History Stock-S/S-F/X 1959-1966

heres a couple .... brandon

 

those wheels look alot like the howards wheels....but the howards were steel...those wheels were also on the x7 (think that was what it was called....slant six powered show car...) brandon

 

Here are a few of the "Farmer" from Morrison, Ill. What a nice guy and a great racer!!

 

So...Joel, finally came stumbling into this site..........lol

Good to see ya here...But I still like yer P-40 the best...

Mark

 

I think Phil Bonner likes his P-40 best too....The guy can draw, can't he!!

 

I wasn't around when that stuff was new but, I love that era.
Here is a little something I am building now. I am building pretty much like I would have if I WAS around back then and able to put a door car together. I hope to have it running this year. It'll be used mainly for fun- exhibitions, wheestands, smokeshows and an occasional cruise to a show. Maybe some match racing if there is something compatible. '64 GTO in back ground shows wheelbase changes. Unlike most of the AWB cars built, it is my opinion that this altered wheelbase car actually looks better than the original car.

Steve Barcak www.pontiacheaven.org

"Real Pontiacs only...no corporate nonsense!"

 

Brandon posted earlier and showed pics of the Sturm Chevelle stating its stock wheelbase. Ah...I don't think so. Maybe take a better look at those pics.? Front end is obviously moved up.

Steve Barcak www.pontiacheaven.org

"Real Pontiacs only...no corporate nonsense!"

 

Does anyone have any photos/information on the Milne Bros '63 Plymouth from Pasadena Calif. It came to Australia in 1964 and was driven here by Bob Fuerhelm a US driver. The car was Gold in color, had a max wedge engine and was an auto trans car. I understand it was a Chrysler factory race car and ran at the '63 Winternatiols. It still runs regularly at the Perth Western Australia track and has recently been returned to the origonal color.

 

i was referring more to durham car.... strums car was moved a little early on....but not as radical as some.... brandon

 

Hi Mark, Jody, Dean, Group,

I couldn't resist joining this group once I saw the pictures being posted.
Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated ... now back to S/S-F/X stuff ...

Joel

 

Durham's '64 car's wheelbase was altered slightly as were alot of cars in '64 ... but only a few inches ... the more radical stuff would come in '65. Most of the Chevelles running in '64 had some alterations done. Durham also had the Z-11 engine moved back too. Huston Platt's Chevelle, Sturm's front and rear were moved too. The Chevelles that Dick Harrell built were pretty close to stock though.
Even some T-Bolts were slightly altered late in the '64 year ... hardly noticeable though. I believe the TASCA car got the treatment after the NHRA Nationals and Emmitt "Snake" Austin did his too.

Joel

 

Neat cars! Get 'em looking period correct.

 

Dean,

Here's another shot of the VA Twister at Cecil Co., MD. Another one to follow.

Joel

 

Last VA Twister shot ... check out the interior. This car was a regular on the NASCAR Grand/Ultra Stock circuit. The NASCAR races were, besides the big independant meets, the best drag racing around in those days ... in my opinion. The way they ran the classes and the eliminators was great. the variety of competitive cars were terrific too.

Joel

 

Here's a time trial by two cars at the third S/S Nationals held at Cecil Co., MD in 1967. Mousie Brown in his S/S big 427 Chevy and the Jan-Cen wedge Comet. Great days.

This meet along with the first S/S Nationals in '65 and the preceding meet at York, PA in May '65 were the best drag races I ever saw.

Joel

 

I have a color shot of the Milne Bros. '63 car #613 (maybe they had two?) and it is a light blue color, yellow lettering. The shot is mid-year from Dragway 42 in Ohio ... unfortunately I can't post the picture because I don't have permission to do so.
There were probably many gold '63 Plymouths running but maybe you're thinking of one of the Golden Commando cars?
Joel

 

Here's a Nat. Dragster clipping/shot that I posted over on the T-Bolt thread.
Joel

 

Those are some nice pictures, thanks to all who have posted.

Jon

 

Jody,

I'd say restored cars, barn finds, field finds and resto-in-progress shots of the real thing would go along with this thread.
Sorry I don't have any Ramsey shots other than maybe some from old magazines. I do remember him being THE hot dog in the early years in the northeast first with his '57 Chevy and later his Pontiacs. My brother (older than me) and his pals always talked of Ramsey kicking tail all over the place. As you may know George Weiler wrenched on Ramsey's 1959 NHRA Nationals win in Detroit.
I think, my be mistaken ... but that the Denick wagon started out at a Pontiac dealer in FL ... ?

