History Historic Stock Car Photos

To all the OLD Ford guys what was it about the 1952 to 1954 Ford made them desireable for race cars. I have seen more of these bodys in this thread than anything else. It just seems like a ton of these were used for race cars. I dont remember a lot of them racing at Flat Rock but I see a lot of them at other tracks.

 

The 52-53's had the same frame as the 49 and up. They were ok if you changed the ball and trunion on the front end. The 54-56's had ball joint suspension and is the fore runner of the NASCAR chassis of today that use the 90 degree front ends. The 65 Ford chassis was the one used for the NASCAR chassis when they let any chassis run under any sheetmetal but the 54 up had the same suspension mounting points. they only looked different. The front strut of a 65 chassis is the same as the front of a 54-56 aframe. Also the rear leaf mounting points were just about perfect for foward and side bite. If you didn't want to put racing springs on the rear you could just heat the front and rear at the ends of the second leaf and have an almost perfect spring for most applications. The springs would settle to the frame making them stiffer.
The front spindles and hubs were a direct interchange with the heavier 55-56 Mercury units. The big 57 and up Mercury three inch brake spindles and hubs could be used by heating the steering arms to get the Ackerman and bump steer right. You had to set the caster and camber a little different with them because of the ball joint angle. Up until 54 Chevy used a steering system that steered from the center of the car using a short drag link and two equilingth tie rods that was just messed up and used ball bearing for spindles and axle bearings that would burn out real easy. None of the Chevy stuff was good enough until 57 when Chevy came out with the Black widow stuff which was pickup truck parts I.E. six lug, tapered roller bearings , bigger brakes and spindles. Ford used tapered roller bearings and almost never happened. Also the Ford spindles were heavier.Allstarracing

 

Yeah, "Wild Bill" set the Plymouth on the pole for the '72 Permatex race at Riverside....I've still got the Super 8 mm film I shot at that race as a 14 year old kid!!!

 

Yes, he did. "Wild Bill" Foster had finished well (3rd) the year before with a "max-wedge" motor in the car. They then put a Hemi in it in '72 and that is what he sat on the pole with. The story going around was that pole run got Nascar's "special" attention (and that of some of the big $$$ Sportsmen drivers who started to squawk....no names will be mentioned) and they went over the car with a fine toothed comb. Although perfectly legal, the car was a '55 Plymouth underneath and Nascar told Foster not to ever come back for another race at Riverside with that same chassis underneath......it was just too old. Since the car was a killer at Saugus with that setup (and ran as such at Saugus for several more years with the wedge motor), Foster never brought it back to Riverside to race again.

PS - would love to see that video if you ever can convert it for viewing on You-tube or similar.

 

Beentherebefore, thanks for the program covers.

 

Oh, and let me add..thanks indybigjohn for such a great thread, and all your fascinating contributions to it...wow! this is fun reading!

 

Good story, we had bumpergate, so
Lettergate works for me. Scienced out to help the Aero would be the story I fed the kids.

Really, all joking aside I would be proud, to be part of the history.

 

Thanks Benntherebefore for the Foster Plymouth info. I really need to put all the film that I shot back then on DVD.....Maybe I should make that my "next" project!!!!!

 

As an epilog to the Foster Plymouth, the last time I saw it was at a Sportsman race at Saugus in 1986...I couldn't believe my eyes as it looked pretty much as it did the last time I'd seen it a decade before. Dave Phipps was driving it & for some reason he didn't qualify for the main. Anyway, he finished 2nd in the semi & transfered to the main. If my mind isn't failing me, he started at the back & drove his way to the front & won that main event!!!! Wonder what ever happened to that old Plymouth. Be cool if it was sitting in someones garage somewhere!!!

 

I didn't realize that they ran that car past the early 80's which was the last time I attended a race at Saugus. Someone had told me that Foster developed a leg problem and couldn't drive for quite a while, probably why someone else was driving the car. Your story of starting in the back and finishing up front was part of that car's heritage. It usually set the fastest time in qualifying (or 2nd fastest, if it was off a little) which guaranteed starting at the back of the field. Watching Foster work through the field on his way to the front was watching a master driver at work. One year in the early mid-70s I went to the track for 15 or 16 straight weeks and Foster won 12 or 13 of them. Another poster on this thread has a business restoring old Mopars and I have been providing him with some of the details that I can remember about the #9 Plymouth. He thinks that he has located the car......on the East coast, of all places.

 

Delma Cowert, didn't he run a 00 car and didn't he spend some time in Panama City Florida? Seems like he had a used car lot there.

 

That car Rat Lane turned over belonged to Eddie Howard, from Harahan, Louisiana. Always a real good car; After Rat stepped out of it, Freddy Fryar drove it with some success. Just about the last real steady ride Fryar had before he went to North Carolina to do set up a Busch team.
I always liked Jeffco, but the Greshams have really taken that track over the top with renovations.

