Where Were You In '62?

Even if you're not a car enthusiast, you'll probably recognize the title of this week's post from the George Lucas film, "American Graffiti". Granted, I was in my first 12 months of life back then, so I have zero recollection of anything that went on that year - which is a major bummer because when it came to muscle cars, hot rods, and drag racing as 1962 was one of those truly milestone years.

The infamous Automobile Manufacturers Association (AMA) ban that kept Detroit manufacturers from offering and supplying direct factory support to all aspects of racing was still in effect, but at times one would completely disagree. Pontiac was the most visible violator and by 1962 were known as the performance leader - not just in GM ranks - but throughout the entire industry. Their 421 Super Duty proved almost invincible in both Super Stock as well as A/FX, especially with the influence of Mickey Thompson. Chevrolet, after seeing several years of go-fast enthusiasts waiver over to Pontiac, got serious with their 409 W-motor that would eventually

pump out 425 horsepower.  By the late Spring of 1962, Chrysler developed what would become one of the most potent (non Hemi) V-8 engines in history along side the Super Duty; the 413 Max Wedge. But it would be until almost the end of the year before more of these engines made it into the hands of racers and enthusiasts to truly make a dent in things. With all this rampant horsepower on tap, not only for drag racers, but also available to the general public, one would think this would be the start of the muscle car era. While there's still a great deal of debate on this subject, you have to admit one thing; If these brutal machines didn't start the muscle car wars, then they were all impossible to miss landmarks.

If there was another ban that was showing major cracks, it was the nitro-burning engines of drag racing, especially top fuel diggers. Mickey Thompson, again, delivered a major blow to this ban by inviting these alternative fuel belching beasts back to Lions Dragway, which he operated. In 1962, Mickey Thompson seemed to be everywhere - he was a track and show promoter, racer, equipment manufacturer, and race car builder - on top of his performance affiliation with Pontiac. This was also a great year for dragster innovation. Newer designs, wheelbases were experimented with, and in some cases, aerodynamics.

But 1962 wasn't all muscle cars and drag racing. This also marked the year when the sports car and road course racing fans got their first glimpse and taste of a British-styled roaster that would eventually turn the automotive world on it's ear; the first Carroll Shelby roadster, namely CSX2000, the very first unit produced. This particular model even had temporary lettering in select areas due to delayed arrival of the first "Cobra" emblems. The same car started appearing on magazine covers like Motor Trend by June 1962, and the rest is history. The very first Cobra still exists today and recently sold at auction for a whopping $13.75 million dollars!

If only I was around to purchase one of these beauties brand new...
Until next time, peace out.
Dave

It Doesn't Exist... Or Does It?

I remember working for a computer company back in the 1990's, where my boss gave me one of the most memorable quotes when it came to working in this field (or any other field for that matter); "Documentation is your salvation." Likewise, if there was ever a time in history when myths and folklore were rampant, especially when it came to high performance, it was the 1960's. There were numerous cases where a manufacturer would state that a particular vehicle, engine, or option did not exist, was never offered, or was never built - but yet we see example after example showing otherwise. The problem was, the documentation process was much different 50 years ago. Overall, the job of vehicle production numbers was done satisfactory, but in some cases it was just downright lax.

The late 1950s and early ‘60s weren’t exactly straightforward days for drag racing fans. In 1957, the Automobile Manufacturers Association banned factory-backed racing efforts altogether…yet it still went on behind the scenes. Fast forward to January 1963 when General Motors officially severed its racing ties - again - putting to bed some of the most brutal factory race cars that had ever been built. Case in point; the Super Duty Catalina's that Pontiac had been building for the oval and the drag strip. With that in mind, this car pictured - a Pontiac Catalina Super Duty built in April 1963 - simply should not exist. Yet it does. Somehow, this 1963 Swiss Cheese Catalina was snuck down the production line, presumably when no GM higher-ups were looking, has a finished build date of April 2nd, and designated as a “company car” for engineering purposes.

1967 was a year of change for Dodge and Plymouth. It was the debut year for their official super cars, the Dodge Coronet R/T and the Plymouth GTX. The "street" Hemi was entering it's second year of  production and was advertised heavily in performance oriented magazines. This would be year that Plymouth and Richard Petty would absolutely dominate the banked ovals. With all this success going on, 1967 is also one of the foggiest years for documentation. To help promote (and sell) Chrysler's new muscle cars, the manufacturer discontinued the availability of the 426 Hemi option in the non-performance trim level Coronets as well as the wagon. Ditto with the Plymouth Satellite that didn't have the GTX option, regardless of the configuration of the doors. Yet well over two dozen examples exist, all assembly line built, including convertibles. They're not supposed to exist, but they do.

