Hello, I have been following this thread for a long time and feel that I must put in my 2 cents worth. Like some of you here I go back to the early 1960's when a "Super Tune " was new points and plugs and Packard 440 spark plug wires. When trial and error was the norm. When you had 2 choices for race tires, Casler recaps (whitewalls of course) or Atlas bucrons. If you flat towed your car you were a serious racer. When "Sunoco" was race gas. When winning your class at your local strip was worth a trophy or $10. When you towed your car insane distances to attend points meets and slept in your car when you got there. When you won Stock Eliminator ( or Junior Stock as it later was called) and got $ 50. you thought that it couldn't get much better. When Stock classes were determined by Horsepower to weight, not cubic dollars as it later became. When you were proud to have a NHRA decal on your car, later you put it on your tow car over a rust hole or on your tool box. Don't get me wrong, If we could go back to a Junior Stock time I would be first in line. I miss racing and would still love to give it a try one more time. I gave up for the reasons that most did. Lack of funds, family or NHRA's complete disregard for the people that put them where they were. Although I can't go back I encourage the younger people here who would like to race be it a Junior Stock recreation or ? to go for it. If you want to race be it ET Brackets or sanctioned classes DO IT. Race whatever makes you feel good, after all it is still between you and your car. Todays ET's for street cars is amazing compared to the high horsepower stockers of the past. I have had many race cars over the years and still have one of my favorites. It is now my show and tell car, I love driving it to some events where it always draws a crowd. Someday it will be my sons, I only hope he appreciates it as much as I.
Ok folks... It's tuesday am. Ev & i are leaving for york. We hope to see many of you out there. Enjoy the memories! Tom larson
Here's an interesting letter in the Blowin' Smoke section of the August 1969 Super/Stock & Drag Illustrated from Cecil County Dragway's Tom Haug. Anyone remember Tom? The H/SA winner & runner-up that Mr. Haug refers to were Newell Snyder from Grand Rapids Mich. (Camshaft disqualification) and Janice Felts from Nashville Tenn. (Bore size).
Steve, thought you were going to group this poncho in with the foreign car discussion. I do remember watching the tech guys at Niagara scratch their heads now and then when one of the Canadian Pontiacs would show up to race in the Junior Stock classes. Chevy powered Pontiacs. I looked for a '57 Canadian Pontiac sedan delivery for a while north of the border but never found a decent (minimal rust) one. Thought it would be a good class car. Lee
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title -->Very nice car! Very cool that you still have it. I remember the first max-wedge I ever saw. It was 1962 at Island Dragway in Great Meadows ,NJ. The announcer was building up this car prior to it's arrival. He said it was a new '62 Plymouth Savoy with a 413cu.in. engine, cross-ram and an automatic trans. The car was owned by Johnny Albratais (sp?). He stated it was much lighter than last years Plymouth and it was going to be a real contender. I didn't pay too much attention as I was a Ford guy myself and pretty much dismissed any claims the announcer was making on behalf of the Plymouth. Besides,I got used to watching the Fords and Chevies duking it out in S/S and A/S every week and couldn't imagine any Mopars in the mix. When Mr. Albratis pulled in the entry road I thought that the beige bottom and white roof paint scheme on the odd looking cheap model sedan made it look like an old mans grocery getter. My freinds and I thought it was butt-ugly. Our opinions quickly changed when the Savoy made a mid-twelve second run on it's first time down! Only a few of the Fords and Chevies could even approach the twelve second mark at Island, and I only recall one Chevy dipping into the high twelves and that was Bruce Bazaz's(sp?) '62 Belair 409 "The Buzzard". By the end of the day Mr. Albratis was making effortless low twelve second runs. Funny how our opinion of that cars appearance changed from that point on. Hoo-chee-moma, the horsepower race was definately on and the next few years were the best ever in drag racing in my opinion. Hats off to you and your Plymouth! __________________
Ah, those crazy Canucks and their Chevy powered Ponchos. 427 Parisiennes and Laurentians, 409 powered Custom Sports, Beaumont labeled Chevelles and Acadian badged Chevy II's. It's enough to give a tech inspector a migraine.
A little OT here, but one of the first drag races I ever went to was the Wednesday night grudge drags at Seattle International Raceway, now once again called Pacific Raceways. There was an old late 30's-early 40's Chevrolet pick up truck in the staging lanes. It was painted primer black, and lettered very unprofessionally on the doors was "the Janitor". 427 BBC, TH400 trans, 12 bolt rear end. I was impressed, it was fast and was built like a modern rat rod; only this was 1968. Now to see a 57 Chevy Sedan Delivery called the Janitor brings it all back. Butch/56sedandelivery.
If I remember right the crog a gator was driven by Dempsey Hardy from Florida. He went on to drive many cars finishing his career in PRO STOCK. Dave Bishop East Coast Drag News Magazine
Just for 1952 Olds Lovers. The Project Headstart car was a unique car as it had the back of the block cut off and a Lakewood bellhousing installed using a Chevy three speed for a transmission. John Farris is pictured at the front of the car. Decon Frank, John's partner is at the back.
Here is some information from the 1970 Winternationals. It is interesting when one compares winning class time to the national records, some were not even close to running the dial in.In the final Richard Charbonneau went 12.06 on a national record of 12.12.
Dempsy Hardy wasnt the original driver of the Crockagator. He got involved after Bob Dwyer dropped out to builld his 63 Blower Studebaker Lark SS/IA. There were 2 other guys that owned it whose names are no longer in my memory bank. The Div 2 tech guy tried riding in Dwyers SS/IA blower Lark to check boost too. Dywer just laughed and told me he could lift the peddle slightly and make the boost gauge read whatever he wanted it to. Before or after the Crockagator, not sure, Dempsy drove a Pontiac Judge at the Indy Nationals & won class only to be DQd for 1/4 cc too little. Had he known to put the head in a cooler full of ice first it would have passed. Dwyer was one heck of a nice guy & kind of S Floridas drag racing answer to Smokey Yunick. His spring loaded 2 barrel was my favorite, he had springs under the nuts on studs that held the carb on. At wide open the linkage bound up and lifted the front of the carb slightly for a vacuum leak. He said it cut down vibration in the float bowl ! What a neat guy I really miss him.
I was only in Bob's shop one time back in the early '70s. He did some work on a chevy II 4 banger I was putting together. Nice guy, treated me real well. The '32 Vickie was still in the shop at that time. The Vickie is still in Florida and is now running a trick flattie. Lee
I found these pics while surfing the net Sunday afternoon. I emailed the owner and asked for his permission to post them on the thread and invited him to join in. I received a reply today stating that it would be okay to post them. I would like to thank Mr. Bob Stone for his generosity. These are the best pictures I have ever seen of John Archambault's sedan delivery. Hope you guys enjoy them, I know I have.
The Jalopy Journal
