this the only color picture i've ever seen of boertman's '69 biscayne. thanks tom. Well, this makes two!
Any east coast racers remember this decal??? what is the story w/ it ??? And does anyone have a source for replica decals to finish buckshot??? ive tried most of the vintage decal sources and have come up w/ some but not all that are needed....
Sinistri-I have been collecting decals from ebay, alot turn up! Mike Goyda has also had some, and Stahl had a few. Just have to keep looking. I will need a few coppies reproduced though in different sizes, and one with some changes to the lettering... -Dean
I've got a couple that JAck gave me just a couple months ago! The decals were given out by Jack Redd when he was editor of Drag News. The one in your post is a newer version. Here is JAck's story as told by hisself. "In the early part of 1967 Tom Raley and I took a trip up to Fred Forkner Atlantic Speed Center where he was making parts for race cars. Mostly Top Fuel. So Fred, Tom & I dragged some slicks and a dragsster body, a steering wheel etc and made a dumbie dragster in front of his shop. Raley set in the car and Fred took a picture of it. I had put a JA (for JAck Approved) on my finger a pointed at the set-up. After getting back to DRAG TIMES and looking at the picture, a light bulb went off in my head. Back then every thing was either AAA Approved or NASCAR Approved. So I sent a letter to the Chicago Decal Company with the drawing of the decal. It started with a order of 2,500. Later 1,000 more etc. I then started the (JA) JAck Approved Decal Flyers Club. Wow! It was funny and fun andd it took off. All in FUN and still is! Check out Don Garlits Top Fuel car at the '67 NHRA Nationals. It was rumored that one of the men shot into space had one, but I could not confirm it. One of the funniest stories was when I was in a restaurants at Indy during '67, Jack Ditmar and Lil John Buttera (who I didn't know at the time) was talking behind me. Remember Jack"s blue & white B/A coupe from Ohio. I had stuck a decal up over the counter. One of them said, "That must stand for Jackass!". I didn't say anything at the time. So, that evening someone introduced me to them at a party. And, I said, by the way "I am "Jackass, oh I mean Jack Approved" and gave them a decal. We all laughed. They won their class. I hope you have enjoyed this. And thanks to all of the people that had and have them on their cars." _________________
Thanks Jack. Btw, I figured out whose car (Jumpin' Jack Flash) that was in the background. Later, Pete
Talked to Jack this year at Beaversprings ............Your Dad built a bunch of FLYING cars..........
Jack Reed is still around. He is on Draglist a lot. Have a look here and contact him. http://draglist.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4172 Edit: Hadn't seen this page, when I posted.
OUCH!!!! I had built over the winter, in the early 70's I think, a nice I/S 250HP 59 Vette to run on the 12.83 record only to have Marv Ripes, in this car, reset the national record to 12.20 on a bet... or so I remember it. The best I ever ran in my 'new' 59 was 12.43... Thank heavens NHRA finally went to the index system.
The easiest way is to open a Photobucket account (it's free) and copy and paste the IMG code into your post. See attached pic. Bob Rice
Thanks Bob...nice of you to say ! He lived for it then, i think he and most of you guys really worked your butts off to be competitive... its really something.
Jim I set the I/SA record at the Atco Points race in my L.A.W. Automotive 1957 250FI Vette on Sept. 1970 @ 12.82. I ran out with a 12.66 againist Dom Rinaldi's "IT'S DYNAMITE" with Steve Seaman driving in around the 4th or 5th round. Steve went on to win the race. Marv Ripes in his 57 Vette reset the record 12.57 at the 1971 Winter Nationals on the final againest Dave Boertman in the Rod Shop L/SA wagon at I think a low 12.90. Talk about "OUCH!!!" Our shop was just finishing a 69 Camaro Conv. for L/SA.That record was 13.14 and when we first had it out it went 13.0's Both our class records nailed buy .2+ !!! The next points race in 71 at Maple Grove I went 12.51 but didn't take the record as you were allowed to run under by .1 at that time. My Vette had gone the best of 12.42 on my 12.82 before Marv reset it (12.57) and I thought that I would be better off to be able to run .1 under at most tracks rather then set it again. I still had the heavy cast iron powerglide in it. Lou Cuviello L.A.W.
Lou, The car was so clean it reminded me of the cars that Bobby Warren ran. He hid a lot of tricks by looking plain, like the trailer hitch.
Here are a couple that may have been posted already. I'm too lazy to look through the whole thread to check. These were taken at Delmar.
Good to meet you Lou and thanks for the history. I have it burned into my mind, for some reason, that I had to run on a 12.20 record. maybe its the I/S vs. I/SA records and I'm just confused (in my old age). I'd ove to go back and see the ercords for thos early 70 years. I never had a chance around here (Lebabnon Valley and Dover Dragstrip) since that was the track Joe Kenny frequented with his Trick Tank wagon. I have some really fond memories of those days and made some great friends like the Turner Brothers (Nat record holder in their 57 chevy) and Harold, Mike and Tom Kreeber in the Speed Barn Shazam cars. I believe Tom is stilla ctive but perhaps no longer a Chevy guy. There were a ton of other folks Like Gary Garafalo that got me started back in 68. Geez I feel old. Ahhh... it just came to me that the 57 was lighter than the 59 and Marv/John were running a 245HP setup vs. my 250HP setup. You had the 250HP with the heavier automatic car making I/SA. Cool... its making more sense now as I think about it. Of course I may be way off so correct me where I went wrong.
