Brooklyn, NY Infamous Street Racers Back in the Day

I just had a quick look on Google Maps. Just out of curiosity, which part of the highway did they run on?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...2699,-73.897262&spn=0.01622,0.037422&t=h&z=15

 

THat's my alltime favorite race car, right there. S&M sold it to whiskey billionarie son Bell in London who later sold it to Sweden. I loved sitting on the grandstand and see Brooklyn Heavy kicking the shit out of any opponents. Undergoing restoration now but the owner can't afford the original 16 plug hemi yet. Oh. I crewed on the car when it was owned by two guys in Malmo/Sweden. A dream came through for me.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFtK5Nvq8vs

 

thats some cool stuff

 

I ran a few times on the BQE with my 65 GTO ... got beat up bad to some guy with a small block Vega lost my money and my buddies money, Cross Bronx .. Westside Highway NYC..,
Ran Avenue P Newark NJ often, Till Johnny Law would come and open all the fire hydrants and flood the streets.....
RT 21 Rutts Hutt, Rt 21 Rain-e-Day Drags at the "Dream Boat Lounge" Newark NJ, Westside Ave North Bergen NJ , and of course RT 19 and 20 Paterson NJ,.....

Then I saw the light!

 

Those damn 426 Hemis were bad hombres! I've had several...but very tempermental!

 

So I came to find out some Brooklyn racing history by chance when I blew up my bike upon arrival to Williamsburg. I was, how do you say...fucked, 3 hours from home and in need. I happened to find some old cat "NY Slick," Dude is an old school bike mechanic with more race and hop-up stories then your peg-legged great uncle. After a few hours shootin the breeze I came to learn that Slick had been doing it to bikes and cars since the time (I'm guessing) when these photos were shot, if not earlier. Long story short, if you're in the Williamsburg area with with a ride thats roached, or not, try to find Slick, he's got a little shop with about 20 bikes in disrepair out front, all old, most japanese and sit down for a while, you might just learn something...

 

CONNECTING HWY was in Queens in Astoria. Astoria Park in later 70's and 80's was car heaven before the races.

Laurlel Hill was an outright racetrack some nights.

In Brooklyn what was the street name??? Near Pennsylvania Ave?

Willets Point near Shea Stadium had some crazy what we called "Roach Races" that were Spanish guys going at it with Imports way before Imports were popular. Some crazy races there!! Saw a guy roll a Datsun wagon with his family in there. The crowd rolled it on it's wheels and they drove off.

Doms??? where was that shop?

 

Brooklyn was Fountain avenue

 

Thanks for link Troublemaker', Cool site. Sure brings back the memories of getting the latest issue of SS&DI back when I was a kid to see what was new with Pro Stock. Damn them HEMI Colts had to be an 'E' ticket ride

 

I think Ronnie Lyles is dead, I think Broklyn Heavy went to prison years ago, could be out now. Anybody know the outcome of any of these guys besides my two recollections?

 

Last time I saw Brooklyn Heavy was At a cruise nite on Hyland Bvd. Staten Island,quite a few years back

 

Brooklyn was also 1st ave (Marginal street) by the docks, and 3rd ave under the Gowanus expy.

Then there was Mitchells drive-in on 86th street and 7th ave.

Cops used to open the fire hydrants to keep us from racing, got a few "defective muffler" tickets for open headers back then...........29 cents a gallon gas

 

that's just nuts...

 

Newark NJ PD used to do the same on Avenue P,Here is the Connecting Highway Kill Stickers as mentioned earlier hopefully it loads ok

 

Ronnie Lyles has passed away. Heavy is a free man again. He has paid some heavy dues.

 

Heavy spent some long times behind bars ..I remember when the Feds busted him for $$$
Laundering and a few other things and his P/S went out on the auction block... I think Carman Rotunda purchased the Car,Olynick Box truck and a few Motors then might have gone to Charlie Castaldo





Hey Norman .... drop me a line on day

 

Here are a few early shots of BROOKLYN HEAVY ..AKA : Rufus Boyd

 

NITROFC and all the rest, thanks, great posts.