 

beanis, thanks for the comment. I never imagined it would go like this, and I hope it keeps going. And you have every right to be extremely proud of numbering adn lettering that car.

 

Hey DRH556,

Sent you a PM.

 

There may be another Delma Cowart...but gawd, I hope not.......seriously though, you'll never meet a nicer guy. Delma is from and still lives in Savannah...and is a swimming pool contractor. His "cup" car was # 0.. Ran (or tried) at Daytona, Charlotte, Atlanta and Talledega regularly (and a few other tracks off and on) until about 92 ...then kept trying to qualify without success up until about 97. He did field a 00 car in a few ARCA races...he drove it and later his nephew, Robbie Cowart did as well. There's some interesting reading about him through google. I left the "team" in 86-87 I think....but kept some wonderful friends and some pretty cool memories. Delma will still tell you he "never won a race, but never lost a party". Man, I had some great times with those guys.

 

Freddy:

 

Hey, Falconred! Interesting story about Hanrahan, La. One morning in practice for the All-American 400 at Nashville, we had a car hit the fence in turn 3 pretty hard. The only wrecker on hand was busy doing something in the infield. Dan Spence and I were on the flagstand together, and he said, "Just tell them to page everybody from Hanrahan, La. to report to the third turn. That'll get us four of the biggest guys you've ever seen. They'll move the car."

The wrecker got there before we had to do that.

 

Beanis, I Googled Delma Cowart and he'e an interesting guy to say the least! But at least he can say he was there.

 

Now, see to me this picture should belong in a N.A.S.C.A.R. thread rather than Stock Cars. Nothing about this build top to bottom is "factory original" or even modified but all fabricated.

To me, Stock Cars are pre 1972 like for example post #4162 by rocket65kb about WACO. He says the picture was taken probably c.1966 but looks to maybe be earlier considering the ambulance in the background is a early to mid 1950s model.

But... on the other hand I love crash photos and haven't been through all the posts to see if anyone posted any from the 1950s or early 1960s yet?

Eric

 

Now THIS is a Stock Car! At least in my interpretation

Eric

 

I'd say that most of us followimg this thread feel that way!

 

Probably a little off topic but maybe someone will know what I am talking about and give me some titles here?

About 15 years or so ago, I purchased a VHS tape that I think gave the history of NASCAR but the first volume was heavy on early Stock Car racing. It wasn't like the current "official" DVD's that I ran across but the tape gave a more in-depth history about the origins of racing going back to Moonshine days, Dirt Tracks, Bill France, the Beginnings of Race Tracks, on up to but not including the modern age. Had lots of early footage in it and photos.

Can anyone recommend a DVD that does the same? Is heavy on early Stock Car racing and not a cheap quick gloss over?

Thanks!
Eric

 

jrose...thanks, you're being kind to my old friend...to say the least!
I saw several places on the web where he's referred to as legendary...that's just about true in these parts.

You oughta meet him in person...you'd either hate him or love him...most end up the latter.

 

Yep.

 

I agree with you on turning back the hands of time!!!!

 

I know this car says Norm Nelson but in the early sixties two Zecol 60 Fords were brought to the
Fairgrounds Motor Speedway for the International 500 with Eddie Sachs driving the No. 3 and I think Rutherford, could have been Nelson driving the No.31. This was an A.R.C.A race so the numbers or cars could have been changed. Indybigjohn maybe could give some insight as who the second driver was. Sachs blew up during the race but I got to see him out in the parking lot before he left. Allstarracing

 

I don't know if it has been posted yet as I have not had time to look through all 211 pages....but the track is Asheville-Weaverville Speedway in NC. It was owned by a Mr. Raymond Parks from Dawsonville Ga. This was taken at the July 1957 Race.

 

Norm Nelson 1960 USAC Champion...His Chief Mechanic was Jerry Kulwicki (Alan Kulwicki 's Dad) Worked for Norm forever.....

 

Norm Nelson drove for Zecol Lubaid thru 1960. 1961 Norm went on his own with his Knipple-Selig Ford #1. Zecol main drivers for 1961 : Eddie Sachs #3 , Don White #4 . Dick Rathmann #43 , not to say others did not drive for Zecol . 1962 Zecol line up was Eddie Sachs #3 , Don White #4. 1963 the Zecol lineup was very large....Don White #2 , Eddie Sachs #17 ,others included not full time were AJ Foyt, Jim Hurtubise , Augie Pabst , Lloyd Ruby ,etc.......Don White won the USAC Championship 1963.

Eddie Sachs winning Milwaukee 200 August 1961 with his wife Nance.