We all know that Chrysler built in conjunction with the Hurst corporation the most competitive factory drag racer in automotive history - the 1968 Dart and Barracuda. However, due to the Super Stock nature of the beast, there were explicit instructions that these vehicles could not be driven on the street nor registered as such. Besides, all models were pretty much sold to race drivers. So, we know the cars exist, but what about this street driving? Again, there are examples of these beasts hitting the public tarmac legally. The Barrett-Jackson auction is great fro unearthing this kind of stuff. Groove on the bright yellow (and the Pennsylvania inspection / registration sticker) 1968 SS Dart. Imagine driving that rig around in stock form...


Officially, Ford never stuffed its Boss 429 V-8 between the fenders of a Mercury Cougar, but that’s not to say that none were built in this configuration. In fact, two cars destined for the drag strip ran the engine, and the one driven by Don Nicholson was featured at the 2014 Fords at Carlisle. As the Super Stock ranks featured more and more factory support in the late 1960s, Ford was looking for a competitive edge against Chrysler, commissioned skunk works builder

Kar Kraft to build two 1969 Boss 429 Mercury Cougars and then sold them to drag racers “Dyno Don” Nicholson and “Fast Eddie” Schartman for the princely sum of $1 each. The Boss 429 Cougar experiment, however, proved a dismal failure as the cars proved too slow to be competitive, even with additional tuning. Nicholson reportedly swapped engines in his Cougar shortly after taking delivery, opting to run Ford’s single overhead camshaft 427-cu.in. V-8. So - what ever happened to the 2nd Cougar?  Rumor has it, that after Schartman sold the Cougar, it changed hands several times and was eventually registered and street driven in the mid to late 70's.

There are probably many more examples that we haven't brought up here. Share your stories! Would love to hear them!

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Being Damn Cool In Winter

Okay - I'm guilty.

I swore I would never use the word "winter" before the season actually began, but there it is. It's equivalent to using the term "Holiday Season" at the end of October. You know it's coming, why rush it? However, I was actually inspired yesterday by the sum of these two factors; Hot Rods + Winter. As I was proceeding slowly in the drive-thru lane at my local bank on Saturday, I saw a nicely done mid 30's Ford pickup truck in the pharmacy parking spaces right next door. Beautiful flat black paint, savage sounding big block engine, the works. It wasn't mint, but it was far from being a basket case or project in process. I couldn't get out of line fast enough before the driver hopped in his classic ride and took off. Granted, it was a beautiful sunny day, with temps around 53 degrees. For the uninformed, that's a heat wave here in Maine when it's mid-November.

That vision and experience brought me back to a story Hot Rod magazine did a number of years ago. They had a staff member do a road trip from Nashville to L.A., approximately 2000 miles, during the month of January. Did I mention they were driving a topless channeled roadster? With no hood or fenders? When I first read this, a very similar journey immediately went on my bucket list. Their plan was to drive for five days on I-40, with a day or two extra in case of bad weather.

Of course, they ran into one day of rain, ice, and snow. Yes, they experienced one or two mechanical issues, but were very minor by comparison. The wild thing was driving in a topless roadster in 20 something degree weather. Think about that for a moment. Would you do 2,000 miles in a rig like this? So let's say you're not that hardcore. What about doing the same thing in a fully enclosed late 40's street rod?

I would make a trek like that without even blinking an eye. I remember driving my street / strip Mustang in the middle of January (when the temps rose above 35 degrees all day). This was usually the cut-off point. If it was between 25-30 degrees, the engine with its aggressive roller cam really let me know it wasn't happy. If the thermometer dipped below 20 degrees, the Mustang wouldn't even start. I've driven more "civilized" hot rods and muscle cars during the winter, but only as an absolute last resort. My best event to date was driving my '71 Dodge Charger R/T through city traffic with approximately six inches of snow through a majority of intersections because my trusty four wheel drive Bronco was giving me some sort of grief. And the R/T had old-school big ass Mickey Thompson 50 series rear tires. Fish-tailing didn't even begin to describe things. But what a commute!

