1962 DODGE 9 passenger wagon. 383/343 HP with 2 inline 4's. It took a 9 passenger wagon to make the class back in those days.
captzap1 on webshots has a shot of Pat Ricardi's Pafoo Dragon as a Jr stk. Also Golonka Bros. Nomad ,and some others from '69 at Englishtown.What is considered the begining and the end of this era? I add the early days of the expanded S/S because many did make the transition.At least till the flat out days of '75 &'76. Are there any shots of the Cieri Bros. '56 or anything of early Bernie Agaman rides? Also was the '69 Camaro SS/DA he ran before the killer Corvette the ex Al Olster car?
The Car Craft issue from '69 that Markyac references has an interesting letter to the editor from Jere Stahl. Also something about Mickey Thompson making magniesum pistons for these cars.
It's a Dodge. Look at the reveal area above and below the headlight. Also, no chrome below the windows on both doors, as on Plymouths.
I told them it was a DODGE....lol. I cheated a little as I have a magazine someplace that did an article on this car testing B & M torque converters and I rememberd reading it so I knew it was a 62 Dodge. I also followed the happenings of the Pratt & Burkett "Behemouth" back in "The Day" of real stockers pretty close so I could tell by the picture. I crewed (I did the cylinder heads) on a 69 428 Fairlane (H/SA at that time) owned and driven by Gene Collins and sponsored by Ed Martin Ford when my Vette was broken (a lot). The Fairlane went as quick as 12.25 which was well under the record (12.65) at that time. I partnered with Gene in 1971 for awhile in a NEW special ordered dealer sponsored 71 Dodge Challenger 383 (also H/SA) that ran a 12.24 on its first pass ever at 75 & 80 Drag way. It took so long to get the car (August 1971) that we never had time to really dial it in and the rules changed on us for 1972 and "JUNKED" our combo for S/S. Ahh,,,,the stories I could tell about that deal.
Any old Florida Junior Stock racers left that recall that feeling of dread when you looked up and saw a car come in with a Waibel Competition decal on the back quarter panel ? I raced a P/S 59 Chevy mostly at Miami/ Hollywood but you knew your day just got crappier when one of them showed up. He was the man in the late 60s early 70s era. I guess time and technology caught up with him after that. He built a lot of the early store bought racers, maybe not all of them but a lot of them. I still have fond memories of him racing his 57 Chevy at Indy. Broke a lot of rears in that baby but it hauled the mail. He was Florida's version of the Jenkins Competition decal. If you saw either one along with a Stahl Total Tuned decal it was going to be tough.
I'd like a refund on my posts about a nostalgia Jr.stk / S/S combo. Racers ,being the competitve types they are, would not be content with the cars as the were. They would work on them to make them quicker. Co$t$ would get out of hand, and they might as well lobby NHRA & IHRA to open up stock to allow '55's -'59's. Also,todays spectators are jaded and bored by anything above 10 seconds.
The particular car that usually ruined my day had it on the rear quarter or my memory is shot, that was 43 years ago. For some reason I recall them all there, obviously they werent. The 57 210 sedan is the car from the Nationals {black & white photo}
How many times do I have to say this.......IHRA already allows 55thru 59 cars and older ones if they have the engine specs. They have resonable index's but the sticks and automatics run together heads up right now. Sorry no S/S combo though.....just stockers. I think the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racing Association (M.A.N.D.R.A.) is the best bet (on the east coast) to bring back the old Jr. stockers. Its just a bracket race but thier are not many "REAL" Jr. stockers being restored or built to original specs anyway. The younger guys dont know enough about them and us old guys dont really want to put up with the BS of a National event and tear downs. Its supposed to be FUN FUN FUN and not so much work. Ive been to a couple of MANDRA races and it a great bunch of people and a great show for those who love the old style cars. MANDRA just needs to "tighten up" on the rules concerning wheels, and hood scoops, paint jobs, etc. to retain the "LOOK".
