No,I'll have two cars at the Inliner/Flathewad "Drag Nationals" http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/inliner-flathead-drag-nationals-july-2016.951763/ at Kil-Kare Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and then home to Milan Dragway on Sunday driving my avatar S/P car. Busy week - wish I could make Beaver Springs too. Have fun.
Back to work "Baby Huey" AA/FA Note the 6 green old style tree This is the famed Mike Sullivan AA/Fuel Altered warming up their combination in the heart of the Firebird pit area. This was one bad animal, painted a very patriotic red, white and blue, typically running a load of roughly 100% Nitro-methane in the tank. Sullivan appeared with four of the "awful - awful" breed Willie all out of shape as usual. Not the rear slick almost folded over. Hummm just noticed the slick brand this may be the clone. Another of Bradfords AA/FA Fiat Durel & Duke AA/A Early "Pure Hell" Chevy power running AA/HR George Snizek in The Pacers Tasmanian Devil AA/A at Roosevelt Raceway August 1962. Leroy Chadderton piloted the Hawkins, Cowie, Chadderton, and Scull AA/FA to take home gold in the Fuel Altered class. Walker and Geary's AA/FA faced Chadderton in the Final. A8.27183.60mph and victory for Chadderton. Early Nanook at OCIR with roadster body New Nanook fire show "Panic" AA/FA "Panic" again
Some more "Stone T" AA/FA another The "MOB" AA/FA The MOB grille art The "Stripteaser" AA/FA Fiat Stripteaser ... what is up with the angle of the front wheel? Jungle Jim funny car in the rear The "Super Thief" AA/FA Super thief again Unknown AA/FA
Hello, Here are a couple of Altered Coupes that were at Riverside Raceway in 1959. I took these films throughout the day. It was a great, sunny Southern California race day. Jnaki ALTERED COUPES ON TRAILERS.
Good spot I never even noticed that. There maybe somewhere back in this thread or the drag cars in motion thread that had an explanation of what happened but I can't remember where I read it. ANYBODY?
Finally hit a site with a bunch of old time altereds. Enjoy. Albertson Olds chopped up fiat "Chevy TEE Time" A/SR Conaway & Woodhouse BB/A A few of Davis & Ingram BB/A over the years. Davis & Ingram this time their "Jewel T" "Different Drummer" altered Ernie Lentz A/FR Early Willie
In the early '60s electronic starts became the new wave. Gone were the days of the flag starter, and as a result, drag racing became foolproof and much more consistent. C/A at the start The ever popular Jack Ditmars John Blackerby Again Lonnie Chesney B/A "T" "Monkey Motion" altered Bantam Ruckers, Sievers & Petre A/A The beautifully detailed Scotty’s Muffler injected Ardun-powered T, shown alongside the Reath Automotive Model A roadster. "The Rat Trap" AA/FA Unknown 6 cylinder D/A
hello, this sedan from dosser/reath was one of the fan favorites at lions in 1960. it had the look that just said watch me go... and go it did... jnaki
I was blown away by how many have been saved or duplicated right now. While going through sites looking for photos there are so many I get fooled sometimes by the new ones. Just in the past few months I have come across at least ten by my count.
One of the pioneers the Mike Sullivan story Mike Sullivan is best known for his Fuel Altered exploits, but he has occasionally strayed in to dragster territory. His first experience with fuel was at the controls of the Highland Speed Shop Jr fueler of Tom Camblin and Bob Price. Camblin and Price had put together a tribute to the principle of minimum weight with their 300 cubic inch De Soto powered dragster. Weighing in at just a tick over 800 lbs without the driver, this car featured only one brake caliper, had headers so thin that they couldn't be bent, a body so thin it sprung flat when removed from the car, and a block filled with manganese powder. While never a consistently successful car, Mike gained valuable driving experience and just as importantly learned the importance of weight and chassis design in affecting the performance of a combination. Initially configured as an A/FA with a injected fuel 392 Chrysler, the all white San Bernardino Racing Equipment sponsored fiat had some success chasing down supercharged rivals. Blown fuel altereds at this point in history had excessive power for the poor tires and track surfaces available, making them vulnerable to a consistent injected performer. All of this began to change when clutch technology caught up to engine technology, and as the tire smoke went away, so did the chances of catching the blown altereds. A new 392 was assembled with M/T rods, lower compression Venolia Pistons, and an Engle camshaft. With a blower built by Gary Read and fresh blue and white paint by Al Hawkins of Magnificent 7 fame, Mike and partner Steve Haight were ready to go AA/FA racing. In AA/FA trim the car was immediately successful and became a frequent winner at local tracks like Lions, Irwindale, and OCIR. Several AA/FA track records were set with the car and one of the more notable achievements was to be the last AA/FA class winner at Indy before NHRA removed the class. During this period many of the famous southern California AA/FA's would go east on tour for the summer, while cars like Dave Hough's Nanook, Bob Hankins' Blue Blazer, Randy Bradford, the MOB, and Mike's Fiat kept up the action on the home front.