However, I had the chance back in February 2015 to drive the ultimate winter hot rod - a brand new AWD Chrysler 300C. While it only had the V-6, it did have a nice set of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-80 snow tires on it. With almost 300 horsepower on tap, all-wheel-drive, heated everything, a responsive sport suspension, and weighing in at over 4200 pounds, this thing was literally an unstoppable tank on wheels. I drove that car for weeks when I was a fleet service manager for a large rental company. I managed to get this car by accident... literally. The Ram 2500 my district manager was going to get me was involved in an accident, so this was the next best thing until the truck was fixed. After about four days, I never looked back. Even after the truck was fixed, I didn't want it. No matter what the weather, the car never got crossed up - I got sideways a few times - but that was my own stupidity. If I had about 40 grand I'd buy one; then trade it in before the warranty ran out. With all the bells, whistles, and options, that is one car I would not want to see repair bills on. The maintenance stuff was bad enough...

Until next time, chill out.
Dave

Veteran Cars

This Veterans Day has been especially thought provoking. I attended a ceremony yesterday in central Massachusetts with my wife and family to honor her deceased father for his service in the Vietnam War, which also happened to be the 50th anniversary of the start of the conflict. That war was always surrounded by conflict. Technically, American soldiers were in Southeast Asia for a couple of years before the US government "recognized" it as more than a police action. We all know of the protests, the disrespect, and the lack of recognition those brave men and women faced when they came home from Vietnam. It was not pretty. Yesterday, my wife's father as well as over 120 veterans finally received the long overdue recognition for their service.

Have you ever read stories about how a young man purchased a new muscle car, but then had to store it because he was drafted, shipped overseas? You read further where he had big plans for the vehicle upon his return, but never did. I had the chance to talk to an elderly couple some 30+ years back about the 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner their then 18-year old son purchased brand new only to be drafted a month or so later. It was way more haunting to actually hear the story and view the car, which the young man's parents still had.

The Roadrunner was immaculate after all those years. The young man's father routinely washed, waxed, and kept it clean. He had it serviced twice a year by the same old school mechanic, who was also a good friend. Whatever fuel was left in it after 12 months, it would be drained and replenished with another tank full. The father drove the vehicle once a month to keep all the vehicle systems in working order. I remember opening the doors to look at the interior; that new Chrysler vinyl smell was ever present. There wasn't even 2,000 miles on the odometer. When I closed the doors gently, they still had that new car click. The vehicle wore the few modifications the young man did to the vehicle before he left - the mag wheels, the headers on the big block engine, and a peace sign decal on the drivers side rear vent window. It not only left me in awe but it was very haunting and sad.

But what about the veterans who did return? When looking at muscle cars, it's impossible to argue which one was the weapon of choice. One reason is because the war dragged on for years and new models were coming out annually. One thing that is for certain, is that a high performance cars were an important purchase for them. Whether it was to reclaim the youth they lost when they went oversees, or just to enjoy the extraordinary feelings those cars gave them. Perhaps is was to forget, for a little while anyway, what they had went thru, or it might have been the models they picked because they had dreamed about them while in service.

Again, we salute them, welcome them home now if they were not welcomed home as they should have been back then, and are thankful that we can enjoy the cars we love today because of their service, and all other servicemen in the past, present, and future. We salute you.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

What Are Voting For Again?

A friend of mine posted on Facebook this past week - "You know this election is really bad when my atheist friends are saying; "Thank God this is almost over." And so it is..." While we here at Full Throttle are not taking sides, (are there any sides to take?), it got me to thinking about some of the same BS the automotive industry has gone through. And true to form, when we human beings get involved, some of the deepest BS has been self-imposed.

Now, before the hate mail comes flying in, let me do some clarifying - the automotive industry and especially the racing industry have made a vast amount of improvements throughout the decades that are way too numerous to count that have not only saved lives, but have bettered the industries as well. The problem seems, is there never really is (or has been) a balance. First always comes a burst of innovation in one area, then there's a period of correction to allow things to catch up or balance out. Two classic examples were NASCAR racing from the early 60's, and funny cars from the late 60's.

In regards to NASCAR, as the tracks got better, and engine power was rocketing through the roof, speeds were increasing rapidly. Track records were being broken faster than store-front windows during an inner-city riot. Drivers were complaining the cars were getting too fast and more than a handful to drive. The problem was, tire technology as well as chassis, steering, and suspension setups were not keeping pace with engine power and smoother tracks. Tire blowouts were very common as were blisters on drivers hands after the race. It took a few years, but things finally balanced out. But not before a few lives were lost due to the imbalance.

