History History- Some Know it, Some Think They Know It!

I'll agree with that, but would rather have a T Head MERCER. Bob

 

I think it was in the latter part of the ‘60’s when “homologation” rules began to be used in NASCAR and the Trans-Am Series and usually the rule was 500 units had to be produced. It was the FIA, a European racing organization that was the first to make the requirement long before it was used in the States. It was not only the quantity, there were also reams of paperwork and inspections, at least in Europe.
In 1963 when the Mystery Motor hit Daytona and broke the qualifying record Ford screamed “foul”, but in ‘63 NASCAR had no homologation rule. To calm FoMoCo down and prevent a walkout by their racers Bill France said that any equipment had to be available to anyone. As a result Ford bought 2 Mystery Motors from GM through Ray Fox. The Ford purchase was how the MM saw the light of day in car magazines, Ford had one disassembled and photographed for all to see and read about.

 

When I was a kid in school, I worked part time driving truck at a Coke distributor, my boss had a 63 just like the picture I posted. Every day after work, I would walk out of the building, and the car would be parked right in front of the door. I fell in love with the car.
Our neighbour had a base model 49, and I didn't have the same feelings about that car.
Bob

 

That sounds similar to the story I heard about the design of the four cam Indy engine.

When the OK was given to go forward with the project, they bought an Offy to benchmark and couldn't figure out how to disassemble it- Offies are a little different and don't come with instruction manuals - and ended up hiring an old line Indy mechanic to take it apart and explain the thing to them.

 

You and I are on the same page. That was something I tried to point out. Does a car with a 10 bolt Chevy not get in because that style rear did not come out until 1965?
A 10 bolt O.K. but a Big Block is wrong?

I like cars era correct but I am not going to tell you are wrong for using newer parts.

 

Here on the H.A.M.B., we get to read one sentence and type five, due to our high finger to eye ratio.

 

That's perfect !!!!

 

^^^^^ Explain then how one mouth can put out more than two ears took in?

 

thats a good one
I often have to tell my students to stop listening faster than I am talking

 

Me too. That`s a nice `55

 

I was told this picture was taken at a track in Illinois 1964. On the the hood it looks like this car was named
Ugly............. something? Any one remember this car?
Norb

 

I loved the 'Stoodies', my 'mentor', Ritchie Mignano, had a white '53, bought it new. Took me to the drags in Madera one Sunday morning, unwound it on Highway 99 to 103! Impressed my 13 year old ass... Commander, V8 tudor Coupe, ('B' pillar 'post')
Studillacs were common, popular swap. Cad mill looked like the Stude, oil filler and upper radiator hose, looked like one copied the other!
1958, bud in high school planted a 283 'Power-Pak' in his '53 Stude, Chev 3 speed. '49 Ford driveshaft made it a 'bolt-in', just fabbed mounts. A tire smoker...
Studes had a Borg-Warner top loader 3 speed. I used to convert these to floorshifts using Stude pickup shift towers. I charged $40 plus parts. Everybody in town had a "Floor Box"...LOL

 

History is subjective. It actually changes to some extent with the current climate, [what is popular belief].

Hot rod history is even more subjective, a lot of what we want to believe comes from old magazines. I wasn't very old but I was there for little bits and snippets of history. Unfortunately the hot rod history that I remember is not wide spread, hot rodding was regional, so what I remember may not be the same as someone sees in Hot Rod Magazine.

 

I was watching a 1961 video last night of A.J. Foyt and Ray Harroun (Winner of Indy 500). Ray Harroun is asked about the dangers of racing. Harroun replied he felt safer on the track then on the street with all the hot rodders.
I was reminded of a D.V.D. I have with two movie shorts from the early 1960's about The Grand National and the Mod/Sportsman races at Daytona the remark is made "We are not drunks or hot rodders"

I was guilty of only having part of the history in my opening post. However @squirrel made his post I check and found out I was not completely correct, changed what I had written and learned something!

 

Well here's some history I got straight from the second horse's mouth. His Buddy had a mid '60's Buick Skylark that was so fast they outlawed it from the local drag strip as nobody could compete with it.

 

I've always been interested in finding the history of where / how the things that I have an interest in and enjoy came to be. Cars, airplanes, music, etc. That interest has often lead me to find other things that I enjoy. In the early '80s, I was into punk and new wave music. I started listening to Agent Orange, they did some heavy, punked up covers of '60s instrumental surf tunes that I was unfamiliar with at the time. One of the tunes was "Miserlou", credited to D. Dale on the album jacket. I scoured the local used record stores and found an original, used but primo copy of Dick Dale's "Surfers Choice" album, knowing absolutely nothing about it, I ponied up the $15.95 price (super expensive back then). That turned me on to one of my favorite types of music, Instrumental Surf. You never know what researching a little history will lead to.

One thing I don't understand is how some people have no interest or respect for the history of what they are in to. A few years ago, I was at a sprint car race at Manzanita Speedway here in Phoenix. I'm not really into sprint car racing, but this program had some vintage sprint cars on display as well as an exhibition heat featuring the vintage cars. Most of the vintage machines were small block ford powered, but there was one with a V8-60 and another powered by an Offy engine. Bitchin'. Watching those machines in motion and hearing that Offy scream around the dirt oval was just plain awesome.

