NOTE: Lots of great photos posted lately -- kudos! Posting that pic of my 49 Ford 'lead sled' with the early-Olds grille inspired me to share this. It may appear to be a bit 'off topic,' but it is really not. It addresses some of the impending health issues that many of the older Junior Stock crowd, auto mechanics, body/paint men and car customizers were mostly oblivious to for decades. I think it's a H.A.M.B.-friendly piece. So here goes! 'The Man With No Taste' Yea -- that's me. Oh, I still have (pretty-good, I think) 'taste' in cars, film, books, art, etc. But as far as tasting the flavor of any food or beverage I now consume, that's gone. It all started about five years ago (I'm 76 now), when I realized that I was loosing my sense of smell. A year or so later, it was gone. Then I noticed that my right foot would become numb and tremble at times and that my right arm stopped it's automatic inclination to 'swing' as I walked (which I 'used' to do a lot). Seemed strange, as I could 'make' it swing, but if I just walked normally, my right arm would remain static, while my left arm would 'swing.' Many more physical shortcoming occurred during the next few years, until a neurologist finally diagnosed me with having Parkinson's disease and prescribed a 4-times-a-day drug 'cocktail.' Some of the classic tell-tale symptoms of advanced Parkinson's are stiff muscles and slowed movement, stooped posture, a fixed look on the face, speech problems or issues with balance and/or walking. Tremor (shaking) usually is the first symptom. The muscles of the legs, face, neck or other parts of the body may go rigid. Another common indicator is a noticeable change in handwriting, with the written (or printed) characters progressively becoming smaller --'trailing off.' Alas, the chances are good that some of you (over 60ish) reading this have the disease, but are unaware of it and attribute its symptoms simply to advancing age. The causes are both hereditary and environmental, with the environmental factors including, but not limited to, early-in-life prolonged exposure to carbon-tetrachloride (AKA carb/parts cleaner), lead body filler -- you older guys remember those 1/2 pound sticks of body lead we used in those pre-bondo 'lead sled' days. And then there was all of the toxic auto-body coatings and paint thinners. The list goes on, but you get the idea. Seems too few of us wore proper (if any) respirators at the time! The good news is the current primary treatment drug-combo actually works to help alleviate some of the symptoms, as it increases the remaining healthy brain cells production of dopamine. So, if you stayed with me this far and some of the symptoms listed above sound ominously familiar -- consider having a chat with your doctor. OR, better yet, seek out a 'Parkinson's savvy' neurologist. I took the photo of my 49 Ford 'lead sled,' right before I sold it in 1958. I'm sure I used 30-to-50 pounds of lead to 'French' the lights, fill the seams, dents, holes etc. I ground, filed and sanded about half of it off and inhaled a lot of the resulting lead dust -- I was young and careless!
I never saw (or heard of) one of these 285HP 56 Pontiacs running as a Junior Stocker -- seems like it would have been 'interesting.' Pontiac entered the horsepower race in 1956 with a dual 4-barrel carburetor version of the 316 cid engine. The following summary is an excerpt from "75 Years of Pontiac, The Official History" by John Gunnell. In March 1956, an “extra hp” V-8 was released. It also displaced 317 cubic inches, but came with 10.0:1 compression heads; dual four-barrel Rochester carburetors; a special intake manifold; a fuel pump with larger valves; a dual-element Delta-Wing air cleaner; a greater overlap high-output camshaft; revised valve timing; longer-stemmed valves; high-tension valve springs and shields; anti-pump-up hydraulic lifters; and modified electrics. The output of this so-called “NASCAR” engine was 285 hp at 5100 rpm. It was tested for 0-to-60 mph in 11 seconds flat and 16.2 mpg fuel economy. Pontiac experts estimate that 200 cars were equipped with this motor, which was intended primarily for professional stock cars, but found its way into amateur drag racing cars. The potential of the 285 hp engine was not lost on 73- year-old speed ace Ab Jenkins. who took a high-output Chieftain 860 coupe to the Bonneville Salt Flats for a 24- hour world speed record run in which he covered 2,841 miles at an average speed of 118.37 mph. The same car, with drilled-out wheels to make it lighter, then set a 100- mph distance/speed record of 126.02 mph.
Don't think I ever posted this image before. It's fuzzy because its a 'still' captured from 8mm movie film (thanks Jim Amos/'Bee on Video'). Return road after first run at 75/80 'Drag-O-way' -- Spring 1967
WOW.....61 chevy ragtop. They were a rare breed at the track. O/S could that be a 283 CI 230HP car. Thank's really enjoy the Jr. Stockers....JT
Jimbo....Those were the days that's for sure. Notice on the 61 Chevy ragtop grill it does not have the cross flags representing the 348 block. Those 283's ran quite well. A set of Casler Cheater Slicks and the drop of the flag and your off to the races....JT
It always seemed to me that when the 283's were punched out to 301 CI that they ran even better. Jimbo
For those that might be interested, I’ve started a build thread for A Tokyo Rose Tribute in the Traditional Hot Rod section…….mostly for self-motivation. Purists beware.
The Jalopy Journal
