65 Plym Belevdere Afx "temptation"

I think Mr. Guffey owns it.

 

Here's Jimmy Nix Dodge Chargers

Unk Photographer

 

Not anymore.....

 

Frank Spittle owns it. He has restored it back to it's original as raced condition.

 

Another tidbit of info I didn't mention on Temptation. When I got the car it was painted with Petty Blue. As I started to rework and modify, I needed paint to make the job complete. I researched and found the paint to be made by Ditzler. No problem, I called them as was told "you can't have that paint"...that color belongs to Richard Petty. I said but I have one of his cars....tough, buy the paint from him....right !!! So to complete the car I changed to the blue bottom, white top, with red trim between. Looked like a Post Office car....and I guess it would 'haul' the mail. I have 2 or 3 picx here with the Petty Blue on the car, I'll have to scan them into the confuser if I can.

I said earlier that I set a world record at Dragway 30 in Gary In....well it was U.S. 30 Drag Strip at Gary and I didn't run as a B/F Dragster...close though...it was as a BFA..... Just wanted to set the record straight.....the mind wanders after so many years...sigh!!!

More coming later....con't.

waydar

 

Like I stated earlier it's in Nevada now.

 

I'm finding the first hand accounts very fasinating.Keep the stories coming sir.

 

Temptation: More of the story.

While I was in Detroit, all the group from Branstner's shop went to Motor City Raceway to race on Saturday night. When they saw my car, they wanted me to race Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick as they didn't have anyone, in a match race 2 out of 3 or 3 out of 5, don't remember.

The first race I did a big hole shot and won easily. Same thing on the second run. I'm in the pits getting the car ready for another pass when Gil Cohn, the track promoter comes over and takes my arm, leads me away from the group....he squats down and starts to draw something in the dirt with a stick he had. His message said "You Lose"...I said what are you telling me, lose the race??? He said yes that's what I mean. I said no way I'm throwing any race. Then I think about where I am....Detroit.....Mafia.....guys with square shoulders, black suits, narrow white ties, little brim turned down hats, a bulge under their coats....maybe losing might not be so bad after all. Then I met my wife to be while in Detroit, she ran a bowling alley/restaurant that was owned by the Mafia. She said nothing would happen to me as long as I was in the place. They treated me with great respect.

So Gil explained in simple language, that if I wanted to continue racing at some 40 different tracks all over the country, I would throw the next races. I told him that was a little strong armed. He said listen to me, if you want to continue on the race circuit..."LOSE".....
As I had just started with the Temptation Car I wasn't ready to retire yet.

Next race I hit the throttle and blast off in a cloud of smoke, looking around, no Arnie...what to do but apply the brakes and let him catch up...he blew by me for the win and was awarded the match with the one win. Later I learned that Gil and Ben Christ owned or controlled about 50 tracks scattered all over coast to coast. And back then, to match race, this was before Funny Cars, you had to have race tracks that would book you to match race to make the money. We got paid $500-1,000 each weekend we ran That one loss always left a bad taste in my mouth that I never forgot. Sometimes a local would offer to pull us back in front of their home crowd.

Fast forward a little and who should approach me but Ben Christ, the promoter. Hey, I'm a promoter, why not let me book your races? Sounded good to me so I said sure....thanks. Well, I guess he remembered the night with Gil so he booked me all over the country. Calif this weekend, Maine next weekend, then Houston, over to FL, before going back to Calif. That sucker had me on the road all the time criss-crossing the US. Back then we didn't enjoy what the drivers have now. Flying from one race to the next, a crew driving the haulers, doing all the work, etc. Nope, we had to do it ourself. We even had to tow the car back to the pits after every run with the car hauling truck.

Then came the AHRA '66 Winter Nationals at Irwindale Raceway in Irvine CA. While there, the editor of Drag Racing Magazine, John Durbin, invited me to his office. When we got there he asked a lot of questions about our tour etc. Then asked if we would let him do our promoting and getting race dates. I told him about the criss-crossing and all. Hey, I won't do that to you. I'll book you in at racetracks that are not so far apart. While we were there they took lots picxs and said a feature would be out soon. In June 1966 the article came out with 3 pages and picxs.

Maybe more then you wanted to know? To be con't.

waydar

 

Hi Dickie....I remember your Dad, along Buddy Eaton, and Kenneth...I worked with them at Tucker's IH dealership. Rueben had the Edsel dealership at that time and I was blessed with doing the work on them as no one else really wanted to...lol!! I made many trips out to Rueben's house because the Edsel wouldn't start, or the transmission wouldn't go into gear with the new pushbutton in center of the steering wheel...ah yes, the good old days.....all the 57's draggin' Beaton Street every Sat nite and Sunday afternoon, then parking across the street from Sears. And....of course racing on Radio Hill nearly every night. I do remember all the guys from that time, Wendell, Deanie, Jerry Hale, James Gillum, Jimmy Lorimer, Wimp Childress, Jimmy Brittain, Roy Gene Brown....and problem some I've forgotten....we all had 57 Chevs. Sorry to say, but some have gone on to race on that "Golden Drag Strip" in the sky. I will always remember them and the good times.

