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

^^^^^ Air brakes???

 

Trying to keep it under the roll bar MPH /ET limit.

 

So he doesn't break out.

 

The mother-in-law??? Damn, she must have fallen out....

... and that is probably the best porn star 'stache I have ever seen.

 

One of the True Queens of the Dragstrip!! She was Definitely a Pioneer and considering what she worked on and drove, she had Mighty Fine

This!! This to me was the Ultimate Funny Car! Modified Stock Body where the Maker was still very evident. Wild Engine set back, ON Nitro, with the Perfect sized rear tires tubbed into the interior! It just couldn't get any Better! And the Favt that ir would smoke the Hides pretty much down the quarter was the Cherry on Top!! Well Maybe it could get a little better as in Jungle Jim's Novas butvthe first versions of his Novas!!

 

I understand where you’re coming from, but from drivers stand point I can tell you that you haven’t lived until you driven the later funny cars with full fiberglass hinged body, thin aluminum inside trim and center steer location under rear window. With the entire body, thin aluminum inside trim and thin lexan windshield, all shaking and vibrating for the entire run.

When I was moving from AWB steal body back haft cars to the full hinged bodied cars, I ask a friend that was already running a separate chassis and full hinged bodied FC what to expect different than AWB car. He told me that about haft way down track to the end, there wouldn’t be any doubt in my mind that the car was coming completely apart! But if you knew all the chassis running gear, engine, excreta was correct before hand to just stay on the accelerator to the end and everything would be alright until I adjusted to that sensation and would no longer pay any attention to all that shaking and vibrating. He was correct I did think the car was coming apart on first full run and it didn’t take many runs before I didn’t even notice it during a run.

 

I don't thinkbit was hydrating or 100 percent Nitro.... my guess was the piston skirt buttons were not given enough clearance to the cylinder walls and when the Nitro was added it must have hydraulocked!! Har, Har!

 

Here’s Don Garlits in the traps after running a 6.77 before he did his shaving on the starting line in 1967.

Maybe I should say the shutdown? IDK
He had been having trouble getting into the six’s like a few others had so he quit shaving until he got into them, he accomplished this run in the finals for the win at Indy.

 

Notice the front suspension in the '64 [pic 2-3-4] version. Ford pulled that suspension [so I read] as was very wonky/dangerous and made them go with strait tube axle [pic 1]. Of course while we at it might as well set the engine back and drive from the rear seat, '66 first flip up [I think, or '67?] more engine set back, sort of the same since. Great smoking hides pics!

 

when i still lived in oz before i moved to the usa i brought with me and sols as roller mow have this

 

South Coast Raceway?

Cheers,
Harv

 

New meaning of "In-the-weeds"!
6sally6

 

Butch Leal pre-lettering?

 

I remember seeing a Funny car body/yard art with Aussie outlaw painted in the same colors even had a Christmas tree beside it down under

 

My favorite race car: https://illegends.homestead.com/ILLegendsJDitmars.html

 

Are you kidding me!! That Cat"'s Ass!! Would love to see it wiyh blown, injected Mill!!

 

Hello,

1959 was a banner year for Doug Cook. His 37 Chevy already was the top racer in the heavily stacked B/Gas and C/Gas classes. A little extra weight added or removed was the key in moving from class to class for more competition. (by 1960, the tech inspectors would not allow loose weights to be added or subtracted to move from class to class. They had to be welded in place as part of the chassis or floorboard for stiffening the chassis/car.)


The next series of Gas Coupe/Sedan class race cars had steel plates welded in place over the rear axle and in various locations in the trunk for “support” and rigidity. No more heavy weights from the local weightlifter’s gym or workout place. In 1960, we had welded in 1 inch thick steel plates to give the frame and body some rigidity and support. (Also, added weight over the rear slicks location) It also allowed our normal B/Gas 671 SBC motor enough weight to get into the competitive C/Gas Class races.


But, for Doug Cook, anything he had built up was a trophy winner. Starting out as a real street car as we all did.

Three legends of drag racing in So Cal history...

We are very glad to have picked up some build tips scrutinizing both of those top Gas Coupe/Sedan Class runners. These are the Doug Cook movies that I took back in the 1958-60 era and it looks as if it just happened last week. (My brother took the Lion's pits movie clips...) Those memories, the smell, the consistent shifting, all made that Tahitian Red 1937 Chevy one of the top competitors in the USA.
Very early Lion’s Dragstrip competition in Street Class Coupes/Sedans... ( look at the variety of competition waiting their turns to race... yellow 56 Ford Truck, etc.) https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/hot-rod-truck-thread.1049210/page-159#post-15402653

So, what does a guy like Doug Cook do? Besides everything??? Changes the rear axle gears to get a better ratio for the drags, test drive it on the daily street trips and then show up at Lions Dragstrip to race in C/Gas or without added weight, B/Gas on Saturdays.
Ahhh…the good old days of hot rod/drag racing in So Cal…

Doug Cook 1937 Chevy in the Lion’s Dragstrip pits, including some teenager sneaking around for some racing build tips and advantages. YRMV

A young teen wandering around looking for tips to create a street legal hot rod build for the Gas Coupe Classes. (film clip by James N.) No front end raised in the air look, ladder bars or individual headers, all street legal to and from the dragstrip.

At :21 sec of the teenage dragstrip film:


Jnaki

A little history from So Cal drag racing circles 1950s-60s:
Thanks, Mike Cook...

from January 1957: Drag News weekly


from 1958 in So Cal:

 

Color shots of the Bustle Bomb.

 

The winner is . . . ?

 

Check it out, another F/X Chevy II four door!

 

I miss you Wally!