Projects The Drury, Fowler, Holmes and Kugel belly tank Lakester Rebuild

Last fall we bought some vintage vehicles from Conrad Halburg. One was a historic belly tank racer that had a timing tag on the fire wall. It stated that the team of Hugh Drury, Fowler, Red Holmes and Jerry Kugel went 203 mph in 1964 at Bonneville. Tom Pease took the rusty ch***is and the skin of the tank and cleaned it up, matched the paint and put it back together, just the way it was in 1964. He got a junkyard 260 Ford for it . Frank Walka freshened up the Halibrand quick change. All we're missing is the injectors for the 260.

After 5 p***es at Loring Timing ***ociation, we hit 138.437 with the car just the way it ran in 1964. It's an awesome feeling!



Marcia Barker driving at Loring

Jerry Kugel driving, 1964.

 

If anyone else has any information. I have been talking to Jerry by phone but there are some gaps.

 

This is how I first saw it.

 

So, Marcia sees car for first time and says, hell yes I can go 140 in that! Hard core.

 

Cool!, looking forward to see the progress.

 

Well done Marcia! You can drive anything fast!!

 

When I first saw it I thought, how sad, it's too far gone. My friend Tom Pease saw the timing tag and said, We have to rebuild it. I'm so glad he did!

 

Great save and a great drive. Any more pics of the rebuild?

 

In no particular order.

 

September, Loring Timing ***ociation

 

back to the top.

 

You have done a Great job, the Smiles say it all. Thanks for saving the history, the digger looks interesting, too.

 

Impressive, it's wonderful that you are restoring it and have made some p***es in it. Good Luck.

 

everything it needs, and nothing it doesn't!
Beautiful work, and congrats on the run!

 

Yes, we'll get that fixed up too. Last ran at Orange, M***achusetts in the early 70's. Ch***is Research.

 

Thank you!

 

Ridge runner says it was the late 60' s the last time the Dragster ran.

 

What a great story! What was it like to take a ride in a piece of history?

 

I am amazed at how something like that is simply tossed aside and left to rot. Same for the rail.
Pretty sad.
Giant bonus points to you and your crew for the salvage. Very few on this board have actually gone 140 and you do it in a salvaged '60's build.

 

I can't imagine going 200 in it, with just a lap belt! Everything is the way it was in '64. We didn't move anything. It was amazing!

 

I

I know Conrad didn't intentionally leave it out. It was in a hoop house that had collapsed. He intended to get back to it but a common case of too many projects and not enough time.
I have bought 5 projects from him plus he gave be the 23T body I run on my A ch***is.

 

That's pretty bad-***.

 

Both really cool. And a SBF and a flathead as well. Doesn't get any better than that, IMHO

 

I like your drive and direction. I've been lucky a few times to get involved in keeping history alive. It can be an addiction for sure. You mention Injectors, I have a question about this photo I think I see stacks behind the Roll Bar.

Is that just Webbers then or ?? Keep living life to its fullest as it appears you are.

 

With respect to @Marcia I’ll jump in here and comment.
Jerry Kugel worked for Ak Miller in the early ‘60’s and when Ak received a 260 SBF from Ford he gave it to Jerry. It may have been Ak or Jerry that contacted Hilborn about an injector, but regardless Jerry was able to get one of the first five manufactured. The other four went to Dan Gurney who obviously also had Ford connections. I found this out when looking for info on the Holmes-Kugel ‘34 Ford coupe Bonneville car that preceded the lakester.
Actually they also had a ‘32 5W cut down to a roadster that they ran also but I don’t know where that car fits into the timeline.

 

I believe they are Hilborns.