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History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Royalshifter, Dec 12, 2007.

  1. Jimbo17
    Joined: Aug 19, 2008
    Posts: 3,959

    Jimbo17
    Member

    Thanks Muttley for the trip down memory lane.

    Jimbo
     
  2. Doug still owns Horsepower Engineering in Pasadena although I think they mainly just concentrate on the Porsche stuff that they do. From their website;
    A favorite of many Porsche owners since 1958, Bursch is the original extractor exhaust for Porsche. Originally developed by Roger Bursch and Douglas Robinson for racing only, the extractor was "dynoed" for maximum power without consideration for street applications. However, while racing at Dodger Stadium and the need to "run-in" the engine dictated silenced extractors, a whole new concept in performance exhuast systems was created.

    In Top Fuel drag racing, Doug was the 7th person to ever go 200 mph in 1966 (@ Fontana Raceway) and one of the first to put a 671 supercharger on a Chevy V8. He still owns the KRLA/Horsepower Engineering top fueler (Shown above) that’s one of the few cars that beat the Greer/Black/Prudomme team. Today, that vehicle is exhibited at his shop complete with its original paint.
     
  3. [​IMG]I would love to know the story behind this picture. A V8-60 Kurtis midget at the drags?? With nothing but an in & out box how did he get it off the line???
     
  4. Speedwrench
    Joined: Nov 21, 2009
    Posts: 1,032

    Speedwrench
    Member

    Just throwing this out, but might the car have had a clutch and an Offie two speed like the set up Roger Ward had at Lime Rock?[​IMG]I would love to know the story behind this picture. A V8-60 Kurtis midget at the drags?? With nothing but an in & out box how did he get it off the line???[/QUOTE]
     
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2014
  5. Junior Stock
    Joined: Aug 24, 2004
    Posts: 1,891

    Junior Stock

    This Cobra gotr restored back to stock in 1988.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  6. Sinister
    Joined: Jan 19, 2004
    Posts: 710

    Sinister
    Member
    from Oregon

    296- Thanks for posting this photo. I had this one on my wall in my bedroom growing up. Last time I spoke to Doug I believe he said he restored this car and it's now in the Peterson museum. Also, I *think* he said he sold his B'ville coupe, but don't quote me on that.

    Anyway-a big thanks to all of you who contribute to this thread. Having all this history in one place is priceless.
     
    jadegrenade 51 likes this.
  7. Gabe Fernando
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 309

    Gabe Fernando
    Member

     
  8. Muttley
    Joined: Nov 30, 2003
    Posts: 18,500

    Muttley
    Member

    That sucks.
     
  9. Yep, a drag Cobra is way more rare than a stock one. Should have left it alone!
    If you think Vette guys are purists.. HA!
     
  10. spdmrcht
    Joined: Mar 5, 2007
    Posts: 9

    spdmrcht
    Member
    from ca.

    Do you know the date of this pic. I have some of Dickie doing
    wheels in the pits after the rain out. I'm guessing this was
    Friday?
     
  11. noboD
    Joined: Jan 29, 2004
    Posts: 8,458

    noboD
    Member

    Thanks for all the cool recent pics. FWIW, I know where the EMPI tow truck is that used to haul the Inch Pincher.
     
  12. Gabe Fernando
    Joined: Dec 7, 2008
    Posts: 309

    Gabe Fernando
    Member

    Another example of perfect combination of builder/tuner (Lee Gustafson-sic), fantastic driver (Bob Noice), and laid back sponsor (Accessories Ltd.-Glendale, Calif.). Like the Surfers, nothing fancy, all business, consistency & serious numbers.
     
  13. BSL409
    Joined: Aug 28, 2011
    Posts: 623

    BSL409
    Member

    some nice racing from 63
     
  14. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Thanks for posting this, mostly Salem OH? Great that the captions are there too so you know who is racing and the outcomes
     
  15. please tell more - if you don't want to post it, PM me - Thanks
     
  16. aafa729
    Joined: May 18, 2009
    Posts: 59

    aafa729
    Member

    Al and I built this car from scratch in his garage in Downey. I am kneeling in front of the Torco sign.
     
  17. [/QUOTE]

    Anything is possible. Must have had a clutch of some sort.
     
