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

When they set the engine way back car went to center steer with the driver in the back seat. Not sure if it was a record holder. It was an early funnycar on nitro before there was a funnycar class

 

Looked that way to me.

 

There may have been more than one car. The car pictured as a left hand drive was definitely left hand drive. It is possible that the car kept the same body as they moved the drive position around looking for quicker times. Here is a picture of the same car from the net. It is definitely left hand drive.
Same car with the door open

and finally a front view

But, they apparently had multiple similar cars with the same lettering style. Some might have been center steer.

 

A vintage fuel doorslammer, a fire suit and parachutes are a beautiful thing!

 

Trust me there was nothing beautiful about those fire suits from the inside. Hot as hell, sweating like stuck pig, gloves made handling switches difficult, hood/respirator/face-mask leaked breath into goggle area often making it hard to see if at all!

When car came to a stop after a run, many or most wanted to get helmet, hood/respirator/face-mask and jacket off as soon as possible!

 

Garlits out on Porter & Ries.

 

In color

 

Same car, just evolving. Engine was moved under the cowl and the car became a center steer with the driver in the back seat. Look for the header location. You can also tell the later pics by the orange paint around the wheelwells. I believe the car was campaigned for 2 years tops. Was prolly obsolete in 67.

 

Wonder if this could have been the Alan Green Chevrolet fastback earlier ?

 

UPDATE - TwoToGo2 - new twins - new photos - some content will be to new.... https://illegends.homestead.com/TwoToGoll.html?_=1714677559987

 

That was my first thought after seeing the location on the door.

 

You know I have to double like this one, two old acquaintance in one picture. Pee Wee Wallace far lane in The Virginian Plymouth and Tom Sneden near lane in Bounty Hunters Dodge.

 

Fremont Drag Strip.

 

Yes, it is BJ Mazmanian in the foreground, but what is that thing in the left rear of the photo, near the Orange Tech Inspection Shack at Lion’s Dragstrip?

Hello,

Back in the mid 60s, our friend had been working on his drag race car for several years. He was a Westside of Long Beach local and lived near our close friend, Atts Ono. Gary Weldele was a great mechanic and knowledgeable hot rod guy. He had his own ideas and one of them was to go after the records in a AA/Sports Car Class. So, he chose a relatively unknown model called a La Dawri.

Unknown except for being in Long Beach, CA


The location was a block away from several well known Santa Fe Avenue locations (Bill Williams welding, M/T industries, Santa Fe Imports for the best food ever…) and near the location of the Early Times Car Club recent hot rod gathering point for their hot rod tour. It is in an industrial area socked full of body shops, auto mechanics and development of all sorts of products for the whole group of public interests/uses.


Although it was located in the same industrial tract a few blocks from our last Westside of Long Beach house (2024 Caspian Avenue ). Our friend had access to the factory from his own house a few miles north toward Bixby Knolls. During the time La Dawri was in Long Beach, it was near Mickey Thompson’s Shop, the Joe Mailliard Shop and Tom McEwen’s Speed Engineering, as well as the Clay Smith Cams’ + Venolia Pistons last locations in Long Beach.

Jnaki

Our friend had a modified chassis and driveline, so it was the base for the La Dawri body to pop onto the frame. We were at his house several times to see the progress on the sports car. His house was a block or two from Atts Ono’s Willys Coupe build and for us, it was a two-thing in the visits.

The other partner in the finished La Dawri Sports Car was a friend who was on our high school football team as a starting guard. He was at least 6 feet 1" and could pull to make a devastating block to open up holes for our star running back of the time. He also had skills in the automotive end like most of us as teenagers. He was also a roving linebacker lined up next to me on a 4-3 defense, too.

“LaDawri Cavalier. The company moved to the United States in 1957 where it became one of the largest fiberglass sports car body companies during the rebody/specials craze of the 1950s and 1960s. The company ceased operations in 1965. No one company of its time offered a wider variety of body styles than La Dawri Coachcraft of California.”

Here is a rare shot of the finished Gary Weldele and Bob Foster La Dawri Sports Car in the B/Modified Sports Car Class. Sponsored by the world famous, Compton Service Center Speed Shop on Atlantic Ave.

(Bob Foster used to line up next to me as a pulling guard on our H.S. football team. He was a good size and could knock down anyone standing in the hole. He pulled right to make the final block for our star halfback running through the huge hole. I was usually blocking down the line, he was coming the opposite way to create a large hole... )

Pure power raised the front end on full acceleration. It was not a raised up front end set up like in the fad that happened in the late 60s. There were modified shocks that had a 80-20 ratio and the full drag racing shock was 90-10. (A 90/10 shock, on the other hand, requires more pressure to compress it, but very little to extend it. That makes a 90/10 an ideal front shock for drag racing because it lifts the front end of the car quickly and holds it there. That helps transfer weight to the rear of the car. So, the idea is supposed to work…)

Old drawing with "bigs and littles..."
No need for the fake front end raised to the sky, let the motor transfer the power. Big M&H slicks, small tires in front and Halibrand slots all around, a great combo for show and drags. A super clean, So Cal Modified Sports Car. YRMV

 

Jack Moss first twin photo - 57 Nationals - just added to our update page: https://illegends.homestead.com/TwoToGoll.html?_=1714212706102

 

Greg Fury - a new twin - part of our TwoToGo update page: https://illegends.homestead.com/TwoToGoll.html?_=1714212706102