Features Ford Thunderbolts Photos Wanted

There are some back in the day photos that show carpeting. The tunnel hump seam is clearly evident.

Regards,
Dennis

 

A couple questions; Was the Fairlane an authentic T'Bolt, and what did the light weight bring?
A $245K Thunderbolt is looking better than Bank of America right now.
Tom S. in Tn.

 

I thought the lightweight Galaxie bid to $170K and didn't sell but Mecum's website says it sold for 200K. That was late in the day and they had free beer so it's possible I was mistaken.

 

No, you're right. It was a "and the bid continues" car. They must have made a deal later on. So you were fine and could've had a few more, no problem.


I've never seen ram air like on that Galaxie, is that a Ford item? I've only ever seen them with flexible tubing.


Kevin

 

Yes, it's a real automatic car. I think it was originally from a dealer in TX.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Dennis, is that the same car once owned by Ray Skillman? Thanks for all the solid info you post on here.Tom.

 

The fiberglass ducts were Ford. They are very rare. What happened were the original fiberglass ducts manufactured did not fit, for the interim Wiremold flex tube was substituted, and Ford was going to campaign the ducts at a later date. It appears they never did. Anyone I know that has an original set, they came from the Holman Moody warehouse.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Yes, former Don McMillian Ford, Houston TX car.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Thanks Dennis. I thought I had seen almost all of the rare Ford stuff that was out there at the PFCA meets in Columbus, but never knew those existed. We always set up early Friday morning so we could go look at everyone's stuff before it was gone. Even after all these years it seems the more I learn the less I know. Great stuff.

I knew the T-bolts came out before the NI cases and always assumed they used WAR cases in them. Did they put the same gear in all the cars, automatic and 4 speed, or did the customer get to spec it?

Kevin

 

Thank you kindly; Tom S.

 

The white T-Bolts, 4.57 stick or automatic. The 1964 Ltwt Galaxies, 4.71 automatic and 4.57 stick. Many owners changed the ratios, depending on tires, 7,000 kit, etc ... , upgrading to a 4.86 ratio. I've run either a 5.14 or 4.86 in mine.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Guys , I just lucked across some info I've been looking for.
I need to find out if the known where abouts of car #88 is?
This was the car my dad drove. It was out of Emrhae Ford & was owned & tuned by Maxey Gentry. The known delivery date was 4/27/64. The last known time it was seen was on EBay in 2004.
This would mean a LOT to me to locate this car!
Can anybody help me here?
I have a Vin if that helps.

 

Dennis, the real problem I have with some of these current day auctions is that the public is not getting the whole truth about some of these early factory lightweight cars. The 1964 Galaxie in question that just sold was 1 of 52, 1/2 were 4 speed the others automatics, when delivered only the hood was fiberglass not the doors, fenders or trunk lid as stated in the ad. Granted you could go out and buy those parts from the dealer and add them on but that's not what the car was originally set up to run as.

 

Dennis & Kevin:

Bob Ford was issued the Fiberglass inlet air ducts about the time we recieved our first Hi-Riser Engine to test. (about Mid-season 1963) Eventually we had to send the Hi-Riser back, but we kept the ducts and ran them whenever we could. Even on the Low-Riser engine they were an instant 2 MPH, and more if you played with the jetting. They also reduced ET's about .1 - .15 or more. Dave

 

Anyone know any history on the '64 lightweight Galaxie that was auctioned off at Dallas?

 

From looking at the auction photos and comparing them, I think this was originally a four speed car given to Phil Bonner, that recently was up in WA somewhere. I don't know if Phil actually raced it in the day, but he was given at least two of them, one stick and one automatic car, that he flipped for around $2500 ea. The automatic car he sold to Jr Quarles, no idea who bought the stick car.

It has those ultra rare fiberglass air ducts. I've seen maybe only six sets of those. They were suppose to install them on all 50 cars, but they didn't fit, so Wiremold tube was used instead. Anyone that I knew that had an orignal set of fiberglass ducts for a 1964 Ltwt Galaxie bought them out of the Holman Moody warehouse.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Yes, I noted the same errors re fiberglass in the auction posting. However, there is an information disclaimer at the bottom of the posting. Whether it is a restored factory race car or some used parts at a swap meet. It is Buyer Beware! Anyone serious would of inspected the vehicle in advance and if not knowledgeable in the subject matter, had someone with them that is.

I attended a similar auction last year where a "Thunderbolt" was on the block. The only thing original was the door tag. The car was a rebody, and even had a reproduction aluminum front bumper. Matter of fact it did not even have the official VIN stamped on the drivers side fener apron flange. If I recall it sold for $275,000. For the average person, that is a lot of $. However, cost is relative. Say to a billionaire, $275,000 perhaps is only pocket change.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Dave,

You have a good memory, see attached. What did they use for an airbox to connect the ducts to the carbs? Being the High Riser had a greater center distance between the carbs, the Low Riser and High Riser air boxes would be different. Did you have air tubes on both your yellow car and the black engineering Bob Ford 1963 Lightweight Galaxies? Were the air tubes legal for S/S or just A/FX and match race?

Regards,
Dennis

 

Gang,
I went to the Lake Mirror Classic show today in Lakeland, FL and saw this car. I have no history on this car, but thought some of you might enjoy seeing the pix. Sorry the car was in a lousy location for photos. If you are a fan, it will also be at the show Sat / Sun. I can't make it back those days, busy at the NSRA show in Tampa. Later, Gary

 

The Falcon belongs to my friend Jim Cagle. It is a clone/tribute to the original Phil Bonner DST built "Frog". Jim bought the original car from Phil in 1965 but has been able to to find it after looking for it in recent years. This car is very close to the original car.
Jim will be bringing this car to the FE Get Together on 10/29/11 to be held at Cecil County Dragway. Phil Bonner raced the original car at Cecil Co. many times and Jim plans on recreating this in two weeks.