Veteran drag racer Jim Miles’ “Magic Muffler” Fiat is best known for exploding on the starting line at Lions in 1965. He went on to rebuild the car and continued racing it for two more years. Will's Fargo A/A Unknown AA/FA Unknown AA/A
Not to take anything away from your father or trying to be argumentative, but Jimmy Miles is credited for being the driver of this car when that happened. This was a very well documented engine blow up. This has also been discussed in other threads on this car or topic. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/blown-motor-piture.470436/ and articles like http://dragracingonline.com/special/altered_3.html
Michelle Essman is correct - her father Gary was behind the wheel for this famous engine explosion. Jim Miles was about 10 ft or so to the right rear of the car when this happened. I own the car and Jim is a good friend. He has helped with the restoration. I know the story all too well..!!!! Gary drove this Fiat about 90% of the time as Jim wasn't comfortable driving the car after the crash in the his first purple Fiat. He barrel rolled that car through the lights and survived. This is a picture of his first Fiat Topolino in dark purple after the crash. He went on to build the lighter version that is famous for the engine explosion that is being discussed.
Wow, reading this thread is like going back in time. The Altereds and Gassers were always my favorites back then and still are nowadays. Loudbang thanks for this thread!
Thank you for the correction. I had always thought Jimmy was at the wheel that day and never asked him. Thanks for the correct info.
Thanks happy that you are enjoying it. I haven't forgotten it more to come but is been very busy here.
And after that brief hiatus I'm back I know some of these have been posted before but now they come with a bit of history attached. The Yoshioka & Graf Stone T began as an A/FA. The unblown fuel altereds of the day could run with the blown cars to a point. The Stone T ran 8.0's with an unblown Chrysler Hemi. When track owners finally dictated that the cars needed to be supercharged. Frank Graf and Mikio Yoshioka added a supercharger to the car. The Stone T ran a 7.06, 205 best as a AA/FA before Yoshioka retired and Graf teamed with Dennis Geisler. (Photo by L&M Photos, courtesy of Bob Plumer and the Drag Race Memories collection). Pops Marner had the first fuel altered in the state of Colorado, a state known for altereds like the High Heaven, Deliverance, and others. Marner got dragster driver Lovell Baker to drive the wild Fiat Topolino. The team would be forced to race dragsters and was able to win a few rounds of racing. The 392 Chrysler powered car could run in the nines in the high altitude of Colorado. (Photo by Pete Garamone) Gabby Bleeker was the toughest Midwest fuel altered racer of the sixties. Bleeker began racing his little Bantam coupe on gas with an Oldsmobile motor. As the decade prgoressed, Gabby contniued to update the machine. He was running a new chassis and a Chrysler Hemi on nitro by 1968. That year, Bleeker ran a best of 8.02, 201 at Rockford Dragway and beat Willie Borch at the U.S. Nationals for the AA/FA class trophy. Only two weeks after the win at Indy, Gabby retired from drag racing. The Beaver Hunter II fuel altered of Nolan Pritchard and was raced by various drivers into the early seventies. Pritchard had been a partner in the original Beaver Hunter until the partnership split. Nolan built the new car placing Dale Young at the wheel of the yellow altered. Pritchard joined the Leon Fitzgerald’s US Fuel Altered tour. Harry Harrison replaced Young at the wheel. Harrison was known as a heavy footed driver with a never lift reputation that suited the Beaver Hunter II just fine. Other Beaver Hunter drivers included John Force, Henry Harrison, Dale Young, Don Hicks, Tom Oliviras, and Stan Lucas. John Force’s ride ended in a crash on the fire up road! (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer; information from Rod Hynes and Draglist files) Warren Gunter was in high school when he bought the original 23 Ford Model T body on a '32 chassis. While going to engineering graduate school, Warren designed and built the car and began racing. The Gunter Bros. car was originally designed as a street car, but ended up on the strip instead with a steel body and a chopped top. It debuted in 1965 with a small block Chevrolet and was classified as an AHRA B/FA. Later on, a big block Chevrolet moved it up to the A/FA class. The engine was set up for fuel injection (with a small beer keg for a fuel tank) and ran about 70% nitro. The transmission was a C & O Torque