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

nothing worse than that brush script ... keepin' it real since 1990 brandon

 

BIG NICK has checked in ! A man after my own heart...He said it all Great stuff on his site ! now if you're with-in driving distance out there...there's no excuse ...he'll do it right

 

Great car ... I dig the rear mount traction bars, just like the Fords had in '63.
Joel

 

I get it but it kind of doesn't fit given that Hayden ran Mopars, a Mercury, another Chevy, an AMC and even jets (I think) after his not running even one full season with W-motor S/S Chevies.
Joel

 

Thanks Dino!
That means a lot coming from an artist of your caliber. I just like to see things done the traditional way, the old world way. You can have your thread back now.....thank you.

 

Joel,
That car had an identity all it's own, created out of a "could have been" thought. Hayden just didn't appreciate the lettering which made it sound like he'd never be in another race car.
Hayden was/is the only guy to have raced, and gotten paid to race, vehicles built by 5 major automotive companies. Since one company is no longer around, that record will stand unbroken.

 

Hope we see lots of you in York next weekend. (July 11/12)
stop by.

 

Gotta Love it!!Nice job. Bob

 

Thanks guys. The pics aren't the best..I'll take some better ones later. I'm putting the rubber mat the lightweights had in 'em now.
This winter the door panels and front seat will be restored to original.
I'll also be pulling the engine and tranny to detail the engine compartment and engine a little. Nothing spectacular...just cleaning things up a little.
The rear traction bars came from Tom Culbertson who helped me get the car together. This was a spare set he had for his '63 Ford that he raced in '63. He also dug out a dual point mallory for the fe that I'm now using.
The engine is a 390 Fe...bored 30 over, 290 comp cam,medium rise aluminum intake with a 750 holley and a set of long tube Jardine hedders. A t110 four speed and 4:71 posi rear with 71/2" cheater slicks finishes out the drive train.
It's not a 10 second car by any means but it will be two tons of fun on the street and at the strip.
Might hafta put a 428 crank in it this winter while I have it out...maybe a good set of 428 heads...a couple 600 holleys....hmmmmmm. This could get interesting!!!

 

Here's a clipping from Nat. Dragster Sept. 7, 1962 issue. The race was Aug. 12, 1962 at Covington, GA, a best three out of five match race. The story has Dyno getting out on the Dodge in round one only to have the red Mopar come by on the top. The second run Dyno was out front all the way. Third run the red Dodge again went by Dyno to take the win. Fourth run Dyno bogged coming out and the Dodge won the match.
The clipping also shows Hubert Platt in his Nalley Chevrolet team car to Dyno. Hubert won Stock Elim. over Bill Tanner's '62 Dodge with a 12.98 - 112.50mph and then made it to the final in Little Elim. only to lose to the A/G Willys.
Joel

 

What message boards or web sites do you Ford s/s guys hang out on???
I have a '63 Ford super/stock and would like to learn a little more about them . Parts interchange..fe engines and where to find engine and other parts for it. Thanks in advance.

 

Don't abandon us here please ... show us some pictures of what you have and all. Is it an original lightweight '63 fastback? ... stick with us too but alot of big block Ford FE stuff gets discussed and all over at www.FordFE.com

Joel

 

http://www.doublehdragstrip.com/ghoststrip/

New pictures up at the Double H Drag Strip site ... the ex-Bonner '62 Ford, a '62 409, a T-Bolt and some others. The Reece Gibbs page

Joel

 

Thanks Joel. I could never abandon this site...been here too long and have too many friends here. Posted some pics earlier. I wish it were a lightweight but it is just a clone to play around with now.
Thanks for the info on the Ford site. It should be very informative for me. I just need some FE specific info.

 

Re: Kentucky Colonels pg.38 - I saw this car in Apr/May of '65 @ Pacific Raceway (now defunct track just SW of St. Louis) during a match race with Dick Harrell. I thought it was an unusually pretty car at the time. Looked quite a bit different from these pics. Paint shades/colors were different and the slotted dish wheels were certainly chrome. At that time, I don't believe any of the interior gutting & aluminum sheet (as seen in the pic) had been done. It was still being ran with 2x4 carbs at that particular date, as was Harrell's Z-11 Chevy II (must have been just before Harrell's Man-A-Fre 4 x 2bbl manifold set-up?)

Harrell arrived that day in his red ramp truck and unloaded, but the racecar refused to fire. I remember him finally opening the hood of the ramp truck and removing the distributor and then putting it in the Z-11. The car fired up immediately and he won the match race using the single point distributor out of his ramp truck. I was Big-Time Impressed.

Though I never personally knew him, I always really liked Dick Harrell. He was a great racer, showman and always seemed approachable to punks like me in the pits - just a great guy & a credit to the sport.

BTW, this is absolutely a GREAT site. Thanks to all of you!

 

Harrell,as you experienced was a great person..as well as a fantastic racer.....