Later I worked for Buddy on hwy 75 across from V's Cafe, and again when he moved uptown to 6th Ave. The black 57 Chev 2 door hardtop from Graff Chev and was the first new car I ever owned...bought it while working in Grand Pairie for Temco, later becoming LTV. I bought the 270 version...2/4 bbl carbs, high performance, stick shift...the whole thing. I soon found out my engine was not a 270 but instead a 245 with hydralic lifters. Whoa!!!! My papers said I bought a 270. That meant a noisy valve train....solid lifters and a Duntov cam.

I went back to Graff to complain. Well, General Motors will have to be called yadda yadda...I said you can call the President of the US, I don't care but I want what I bought. Weeks went by and finally got the call, bring it in and we will fix it at no charge. WaHoo!!! Little guy wins one against the giant.

I picked it up and it was one bad puppy. Won many races with it all around the area. Later I lost a lobe on the cam and bought a new Duntov. When I pulled mine out and checked it, the lift and lobe timing didn't look anything like the new Duntov I was holding. I never found out what they used, didn't care, and as I said...it was bad, but it never performed like the original. I ended up ordering all the pieces for a Corvette gear shifter....moved to a floor shift and that was a sweet change. But life goes on and things change.
Dickie, thanks for stirring up the older memories. Hope you fellows don't mind my getting off topic of the Temptation as all this happened years before.

waydar

 

Awesome stuff!!!!!!!!

 

Waydar! Keep the stories coming!

Sam.

 

Beating Arnie Beswick, throwing races, the Mafia.. this is good stuff!!

 

keep the stories coming this is great.

 

Some pictures of Temptation. Sorry they are such poor quality but given the age I guess they will have to do.

waydar

 

Good stuff Wayne!

 

More Temptation Picxs.

waydar

 

More Temptation Story:

After having the work done at Branstner's the first time I was headed back to TX. I was driving at night and a bad storm was doing it's thing. Heavy rain, lots of strong winds, large hail...I was just coming into Coldwater MI when suddenly the old truck changed lanes in the highway and shook real hard. I didn't know what happened so I pulled off to the side of the road to check. Hard pouring rain, I looked at the car on the back of the truck and it didn't have a hood. It was gone....ripped off. Wowser!!!!

The next morning the radio was blasting about the tornado that did a lot of damage in Coldwater. Listening to that, I must have driven close to the funnel and it just sucked my hood off. Hearing about it I started to shake thinking what could have been. I could very easily been hurt or much worse...killed. I was lucky that night in Coldwater MI.

waydar

 

Wayne,track payoffs happened in the old match bash races quite often.Was at "The Valley" when local hero Gene Snow had a best of 5 with Phil Bonner.Bonner handed Gene his ass quite readly the first 2 rounds,no contest who was the fastest.Well some odd reason Phil lost the next 3.As a Ford fan I approached Phil and said no way Snow can out run you.Phil responded with a sly grin......"Ya know somedays it doesn't pay to win." I got the message.

 

Anything this guy has to say is as on topic as it gets. PLEASE keep posting. These first-hand accounts are GOLD!

Vance

 

Amen to that Vance.Is always great to hear 1st hand.I've had the pleasure of talking with Sox,Bonner,Brannan,Hubert Platt,Nichelson,Leal,Joe Smith,Vanke,Beswick,Bryant,Burkhart,and others.Always a hoot.

 

Ragging On Butch

Butch and I have a mutual friend in Ft Worth,so Butch comes there a few times a year,I had been asking about his A/FX Plymouth,and he told me he never ran A/FX.Well I told him I had a pic of that Plymouth running A/FX.At Brannans 07 Ford South Show,I caught up with Butch....Laughing he finaly remember that photo,was an AHRA race........Got him to autograph it.Butch still plays a good game of golf.
Ron Bell Photo

 

Gosh....wish I had known...I had 2 stores in the Stockyards for several years, one across from Billy Bob's, and the other in Stockyards Station... finally closed them and retired in '98. We were so close but so far away....wish we could have met. Haven't been back to TX since 2001.....and that was to clean out a storage building and move everything to FL.

 

Wayne where 'bouts in FLA

 

I live in Summerfield...about 17 miles south of Ocala. I'm 10 minutes from Don Gartlis musuem.

 

Thanks,I've got friends in Orlando,and Sarasota,and I visit them.Just back from Sarasota,maybe next time that way,can stop at "Gars" and visit.

