Features Ford Thunderbolts Photos Wanted

http://kmason.homestead.com/LINKPAGE.html
or google Dearborn Steel Tubing. I ordered 2 hats from him and got 2 stickers

 

Dennis,

The car was restored by Randy Delisio as you know. Randy then bought it and eventually sold it to Boyd Coddington in CA, then to Ed Burdon in NY, then to a Jim Light, and finally to James Sartori in MA who still owns it.

Lenny

 

There are lots of differences between early and later cars.

 

Was the side molding on these cars always accented in black?
Tom S. in Tn.

 

Tom, in researching this & looking at old photo's the white cars had black accented moldings & the burgundy cars had white accented moldings. Someone correct me if I'm wrong here!

 

This is the engine that sat in Carmel Thunderbolten, it will be installed in my T-Bolt clone.

Thomas

 

A picture from Sweden 1978

 

I came across some interesting Tasca Ford SOHC motor trivia today while at R&R Machine in Londonderry, NH.

Ray at R&R used to work at Miller Machine who did most of Tasca's SOHC motor work way back in the day. Phil Miller built my SOHC motor in the Wild Child a few years ago and I remember Phil telling me about the load upon load of SOHC ALUMINUM heads he and Ray were always building for TASCA. I've been around a few SOHC motors but never one with aluminum heads. Rumors always talked of some of these heads still being around locally.

Well low and behold Ray was in the midst of building a SOHC motor for a guys nostalgia funny car and sitting in the shop today at R&R were a set of ALUMINUM SOHC heads, which as most folks know are extremely rare to say the least. Ray could not confirm if these were from the Tasca lot. Other than Tasca's aluminum SOHC heads, he was not aware of anyone else who was using the aluminum heads back in the 60's.

It's always great talking to these old timers who actually lived what most of us just dream of. These old timers are still the go-to guys for this ultra rare stuff.

 

Hi John:

Al Kitts here. Driver of the Willis Fords. Would like to talk to you. Ask and i will answer. akitts82@mchsi.com.

 

I always thought that this was one of the best looking lettering jobs from '64. Haven't talked to Mike in a while - hope he's doing ok.

Craig

 

Is anyone interested in an informal get together of FE powered vehicles at Cecil County Dragway on 10/29/11? They are running a RAM series race that day and always offer a test & tune option as part of the day. The last couple of years I've attended this event and gotten as many passes as I've wanted. The track is always prepped very well for this event and the air is usually killer at Cecil that time of year. I'd almost guarantee you will run your best pass ever there during this event.

I've talked to the promoter of the RAM racing series and we can have our own section of the pits too. We could do a little grudge racing and some serious bench racing too. Very informal, just a chance to get together before the weather turns.

The only cost would be the normal test & tune entry fee. Cecil County is in Maryland near I-95 for those that have never been there. Very easy to get to with lots of drag racing history there.

I'm not looking to make a dime on this. Just trying to get a group of FE powered vehicled together for a good time. You don't have to race to be part of the event. Just show up with a FE powered car or truck and park with the group in the pits. It doesn't matter if you have real Thunderbolt or a Edsel. If it's FE powered show up and meet others with the same interests in engines.
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Guten Morgen

What's up?

Regards,
Dennis

 

Jody,
Wish that I lived closer, sounds like fun. With the cool "mineshaft" air you ought to see some good numbers.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Dennis it sure would be nice to see any of your FE cars there!!

 

Btt

 

Good to see you found the HAMB Craig..BKH

 

"Ray could not confirm if these were from the Tasca lot. Other than Tasca's aluminum SOHC heads, he was not aware of anyone else who was using the aluminum heads back in the 60's."

There were a few funny car teams here on the West Coast running the aluminum heads like Dyno Don, Don Prudhomme, and Gas Ronda. I bought the parts to build my SOHC from a funny car racer near my house in summer of 1969. He was switching over to a Boss 429. There were some other lightweight parts they made for them also like Magnesium valve covers etc. There were some new SOHC crate motors back than too went to ED Pinks to buy a set of cams and other parts he had 10 to 15 sitting in his shop that he said he bought cheap When Ford started going with the Boss 9 program.

 

Aluminum SHOC cylinder heads had been distributed to all Drag Council Members by mid 1966. When NASCAR rules became very unfavorable for the SHOC, Charlie Gray's Ford Division Drag Race Group funded development under Engineer Joe Eastman and began developing and producing drag race hardware, starting with the 8V intake manifold, resolving high RPM problems like oiling issues, valve train resonance and then developed and produced lightweight aluminum cylinder heads. Dave Lyall

 

galpin ford thunderbolt
driver tom ferris
raced at san fernando drag strip san fernando california

 

Great shot. I've never seen a shot of this car.. Thanks for posting it!!

