another american grafitti question.

I guess he meant "barrel rollin".......

 

If I remember correctly......the Z-11 427 was based on the 409. Jr.Johnson ran one in '63 in Nascar. They didn't hold together to well. I could be wrong...that's been a few years ago...LOL

 

409 was out in 61

 

Nope, Jr. Johnson ran a Mystery Motor. It was the first Chevrolet porquipine engine. About the only thing the Z-11 and Mystery Motors had in common was that they were both 427s (along with the Ford engines).

It is interesting that Jr. Johnson ran his Mystery Motor at Daytona in 63 (was it in Feb.?), so the engines were probably around in 62 if you had the pull and knew where to look.

 

The original 55 is here in Merced, CA. The owner now is actually Richard Ruth, builder of the car when it all got started. I'll try to post some pictures of the car at his shop.

 

Really....-It's just a movie-and they can make anybody win they want to-even if it doesnt make sense in real life
We have the benefit of hindsight now-40 years later and knowing what each car was made of-so we can speculate all we want-But in real life-and real drag racing-stuff happens-it doesnt really matter which car was 'technically' faster-Falfa crashed and lost.

 

According to the script, the reason the 55 Chevy crashes is because it blew a tire as a result of excessive wheel spin coming off the line at the start.

 

Wow I can't believe this thread is still going!

 

I agree. HRP

 

Well damn.......I stand corrected.....LOL.....

 

You know, I have heard this a bunch of times and I have to disagree. I saw a post on the Hamb not too long ago, in which a guy took his 55 Chevy to the track for the first time in many years, and this thing had a big block and low gears, I think they were 456s or 88s? The son took video of the car at trials Anyway, I bring this up because the thing was a sharp car, but it only pulled high 14s. Those 55s are sharp, but they are heavy as balls when they aren't gutted and worked. Plus, you add a 7- 750 pound big block and some sloppy driving skills (depending on the light) and I think that little 1700 pound coupe, with a ragin' mouse tuned well and 411s would have caught him in the end. The 55 had 488s, I read that in Hot Rod mag years ago; so sure, he would have walked him off the line, but those 411s in that yellow beehive would have passed him at the top end. Just my thoughts.

 

Oh, and don't forget! John Milner was Driving, man!

 

John Freakin' Milner of the Milner Racing team!

 

Yeah, and steel wheels painted in cheap ass rattle can silver

 

327=1962 409=1961 427=1964

 

I know this thread is old ass.... But up until now I was under the same impression that the crazy insecure Lori grabbed the wheel.

 

blow this thread to kingdom come already

 

Back when I taught high school, the kids used to go on like this for days about certain episodes of "The X Files"... By the way, what agency, exactly, did the cigarette man work for?

 

Lol, silly teacher the smoking man was an alien.

 

Alright...I know this thread is only 12 years old...and AG has been discussed on the HAMB a million times...but, I just watched AG for about the eleventy-seventh time last night (and still enjoyed it start to finish!). In the 2 race scenes, the '32 clearly gets the holeshot on the '55 both times which made me wonder if that might be a real life indicator of the '32's launching ability compared to the '55. And naturally, it's been previously discussed here which made for an interesting 5 minute reading diversion. And, thanks to this thread I learned the cause of the '55 crash complete with the sound of a tire blowing immediately beforehand...eleventy-seventh time watching and I had not previously noticed that!

Also of interest to me...in the '55 upside down scenes, I had always thought that they used a single exhaust, field type car...but again, thanks to the insight offered in this thread, I learned otherwise. And upon closer (and slower) examination thanks to the clip included of the final race scene, I was able to see the dual exhaust, the turbo 400 trans, trans mount crossmember, the possible Pontiac/Olds rear axle...and, if you take a look at all the spring clamps on the front of the rear leaf spring used to prevent wheel hop. Very cool.

 

Toad was the fastest

 

Four pages of nothing! How about , was Superman real?

 

The 55 was faster because the script said it was faster..........no matter what type of engine was actually in the car. We all know that having more power does not always decide who will win a race .....on the street. Look at the back tires in the picture in Post 41 above and you will see what appears to be typical street tires on both vehicles.

Internet Exerpt
"AI Overview
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Yes, American Graffiti is inspired by director George Lucas's experiences and memories from his own youth in Modesto, California. While not a direct retelling of specific events, the film captures the atmosphere, culture, and feeling of teenage life during that era, particularly the "cruising" culture and the thrill of auto racing. The characters and their stories are loosely based on people Lucas knew and their adventures, making the film a blend of autobiographical elements and fictionalized portrayals of his era."

So, there is no way to know which parts of this actually happened the way they were portrayed. The cars that were actually used to make the picture tho.........I'd bet on the 55 in a real race.

 

No

.

 

Doesn't matter. You'll never catch me watching old car B-movies. Lol

 

Milner once again was the fastest in the valley.