History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

A slide rule. Must be a Purdue student.

 

Same car many years later at the Dover Dragstrip Reunion 2015. Nunzi still owns it, talked to him at length about the old days. This race brings out some great old cars some like my MG are still racing and loving it.

Pat

 

What? You go to Rose - Hulman and you're jealous or something?

 

I have the same one. Spent some time there, now my kid does.

 

The Sour Grapes Willys is Tom Johansen, who bought the '68 Charger Flying Dutchman from Al Vander Woude. Tom moved to KC and was an instructor at Midwest Technical Institute. His son Joel is a member here and has posted in this thread in the past.

 

I would like to see under the hood of this one.

 

That front axle assembly looks interesting.

 

Garlits lost in the final to Serop Postoian.

 

There were 2 powerplants in the Sour Grapes Willys. Started life with a Hilborn injected 327. Ended life with a 392 Hemi also Hilborn Injected. How have you been Nitrobrother?

 

Coolest thing happened for me anyway. I was found on a site by a guy who was on my dads team in 1967 for the willys and a bit on the funny car.. He came over a few months ago and gave me this shirt. Its been in his closet for 45 years



He is one of these guys in this picture.

 

The Hemi in Sour Grapes is a late model. Not a 392

 

I have never seen this picture before, thanks for posting! Emery Cook and Cliff Bedwell helped Garlits set up his carbs for nitro at this meet, and wound up getting beaten. Many years later Garlits repaid the favor by giving Emery Cook a ride in his rear-engined funny car.

 

Inspired by a thread on Saugus drag strip, I visited the Screwdrivers Car Club Facebook page...and found a treasure trove of old pictures of the lakes, Bonneville, and very early drag racing...if anyone owns the photos or does not wanted them posted, I will remove them....I don't have IDs for most:



Chrisman Brothers #25 at Saugus


Could be either Santa Ana or Paradise Mesa


Could be Santa Ana...very early, helmets were optional, apparently, even though the SCTA began to require them in 1948


Santa Ana...notice the circle under the front tire...that was painted on the Santa Ana airport during World War II when it was used for bombing practice...fly low and try to drop the practice bomb in the circle...it would wear away, so this picture is probably from 1950.


Santa Ana, circle is right behind the deuce...this is back when street-driven roadsters were still competitive at the drags


Saugus, Corwin sedan in back against a Chevy coupe


Lee Titus at Pomona...I believe that he started Lee's Speed Shop in Santa Monica.

 

As usual you’re on the ball!....mag is on wrong end for 392, not to mention it’s angled instead of straight up like 392 on back.

 

There were actually two rear engine Garlits' Darts. Big totalled the first one before it was ever seen in public and Cook only made a couple of runs in the second one before it too was destroyed. Cook did make quite a few runs in the roadster Dart which was actually a former Connie Swingle driven dragster under the skin. Read the full story by my mate Geoff Stunkard here: http://www.hotrod.com/features/history/1531-don-garlits-dart-games/

Roo

 

Thanks, Roo, I had heard only bits and pieces of the story, so this fills in a lot...I did remember that the other Dart was built in Michigan, but forgot by whom...was not Jay Howell also involved in building Maynard Rupp's "Chev-oom" rear engined funny car?