Flite automatic. The unique car ran mid 8's with a known best of 8.69, 163, and won at least a few injected only shows. The Gunter Bros. normally ran at Lions but ventured out to Irwindale and OCIR on occasion. Warren Gunter left the altered ranks to build the famed Durachrome Bug VW funny car in 1969. The engine was later traded up for a blown engine that was first used in the Durachrome Bug. This car -- originally built for the street -- sat for years in Warren's den and was converted back to street use in 1975. The car still runs on the street today with a small block and original chrome megaphone headers by Warren’s brother Tim. (Photo courtesy of Mike Ditty; text by Warren Gunter, Bill Duke, and Danny White; information from Warren Gunter and Draglist files) The Blue Blazer fuel altered was built in 1964 or 65 by Roadmaster Jack Eskelson for Al Carter. Keith Drum bought the car from Carter after Al had won Bakersfield twice. Bob Hankins was the car’s original driver but found that he did not want to drive the car anymore. Larry Maladano took the Bob’s place in the seat. Drum needed to sell the car, and Bob Hankins bought it and returned to driving. Hankins won many races in Southern California, enjoying success from Irwindale to Orange County and getting known best numbers of 7.44 at 209. Bob drove the Molly painted Blue Blazer from 1968 until 1971, then left to race funny cars full time. There is a new version of the Blue Blazer out today with Bob’s son Brent doing the driving. (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer; information from Draglist files) The Gretchko Bros. from the Cleveland suburb of Maple Heights entered the fuel altered wars with this nice looking Bantam altered. The Gretchkos consisted of Mike, Tim, and Tom, with Mike doing the driving for the team. The Gretchko Bros. raced the car in NHRA, UDRA, and match race action in the Midwest. Note the chassis with its reinforced added chassis bars added after the chassis was originally built. This car was raced until it was replaced by a modern Logghe chassis altered. (Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer; information from Rod Hynes and Draglist files) Today the Super Thief altered is remembered as much for its appearance as its performance. The beautiful altered with the cowling over the driver was owned by the Horchar Brothers: Bill, Bob, and Chuck. The brothers had previously run the Paraphernalia AA/FA Bantam and replaced it with the lighter Super Thief. The Super Thief name was a play on words from the Super Chief funny car of Nelson Carter. Kenny Youngblood painted the Super Thief in its distinct colors from a personal Blood design. The Super Thief was powered by 354 Chrysler Hemi unlike the 392 Chrysler used by most other altered racers. The brothers with Chuck at the wheel ran the car with best times in the seven-second range. (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer; info from Draglist files) The late Lefty Mudersbach tried his hand at driving a fuel altered in the Warden & Cole 23 Ford T in 1963. The team of Warden & Cole was from Santa Ana, California, and their mouse powered altered was one of the first modern lightweight cars. In the early sixties, tube framed cars with fiberglass bodies replaced the steel bodied cars built on factory frames. Mudersbach might have been on to something when he built this car with a low center of gravity unlike the short and tall altereds of the era. Lefty ran a good 9.17, 178.63 before giving up altereds altogether for diggers. Mudersbach died in a crash in 1967 at Irwindale. (Photo by Steve Gibbs) The Pipins & Green AA/FA was the first fuel altered for a man who made his name in fuel altereds, Don Green. The little Ford T Bucket was driven by partner Butch Pipins in the very tough So-Cal wars of the late sixties. The team was one of the first altereds to run a front end spoiler, taking a different approach than Mousie Marcellus and Wild Willie Borsch�s application of a huge rear wing on their machine. Pipins ran a known best of 8.29 at 189.86. This was before the advent of the slider clutch, which enabled times to drop into the sevens overnight and catapulted speeds over the 200 MPH barrier. The Pipins & Green AA/FA was reborn as The Trip in 1969 when Don Green built his first Rat Trap Bantam. (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer, Drag Race Memories)