During the vintage heat, the folks in the row behind us were bitching about sitting through this "billshit" waiting for the "real" racing to resume. No respect for the history of the sport that they enjoy. I don't understand that.

 

There are some who ask questions and when multiple correct reply's are not to their liking will continue to to refuse to believe,even when a member had been there and done that.

I am far from being as knowledgeable about a wide assortment of topics like Bruce Lancaster or the guru of the sbc like Jim or Beano.

But when I see guys arguing with Dean Lowe or others that have been around the block more than a couple of times I begin to wonder if the OP can comprehend elementary English or they refuse to listen because that's not how they want it to be.

I'm hardheaded but not so much I won't listen to another's point of view. HRP

 

When Chevrolet showed up with the 'Mystery Motor' in '63, this represented an escalation in the horsepower wars. As it turned out, the motor didn't display the reliability needed to compete so Chevrolet withdrew the motor. When Chrysler showed up with their Hemi, then Ford with the SOHC in '64, Bill France declared that to be acceptable for racing they had to build and sell to the general public at least 500 production examples. Ford quickly abandoned the SOHC (rumor had it that each motor cost Ford about $10K to build; there wasn't much market for $13,000 Galaxies) and upgraded the wedge motor with tunnel-port heads. Chrysler went back to the drawing board and re-engineered the Hemi for production, making it to market in '66.

A far cry from today, with virtually none of the NASCAR entries using 'production' motors...

 

Since the day's of American Hot Rod I've noticed something. It's scripted and it continues to this day. I'm not saying these men do not know anything. I'm questioning the creator's of these televised programs. Because sometimes the host will say things that will cause a red flag to rise. Who's checking the fact's before the clapper closes which in return causes the viewers with less knowledge (average viewer's) of what they've taken in to be true?

 

Agree with HRP above-at 74 I've been around as well and a bit hard headed but the folks who want to argue with Jim, Bruce, Beano or Dean Lowe are just way off the mark!

 

I was born in 1955. My history starts new every day. Not sure if I forget everything or I am just surprised by the day's events anew!

 

Not to derail anything but am I the only one who
thinks the Count needs to loose his dumb bandana!?
And jewelry!?

 

I probably know little of real automotive history, but I'll still offer a couple of cars as early Muscle Cars or at least following what might be called the muscle car formula.

The late 1930's Buick Century and the 1957 Rambler Rebel.

 

Well, I have at least my idea why this is.
I'm inching up on 50 years of f#$%& up perfectly good cars so I think I've seen my share of the type of people you mention.
One day they are into VW's and the next time you see them it's Harleys, or hot rods, then maybe dune buggies or dirt bikes, all within a couple of years. Don't know why this is; maybe they are just chasing the next trendy deal.
You know the type, you're at an event and see a car you really dig and ask them how this or that was made or bought and and they shrub their shoulders and go " I don't know, it was on it when I bought it.
Not knocking the Good Guy deal because I went to many of the West Coast gigs for twenty five years (many others too) but I witnessed this scenario more times than I have digits.

 

It works for him. Yeah, not my thing but it's allowed him to make a pretty good living playing with cars. Good for him.

Just rambling...........I watch on occasion because it still beats watching 26 year old couples complain about only having $400,000 to buy a house but I'd enjoy if someone like Foose was gave a show where he didn't have to build for the masses. (ratings)

 

well, mostly your talkin hot rod history, but my peave is folks that can not identify a car to within 3 decades! its pretty simple, we started with horseless carriages, then thru the t era no tops, vertical windshield and radiator, early 20's some roofs, but still square boxes, 29...finally, the classic era, things start to get swoopy, the art deco design period starts. by 34, the end of the classic era, we had slanted glass, slanted radiators, skirted fenders on the front, and the most beautiful designs combined with the fact that the car was no longer an experiment, it was a reliable means of transport capable of hwy speeds, and still for the most part, hand built with great quality in mind. too bad this is also the height of the depression, so nobody could buy one. by 35, all the makers knew they had to change the way they were doing things or they would not survive. so, then we went on to loooong headlights, round bodys and grills, gm had the first all steel roof in 36, things get longer and fatter untill the war. then, the fat fender era, soon we had overhead valves, no more running boards, and lots of big chrome grills and bumpers. and at some point sombody figgered out to make a door wide enough that your foot could go out without twisting it sideways, the door jamb thats wider than the windshield. by the 60's square boxes were back in style. sorry for the long rant, class dismissed.

 

That or he needs to chop a coupe and cover the welds with a matching bandana. Bob

 

How about people who call old cars Classic Cars, that is one of my peaves and It drive my dad nuts!

From the Classic Car Club of America-
The Club defines CCCA Classics or Full Classic™ Cars as "...fine or unusual motor cars which were built between and including the years 1915 to 1948. All of these are very special cars that are distinguished by their respective fine design, high engineering standards and superior workmanship." They were usually quite expensive when new with relatively low production figures. They were usually quite expensive when new with relatively low production figures. You won't find your Mom's '72 Plymouth Duster or your Grandfather's Model A Ford in the ranks of CCCA. We applaud other clubs who do recognize these cars and recognize that owning one can be a lot of fun, but they are not what CCCA is all about.

 

That dudes forehead has to be 2x the size of any human.
Look at the distance from his eyes to the top of his head.
The look without the bandana would be worse as cheesy as it is