Speaking of B/FX, Tommy Thompson in Baltimore, MD of the Thompson Auto Group (Thompson Lincoln, Mercury) STILL has a BRAND NEW repeat BRAND NEW B/FX Comet. I saw the car a little over a year ago and it had 42 miles on it. It is absolutely amazing. I think it made one track apprearance and has been in captivity ever since. He took it to the York Reunion a couple years back and I took photos before they were loading it in the trailer. What a car!!!
In talking with an old race buddy in New Jersey and looking through the M.A.N.D.R.A. website, I get the impression that it is really an active and well-organized group. I wish that there were something as well-structured out here in the midwest. I haven't found it.
The Manarina Olds looks great and sure does bring back memories of the dealer sponsored efforts. It is hard for me to tell what track it is, but Aquasco would have been a long way from home for those guys.
Most of the original Junior Stock guys are getting up there in age. The nights spend under a car every night until midnite are over. The days sitting in a car in line @100 degree 100% humidity at Gainesville are over. The days pulling cylinder heads and actually being locked in the track over night to change a motor are over. What was fun then isnt fun now to me. We had our day and its over for me. I dont think I could build a competitve car for $600 any more either. Im old, crippled up and lazy, end of story. Love the technology, hate the cost, guys are still racing for the same money they made 40 years ago only with $100,000 + cars with $250,000 sleeper Peterbilts hauling them. If you still do it and have fun, more power to you.
Back to "Tommy's Tiger" the Thompson B/FX-- I will try to put a bug in his ear and tell him that the theme at York this year is Fords. I personally am not a Blue Oval fan, but that car is fantastic. It would be worth the price of admission just to see it -- it really is that nice. I think they experimented with injection and put a Moon Tank in the grill, however the factory carbs are back in place. Man, is that car NICE!!!
I know where a '57 Sedan Delivery ex-Junior Stocker is sitting, the wheels have not turned in over twenty years. It sits in a home-made garage covered with cardboard boxes and anything else you could imagine. Last time I checked is was definitely NOT for sale. Over the years I have bought a bunch of care that were NOT for sale. If I get it,everyone here will know!!!
X- Tech Man; I haven't kept up with their rules since 2001, so I'm sorry that you had to repeat yourself.
Yeah ,that's Larry Schneider out of North Jersey (Hawthorne maybe) Nasty delivery. It is an actual old Junior Stocker and he has the old NHRA docs to prove it was a record holder. Nice Guy too.I usually see the tailgate of this thing too much.......unfortunately
Please tell me it is not Yellow. Rumor (persistent) has it that the actual "Hydrophobia" car is in Maryland somewhere........
Thats OK.....I dont keep up with them very much since I quit 8 years ago myself......LOL. I didnt mean the response to come out the way I typed it. Sorry.
That discription is exactly what mine looked like when i got it only not a "homemade" garage.and the INSIDE was pretty full of stuff too lol.
Been there, done that. Wouldn't trade those memories for anything. To bad the NHRA screwed the little guy with their rule changes after we built our cars according to the rules they created. Don't you think those cars would have eventually faded away and been replaced with later models? So what if you wanted to still run your '57 Chevy Jr. Stocker, what would it hurt?
I knew of a similar 56 Sedan Delivery on Beacon Hill in Seattle. It was the sons' car of the guy that had it. The son did'nt come home from Viet Nam; well he did, but in a box. The guy would'nt sell it for obvious sentimental reasons. But, I always tried to get him to sell it to me; even checked on it frequently. Then, some vandals burned down the old single car garage in an alley it was in. What a waste, for everyone. This was in the mid 80's. Butch/56sedandelivery.
Welcome to our friendly little group Ken! Most of us remember the 'Jolly Green Giant,' perhaps you could share some memories and an image or two. And Ken ... Speaking of memories, what do you recall from this crisp Spring New Jersey day in 1971? Best Regards, ... Steve
No-- It is not the "Hydrophobia". The car was a privately funded effort that was not lettered. The current owner is not the person who raced the car, in fact he doesn't know much about the background. It is on one of the current DVDs of an old meet. If i get the car (which I hope to do) I will nedd everyone's help. Until then........
This car was raced locally in MD in the 70s but I never knew the driver's name or what class or engine combo. I will have to make a trip and see if it still there. Stay tuned.......
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