Taking a brief look at funny cars from 1966-1968, not only were they crude, but twitchy as hell. Did I mention also rather unpredictable? Many a driver like Don Nicholson, "Fast" Eddie Schartman, and Dick Landy got out of the funny car scene due to one too many close calls and back into Pro Stock. Schartman recalls when he got his first look at his flip-top 1966 Mercury Comet funny car; “I walked in there, looked at the car, and said, ‘What the hell is this?’ It was a dragster with a body on it and the driver in the back seat and not the front seat, where you belong. I told them, ‘I can’t drive something like that.’ My car would run 125 mph, but these things would do more than 160. They were a real handful; they never wanted to go straight. On my first pass, I went 166 mph and took out the finish-line lights. It took me several runs to get the hang of it and actually keep the damn thing in my lane. People loved them, the demand to see them race went through the roof; the phone was always off the hook. But, man, those cars were nuts."

Now - getting back to the BS - mostly people. If there's anything more dangerous than enemies with an ax to grind, it's fickle friends, as Bill France and NASCAR found out in 1957. By that point, the auto companies (mainly the performance divisions) were heavily involved with stock car racing. Basically, it boiled down to pure marketing. Cars that ran well in NASCAR tended to sell well too. The Automobile Manufacturing Association, a group comprised of the heads of most major car companies, took a rather dim view of the horsepower wars. To help appease their concerns, Bill France banned the use of superchargers and fuel injection. In a rather surprising move, he also banned the car companies from using race results in their advertising.

But on May 19th, 1957, tragedy struck the Grand National event run at the Martinsville Speedway. Billy Myers was leading the race in his Mercury when he collided with a lapped car driven by Tom Pistone. Myers' Mercury was sent spinning and cannon-balled through the guard rail and a fence, becoming airborne. That was bad enough - what resulted should have never happened. There was a big sign right there that clearly read "NO Spectators." But there were people gathered around that area to enjoy an up close view of the race and Myers' car struck seven of them, four being seriously injured, including an eight year old boy. The race was red flagged to let the medics attend to the injured, and never resumed because of rain. The wire services and other media quickly broadcast the tragedy in time for the evening news and morning papers. Most accounts included a note that Myers was driving a Mercury, and that's not the sort of publicity the auto maker needed. The media seemed to forget the no spectator area aspect of the story as well.

The rest is history. A few weeks later the AMA met, and on June 6th, 1957 they reached an accord. All the major auto manufacturers agreed that they would no longer have any association with or support auto racing of any sort. At least until 1960-61 when Pontiac and Chevrolet couldn't take it anymore. Things would continue to evolve, especially when it came to racing. The safety changes that would occur over the next 10 years would be staggering.

Maybe that's what we need to do - put a ban on all things political for approximately 4 years, let things chill out, and have the balance be somewhat restored. Then maybe things might change for the better. It just depends on us people.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

You Only Die Once

I remember reading that exact heading in a magazine editorial that was published well over 20 years ago. The main focus of that editorial was on that unique vehicle called a hearse. But not just any hearse - it highlighted some funeral home services where you're last ride would be in a vintage 30's, 40's, or 50's GM, Ford, or Chrysler hearse. The editor who wrote that piece figured you only died once. Why take your last ride in some generic modern hearse, (or worse a Dodge Caravan hearse), when you could literally go out in high style. Their are still a vast amount of these funeral homes offering these "stylin" options all across the country - some even in hot rod style rigs. As gearheads, is there really any other choice? It may be a kinda bizarre Google search, but go for it.

Before writing this weeks post, I looked back through the history of Full Throttle. Why I never wrote about the incredible popularity of modified and hot rod hearses escaped me. As many genre's we have in our vintage car-loving hobby, there seems to be the same number of genre's within the hearse realm. Everything from full-on stock restorations, to hot rods, street rods and rat rods, to incredible drag cars. There are car shows that highlight these unique rides - nothing else is allowed to display, with the occasional deviance being ambulances. One of the best in the country is Hearsecon held yearly, with 2016 being in Denver Colorado. (Photo courtesy of HearseClub.com)

I think most of our readers have heard the likes of the hot rod hearse. Usually a vintage 50's or 60's black Cadillac, that many times has blown big block engine power as well as flames painted on the side. But I also mentioned rat rods and street rods. Case in point this chopped and channeled circa 30's Ford Model A Tudor. Would be perfect with a chopped coffin as well. Think of the possibilities and the uniqueness. You'd be the only one in Forest Lawn with that shit. Classic resto looks, and massive street rod style; what's not to love?

