Seems like all references to him & Ch***is Research kind of disappear after '64 or '65 or so. He was such a PITA to NHRA & Wally that it seems like there would be more written about him. His frame designs are certainly some of the most memorable, when you think of that era, & there are a few K-88s still around running today. "Ah've searched, the world over..." um, or, at least, the Net anyway, & some of the vintage fueler sites, & not found much about the man himself. Any insights?
Good question, He does sort of drift away taking many shots at the NHRA... The TE440 and the K88 were heavy, stiff short wheelbase cars. I don't think he ever bought into longer flexible cars that others made work. I don't know if he used 4130, but he did gas weld the steel ch***is. Did you search under Gordon Alfred Fenn? Scotty was a nickname. I figured he got left behind, by guys like Garlits and Fuller who started to stretch the wheelbase. There is some written in the Robert Post book "High Performance". Later
Yeah, he subscribed to the theory of the wheelbase length should be related to the tire diameter. He might've bought into the longer wheelbase theory...if he'd used ten foot tall tires. Yeah, tried the full name...got less than the nickname. That book is one of the best I've ever read- it's got so much info in it & history. I found it when it was new & I've read it at least ten times since. Before he started Ch***is Research, he was at (or owned) a place called Experimental Automotive.
The Jalopy Journal