Not sure where you got "one of two Thunderbolt prototypes" from. The original Bonner Falcon was built after the Thunderbolts were released and being raced. I also know Jim does not represent the car as a prototype or as the original car....

There were two DST Falcons built in 1964, Brannan and Bonner's. Both were built after the T-bolts were released.

Thanks for the photos.

 

Phil Bonner's AFX Falcon

 

Sorry for the miss-info... I didn't mean to mislead anyone, I was just repeating what I thought I heard the MC say. I'll do a deletion on my first post. Gary

 

No problem, sounds like another expert behind a microphone spreading misinformation....LOL It would be nice if the MC would have talked to Jim before he started talking...

 

David; Do you have any pictures from when your Dad drove it? Thanks. Syl

 

I remember the fiberglass tubes better that the airbox. However, if I remember correctly, it was a oval-shaped structure that was captured between the production cast aluminum low riser air cleaner top and bottom, and which functioned the same as the T-Bolt airbox. I remember we did run the tubes on the Hi-Riser, but do not remember specifically how we attached them to the carburetors. Typically in such cases, either the needed parts to make a kit would come as a kit assembly, and in some cases where we needed something that did not come from the Engineering Garage Parts Crib, I would run up the street and see "Hammer" who would quickly gin-up something trick. Hammer was such an integral part of my super stock racing career, his contribution cannot be overstated. Godspeed Hammer. As a tickler, (for you old-timers) I attached a picture of some early such help. We only ran one fiber glass tube on the '63's and both of the Bob Ford cars ran them. The tubes were not legal in NHRA. On the yellow car, the tube was worth 2 mph and a good .1 of a second, maybe more, in back to back runs on the low riser, and without the grill opened up to un-shroud the tube inlet. We switched the yellow car back to a Low-Riser before Indy, and I did run the tubes a couple of times at Detroit Dragway with the Low-Riser in S/S eliminations. (But not at Indy) If I was cheating, I was the least of the cheaters, as in later years after running NOS in Pro 5.0 and recognizing the effects it had on tuning, exhaust smoke, header temperature and flame out the headers, I now know for sure in 1963 I ran against cars in S/S at Detroit who were using NOS. After Indy, the yellow car was sold, and I took over the black car, built new suspension and traction bars (they are still on the car today) a new Hi-Riser with a special prototype camshaft (the first actually blue-printed Hi-Riser we ran in ’63) and ran 11.70's at Detroit in Match Race trim. Jerry Harvey drove the car the next year. Dave Lyall

 

Bonner's car pictured above was the inspiration for the '65 AFX Falcon I built. I approached Al Turner about a Comet, but as I was still a Ford employee at that time, he could not help me, and although Charlie Gray said basically the same thing, we either had enough relationship from the '63 - '64 season, or he recognized my determination and commitment, or both, that he did provide essential help on my Falcon project. After all, he was the one who got me so fired up constantly relating Bonner's newest achievement every Monday morning, I would not be denied. Dave Lyall

 

Here are photos of the Falcon when owned by Jim Cagle taken at NASCAR Winter drags Deland FL and then when owned by Joe Johnson. The Cagle photo is mine and the Johnson photo isn't mine.

The original car has never been located nor its disposition. I've heard different stories, one that it went to Chicago and was street raced, New York and eventually crashed street racing, and another that it was still in FL. It would be a neat car to have.

Regards,
Dennis

 

David,

I recall you posted on this thread back last Feb searching for a Thunderbolt, ref. post #2331. How was it determined this was the Emrhae Ford car? Is Maxey Gentry still around?

Re the AFX Comet in 1965 your dad drove, what's the history on this car? Was it a 64 or 65 car, dealership/sponsor? There's been a lot of interest on another thread of documenting the 64/65 FX Comets.

The crash at Richmond Dragway in 1965, what car was your dad driving? Was it the T-Bolt, AFX Comet or something else, and do you recall the date? I'd like to look through my Drag News's to see if it was mentioned. DN seemed to cover that area pretty well.

Regards,
Dennis

 

Just curious how the air boxes were configured. On my blue T-Bolt, with the 8V D intake I ran the Airbox, but rarely the hoses. I don't think it mattered if you ran the tubes or not, the air would get in there and I recall the car ET'd the same. Trevarrow's T-Bolt Too car was the same way, he seldom if ever ran his air box. When I changed intakes to a single plane Tunnel Wedge welded to a High Riser base, the carb center distance was less than the HR, and couldn't run the t-Bolt air box, so I tried two bonnets, then finally took them off too. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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There has been some discussion the cast aluminum air boxes created turbulance the way the two inlet ducts entered, then with the air having to make two 90 deg turns to go down the carb inlets. I've seen one box that had sheet metal deflectors installed, but I assume that was some racer's idea and not a Ford thing. <o></o>
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On Brannan's S/S 824 63 Galaxie when found it had only one large fiberglass air duct and that is how the car was restored. I assume that is how Dick ran that car. The airbox was a production aluminum 8V top and bottom with a sheet metal fabrication to replace the air cleaner element and with only one inlet to connect the duct to.<o></o>
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Regards,<o></o>
Dennis <o></o>

 

Dave,
Care to expand on Charlie Gray's motivational tactics? I'm sure it's a good story.

Kevin