Colsey - Had to chuckle a little when i read your caption about the "No Neutral Start" sign beside the tree. Those big old hemi cars WERENT the only cars that the Neutral start rule was implemented for!! I was one of those GUILTY neutral starters and had gotten quite a lot of notoriety around here for it! To top it off, I even got a phone call from NHRA prior to INDY telling me that the sign would appear and that I better not get caught doing it!! Since I couldnt cough up the bucks for one of those "hi stall" converters, that was my only recourse!! I had to test their seriousness though. On my first time trial, i pulled to the line, left the car idle and not revving so as to attract the attention of anyone that i may be neutral starting. The staging light came on -- and we just sat there --- no tree start. Finally Buster looked over at me and pointed at the sign and then gave me a finger point gesture downward as to say " Get it in Gear" and then we'll start!! Needless to say, I had absolutely no chance to win with haveing to start in gear!!! So I have always felt that I had a hand in that "rule" -- not just those nasty torqueflite cars! See attach pic - I did manage to sneak in one good NS and it happened to be for this pic. Sure couldnt have almost gotten the wheels up with her in gear!! LOL Anyway, also, in your other staging lane shot, it could possibly be my 67 442 in the middle of the 2nd row?? Just cant be sure! Tweed
Jim, I, too, may be off the trail a little but I'm sure that Marv's '57 I/SA car was a 250 horse that used the later, smooth top, injector plenum. I couldn't afford a fuel injection unit but I had a set of dual quads that I put on my '57 'Vette to run I/S. It took me almost a year to get the car to the track and it seems to me that by that time the I/S record was something like 12.20, set by Matthews and Bender with a '58 or '59 Vette at Suffolk, Virginia. I never managed to approach that level of performance with my backyard car and first-ever home-built motor. I finished my car in early January, 1971 and entered it at the '71 Winternationals in I/S but bent several valves on one of the early timed runs. In spite of the damage I limped it up for the class final where I was decisively thumped by an Oldsmobile from Minnesota. The Olds didn't make it through the barn and that afternoon, just before dark, the call came out of the barn for the I/S runner-up. My buddy and I unhooked the car off the tow-bar, drained the water, and rolled it into the barn. Marty Barratt and Greg X. oversaw the tear down and by the time I got to the table with my head, I was a nervous wreck. During that phase of the inspection I managed to launch a valve spring across the room during disassembly but it missed all the assembled officials and burettes and ended up behind NHRA's storage trunk that they used to carry the tear down equipment. Much of that evening is a hazy blur over thirty-nine years later but the trophy is on the mantle and the picture is on the wall. It's a true story but practically everyone who was involved with helping me that day is now dead so only the printed accounts exist. People who see the picture and the trophy with the string-attached pit pass still hanging on the side of it these days have no idea how badly things started that weekend but how an ironic twist of fate but those items in my hands before the experience was over. There are a few memories that will follow me as long as I have a spark of life. Among them are: 1. How the fiberglass fender of the Corvette flexed when Marty and Greg both leaned in to check on my progress during the teardown; 2. The look that Farmer gave me while I was crawling around on the floor looking for that damned valve spring; 3. The tone of Marty's voice when he noticed that I had the wrong harmonic damper on the car but only told me he'd better not ever see it again; 4. The feeling of combined elation and disbelief when I cleared the barn with the signed card to turn in on Sunday morning to get the trophy. I never managed to get that car to the point of being competitive. My wife was pregnant, I'd used up all my sick days to get the car finished and into that event, the motor was hurt. By the time I saved up enough money to pay the doctor's bills and fix the valves, Stock Eliminator had been scrubbed off the schedule for 1972. It would probably have been a smart move to read the handwriting on the wall and turn the car into a planter but, partly due to the events of that day, Stockers are still a part of my life almost forty years later. c
That final run may have had a different outcome if Wenzel didn't toss his fan belt and stop on the return road and put it back on. (Where's the NHRA when that happens?) Think he gained a little HP advantage??? He ran .1 under and we ran .05 over since we were running on a 13.68 not the 13.73 record. The rule was if you ran under your record any time during time trials or eliminations you had to run on that time and were allowed to run .1 under. According to the NHRA I ran a 13.68 during a time trial. I still have all the time cards from that event and no others are close to that time. I guess it's possible but it still makes me wonder. On the positive side I think I got him on the tree 'cause I couldn't tell who won in the lights. I remember watching that run on TV broadcast on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Sure would like to have a copy of that show. I've tried but no luck. Anyone out there have any ideas?
I seem to remember a picture of Marv's car in Hot Rod with the 2-4s making it an I/S car. Like I said I was never competitive either after the 'new' record but I had a lot of fun. Two weeks before the Summer Nats, while I was trying to locate a miss in the car, I shut off my rev limiter, and of course missed 2nd, floated the valves and punched a nice hole in the block. I still have the valve face and the bent pushrod to remind me to NEVER do that again. The following winter, while I was storing the car at my parent's house the house burned down around the car. No one was hurt but the only thing I could salvage was the rear which I sold to a friend with a 57 Belair. Looks like I've got my 59 posted as an avatar. (No engine and wrong rear tires) At the time this pic was taken I was considering a Modified Production class.
Chuck ... Stories like yours are exactly why this thread still survives. Kudos -- Very-well written, articulate, technically- accurate, informative and very entertaining! Thanks!
The Jalopy Journal