Another aspect you don't see too often is the hearse in the drag racing arena. After all, most of these specialty vehicles are 22 feet long, although the shear volume of rear overhang would add to the traction and hooking at the starting line aspects. But there are examples out there - one rocks to the tune of 9-second quarter mile times. Say what? The devious masterminds at AMS Performance claim Madness, a sinister, black Caprice professional wagon, is both the world's fastest and quickest hearse and is capable of screaming down a quarter-mile drag strip in under 10 seconds. Being a professional wagon, means it has all the full-tilt hearse equipment - from the special interior to the landau roof. While they took some liberties with the paint job, this behemoth still weighs a ton - more than 2 1/2 to be exact - tipping the scales at more than 5,000 lbs. But that's fine; when you're running 23 psi of boost, the turbocharged GM 6.0-liter LQ4 V8 engine puts over 1,000 horsepower to the rear wheels. It's enough to make the last ride you'll ever take one of your fastest: 0-60 mph comes in 2.26 seconds (a good 1.3 seconds faster than an E63 AMG wagon, and good luck fitting a casket in the back of one of those). 0-100 mph takes just 5.20 seconds. A quarter-mile flies by in 9.94 seconds at 137.36 mph.

If this doesn't at least tickle your fancy or bake your cookies, you probably don't have a pulse - and you should be riding in the back of one of these beauties anyways...

Until next time, peace out.
Happy Halloween!
Dave

What If...

I've been glancing at a number of articles this week in various magazines and inadvertently they all had the theme of "what if...". The articles ranged from the last-minute fallout of the Ford-Ferrari deal way back in 1963, to the beginning of the oil embargo which started this month back in 1973, to muscle car engines that were planned and even built, but never saw production. It got me to thinking about alternative realities, or what would have happened if...


One outcome we know for certain after Enzo Ferrari pulled the plug at the last minute on Henry Ford and the deal they literally had in writing back in 1963; the Ford GT-40. Now, what if that deal went through? The proposal was, for a price of $10 million dollars (this is back in 1963, remember?), Ford would have owned half of Ferrari. My belief is, there wouldn't have been a GT-40 built, but instead perhaps a Ford sports car body with Ferrari drive-train. I think it would have been similar to the short marriage Ford had with Alejandro de Tomaso and his Pantera that was imported by Lincoln-Mercury in 1973. If anything, if that 1963 deal had become reality, we probably would have prancing horses on Mustangs instead of galloping ones.

If you ever want to seriously set foot into "what if..." territory, look no further than some of the muscle car engines that Detroit had planned, but never built back in the 1960's through the early 70's. Some of these motors are more well-known than others, like the Ball-Stud Hemi that Chrysler hoped to put into production sometime between 1971 and 1973. More powerful than the 440 Magnum running with a single Carter Thermo-quad carburetor, it even had lower compression (9.5:1) to run on unleaded fuel. It would have been a fantastic high performance motor for the early '70's. Unfortunately, due to financial restrictions and government pressure, only a handful were built and it is believed only one is still in existence today.

But let's dig deeper. Ever hear of the 421 SOHC engine that Pontiac was experimenting with back in 1964? Or how about the 1969 Plymouth Weslake DOHC engine? Or perhaps the Oldsmobile DOHC W43 engine developed in 1969 in case the muscle car wars really got intense? Let's start with the Pontiac.

This mystery engine is probably the easiest to shed light on. Most likely prompted by its development of the now-famous Pontiac OHC six cylinder engine of the mid-60's, the GM division built three different experimental SOHC 421 CID V8  engines in early 1964. According to the engineers who worked on the project, the SOHC 421 engines produced around 625 hp and were capable of turning 7,000 rpm. One version of the engine featured camshafts driven off the front of the engine, another design had the cams driven by gears off the back of the engine. Rumor has it, at least one of these engines survives under the hood of an engineer’s personal Pontiac.

Moving onto Plymouth. This one gets a little more complicated; It’s unknown whether this project was purely for racing, or Plymouth had the intent to offer the motor in a street car at some point. Following the 1968 season, Richard Petty announced he was leaving Chrysler and going to Ford for the 1969 NASCAR season. The money allocated for Petty was used to develop the Plymouth Indy DOHC V8. Design work began in February 1969 and running engines were provided to Andy Granatelli’s STP race team less than 90 days later.
The designer of the special cylinder heads was Harry Weslake, a British engineer best known for his expertise in gas flow through internal combustion engines.Unfortunately, the engine lacked top-end horsepower necessary to compete at the high speed oval tracks, but it had plenty of bottom-end torque which made it quite competitive on the short oval. In fact, Art Pollard drove the Plymouth-Westlake engine to victory at the 200-mile Indy car race at Dover, Delaware on August 24, 1969. This would turn out to be the only victory for Plymouth in the history of Indy Car racing.