I've ALWAYS been curios about Ramsey's '64 GTO that he match raced with. I've only seen a few MEDN bits and photos of the car. Rumors of aluminum parts for it and such.
After Ramsey sold his swiss cheese car Beswick drove it for the new owner on occasion. Somewhere I have a shot of it and him in FL. It later got an altered wheelbase! Bill Blair owned the car for awhile in the late 1990's.

Joel[/QUOTE]

I think the Ramsey Swiss Cheese car was sold to Larry Johnson Pontiac in Clinton Iowa. Beswick worked there and was sponsored by Johnson for some period of time. Larry himself got into the race action in '62 with a Super Duty Beswick prepped red Catalina. When they got the '63 they altered it and it became known as "The Funny Tiger". It even had a plexiglass hood scoop. A friend of ours Allan Ranz owned the car from the mid 70's til the early 80's when he sold it to Bill Blair. Allan also owned Beswick's '61 Ventura from 1965 to 1998. We helped him restored it in '96 back to the way it looked when Arnie raced it. It sold last spring for $170,000.

 

Thanks Race Artist for your help, I have a photo of the car in a magazine when the car landed in Australia it has 619 SS/A on the door and was registered in California. If someone can tell me how to post a pic on here I will post the shots from the Magazine.

 

Any one have any information on this car? It is the restored Phil Bonner '62 Galaxie. I've been told the current owner is Ed Lavender. Does anyone have contact information for Mr. Lavender ? If so please PM me the information. Thanks!!

 

Does anyone know if Bill Blair is still around. Does he still have any of his Pontiacs. He had some good cars!!

I think the Ramsey Swiss Cheese car was sold to Larry Johnson Pontiac in Clinton Iowa. Beswick worked there and was sponsored by Johnson for some period of time. Larry himself got into the race action in '62 with a Super Duty Beswick prepped red Catalina. When they got the '63 they altered it and it became known as "The Funny Tiger". It even had a plexiglass hood scoop. A friend of ours Allan Ranz owned the car from the mid 70's til the early 80's when he sold it to Bill Blair. Allan also owned Beswick's '61 Ventura from 1965 to 1998. We helped him restored it in '96 back to the way it looked when Arnie raced it. It sold last spring for $170,000.[/quote]

 

Anyone have any shots of Kenny Warren's T-bolt from '64? I've been told the T-bolt still survives deep in the hills of VA. in a scrapyard...Owner won't sell from what I was told.

 

heres is a few

 

I like the Golden Commandos shot but save the fliptops for the Drag Racing in Motion thread.

 

was thinking about some of this slight suspension moving stuff.....how was this accomplished...? i mean a A arm car is that easy to move stuff....was wondering if it was possibly done by moving the body back on the frame...? anyone have any input on this ....thanks brandon

 

Pete Seaton's Super Shaker '65 Chevelle ('64 car with a '65 front clip) was known as having the body moved back on the frame 7 inches with, I believe a stock front A-arm suspension. A neat trick for these 64-5 Chevelles is to swap the left engine frame mount to the right side and the right side to the left and the result moves the engine back a full seven inches. I'm getting ready to start construction on an altered wheelbase '65 Chevelle and this is how I'm gonna do it. Although GM officially dropped out of racing after the 1963 season, it kinda makes you wonder what was going on in the back of those GM engineers' heads when they made something like this easy to do. After the Z-11 Impalas, Swiss Cheese SD Catalinas, and even compact Pontiac Tempest wagons with aluminum front ends and SD 421's, can you even imagine the cars that Chevrolet and Pontiac would have built in 1964 and 1965 if that GM ban on racing hadn't occured in 1963. Exciting to even think about!

 

i'll have to look for some shots of seatons car....thanks brandon

 

I was out at an engine builder here on the Mississippi coast and he had a picture of a 64 Mercury Comet A/FX car from Robertson Lincoln Mercury in Biloxi, MS. Anybody have info on this car or pictures?

 

I think that'd be a good guess along with alot of '64 cars and some '63's getting the treatment too. I recall seeing some of the hurried jobs early in '65 and was quite surprised! Three that come to mind are the W. VA Hemi-Charger and the Wildcatter along with the Black Arrow and Dick Housey's car ... Billy West's '64 Plymouth The Little Pilgrim was one too. I love that rough look to most of them.

It'd be fun to try and figure out the '63 cars, '64's and '65's.

Joel