History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Maybe he had to change the pipes on the front motor to clear the trailer tire

 

One story is that one of the engines was Mickeys, and the other he borrowed...so both the headers and the injector tubes are different...one might have been Jack Ewell's...Jack later worked the counter at Mickey's plant...

 

Jack Chrisman in the Howard "Twin Bear" gas car versus Jim Nelson in the Dragmaster, Inyokern.

A small point but the car was actually the "Twin Bears", named for the two cuddly looking critters painted on the front of the body. My mate Steve Stapp (circle track hero as a driver and car owner) was a friend of Howard and actually made a pass in the car at Lions so he may know how the name/graphics came about. I will ask him the next time that I see him.

Roo

 

Thought this was kinda cool.

 

Hi Ardun

That sounds very good about using Jacks engine, wasn't he partners with Kamboor & Sanchaz ?

 

Yep Jenkins had his Vega flying , just amazing that he ran a 327 like I had in my gasser and 10 yrs later he was going 20 mph faster and 2 seconds quicker

As the speed parts guys kept building better parts for more power, it sure showed on the track

When I was running there was no alum roller rocker arms, had to use the stamped steel ones from chevy

Look at what you can buy today, even an alum block for the 409 chevy

 

But with what you had to work with and how fast you were going was truly awesome!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks Enloe

Talking about Mickey I remember going down to his store in Long Beach, and buying one of those square 5 gal cans of Nitro for $4.25 a gal and boy did that put a dent in a 20 dollar bill

Back then gas was about 22 cents, we did not know how good we had it !!!

 

DND--
That would be a 21 dollar bill, with no change.
You Cali guys were so lucky to be able to rub elbows with all the movers and shakers of the early 60's drag racing crowd.

 

That is the Zane Shubert Twin engine sidewinder. I failed to point out the Cook and Bedwell picture was taken by someone at Cordova, Illinois home of the World Series of Drag Racing since 1957.

 

Denny you are so right, every Sat nite at Long beach was rock & roll city for drag racing

You had a bunch of Fuelers - Top Gas cars - Fuel Altered's - A//Gas supers and un-blown gassers too, plus some very cool fuel burning drag bikes

What a show at such a great strip with the bleachers close in like it was ' Priceless '

And about 10 pm when started to get cool , you could get one of their Chili Tamale's and a cup of coffee and warm you right up

Opp's having a senior moment on the cost of the nitro , you are right it would be a twenty and some change !!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks, Roo, I forgot that part, saw the car run at Lion's but before the paint...and didn't realize that Steve Stapp drove the car ... good information..

 

Love the driver with the stogie in the wheels up Corvette!

 

I first met Steve in the early 70's and from what I remember of his physique I have to wonder where they came up with enough grease and shoehorns to get him in - or out - of the car?

 

Dean when ' Dandy Dick ' started to run his Blown Fuel burning Dart , he had a hole in his face mask for his always un-light cigar

My bud Landy was a pretty good showman too

R.I.P. Dandy Dick

G Don

 

The Bopper only made that one run and decided that going in circles was more his style.

Roo

 

I guess that he was a little smaller back then as he was able to fit in his midgets (he had two) when he was in high school. He lost a lot of weight while recuperating after the "train wreck" but has put some of it back on. Last talked to him at Hoosier tire a couple of weeks back.

Roo

 

I only post this because it says ''Brad Anderson'' on the door. Can't be THE Brad Andeson can it? Is he that old?

 

Saw this picture yesterday. Not sure if it has been posted before. Courtesy of Hot Rod Magazines Golden Age of Drag Racing series. Article says man in white pants is Jim Tice, I would bet my new boot this is Dean Lowes dad Buzz Lowe. Any thoughts Dean???

 

Safford, Gaide, and Ratican, named the "Sour Sisters" by Ivo because they were always, well, sour. To capitalize on the name, they had a lemon painted as a face with the name on the cowl of this car. That's Kenny in the seat with his El Camino behind...Pomona.


Not sure who this is, track looks like Riverside


Sampson, Dillon, and Mudersbach, maybe at the '57 Nationals, where they won Top Eliminator


No ID, anyone?


Also no ID, pretty early, notice that the car still runs a radiator


Dodge-bodied, blown Lincoln for power...all I remember about this roadster is that it was from Texas and one of the owners (or owner) was named Wilson....anyone?


Gary Cassidy, Baber, Cross, and Cassidy car (I think), racing Bakersfield's Jack Williams. Pomona.


The Greek. This is probably '59 or '60. He qualified for the NHRA meet at Atlanta today. That is 55 years later!


GBP, looks like Lions


Jerry Baltes, this time a flathead. He would later go on to top fuel cars, building a beautiful yellow-and-white car that has been both restored and duplicated. This picture is of an earlier time, but note how complex the tube frame is, even back then these guys put a lot of engineering into their cars.