Looking for some history on this possible "A/FX" car.

I came across what I was told was an A/FX car. I haven't run the vin yet, but I have a few concerns and doubts before pick it up. I may regardless just because I think it's damn cool to find an original 60's drag car like this, but not at asking price.

Basically, the run down that I was told is it was a "factory race car" (1966-67 Camaro), that was purchased new and turned into an A/FX car. When I heard this I was skeptical, but there is one things that leads me to believe this may be true is that the doors are factory GM fiberglass (stamped with a gm logo in the sill about 2"x2" and they are the best quality fiberglass doors I have ever seen or felt. They close better then my steel doors.

Outside of that it's got your typical 70's drag car build. Straight axle, struts, tilt front end, set back engine, and of course.. fancy pearl paint job!

The car was purchased by it's current owner in the 70s, from what I understand is a racer named John Messos. (but I can't find any info on this guy), and has been sitting in storage since the 70's

With that said, the bad, and what leads me to believe it wasn't a "PRO A/FX" car is the quality of the welding on the cage and some of the work on the car, the square tube used ect, the frame ect looks fine but the cage work is rather shotty. (see picture with gauge note:booger welds)

I showed it to a friend of mine who much more verse then me, and he believe it was more of a run of the mill home built drag car that may have been built in the 60s. (still cool in my books..but not sell every project i own cool put it in my living room and tie it off with a velvet rope)

The car has been painted at least 3 times, originally it was factory red, ontop of that is a black, and ontop of that is it's current colour a pearl white, with blue mutlitone pearl.

The front end and the trunk is glass, the rear end is a Pontiac w/big gears a spool and henry axles.

Thanks for the help, and insight guys!.

 

That things pretty cool.

 

I'm not aware the GM ever made any fiberglass
doors for a '67 Camaro, least of all with a GM
logo on them. Remember that in 67, GM was
officially 'not racing'. I know a few teams got
some help and some 'special parts' via the back
door of the various GM division 'engineering
departments', but why Chevy engineers would
go to the trouble and also, run the risk of getting
caught, making up a small run of fiberglass doors
- and with a GM logo on them even - when
the aftermarket could more easily supply them,
escapes me. That's not to say it couldn't or
didn't happen, but it seems unlikely.

Mart3406
=================================

 

Thanks for the responses, I'll take some pictures of the doors tonight, I'm going to go back by after work.

 

Looks like the old Rislone car.... I could be wrong..

 

this car was probably not an a/fx or a funny, i believe it was a b/gas type car

also keep in mind that the construction methods originally used could be pretty crude by today's standards

 

That would look good at Famoso!

 

zigzag is likely right that's an old gasser a friend has a trans/am mustang built by the ford factory and the welds don't look any better than that

 

Thanks again for all the replies guys. One thing I forget to mention (not sure if it matters) is that the original wheelbase of the car was 118", and then was reduced back to stock at some point.

The other thing that sticks out to me is the rear spoiler/trunk. It's the exact same setup as the Wild Thing II



all the camaro rear spoilers i've seen outside of these 2 are the entire width of the car, while these spoilers are just the width of the trunk. Not saying it's the same car, but the glass came from the trunk glass came from the same place. I also read somewhere the WT2 had fully functional doors..which this has as well which leads me to believe maybe all the glass could have came from the same location?

 

I thought the same thing but it had lace in the dark blue as I recall but its a repaint. kool any way you look at it I would gess a glass over factory doors if theres a gm mark on them

 

What is the asking $$

 

I thought that as well, but the GM mark isn't the same as the stock GM mark. It's a rather larger I'd say 2"x2" with an 1/8th" emboss, and not in the same location either.

From what I can tell, the car was originally that dark stock red, then it was painted black, which now that I think about it could have just been a coat to make sure the white didn't bleed red threw. Then the colour it's painted today.

 

I'm not really going to get into cost, location, ect. Until I either have the car in my possession, or have decided to pass. I hope you guys understand.

 

Yep!

 

I don't blame you, someone might try to buy it out from under you! ANY '67-'69 Camaro is going to draw big $$, I'd snatch that up if at all possible! Welds can be fixed.

 

----------------------------
If the wheelbase was out to 118 inches and
then later put back to 'stock', that *could*
indicate that the car had been been originally
built as an 'FX'er' and then later, perhaps
when it when was no longer competitive as a
funny, been 'front-halfed' and had the
wheelbase shortened in order to run in one
of the Altered classes. That wasn't an
uncommon fate for some of the early
'first-generation' funny cars.

Mart3406
============================

 

Thanks again Mart, what should I look for? I'm going to head back out today after work are they anything in particular, I should pay attention to things I should try to get shots of that will help identify the car? I know the glass doors are a big thing, what about frame mounts? Rear end setup??? Anything that may be unique to the era or specific class?

 

that thing is killer!!! I hope you end up with it!

 

----------------------
A few things things come to mind. Maybe send me a PM.

Mart3406
==============================

 

ok a few more pictures, here are the doors I talked about




This is the state of the paint


and here is the "odd" rear suspension

 

Get that car!

 

That is a very cool car. You should buy it before someone else does,the find out about the history. Lost out on a maxwedge car once. Goodluck

 

That's a very cool car! It's definitely not Kelly Chadwick's car that's pictured above because Mr. Gibson has that one presently under restoration. Buy it now and with the power of the HAMB, I bet you can trace it's lineage. This website has been responsible for finding old Drag car history in a metter of hours sometimes!

 

Pontiac rear end and "lift chassis". Pretty standard stuff in the day. I have an old Popular Hot Rodding magazine on how to build that suspension.

 

Hmm, I've never seen that setup in person. The quality is just so shotty. It's really giving me some second thoughts.



Also on an unfortunate note, yesterday either somebody clipped it as it sat on the street, or it got damaged when it was being moved. It's not a huge dent, but right behind the door the body got pressed in maybe about a 6" circle..it pretty much was straight before that.

 

Is that this car on eBay: Item 330465188948

Check out the vin on the car in my link.... Interesting.

 

i would guess by looking at the red plexi back window with slots/holes cut in it,and straps holding it down, and parachute, it looks like an early funny car or gasser to me, as they may have run it with no side glass at one point. the GM glass doors are interesting! time to get out the old drag mags i'd guess .

 

same paint scheme, but not the same car. That car still has the stock subframe, this one it has been replaced with square tube and a straight axle.

 

no side windows

 

Being a Ford man I know very little about Camaros but back then a lot of fiberglass was made by making molds of original steel parts. Do stock Camaro doors have that GM logo on them? If so that would account for the logo. Either way that would be a neat car to buy and make a survivor.