 

T-Bolt on the loose. Neet to see it driving.

 

My old eye's couldn't see Tom.s's pic of the Carmel Ford Thunderbolt from when it was in Sweden so I enlarged it.

 

It seems Paul Harvey is connected to two Tbolts. I did a forum search and didn't find much more about the Bob Ford #623 car than these two quotes above. The Thunderbolt website (http://www.angelfire.com/hi/427fairlane/bobford.html) has a fuzzy photo of it and says someone died at the wheel in 1965, who was that? Any other history or photos on this car?



Also, the Hot Rod article features the yellow Jerry Alderman Ford Tbolt, claiming Paul Harvey was the GM at Alderman in 1964. My understanding is Harvey was working at Bob Ford from 1961 to 1966 (per Dave Lyall post#970). If that is the case, what is Harveys connection to this car?............

 

http://www.fairlanet.com/images/FE/feflyer.pdf

Above is the link for a flyer for the FE Get Together at Cecil County Dragway scheduled for 10-29-11. The flyer was developed by Doug Bender from the Fairlane Club of America and I really appreciate his help. Please feel free to print out the flyer and give them out if you get a chance. Also spread the word about the event. Word of mouth is the best advertisement!!! It will be a great day of FE fun!!!

Could we see a "real" T-bolt show up?

 

Here is Brannan running the Ramchargers at Cecil.

 

Jody
Wish I could go to your get together at Cecil, For sure next year. I want to run at as many of the original tracks as possible and that one is at the top of the list.

Heres a great shot of me racing my friends Thunderbolt At Julesburg. I wasnt able to see the real deal back in 64 So for me this is as good as it gets, I could race like this all day, everyday.

 

Ken;lose the easy-up and it looks like 1964!!!GREAT PICTURE!!! I agree with you,not enough pure nostalgia type meets out West . ROY.

 

Paul Harvey was connected to at least four T-Bolts. The 622 S/S car, 623 S/SA car, and a third Burgundy car that was assigned to Bob Ford Inc., then went to Mickey Thompson to build the Hemi car. There also was the #624 A/MP car T-Bolt Too driven by Jerry Harvey. It was sold to Sunset Fireworks owner Tony Cicerella (sp) in Toledo.

The 623 Automatic car went to Harold Turner Ford in Center Line MI and was converted to a four speed. Bill Molby crashed in it at Motor City and lost his life. Kenny Vogt told me years ago he almost got the automatic car from Paul Harvey, but received the 622 Richter car to campaign in 1965 because the suspension was already set up with the long bars. Ken said he wondered if that would of been him had he got the automatic car.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Paul Harvey, a tough & savy ex-Navy guy, was a Indiana Native, and was the Sales Manager at Jerry Alderman Ford prior to coming to Bob Ford in late 1961. After he came to Bob Ford, he was the General Manager with an ownership position in the company as his enticement to come. He stayed for 5 years, returning to Indy in late '66 to open his own store, Paul Harvey Ford. Paul was a skilled, consummate businessman, as well as a huge drag race fan. While at Bob Ford, he shared some of his street racing exploits with me racing as far back as 1953. I may have the following part of my story wrong, but as I remember it, he also said he was the Sales Manager at Bob Ford in 1956, (before Jerry Alderman) and as a favor to his Ford Executive friends OK'd having the dealer completely re-skin and repaint Troy Ruttman's badly damaged '56 Ford USAC stock car in exchange for having Bob Ford lettered on the car at the Detroit Fairgrounds labor day Stock Car race, which Troy Won. Troy defeated 2nd place finisher Iggy Katona in a '56 Ford supported by DST, in a sprited race that had everybody standing. I was at that race and thought the car brand new, only to find out it was a well-used veteran with a good make-over.

 

The yellow and black paint scheme was a Paul Harvey favorite, our Bob Ford '62 406 was yellow and black, (originally Paul Harvey's demonstrator) and he had the 63 lightweight painted that color as soon as we got it back from Les Ritchey. Paul also told me all his demonstrators were yellow and black all the way back to 1953. Although yellow was Paul&#8217;s color before the Champaign Color deal, he was not at Jerry Alderman in 1964. However, they may have kept the color scheme Paul had started there, to keep their identity.