 

Speedexx
Don't be too sure the Chevy II had a dual point dist in it. When I worked for Dick in 63 the Z 11 car had a modified single point dist in it. I learned how to "fix" the dist's and did quite a few for Dick's customers while there.
First thing we did was use Delco points, cut the spring off another set and put them on the new set to be installed in dist. We fitted this extra spring inside the spring on the new set of points.Then turn the dist up side down, put a copper tubing ferrell on the advance limiter post and braze it on. Very carefully I must add. Then make sure every thing was free, lubed and worked right and reinstall the dist in engine. Depending on the car, we would set the timing at between 2500 & 3000 RPM with what we called a Power Timing light. 22 degrees full advance on most. Tighten down the dist and usually not service this part of the car again for quite some time. I was not there when the Chevy II was built but would think some of the same things that worked before were still used.
Larry

 

The Spaulding flame thrower was great in my Z-11....
The least of any problems we had.
..................

Again, see Y'all in York Friday & Saturday...
Z-11, Ford,Mopar heaven.....The Real Deal....

 

Wally
Are you talking about the get together at Bruce Larson's place at York?
Larry

 

We will be debuting a newly restored Fred Gibb 68 COPO Nova at the York US 30 show this weekend. Gibb ordered 50 of these special Novas to meet the required number for NHRA acceptance. These were the first solid lifter big block cars ever to use the Turbo 400 transmissions, ordered straight from the factory under COPO 9738. Fred Gibb will be inducted into the Legion of Honor this weekend as well. Also there will be a Harrell/Gibb 68 Nova and a few other Gibb cars in our display. Helen Gibb the widow of the late Fred Gibb will be in attendance with her personal 68 Gibb Nova along with daughter Nancy. Maybe two years newer than this thread is about, but real Super Stock cars never the less. Stop by and take a look...BKH

 

With a cost of $410 and weighing just 80 pounds total, Mopar sold this fiberglass bodywork kit to its customers.



hope this hasn't been posted earlier....

 

Larry,
What engine was in Dick's red ramp truck???

 

bkhpah, Have you ever met two sweeter ladies than Helen and Nancy? Salt of the Earth!

 

Thanks for the observations, Speedexx, the Kentucky Colonels Dodge was an AWB conversion of a new '65, with Dodge truck straight axle, done at Western Dodge in Owensboro, KY. Originally with dual carbs and only later with FI. (It replaced David Heath's '64 Kentucky Colonel Dodge). David Heath droved the Hall, Heath and Anderson owned car and you'll find more pics at the great www.olddrags.com site. You're right about it being a beautiful primarily silver gray car, originally with chrome wheels (see first pic below), later with star five spokes on the front. The more recent pics you saw on page 38 were after it had been sold to speed shop owner Spivey Williams in Bowling Green, KY, and that's when the more crude interior panels came into play. I had the opportunity to spend all day on a Saturday watching it get cleaned up for its debut that night at the now defunct 1/8 mi. Owensboro Dragway, where it appeared regularly.

 

since this post is about the early to mid 60's. anyone have knowledge of a fab shop in So Cal called M&S welding. did race susp..

 

Larry, I'm positive you'd know much better than I. I never knew exactly what was wrong with the distributor in the car, but I am certain that's the only time I ever saw anyone take a engine component off their 'ramp truck' & go out and win a match race. I left that day thinking the man totally had "his act together".

Wally Bell - I do SO envy you and the others who were at the right time and place in history & participated in early SS & FX racing. Just wow. It must have been an utterly awesome time - especially down south. Nothing like it before or since in my book. I love looking at the car pics on this site, but I do kinda' miss the stories and racing situations you guys went through at the time. I wish you'd "loosen up" a bit and tell us some of your racing & traveling memories from that period.

James

 

Larry....
No, this is the Huge show in York.
Fri. / Sat. ---then on Sunday..Beaver Springs Dragway.
www.yorknostalgia.com

Bruce's great get together is in Oct. at his place.

York Expo Center will , as always be loaded with REAL S/S,AFX,F/C, Dragsters..

 

A super opportunity to meet the guys who raced*..not just the rich guys that own these cars now. ( you can meet them too )
The group that will be there are the real deal.... ( those still standing)

www.yorknostalgia.com

 

Verne
I don't know what size the engine was but at the least a 409. Probably a 440 as he built a lot of those for customers. When Dick was on the road he was always in a hurry and moved right on down the hi way...hahaha.
I posted some where about a trip to Amarillo in 63 towing the Z11 with a look a like 63 327 Impala. Dick asleep in the back seat, Bill Allen driving and me with glasses watching for cops. Then after a while Bill and I would trade off. Dick always got to sleep. Had to preserve the reflexes I guess... haaha
Larry

 

James
I saw Dick do some things that made me scratch my head also. He had a knack for figuring things out. One time when I was living in Carlsbad, I worked at Moran's Chevrolet (Dicks sponsor) during the day and at night for Dick. I was asked one evening to drive a new Chevy pick up home that night. They did not tell me why. While we were eating dinner I told Dick about the pick up and he said Bob Moran had called him at work that day and asked him to look for a knock in the engine. After dinner we went out to the garage and I started the pick up. I had not heard a knock on the way home but with the hood open you could hear a slight tapping. Almost before I got to the front of the truck the knock stopped. Dick had the dipstick in his hand and showed me where the crank was hitting it ever so slightly. End of knock and end of story.
James if you have not been to the Dick Harrell web site let me invite you and any one else that has not been there to stop by and register and look things over. It is run by his daughter Valerie Harrell and Dale Pulde.
www.dickharrell.com
Thanks
Larry