-rigged into the scoop opening. That is the way Bill sold it. I wonder what's going on with the car now?
Joel

 

Joel,

Richard is still around, I haven't talked to him for a year or two. Still living in the Charlotte area. I'm not sure what he's doing right now. He had a daughter pass from cancer a couple of years ago, and he was working on a T/F team, but I can't recall which one.
I'll shoot you a couple of pics I have with him in them. The car was dark blue, but he painted the top metalflake gold a little later. I'd LOVE to have a pic of it with that!

Mark

 

I have seen, probably still have it somewhere, a VHS tape with footage from one of the Southern strips that has a S/S meet with a dark '63 with a lighter roof running a bunch of Mopars. Danny Gouveia (Carolina Thunder N/SS 409) has been to see Broome a few years ago but had no information to offer from the meeting.
Joel

 

The first of three magazine shots of Phil Carroll's Georgia S/SA '63 Dodge. This one is at the Yellow River, GA strip.
Joel

 

Phil Carroll at a special S/S meet run on the pit lane of Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1963. These two are from a magazine feature focusing on shock absorbers for racing.
Joel

 

Another Phil Carroll shot from the Atlanta meet. Looks like Dyno Don's '63 Z-11 in the background. I'd like to learn more about this meet which I've heard was a one-time thing at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. There was a similar one run at Charlotte in '65 as I recall. ... I always thought the guy on the right looking at the car launch might be NASCAR GN star David Pearson.
Joel

 

Saw this in a collection last year. Looks to be complete as raced.

 

Joel, The pic that was posted of the car in Blair's shop was exactly the way it looked when it left Alan Ranz's shed in the early 80's. The car didn't have a engine or trans in it, they had since been taken out. There was no injector hat in the opening when it left IL.

 

Joel, Correction to my last. '67 was the year the '09 was factored down. Ronnie told me when he returned to the strip in '67 his 380hp was in E/S and the 2x4 cars were in D/S. He was also running his original car then. He didn't use the Zorro car until '69. Sorry for the history flub.

 

Been lurkin too long!! Here's a few from local track.

 

I've seen David Heath's name mentioned in prior posts , This is Heath in the Ky Colonel.

 

Don't have a clue who this is,maybe someone can ID it!

 

Arnie Beswicks wagon and Paul Lance's HELP!!

 

Paul Lance & David Heath