I look forward to seeing it. It's always neat to do***ent early drag racing. -Lee Atomic Radio www.atomicpinup.com
Dino, great to see a picture of our car we've never seen before after 30+ years! I remember the nut cases waving! I gotta story...my brother and I put a set of Ramchargers headers on a friends' (Walt Ballew of Cornwall NY at the time, if anyone here knew or knows him) ;63 max wedge three speed stick Plymouth. I think our Dad was flat-towing our max wedge to the track that sunday, but don't remember that detail today. Anyway, the Ramchargers' headers had no flange on them to connect them to mufflers, so my brother and I raided the garbage can at home and got two empty green giant bean cans, and clamped them on the headers with large radiator hose clamps and off to Dover we went. Trouble was, about every twenty minutes, the can would burn through; and we'd have open headers. So we'd whip into some gas station, buy a can of oil, and in front of the gas station guy, dump out the oil, cut out the bottom of the can, and clamp it on and off we'd go, leaving them with a very puzzled look on their faces. I might add, back then we did literally just dump the oil on the ground. The further along we got, the less time the cans would last; ended up driving the last twenty minutes with open tubes again. That thing was LOUD! (But never as fast as our own max wedge!) That would probably be Robbie Burgess in the window of the Black Arrow. I spoke to Doc several years ago, have once again misplaced his contact info; I think Robbie was working for some Busch team in the Carolinas, probably Moorseville area. I didn't remember Addesso's car having a deuce grill shell on it. I can also tell you why our car has no front bumper! The first week out with it, towing on a trailer behing my Mom's '67 440 GTX, we had an accident. For the first time since we raced; we had a crew (groupies, actually) who all came around to help. It had always been just my Dad, Mom and brother and I. So ther were so many folks running around "helping" that everyone thought someone else tied down the back of the car! We drove down the road for about ten miles and when we pulled into the gas station the car rolled forward off the trailer onto the truck of the GTX! That poor fibergl*** bumper just crumbled, and the only damage to the GTX was the trunk and trim itself. But that car never ran with a front bumper again. The following year when we built a 'clone'; so to speak, it had a steal bumper on it.
Is fred still around? he was a good guy, loved racing.I saw a advertsment once in a old mag & it had a picture of a camero that i guess he was running at the time. jimV
so now thier are 3 I signed up also. Jim I once bought a manifold from that guy in the fuel oil/speed shop place.
sure brings back some good memories when those old photo's get posted. used to flip through pages of my uncles old car mags when i was at his service station drinking a "orange crush soda" trying to keep cool.
Fred also ran a 56 Chevy wagon in M/P.Remember in late 60's,early 70's he did a lot of advertising of his speed shop and a specialty was his Holley 4224 mods.Was running my G/MP 57 at the time and was only a few tenths off the record.This was with 4224's that I had modified myself.Cut choke horn with a hacksaw, did the wire deal in idle circuits and all the other tricks of the day.Figured that pro done carbs might get me a tenth or 2 closer to the record.Bought some Fred carbs and did not run any quicker than mine. That was good-bad as I spent a bunch of bucks for nothing but felt good that my backyard carbs ran as good. My home track was South Glens Falls,NY which was about 100 miles north of Dover.Don't know why I never made it to Dover,ran about everywhere else but always wished I made it down there.Good to see the old tracks still living on.Got a bunch of pix of the Black Arrow running at SGF.Good site,I just checked it out.
www.doverdragstrip.com is online OMG ! pm'd Ryan to get permisission to post link to HAMB on Dover Site and Ryan said: "Of course...and thats a cool site...neat idea" Thanks "Large Father"!!!, couldn't get a better "seal of approval" than that .I feel our efforts are justified and promise to continue the "build".
Now that the site is up ,,,we're looking for info & photo Submissions of some Dover Legends: ****ie Doyles "Blown He****"....old & new.....Charlie Boucher's "Bad News (Original).... G***ers from Stamford ,Ct...anybody got a shot of Cha-Cha Muldownys single engine first car & second Twin engine car ??? both made limited appearance at Dover
Hey Dino Check out the Drag cars in motion thread started by Royalshifter. Page 242,post 4836,I put up a shot of Cha Cha at SGF Dragstrip, one of her first p***es.You gotta zoom it up cause all I can get are thumbnails.Thats why I don't post many of my pics because as you will see I get flamed for them.
Dino, Talked to Smokey and Grover at Marcus Saturday Nite and told them about your site. They knew all about it and said it was great and wished you good luck with it. Grover said you designed that Dover Logo back in the day, never knew that. I only went to Dover once in 1961, I know you turned left off 22 headed North at the light with the VFW hall on the corner. Was the strip on the left or right side of the road?
it was on the right side. I bet the sign is still there, but with differant lettering.I was up last time i went by about 11 yrs ago!lol jimV
Signs GONE...but our "track Historian", Brian, said he found it in someones garage! He's unbelievable in finding all this stuff! Just talked to "smokey" today on phone. Also talked to Mike Mannoin who married Joe A.'s (track Owner) niece and he said he has searched all the family's belongings and stashes and found Nothing.They trashed everything when they shut it down...the reunion's on for aug.31
FLASH ....Just got the info: 18th Annual DOVER DRAG STRIP REUNION & CAR SHOW At Marcus Dairy, Danbury,ct. (exit 3 off I-84) AUG.31, 2008... Vendors welcome, gates open at 9am, show judging closes at noon, awards at 3, pre-1980 only info call Mark Mastrianni, 203-743-1245, check the new Dover site :www.doverdragstrip.com WE GOT two threads running here ya know ? Dover Drag Strip & Dover Drag Strip Gone ...thinking of dropping out of both and just starting a new one ...or would that add to the confusion ?
I'm going through a bunch of period magazines and plan to open a "Were are They Now" thread, Lots of Dover Cars, but I think there are a lot of Nationally know cars that should be in the list. Hope to get it up and going tonight.
Just got in the mail a video (VHS) of " The Last Run on the Pavement" prior to them ripping it up. Working on converting somehow to post on YouTube. It shows a GTO and a Old Skool '55 g***er side by side running last year . These guys snuck in and filmed it ! the sound is awesome
Anyone remember an orange '55 g***er called "Super Pumpkin"? That was my favorite car when I was going to Dover. When he popped the clutch in the burn-out box, all 4 wheels would leave the ground. Fond memories.
Here's something to keep ya busy,while we search the "Gallery" at our site for Casey's "Super Pumpkin". Here's Richie Shott boilin' the hides in '68 at dover in the"ShottGun Express" AA/GD. Woody ch***is, Big block blown Chevy...ran 212mph. Got about 20 shots of Casey's g***er ...hold on there comin!
The Jalopy Journal
