So... I've seen old timers make this up quite often and have some questions. Is the can standing up, lying down lengthways or lying down width ways? Did the front tyres jump over it and the whole car stop before the rear tyres ran it over? Did people stare at it to see that it jumped over it before the rear tyres hit the can? Seems to me like it would be a better display of torque converter, brakes and tyre tech than engine power.... I was wondering because, I understand video and still cameras weren't as common then as now, but no one anywhere ever got it on film back then? And if it was true and possible, why are videos not all over YouTube right now of cars doing it? Jack your car up until the suspension unloads and then the tyres get off the ground high enough to clear a can and thats gotta be a pretty tall height for a car to raise to jump a can and a pretty short distance for it to stop in to not squash it with the rear tyres, and let's be frank, back then, engines were far from the powerhouses they are today... Right?
Brings back a memory of a (then old to me) old guy standing in line at the license bureau and telling about his 283 powered 57 Chevy that would pull the wheels and hold them up all the way across an intersection............
I had(actually still have it though it's far from being able to do it anymore lol) that managed to pull the front driver side tire about an inch or so off the ground. Cammed olds 350 that I did a 5k rpm neutral drop on. Honestly not sure if it actually pulled it off the ground or if it was just the result of awkward spring back on the suspension bouncing it off the ground. Anyway when I let off the gas and it touched back down it damn near threw me through the windshield. I have trouble believing someone doing a redneck wheelie with both front tires six inches off the ground did it without at least getting whiplash lol. Poor lil transmission spit it's guts out the next day lol.
My street car at the track, not sure it'd do it on the street though Then there's the old slam on the brakes, then the gas, then the brakes, then the gas and you can get a car to hop the front end, if you timed it right it could probably clear a coke can.
My high school car was so low it could roll a Coke can down the street with the front end. Doesn’t really count for your contest though.
Not the same deal. We’d lay em on their side, slip the clutch a bit and crush the can with the front crossmember.
Original pics were deleted so I took a shot of the rear wheel & front on a public street 60s No glue No slick , Just Peer torque Traction Weight transfer The 32 is on small tires !! View attachment 6159940
Coke can??? Come on.... step up to the plate and try a 2 liter bottle!!... bunch of wusses! Why when I was a kid.....
I think the difference here is whether anyone had a street driven vehicle "back in the day" that would perform this feat. Like most things, if someone sets out to build a vehicle to prove they can do a certain thing, its usually possible to make the vehicle accomplish it. In the sixties there were lots of drag vehicles that could pull the wheels, and some got driven on the street with their low gears and even slicks or cheater slicks. I don't think you will find many from the pre 60s era that were primarily street machines that could accomplish that task. Today, its pretty easy to do....if thats what someone wants.
One of my favorite memories from 1962 is a prime gray 55 chevy waiting to make a left as I was getting out of school. Woman driving with 3 or 4 yr old kid standing in the front seat. No front bumper had a I-beam axle but not high in front. The woman saw a gap in traffic and began to move but realized it would kill the engine, so she shoved in the clutch, raced the engine and came out quickly on the clutch. It was unintentional but she got a tiny 6" wheelie! She could have hopped over a coke can right side up.
1957 Chevy Bel Air hardtop, 4:11 Positraction, 283 SBC, dual quads, 4 speed, Traction Masters, ported/polished heads, Duntov Cam, and Hedman Headers makes for a fast fully stock car. A daily driver to school and work. It was one of the most modified cars that never raced at the dragstrip, but never lost on Cherry Avenue Drags in Bixby Knolls, late at night. Hello, As we continued to drive all over So Cal, teenage hot rod hangouts, the local coastline beaches, and lunch/dinner hot spots, the 57 Chevy always had an advantage over other teenage cars. It looked stock. But, the motor was modified and ran straight through mufflers, so it was a little different. But, as more miles were put on the Chevy Bel Air Hardtop, even into the Winter snow vacations at the local mountains, the car performed well. But, we did notice that the front end did rise faster and came down harder as the springs and shocks were modified over time. Cut coils, old shocks, etc. were the problem. We could tell upon full acceleration late at night. The front raised faster and upon finishing dark street end of the run, after letting off of the throttle, it dropped lower, faster than before. So, prior to fixing the front with new shocks, my friend decided to see if he could do a wheel hop off of the ground. Since the front end easily rose upon full acceleration, it was already starting the upward motion at the touch of the throttle. He allowed it to drop, then he punched it again and instantly it rose faster. With another full throttle upon the front end coming down, the momentum was started. And, the next full throttle of the pedal on the up swing, the front tires came off of the ground about a Coke can height. As the car zipped by, of course it came down almost as fast as it went up. Jnaki The stock rise off of the street surface for the front end was difficult from a dead start. So, he did a full throttle, up, then let off, then another full throttle when it came down and upon the next full throttle, had started its rise in front. By then the full power of the modified motor had just enough to raise the tires slightly off the street surface. Impressive... it was the only car in all of the teenage hot rods that was able to power through second with this display of showmanship. A certified wheel lift was noted and we all had another story to tell at the local teenage hangout. It was a definite way to make some money on bets. Can you do a wheelie… or a normally, a slight rising of the stock front end 57 Chevy? Then later on, the 90-10 shocks were developed and it became easier to lift off. But worn out stock shocks on a normal daily street driven Bel Air Sedan? It was a first for a couple of teenage hot rod kids. YRMV similar stance and appearance... 1960
Nope I’ve saved my pennies and according to rumor that oceanfront property is finally coming to Arizona. Gonna be sweet.
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