Here in podunk, we used to hear about all this going on.

Y'all brought if back to life.

Thanks, K

 

cool tread!!

love those old street racing pics and stories!!!



some Swedes are still street racing old-school style...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQG8qp3jBao

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2MaL6zEqQc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfoEkUnfClc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnwvuaiCC2I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rbdA85utMk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGw7L9_sM1o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJxmEKGUZb0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6PWE_q0xBY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOxWoeiPdAY

 

Heavy also bought Grumpy Jenkin's 68 Camaro which is the car that won the first ever Prostock race at the 70 winternationals.There have ben all sorts of explanations as to what happened to it.People who saw the feds removing cars from Heavy's shop say the car wasnt there.Somebody said that Heavy told them that the car was at his"down south" house and the cops got it there.Some say it was the car that Carime Rotunda later raced,and others say it was sold to a guy named Roger Sylvestry and later wrecked in a trailering accident.Since any mortal remains of this car could be used as a foundation to restore a potentially multi million dollar car,I have made it my business to try and find it.

I have been street racing in the NYC area for almost 20 years,and there are a lot of big time players out there that keep things just as exciting or even moreso then they were back in the day.

 

Hello. I have the Brooklyn Heavy Duster since 10 years back. It is in very fine condition and will be restored to originally paint as good as I can. There are many strange photos around. Is it one car or two? Extended rear wheel openings one year and not next year? Acid dipped? Not my Duster. Filled with foam? Not my Duster. My Duster is the one that Mullen raced in UK 1974 and he claims the engine was a stroker, 440+. I have a US magazine from -72 with "This is Heavy" where the Duster is built up by S & M. Many items are missing, Titanium K-member and pedals etc. Perhaps S & M took out some parts before the car was sold to UK. I know the "original" Hemi is in Stockholm but how much is "original"? Where is the stroker crank? Replaced/rebuilt heads? Oil system is in one place, Scintilla magnet an other place, I have the cromeed headers etc. My plan is to run it with a 572 wedge, motor from my Charger-69. It cranks about 1050 hp, enough for a scaring ride I think. / Jan T.

 

I remember all this. Does anyone have any New York National Speedway pictures or anything from Westhampton and Islip 1/8th mile track. I used to go with my brother on Sundays (we were supposed to be in church). We would see the Brute or Coney Island Ralph. Also the Mopar "Alcoa Presents" and all sorts of stockers from super stock to N stock.

 

In Newark NJ in the late 60's it was Levi in his 55 Chevy on Rt 20. Now if you get on the I-78 frontage road coming out of Newark Airport, in front of the prison (nice part of town) look for the tell tale strips, the street is still alive and well.

 

There were a couple of other places to race. In Brooklyn, Cross Bay Boulevard. I lucked out there one night with my 50 Plymouth sleeper. But we were not in the heavy leagues like these guys; not even close.

Another place in Queens was the Clearview Expressway. To this day the cops are notorious there and will ticket you for 52 in a 50.

Also the section of the BQE that feeds the Verrazano. Back in the day this road was empty.

Afterwards, time for a Wetson's or an ice cream sundae at Hinsch's, or Jack's bar at 3rd and 75th.

 

wasnt grumpys 68 the one that they reskined to make it a 69 in a hotrod article

 

I don't think so. I think the 68 (Grumpy's Toy IV)was raced up to and including 1970, when it was altered to compete in the new Pro Stock category. As it was more competitive than his 69 and 70 Camaros. That's what I came up with when I built a tribute to his 68 about 13 years ago. I even, nervously talked to Jenkins a few times on the phone about it

 

No, that was the Wally Booth Rat pack car.

 

They used the BQE, in the 60's.

 

They used Hwy22 in the late 50s,by the Caddilac car hop (near the Flagship). I remember it made headlines when traffic was stopped to race and the police were caught in the traffic jamb. I would go and watch, had a stock 55 Ford convert.