And a few more for good measure. The Bad News fuel altered had a sporadic history in the So-Cal fuel altered wars in the sixties. This was the final edition of the famed Fiat Topolino, at Irwindale. The car dates back to at least 1960, when a very short version of the car (under 90 inches of wheelbase) made its debut with Bob Sidebotham doing the driving. The steel bodied car raced off and on through out the sixties with various drivers such as Sidebotham, Troy Delmar, Lyle Webster, and Gary Southern all taking rides. Gary Southern ran the machine's known best with a run of 8.17 at 178.92 . (This is one of the oldies that has been recreated recently) Bowers, Paris & Reed's Mother-In-Law might have been just one of the many fuel altereds that raced in the So-Cal area in the late sixties and early seventies, but it was one of the first to run 200 MPH. The little Bantam roadster was driven to success by team member Red Paris. According to drag racing historian Bill Duke, the basic car debuted in 1964 as a steel bodied, blown fuel altered Fiat. The chassis and motor were retained for years, with refinements being made year to year. A fiberglass Bantam body eventually replaced the heavy all steel Fiat body. The car ran competitive 7.60s at 200 MPH but got little recognition. (L&M Photo courtesy of Bob Plumer, Drag Race Memories; Additional text by Bill Duke) The beautiful Matsubara & Mondello Fiat Topolino ranks as one of the toughest AA/FAs of all time. The little purple car was wheeled by Sush Matsubara to many wins in the SoCal fuel altered wars while tuned by Joe Mondello and Glen Okazaki. Ron Scrima at Exhibition Engineering built the Fiat to replace the team's similar first machine. The new Fiat proved up to the job after alterations were made to the chassis and the transmission. The new car was built like funny cars of the day but the car did not respond to the sprung set up and the team changed to a solid rear end. Matsubara ran a great 7.25 at 214 at the US Nationals in one of the car's rare trips east. By 1970, the lure of the funny cars was too great for Matsubara to deny as he teamed with Joe Pisano. Sush had several infamous accidents in Pisano's cars, but a non-racing accident forced him to quit driving. The flopper spills were ironic because Matsubara did not seem to have any bad accidents while driving the shorter wheelbased fuel altered. Mondello later built a famous Olds Stocker and specialized in building Oldsmobiles. (Photo by L&M Photos, courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories) The Scrounger was another great So-Cal altered. Run by Stan Lucas and Tom Koulan, the car's name was derived from Lucas having to scrounge parts just to run the Bantam altered. The low buck racers ran the altered with moderate success despite having little money. Stan later drove the Beaver Hunter for Nolan Pritchard and teamed with Rod Lucas to help the class survive the early eighties with an AA/FA run under many names. Tom Koulan moved to Missouri in '74 and teamed with Steve Picou on the Koulan & Picou '23 T pickup AA/FA followed by the Gateway Shaker Mustang II BB/FC, the Koulan & Picou AA/DA and the National Parts Peddler-sponsored TF car. (Photo by L&M Photos, courtesy of Bob Plumer and Drag Race Memories; additonal text from Bret Kepner) Bradford Bros wanting more, in 1966, they went into Top Fuel Altered racing. They purchased a car from Lee LeBaron, a 1937 Fiat bodied altered. They built an injected 427 Chevy running on alcohol, later running 96% nitro. They consistantly ran in the 8.60's in the high 170's mph.The car ran well, but in late 1967 a 6.71 blower was added, giving the car much more power. With Randy driving and Brad turning wrenches, the car was a success. They ran 7.40's around 204 mph. While Randy was gone in the Army, Frank Harris drove the car. The Bishop and Buehl Fuel Altered was some kinda BAD!
It's amazing what I come across on the web. I would love to take credit but I just find them and bring them here for us (me included) to learn and enjoy.
Altereds "get to me" during the haydays of them there were no throttle stops no black boxes racers went as fast and as quick as they dared none of this "Oh I might break out crap". Men and boys would buy the car they could, build or buy the best engine they could, strap on a helmet, settle their huge balls in place and GO FOR IT no holding back they actually wanted to go as fast as the car could take them. Kinda like me back in the day I wish I had a quarter for all the times some other class racer complained "you are going to up the record or get the index changed." Well YEA we are racing here boys.
Well said. Altered were the most exciting class to watch. Wheelies , skating all over the track, crazy burn outs, they really put on a hell of a show. It took a lot of guts to pilot these monsters.
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