Features Ford Thunderbolts Photos Wanted

I'd love to see this if you can figure out how to get it posted. My dad raced there at that time & I'd love to see if he was in it.

My next door neighbor has a bunch of old cars on his property & last night I saw one of the Hildabrand (I believe thats how you spell it) wheels that had been covered in leaves till all this wind we've had uncovered it. Problem is he's one of those types that won't speak & from what I've heard won't sell anything. It would be awesome to get this for my Thunderbolt clone project I'm building but if he doesn't have another then it would be hard finding another to match it.

 

i've got a youtube channel danobx64 with the videos

 

gettin' on youtube was easy,me and pops been trying to post pics on here,but big dumb gearheads have trouble with all this fancy posting apparatus,i curse less changing a timing belt.

 

Just viewed the U tube footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoVw_yLFThQ


Very nice! Thank you. Must be pretty late 1965, as there are a number of 1966 Fairlanes racing at the track. Also saw Tasca's Mystery 8 Mustang.

The two Thunderbolts running were Blackjack Jr and the Donati/Glassco Rebel Rouser.

The smashed yellow 64 Fairlane 500 loaded backwards on an open trailer at the end of the footage, looks like it has 427 ornaments on it, but does it have a teardrop hood?

Was this all filmed at the same race or is it multiple events?

Regards,
Dennis

 

Bonner wasn't driving or even there, he was at another track running the Falcon. One of his "helpers" borrowed the car and took it to Paradise Drag Strip. Phil mentioned the guy was renting from him, and after the car wrecked he dissapeared from the face of the Earth. I have his name written down somewhere.

That car was finished after the wreck and he then built the hardtop car.

Regards,
Dennis

 

the yellow car was rebel rouser,it had the hood.they were going to turn it into a match race car.my pops posted the photo of the donati/glassco car.after talking to donati we realized the car is lost.

 

i've got still shots from the film footage but i can't seem to figure out how to post them can you help me ?

 

I'll try. When you post, scroll down to "additional options". Click "manage attachments" then "browse". Find your pics on your computer and click open. Attach all your pics one at a time and then click "upload". Might take a little while to upload them so be patient. Once they're uploaded, post as normal.

Give that a shot, hopefully i didn't leave anything out.

Kevin

 

thanks Kevin,that's what i have been doing,maybe i missed a step.i'll keep trying.

 

i know at least 2,i was about 1,and pops stop going for a few years, you know "family stuff."the picture of the rebel rouser"white" was taken sometime in Dec 65 and they couldve brought the car there the next week "yellow" really not sure. Dano

 

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Found this picture that I took in December, 1963 at Pomona Raceway. I have no information about the car, its history, or its ultimate fate. Don Muth Ford was located in Rialto, California, just west of San Bernardino, about 30 miles from Pomona.

 

That is a great picture. The only one I have is later on (at least judging by the added lettering and decals). Note the changed frt bumper. I don't think there is any known history of this car beyond these pics.

 

Glad to see another picture of that car. I raced at Fontana frequently during 1964 and I don't remember it at all. At least there is some proof that it got to the track a couple of times.

 

Great shot!! Thanks for posting it.

 

Phil was not driving the car, and was racing his Falcon at another track. Kenny Salter, who was working for Bonner, took the car without Bonner's permission (according to Phil) and raced it leading to the wreck in the photo. Kenny left for Detroit to escape Phil's wrath, and went to work for Paul Harvey at Bob Ford. Kenny built an engine for Jerry Harvey's ex-Len Richter '63 Lightweight. When Bob Ford was awarded the first DST-built 641/2 Mustang, which as an early car was a notch back coupe built with a High-Riser engine, Kenny campaigned the Mustang in the south for a while, ultimately wrecking the car. I meet Kenny when he first came to Bob Ford and spent some time with him comparing notes on the ex-Richter 63 car, as I had extensively modified the chassis at the end of the '63 season before I left Bob Ford to work at Ford Engineering.

Kenny Salter went on to race MoPars with noteable success, and is still around.

There is a restored Thunderbolt which I understand is represented as the repaired ex-Bonner car shown in the photo. I don't know if there has been a check on the authenticity of the repaired ex-Bonner car.

Dave Lyall

 

Phil Bonner still owns the car that was built from the remains of the crashed car. This is the first time I've heard Kenny Salter's name associated with the crash of this car. The current car was in Dearborn & Norwalk for the 45th. anniversary reunion of Thunderbolts and Phil was there with it.

 

I spoke with Phil Bonner lastnight and he told me the driver of his T-bolt when it was crashed was named Jimmy Evans. He moved out of town prior to Phil returning home and was never seen or heard from again.

 

check out this scratch built model,using an original 1961 f-100 long bed amt model kit. i put a 427 t-bolt kit motor,wheels,and had to totaly make the entire front grill and both bumpers.exhaust.tonea cover is from a 72 c-10.still finishing it up,but i couldn't wait to show it.DANO

 

Troublemaker;
Do you still currently own the 66' car in your name tag? Any motor, suspension detail photos you could post somewhere on HAMB ?
Thanx; Tom S. in Tn.

 

My 64 Fairlane 2 door post was one of the few cars I regret selling... Would have made a great t-bolt clone... sigh

 

I was not a witness to the crash, and am not challenging Phil's memory or his story.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
I am repeating the story of the crash as told to me by Paul Harvey in early '64 at the time he hired Kenny Salter. I became friends with Kenny while he was at Bob Ford, and I kidded Kenny about the incident several times. He never denied the Paul Harvey version of the crash. Dave Lyall<o></o>

 

This is a picture that I took at Pomona Raceway on 12/29/63, the same Sunday race that was attended by the "Don Muth Ford" T-bolt. Note Ronda's car with "Downtown Ford" sponsorship, "steelie" rear wheels, and the teardrop hood. I've forwarded a copy to Gas through Mike Keener but I've received no response as yet.

 

The Dobbs Ferry car at the dealership ... I found these pictures on the net somewhere a few years ago ... unfortunately I don't have a link nor do I know the source. I'd intended to track down the source but never did. As far as I know this is the car that became the Far Rockaway Ford car.
Joel

 

I saw Barry today at a swap meet and asked him about the trim delete.
This is what he said. The car got hit in the right rear quarter. When the car was repaired, all the trim was removed.

He also mentioned the car was white, then school bus yellow, then red. I saw it was listed in 64 Winternats entry list, he said yes. The engine was dyno'd at Isky and made over 550 hp.

Regards,
Dennis

 

After Far Rockaway Ford, it was Holeshot - Jerry Caminito had a cammer. Later on the car wrecked in a trailer towing accident and scrapped.

Regards,
Dennis

 

228,000 views. wow yall need to get into some COOL cars and stop droolin over them lame boxes with wheels.