Those pictures might of been after Gene sold it to Emmit Smith (for really cheap by todays standards) The weekend that Gene sold it Emmit wanted to see how fast it really was, Gene tipped the can, Larry pressed the loud pedal, and blew it up, Larry said it caught on fire, but not to bad. I asked Gene one day if he realized how bad-*** of a car the 554 was, He shrugged and said 'not really'? We raced to try and make a little extra money. Gene was an amazing man, I am glad I got to work there, and that I got to work on a 37 Dodge truck he was building after I opened my shop! Jimmy White
This car has been one of my personal favorites since I first saw it at the Fuel and Gas championships at Bakersfield in '63 or '64. It wasn't that bright blue color that is is now, and the thing that got me was the see through blue plexiglas in the grilleshell not on the front of it. It sure was cool see'in it push started right in front of us.
http://bangshift.com/blog/video-196...s-a-kid-g***ers-garlits-nitro-perfection.html video when run by K&G
Speaking to Gerry Steiner at a gathering of fuel altereds at the museum, he stated he had a chance to buy the 554 on payments but didn't because he wanted a nostalgia top fueler instead.
I watched it run when they were running nostalgia drags editorialized by Street Rodder in the mid 80's at Fremont (that might explain the later Hemi, upgraded rear end, & tires)... I wish digital was around then because I took very few pictures with film... anyways, this photo was taken in 09 at Glenmoor gathering
Thanks for posting Ted. I have seen footage of the 554 when it was Mooneyham & Sharp but I had not seen any footage when it was K & G. It was very informative about the owners of K & G back in the day. Ron Rivero won the March Meet in '68 in the K & G Speed ***ociates T/F Dragster.
Like Dean, I too saw the 554 run at Lions in '63. "Jungle Larry" Faust was not afraid of anything and he would take the car as far to the limit as Gene would let him. Faust said the car was extremely loud inside, as the individual exhausts ran directly under the aluminum floor pan. Normally they would keep this car detuned to run in the 9s. The last time I saw it run, it was the last run of the day for the car, and Emmit White wanted to have Larry go for broke! They tuned it to go in the 8s and upped the nitro to about 90%. The car said "enough" and exploded into flames on that run! That was the 1st time I ever saw a car do that in person and it left images in my mind that I have never forgotten in almost 50 years!
Was'nt there a model kit of this car? I think I built one, probably in the late 60's. I'm thinkin' it was a smaller scale $1.00 kit.
Witnessed 554 at Sacto and Fremont during the late '80s - those golden years of the real "Nostalgia" Drag Racing!!
I was blessed to have seen the 554 run at LIONS, San Gabriel, Pomona, Fontana, Irwindale, and Famoso in '61, '62, and '63. Like you, those experiences are burned into my memory. Gene Mooneyham and Larry Faust are two of my heroes, and that's why I have an album dedicated to the blue coupe on my profile page. Looking at the collection of pictures never fails to make me smile.
The picture with the 554 on the trailer right about the time Al Freeman bought the car. Al and my dad Press were partners on the car. It ran under Freeman and sons / Press and sons. Eldin Freeman and Damon Fudge both drove it. That car rarely lossed. Never lost to Willy Borsh when we ran it.
The Jalopy Journal