 

That would be super, just let me know. If anyone wonders how I spend my time everyday, well this is what I do. I fly Radio Control model airplanes.

waydar

 

Dang Wayne,that RC is bigger than you

 

Hang with Hubert.Now you wanna hear some drag racing stories,Hubert can tell'em

Last word I got,Hubert was out of ICU after his by-pass,and was entertaining nurses in his recovery room,so that's a good sign

 

The H.A.M.B kicks ass!!

 

Temptation Con't.

I'm glad that Hubert is doing better. Any heart work is tough to recover from. I think I first met the Platt Brothers at a race in Atlanta (Stone Mountain track).....They always provided the crowd with a good show. Next time I guess at Lions Long Beach and the Drag Racing Magazine East West Stocker Meet. I think every Super Stock, AFX, and Funny was at that meet. There were hot cars everywhere you looked. Anyway tell Hubert I said "Howdy" and to have a speedy recovery.

During the early days in TX we raced at the Valley some, Prairie Hill near Waco, and at Whitehouse near Tyler. I remember running at Whitehouse and had a match with the Wickersham Ford Falcon.....while coming off the starting line the timing gear on my Racer Brown Cam decided on it's own, to stop racing. The stacks blew off the injectors straight up and scattered. Of course you know the end results....many bent valves, etc. Off come the heads and I sent them back to Detroit for a repair job.

When they returned, the car was made ready and we headed out to FL and several races at Twin Cities outside of Tampa. On the way we made some races at Stone Mountain GA and finally on to Twin Cities. As we drove into town, a fellow came out in the street and flagged us down. He asked if we were looking for the track and I said yes. He introduced himself and said he was Don Gartlis younger brother. I could tell that by his looks and how he spoke. I had already met Don in Detroit. He said just follow me, and I'll take you to the track.

I was pulling our 20' travel trailer and needed a place to stay, there weren't a lot of campgrounds back then. Sure not like it is today. So anyway I called the promoter and he came out to visit. He said why don't you just stay here at the track? We have water, electric, everything you need. So we made that our home place for several weeks.

We unhooked and set up camp in the dark. Next mornig we get up and look outside....about a 100 black and white Holstein cows standing at the fence about 20' away...all looking at this strange intruder on their ground.. Not knowing it, we're in the middle of dairy country. We got $500 every week and didn't have to drive anyplace.

Besides the car and trailer, I carried a Harley Sportster on the truck. I had a nitro tank, a tool box holder, and a tire rack all built, they were between the front of the car and a sleeper I built behind the cab of the truck.....I made an opening between the sleeper and the cab so we could crawl between them. I put bucket seats in the truck to make the ride better, along with a console to hold the junk. The Harley set sideways on top of the toolbox and the nitro tank. I would just ride the bike up the loading ramps, get off, and lift the bike into it's slot....using 4 tie downs for support.

During the week, if we didn't break something, we had plenty of time to enjoy bike rides around the area. Usually we'd just get next to the water and ride for miles along the beaches. Don't think we could get away with it now days.

One of the gasser drivers offered to put our trailer and rig at his place and get away from the cows etc. We took him up on the offer and moved and set up house in an orange grove.
While we were enjoying FL.....along comes one of the worse freezes in 25 years. Here we were in FL where all the snowbirds come for the winter....it must be warm, so lets just carry our lite clothes and some swim suits....right?... well none of the stores had much in the way of warm clothes so we just had to endure the cold. This must have been in late Nov early Dec.

To beat the cold in the trailer at night, we used the shower curtain and the throw rugs on our bed....making regular trips for propane. Just had 2 small tanks on the trailer tongue. We decided to go out on a fishing party boat before we headed home as our last race of the season was the next weekend. On the way out, several of the guys had a poker game going so my wife asked if she could join in....sure they said with a big grin...but then the engines stopped, time to fish.

We head back and the game resumes. My wife was a poker pro, a wolf in sheep's clothing.....she cleaned their clocks and took home all their money. That money would come in handy later as you will learn. We had our last race and by now running a little, no make that alot, short on cash....we do the race....take the check to the bank and see it bounce across the lobby floor. Sorry, no money in that account to cash your check. Big smile.....

I call the promoter and tell him my problem.... he says I'm broke, but I have some slicks, oil, etc at the track I'll give you instead of cash. We were between that rock and a hard place you've heard so much about.....well we could always use the stuff, but that didn't help with the cash flow. Anyway the money made at the poker party paid our way home buying gas and food. As we got close to home, we had used all the money we had except for 1 thin dime. I saved it to call home and have money wired to Western Union if need be. But we did make it home on the last of the gas fumes.

More still to come as we continue our trek into the strange world of big time racing.

waydar