History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Thank you too Dog427435

 

Dog is king of Cool!!!

 

Probably about 78-79

 

John Force is one tough dude.

 

Yea and he's always smiling.

espn photo

I loved his interviews at the end of the track. (when he won)
He'd be sprayin' words all over the reporter using hyper-race-talk.

One of his best stories after catching fire in the Quaker State car, he decided a flamed paint job was bad luck, so no more flames.

 

I love this thread , Royal shifter and all you folks have brought severl big smiles to my old face . I will try to post acouple of pics . Back in the day I raced with my best friend , Ron Ellis . There are afew pics of the AA/A car and the AMX funny car on this thread. There is one pic of me making a jet change at a Div 3 race at the old Martin 131 Dragway . Ther were some guys from the west coast that ran a AA/A car at about the same time . Davis and Ingram we took turns setting the class record there for a couple of summers . I always loved there cars Always very well done and fast too. Wonder what happen to those guys . My son and i are still racing a 1934 Chevy roadster in the super gas class at several div 3 races and a few national events . If any of you get to Indy this year stop by and say hey . Always like to swap lies with the other old guys Thanks Jim Yates

 

Yogi 1944..... That is what amazes me about this thread is you guys to take the time to come here and tell the stories and that gave the photographers their moment for us to enjoy...Thank you.

 

yogi1944;
any stories about those old div 3 races you want to share..
saw this car race a couple times..
clean and quick !!

rick
1939fiat

 

From the NHRA website

 

yogi 1944:
Jim,
The first drag race I attended was Tri-City Dragway near Saginaw, MI.in 1967. Ron Ellis' cars (like the TrickT AA/A)were not only fast but immaculately prepared-I am guessing you may have had something to do with that! I used to go by Ron's house on the way to the track.There were enough cars to run Comp/ Modified/ Super Stock and Stock eliminator every Saturday night unless maybe there was a Div. 3 points meet at another track that weekend. What a show for a pretty meager admission/pit pass cost. Thank you for the info and any other tidbits would be welcomed.
Lee

 

Thanks royal but they ain't mine! I just stack 'em up off of here and keep 'em around for inspiration. I get up, check out the new stuff and then practically run to work! GREAT shots everybody, THANKS!

 

And look where he is all these years later....







T.H.

 

Now see… If he hadn't put that paint job on that car… that would have never happened!

 

Dog,you may have just posted my new favorite shot. Wa-a-ay too cool.

 

The GSTA (Gopher State Timimg Association) "Gopher Twin"!
This car was recently restored by local guy Don Groff. I heard he has since sold it. Not sure where it is now.

 

Can someone please explain the backwards air scoops?

 

Thanks, Dean I was going to ask the same thing but you beat me to it... Does not make a whole lot of sense.

 

Dean, As I remember it, there were several dragsters at the time with them turned backwards. It was based on the same idea that the Ford Thunderbolt's had with the scoops on their hood at the rear facing the windshield.
The thought was that when the scoops were facing forward that the air would be in such a state of turbulance at high speed that the air would actually go around the scoop instead of in the scoop.
The same theory applied to some Can-Am cars with the squared rear bodywork that would create a vacuum, thus "pushing" the car ahead.
The Thundebolts had great success, although I don't know if the hood scoop arrangement could ever proved to be of any real help...but they were winners.
The dragster scoops idea didn't last long, although there were many different "styles" tried, i.e., Hilborn, GBP style, the Surfers and Greek types.
Connie Kalitta was one of the first to use a full-blown wind-tunnel at FoMoCo with his SOHC digger and testing was done on the scoops there as well as the tests done on exhuast flow.

The backwards scoops were all about getting "clean" air provided by a vacuum.

I remember reading much about this in the 60's as it pertained to road racing cars, Jim Hall, McLaren, etc. oh, and the 917K...the "K" stood for Kamm, although some would say it stood for "Kompressor" (those cars were turboed)...aka Wunibald Kamm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback

 

I always heard that the Thunderbolts "bubble" was turned backwards to let heat and air OUT of the engine compartment. The intake was from the front of the car thru the inboard headlight housings and thru the 4" tubes running to the "air cleaner".

There was no air coming in thru the bubble...

 

I think that explaination makes more sense than the one presented by the factory at the time. Air goes in, air goes out