another american grafitti question.

So did anyone notice the '55 that crashed when it was rolling over? Take a close look as it rolls and you'll see a single exhaust system going full length on the crash car.

 

Maybe for the same reason this one did. . .

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T7cbUfqFuN0" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="420"></iframe>

 

Probably snaped an axle.

 

is this a real question?!

 

John Milner and Bob Falfa are the names.

 

That is not news, either is the fact that the burning car is a 4 door.

 

I've always questioned which exact car was flipped over in that final scene. People say that it was just a junker, but if you look closely that "junker" has an early Olds/Pontiac 3-rib case, a very nice looking custom fabricated transmission crossmember along with a Turbo 400 and what appear to be frame outriggers for a roll bar. All this cool stuff is very visible on the belly of the car when Milner is*******ing Falfa back up to the side of the road.

 

348/409??

 

From what I understood, both the rollover car and the burning car were 55's.

 

AKA Buckwheat and Alfalfa

 

the 2 lane stunt car crashed, it had a big block and dual exhaust that ended under the floor boards. looks like it was mostly stock, but had radiused wheel wells, but no straight axle.

the burning "exploding" car is a not the same car. its a 2 door hard top. they put a fake post in. it doesnt have radiused wheel wells, and has bumper over riders. its not a 4 door though.

you can also see a lot of other little details. the car that rolled passenger front wheel is normal and the front bumper is mostly straight. when the jump to the fire shot, the wheel is cambered like crazy as if it has a broken ball joint, and the bumper is all out of whack.

if you dont believe me, watch this, you can pause it frame by frame.

 

And the trunk is closed.... hahahaha

 

--------------------
Uh...most likely....in fact....almost
certainly, because it was in the
script!!!!

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

 

---------------
Yep...I remember noticing that "back
in the day', the first time I saw the flick
when it first hit the theaters. I'm not sure,
but it looked like it might have been a
6-cylinder car even??!! Did you notice
too, that instead of chrome wheels, the
wheels on crash car were stockers,
painted with aluminum paint??!!eek:!)
Obviously, rather than wreck a good
car, the studio simply picked up a stock
'55 clunker to use for the crash scene.

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

 

thers a wicked 55 lookin for you,Ya let him go some races then look my up.
I saw the 55 first in a epasode of Adam 12 dealing with street racing as I recall there was a real badass 56 ford in the same show. the 55 was far faster the Milners 32

 

I have always like what I call the "test" race on the Boulevard where they finally meet each other and start trash talkin'. Then Alfalfa goes "come boy, prove it" Love the close up during that "test" race and then the 55 blows that red light.

 

Yes it is - car driving down the road, car slews to one side and car goes down the bank

Sure, the script writer said that was what needed to happen.

But barring a broken axle etc there was no reason for it to swerve...I have always wondered 'WTF, why did that happen?

The potentially more squirrily '32 seemed to track OK.

 

The money question that does not matter here but is really curious is......how many people are there out there.......car people......that would pay to see those 2 cars race at a drag strip. Or on a lonely stretch of road someplace, maybe the original filming location (if that could be possible)....

Maybe a reunion or aniversary type celebration.... ?

40 years.....1973...2013........??

Could-be-interesting

 

Its not a 6 cylinder. The exhaust on a 6 is on the left side. The right exhaust is in place and at a glance the left is twisted over and looks like a driveshaft. It has two glass packs. Not a single, not a six. Looks like a SBC with no oil filter but the flame flickers. At 56 thru58 seconds the 55 is accelerating faster than the 32. Favorite movie, favorite race, hate the roll over....but the race a dawn is so familiar....love the turn around and the lurch forward when the 32 is stalled/shut off. Some time ago I remember reading that the 32 had steeper gears installed for the race scene and it didn't matter because the 55 spun.

 

Ouch. And I was feeling so young when I watched the vid.

 

Never thought there was a question about what caused the accident as the sound of a tire exploding just ahead of the swerve was evident.

All other if ands or whys aside, it's one of the best hot rod movies of all time.

 

Yup The 55 Was Bad A--

 

A comment was made to the visceral sounds of the big block Chevy in the 55, well, the 409's were pretty nasty too- as a young college kid in Las Cruces NM in about 63 or 64 one of the locals had a 62 Vette with a really nasty 409 in it, after more than 40 years it is one of the few things that I remember, it really sounded good and was barely streetable.

 

There you go! That's what happened and yet some still have to ask why the 55 crashed

 

Edwierd has my vote

 

The 55 for sure. Used to pit for a friend who had a 55 with a 421 dual quad Ponitac and a M22 rock crusher in it. I had a 57 with a 331.

 

Here's another dude that understands the movie. Falfa's 55 had a mystery engine that sounded so nasty, they knew it couldn't be a small block chevy. Remember when Falfa and Toad are at the stop light and toad revs the 58 and then Falfa revs the 55 and Toad just sinks into his seat because of the sound.
Bottom line, it's common sense that for 1962, the mystery engine would be a 409.

 

They could easily run a race at the original location. It was filmed just outside Petaluma on Frates Road. They used to have races out there in the late 70's on occasion. The sheriffs would come out and block off the ends of the road and let them have fun. Wasn't sure if it was a club running the events as I was just a young lad. In fact, if you know where to look, you can still see remnants of the start and finish lines.

 

The south side of the road where the '55 crashed still looks pretty much the same today, an open field. Down by the "starting line" at the west end there is a stoplight now for the new subdivision there. North side is now a golf course, but the PG&E substation you can see in the background at the end is still there. The locals used to actually race out there, many years ago there were start/ finish lines painted on the road, complete with crossed checkered flags at the finish- it was more "out in the sticks" then

 

Well.........there ya go!!

The powers that be could gauge possible interest in a pre-quel or whatever
from attendance at this memorial "race" slash "celebration event".....