Just curious (Phx. hist.)

Couple more, I bought a 65 impalla to drive later on because I had put a 303 olds in the model A and it had 13.5 compression and spindle mounts on the front so it was not the best daily driver..I also included a couple of the model A from a couple years ago before I painted it, yes I am one of those guys that still has his first car, I am now 65 years old...Gary

 

Guess he liked blue tinted windows. A friend of mine had a Black 1957 Chevy with blue tinted windows.

 

Cool, thanks.

 

Thanks for posting the photos of Phoenix Dragway wetspeed,
I have a few photos from that same angle with tower in the background of my buddies 57 Ford Custom 300 in the burn out box 1968 and 1990.

"Southwest Nostalgia Drags" has been asked to host the Tracks 50th anniversary weekend. We're going to try to get as many of these old photos we can and make a nice display!!!!!!!

Lot of history out there.
I Love that drag strip,
as our advertisement says: "Arizona's Oldest Finest Drag Strip"

 

Howdy! I was in Phoenix when you were doin yer thang. I went to Washington HS. Class of '65 I drove a 40 Ford coupe, red with blue plexi windows, it used to be raced by Allan Knutsen. I had a buddy who lived out by you actually a couple of guys. Did you know Dan Johnson, Lindly Brott, or Ron Brott? They went to Peoria HS I think. He is a picture of Dan's car the India T and his brother's gasser T. Also shown; Ed Whitaker's Coupe his bug and my 1st T.
Ring any bells?

 

Howdy van's rod shop! I think I said this before, but early this year a long stored, raised forty deluxe was for sale around the Phoenix area, and I saw it a couple of times at the So-Cal monthly deal. I could easily be wrong, but I seem to remember blue windows. I can't remember the color, but maybe someone else in the local community can remeber it beter than I. Just wondering if it's your old car...

 

Most curios indeed. Mine had frenched tail lights. I think they were buick or 56 chevy lenses. Nothing much else for other than stock appearance.

 

My brother Fred on the left with some friends Duane ,Mike , Phil in front of the Glass Rat at Beeline Dragway in 1965 or 1966.
Big John Mazmanian's Willy's at Beeline Dragway 1965 or 1966. This must have been at one of the Gasser match races Beeline had. John

 

Don't know if this is the Ford your talking about but i took this picture at Goodguys last month. I like the look as it sits

 

My Time slip from 3/ 10/ 1968 Mel Larson's Sportsman Raceway ( now Speedworld) in an old 1957 chevy six cylinder. Must have been a bad day! John

 

Sportsland Raceway? I have not heard that before.

QUOTE=jpm49c;5932426]My Time slip from 3/ 10/ 1968 Mel Larson's Sportsman Raceway ( now Speedworld) in an old 1957 chevy six cylinder. Must have been a bad day! John[/QUOTE]

 

Chip, I believe the car you're thinking of is either this one or a dead ringer for it.



If I remember right, it has an Olds rear, SBC, a unique dash (vinyl covered or tunneled), parallel leafs up front? and Hurst slicks.

 

Yep and I believe it is that very trailer which caused the Glass Rat's demise when it flipped over at the turn out by Indian Bend.

 

Ya, that's the one Matt! Somehow my minds eye saw it as red though... Probably time to come clean - I don't really like the nose up "gasser" kinda thing too much, so details don't normally stick. Thought it might have been Van's old car pulled out of it's slumber, so that's why I mentioned it.

 

Maybe we can't solve that mystery, but here's something interesting I found.

Lopers "Little Hoss" Anglia in Hawaii

http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_22d44e33-3005-5221-9739-144565b0bf0c.html



Not much left of the original car, but if you look at the rear fenders, they seem to have the same radius and slight kink in the lip, mid way up at the rear.

 

That is a cool piece of history. I wonder how it got to Hawaii?

 

My sister boarded her horses at Bob Fletcher's place in the 90's and when she was out of town I was tasked with taking care of her duties there. Driving his old ford tractor and cleaning stalls and feeding. He showed me many of the old race cars he had stored there, I sat in a few of them, and he even fired a couple up. It was cool, and helped get me into this stuff.

 

Another neat story I found.



http://deansgarage.com/2010/jim-ray’s-1965-corvette-396-4-speed-coupe/

 

More tidbits from a local open house.

Original Perryville timing equiptment.

 

AMT Phoenix. In these shots you can see a '32 roadster w/the AMT building in front of it, the Jeckle & Hyde Camaro/Chevy roadster, Man From U.N.C.L.E. car and the Reactor show car.

Sorry about the glare.

 

Corky's Trick Paint. I believe he did paint for AMT and a lot of well known work on street, race and show cars such as Larry Christopherson's Nova Funny Car.

 

Also, word is, that goal is to try to have this thing restored with an Olds motor by next year.

 

Yes, but don't forget his partner, Don Tippet, who burned out from too much work and craziness. He moved to Grants Pass Oregon. He is still painting and building cars.

 

Mel Larson bio. and stories.

http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/features/03/10/inside.nascar.mlarson/index.html

Article has been deleted from site.

 

J R. does have them in about 10 albums. You have to call him and make arrangements to view them. He sells prints.

 

A picture of Corky's Trick Paint Dodge van at Beeline at the 1972 Winternationals

 

July 1963

 

Lee working on my Falcon, circa 1983, with a 16 year old me looking on and learning. I learned so much from him, it was just amazing. He liked teaching kids about cars and how they worked, but insisted that you pay attention! Lee passed on about ten years ago, a finer man I've never known.

-KK