Hello From Tucson, Recently purchased -- in storage 40+ years -- Arfon's Green Monster #5. Went from Arfons brothers, to Lee Pendelton, to Charlie Hall of Tucson, to me. In superb shape. Have photos (album) in Fatdad History/HAMB. Unsure how to move to main dialogue. Any techinical help to share photos appreciated. Enjoy.
If my memory is still in tact--Art ran that monster at the Indy Fair grounds on the dirt track as part of a Hell Drivers show. He would light it up and make a pass past the stands. I was at the end of the straight a way lookin over the fence (I was a kid that didn't have the $ for the Hell driver show) Art keep it lite up a little to long and had to spin it at the end of the staight. I remember ducking down just in time as the dirt was a flying and I could feel the heat off of the Monster.---cured me of stuttering!--did I dream this up?
Don't know for sure. Lee Pendleton is writing his memories of the car (Lee is still alive and in Ohio). The car started out live with a Ranger engine but did not have enough power to the Arfon's liking. I do know the car appeared at man venues.
WOW I am shocked that you were able to get that from Charlie. He once told me a story while sitting in his shop that one of the first times that he drove it while at the starting line that he felt wet while sitting in the seat and the starter ran over to him told him to shut it down due to a major fuel leak. charlie laughed and said at the time that he did not know how close he came to burning up until later on and he ran the car a few more times then parked it. One of my favorites in his collection is a indian cheif that he bulit his own heads for so he could run duel carbs. Hanging on the wall above the bike is the photos in black and white of him after he got it running and it has not changed at all. Charlie is one great person and lent me so photos that I had scanned into the computer for him and put them on a disk so they could be blown up so he could see them. The photos are of him, Jimmy Castle, Ted Gay( who son I worked for) Bill Cheeseburg and some other guys.
Back in the 60's and 70's I lived in Detroit and was always going to the drags(Detroit Dragway,Motor City Dragway,and Milan.Walt and Art Arfons came up to Detroit Dragway and I don't remember who was driving or what # Green Monster but the car went off the end of the end of the race track and crashed.They just left damaged engine in the field and it layed there in a pile of rust for many years.Everyone just knew it was there.
Lee Pendleton owned a machine shop in Ashtabula, OH for years and had/has quite a history in racing.....he had one helluva pulling tractor with an Allison in it called "The City Slicker". He is one of those guys that was always in the background, did it, was quiet about it and very approachable. I went to school with his kids, and his house was on my bus route.
I think Charlie let me have it because of my long involvement with drag racing and the fact he new I would not do some "over the top" restoration. Also I grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio and new Lee Pendleton and the cars early history.
Lee and I talk all of the time. He is currently giving me advice on the drivetrain situation. He may visit Tucson, and Charlie, this winter.
Am checking with Allison experts on correct proceedures. It is all there, but probably need refreshment work by experienced hands
non turbo engines were 1000 HP. 1710 indicates the displacemet. Lots were used in unlimited hydroplanes which used up the blocks and spare parts in a hurry. The scarcity of relialbe Allison parts sources let the Unlimited class to switch to the jet turbine engines in use today. Reliable engines but lack of pressurized induction and low performace at high altitude led to their replacement by Rolls Royce Merlin engines in later aircraft such as the P51. The p38 lightening carried on to good use with turbo allisons till the end of wwII. Surplusing of aircraft after the war and the itroduction of jet engine left a lot of allisons and parts on the surplus market for pennies on the dollar. Was this the last piston powered green monster??? Here is a blog with some info, scroll down a ways. http://andysrandomrecollections.blogspot.com/
Always kind of chuckle at the high bucker car collectors, like why would you collect someone elses stuff and then have someone else work on it, etc. etc. But boy, it sure would be neat to have that, just to even look at it whenever you wanted too. Guess that's another good reason to collect things, especially built by those you admire.
This is from his bio. <DD>Started in Ohio and AZ while in college -Partnered with Jimmy Walther in the Special Edition AA/FD. Raced at Thompson and Dragway 42. Raced at Tucson and Beeline. Past 15 years raced Super Eliminator, Junior Fuel, Comp A/ND and Top Dragster. Knew about the Allison car for the past 45 years. Purchased it last June. NHRA Museum is aware of its existance. </DD><!-- / aboutme --><!-- stats -->
Hell lets cruz!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 I have always loved that car happy to see its still in tact.
Roothawg, when I was a high school kid, got to see his jet run against Bob Smith, in Romeo Palimides' Untouchable, At Dover, in N.Y. The Green Monster was carried in a hollowed out city bus. He signed a photo for me, and, unasked, went and got Smith's for me also. Always remembered him as a real nice guy, and you can guess who I rooted for later on at Bonneville, against Craig Breedlove and the others. Still have the photo .
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