Grumpy Jenkins

So, was Bill Jenkins the first to come up with tubbing out the rear/using a tube frame idea?

i know that the early funnycars "basically" used those concepts, but i'm talking about for a stock bodied car/ or pro stock car.

 

In Pro Stock, I believe he was. First tube chassis, first with a strut front end. And I believe first to use a dry sump system in Pro Stock

 

'71 winternats...ouch!

 

'72 springnats...

 

I could be wrong,but I thought Wally Booth had the first tube chassis
pro-stocker. Either way, I always loved da Grump and his "Toys".










And way before that for around $800 he'd build you a Super Stock hemi.

 

Anybody else dig the Hurst mags on the trailer? Grumpy is a lucky guy he gets to hang out with Jungle Pam.........666?? my kinda guy..........

 

Got me one of these shirts the other day:

 

I talked to Mike Strickler today and no one in his family has been told the OR #1 tribute car will be at York in a little over a week. I think that is a real shame not to have the Strickler family there when the car is unveiled to the public. Mike was contacted when the project was started and helped in anyway he could. Now no one has taken the time to even ask him or his mom to be there.

 

1967 . Championship with a 67 camaro ..... Enough said.

 

Anybody wanna guess where Wally Parks hand is.......and why Linda is lookin at him and smiling?????

 

that is indeed sad to hear.

 

View attachment 1016112

Dave Strickler and his World Champ '68 Camaro.
Strickler and Jenkins would go hand in hand through most of the '60's. Its great that Bill will be there for the unveiling of O.R. 1 but to make it right, a Strickler should be present. Lets hope someone puts a little more thought into this one.

 

Just wanted to give you guys an update. As of this morning the Strickler family has been invited to the unveiling of the OR #1. Darwin Doll contacted them and offered the invitation. I'm glad to hear it has been worked out.

 

So, is Bill related to Roscoe?

 

great news! a 7am email this morning from another big jenkins/strickler fan got things straightened out.

not going to make york this year....please, please someone get and post pictures of OR1

 

After all of this, I've been told the car will NOT be at York now. Jeeshhh

 

WTF!

posted on the jr stk thread, thanks pete!

 

I met both Bill Jenkins and Ronnie Sox many years ago and my favorite will always be Ronnie Sox. He was always willling to talk to you ,he was a true southern gentleman and I even had the "pleasure" of helping him change a piston at a match race at Etown when he racing his P/M Comet.
While Jenkins was always an innovator and knew how to make horsepower as a driver he didnt stand much of a chance against Ronnie Sox,and admitted publicly he didnt enjoy driving.
They didnt call Ronnie "The Boss" for nothing.
Just my opinion from my experiences with both of them.

 

Dave, That's a neat picture of Jenkins' '69 in s/s trim. Most of the pictures of this car are after it became a prostocker. Thanks

 

I was always curious about the quarter panel louvers on Jenkins' 69. Were they filled or just covered over by the Lakewood decal? They look pretty smooth just to be covered by a decal.

 

Was in the staging lanes at Green Valley (Ft. Worth) in about 72-73 and became annoyed because a little short "chubby" guy walked up and stood next to me, and there was all kinds of room elsewhere. Of course I about fell over when I turned and it was the Grump himself!

Funny how it has been nearly 40 years, and I can still visualize him clear as a bell.

 

One of the great ones for sure. I saw Bill Jenkins race a
few times at 'Dragway Park-Cayuga' in Southern Ontario
in the early '70's. A buddy of mine even snagged one of
Jenkin's cigar butts when he tossed it away - and he still
has it some 40-odd years later, preserved in a plastic
baggy! LOL!

Mart3406
============================================

 

Was this because the car is not finished?

 

In '72 he and Wilt Chamberlain were the two higest paid athletes in the USA, making $250,000.

 

looks filled....