  18. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Some more from the George Klass collection:

    $(KGrHqJHJCoE-0IWW1CHBP1RuEn0MQ~~60_3.jpg
    Really early Pomona, SoCal roadster, Morris Brothers...I think Ollie Morris drove...this car was found and restored to street legal status

    6061.jpg
    And speaking of Ollie, here is the "Smok'n White Owl," which has been recreated. I think that this is the Chev powered version because of the Hilborn stacks...I saw this car in a back room at McCleod Clutches in Los Angeles after it was painted black...just sitting there with no engine gathering dust...I always wondered what happened to it.

    untitled-53.jpg
    Chuck Gireth near side, I think, racing Archie Ary, Riverside, long since gone 1501846.jpg

    I think that this is Bayer & Frietas, Hayden Profitt once drove this car

    9990114051998.jpg
    I never forgot this run, for the 1320 Drag News #1 spot at San Gabriel, I think that J.L. Payne was driving Vance Hunt's car. Garlits flagged the race. The Greek was driving his modified Chassis Research car, which was prone to wheel stands. The Greek did not back off on this run until the car drifted to the edge of the track. Garlits came back to the pits after the run and said "his car went so high that I could have walked under it standing up and changed the oil" (Garlits always had a way with words)...Vance won this and the next race as the Greek did the same thing....I think this was 1962, I was there but years tend to run together....
     
    Muttley likes this.
  19. slingshot392
    Joined: Jul 23, 2009
    Posts: 99

    slingshot392
    Member

    Here's a nice interview with Don Garlits



    And a nice interview with Don & Pat Garlits

     
  20. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,798

    Marty Strode
    Member

    296 Ardun, I only see 3 exhaust pipes on each side of the "Smokin White Owl", couldn't be a Chevy could it ?
     
  21. rooman
    Joined: Sep 20, 2006
    Posts: 4,045

    rooman
    Member

    I was thinking the same thing Marty. Also the injector stacks look like the little guys that were on the first Hilborns for flatties.

    Roo
     
  22. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Roo, Marty, I think you guys are right, the injector stacks look staggered as if they were on a flathead...he used to run carbs but the 3 pipes does imply flathead...the car did run Fred Offenhauser's sbc but apparently after this photo was taken...
     
  23. Doubt if it is an Ardun..the Ardun head has 4 exhaust ports not 3, must be a flathead.

    Bill
     
  24. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    the text was confusing, he started with my call sign (296ardun)...not referring to the Ardun engine...yes, it seems very much like this is a Hilborn injected flathead...I saw the Hilborn stacks and assumed that the Chev might not have a split center exhaust port...but the injector stacks are slightly staggered, which is the way Hilborn made its flathead injectors...
     
  25. I know where the EMPI tow truck is that used to haul the Inch Pincher.
    I think I do, too, tell Don I'll give him a dollar for it :)
     
  26. noboD
    Joined: Jan 29, 2004
    Posts: 8,458

    noboD
    Member

    For a dollar I can get there before you!!!
     
  27. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    477709.jpg
    From the George Klass collection, every driver's nightmare...this is Sid Waterman's Clearspark car..,.any fire was bad but usually the fire from the bottom was worse because it was usually oil, which stuck to you...firesuits were probably good back then for maybe 8 seconds....




    1352427_orig.jpg
    Kenny Ellis, far side, in his "trigster," not sure who is in the near lane...Ellis' car was one in a series of several three-wheeled dragsters, this one built by Scotty Fenn of Chassis Research...as far as I know, the only other 3-wheeled dragster was the Cook Brothers & Jahns sidewinder..

    3612943.jpg
     
    Surfrider likes this.
  28. Rich, I've been staring at that photo for a long time now (15 years ago we starting working on the red car!) and wondered about the "dude by the sign." Never knew it was you!
     
  29. Scotty Fenn was crazy!


    Dustin
     
  30. 296ardun
    Joined: Feb 11, 2009
    Posts: 4,673

    296ardun
    Member

    Scotty was a character...built some experimental cars that failed (Ted Cyr's sidewinder, for example), but the trigster worked, went straight, and won races. When the first version showed up at San Gabriel, the officials wouldn't let it run, so Kenny Ellis asked them to let him prove that it would go straight. They agreed so Kenny push-started the car and rolled it to the starting line. A crew guy poured a can of oil in front of each rear slick, Kenny hit the throttle, the car smoked through the oil, straight as a string, and the rest is history. The Coleman Brothers rear engine car worked pretty well too...but yes, Scotty was different...stories were that he had a thing for monkeys, had several in his shop, but he did some pretty innovative chassis work.
     
    jadegrenade 51 likes this.

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