Finally, the Oldsmobile DOHC W43 or what is more commonly referred to as the "doomsday" muscle car engine. As part of the development of the 455 V-8, Olds engineers wanted to take the design of the engine as far as possible. The ultimate version added a set of dual overhead camshaft cylinder heads to the mighty engine. A gear drive supported by roller bearings in an aluminum gear case at the front of the motor spun the cams, while a drive-shaft was used in the standard camshaft position to transmit motion to the oil pump and distributor.
Toward the end of 1969, engineers dyno tested the DOHC W43, built with a high (even by late 60's standards) 12.2:1 compression ratio, and recorded a very flat (and fat) torque curve. Olds engineers recorded peak power at a whopping 700 horsepower at close to 7000 rpm. But in January 1970, General Motors President Edward N. Cole  announced that all GM divisions would lower the compression of their motors so 91 octane unleaded fuel could be used, and development stopped on the DOHC Olds. Can you imagine a 700 horse 4-4-2? Or what other manufacturers would've come out with to combat this engine? It makes ones skin tingle.

In my opinion, much of this development seed is planted by racing, and drag racing specifically. One of the biggest "what if's..." is TV Tommy Ivo's “Showboat”. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Tommy Ivo, he acted in series of television shows, some for a few episodes, others for a season or two, in the 1950's when he was a kid. While Ivo was no James Dean he was a great self-promoter and drag racing fanatic. After his TV career dried up, he build a twin-engined dragster that set a number of records. But that wasn’t enough. In 1961, Ivo (now nicknamed TV Tommy) created a beast that drag racing has never again seen the likes of.  With four (yes four) Buick “nailhead” V8 engines, Ivo’s all-wheel drive dragster was a monster that he named the “Showboat”. The engines on the left side drove the front wheels, while the engines on the right powered the rear wheels. The net total was1,856 cubic inches of displacement generating about 2,000 horsepower. Concerned that four-engined cars might become the norm, the NHRA relegated the “Showboat” to an exhibition class and limited Top Fuel cars to one engine. The one-off dragster faded into the history books when the Detroit manufacturers started getting heavily involved with exhibition classes, mainly A/FX. But can you imagine if 4-engine dragsters became the norm? Would this have led to six or even eight engine diggers? It boggles the mind.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

"Hello - I'm A _______ And This Is My Story"

The reason for the blank is where one would fill in the year, make, and model of a specific American vintage automobile. Picture a bunch of
pre-'75 Detroit iron sitting in a circular row of chairs, starting their story with this opening line. Although I was clueless about this concept as a kid growing up in suburbia in northern New Jersey, now I look back through the time glass of life, and this statement has never rung more true. As I've said before; this is one of the major reasons why I like beaters so much. They are original and unrestored. They have lived the car life and have the scars to show it.

Once a particular year, make, and model was underway with their history, within the first minute, they would probably expound on a particular owner - original or otherwise. A few examples that pop into my head are as follows: One is a friend of mine when we were just pups in said suburbia. He had an older brother, (he was the youngest of six), who purchased an rather worn 1957 Chevy Bel Air back in 1968 and promptly turned the pedestrian coupe into a full-on A/FX Gasser. He didn't even touch the faded paint. The car was all function.

The other example was my next door neighbor in the

same suburbia neighborhood one year earlier. He purchased a new Plymouth GTX with the 426 Hemi engine in 1967, bombed around in it for a few weeks, then spent about a about five nights and one weekend, turning it into a drag strip terror. I remembered when he fired up the GTX in his garage... complete with open headers. It nearly blew the windows out the structure. Even though it sounded savage, it ran perfectly. It was a cross between a Swiss watch and an atomic bomb. Can you imagine the stories those two vehicles could tell?

I was reading in Hot Rod Magazine just about month ago regarding Drag Week 2016. While there is the usual assortment of beaters in the mix, there are some that stand out, including one that hasn't been seen for a while, nor the team of guys campaigning it (or one like it to my knowledge). Aside from the patina-laden, crazy-ass, twin turbo '69 Chevelle SS that received tons of ink, two of favorite real-world street-strip drag cars are Shane McClelland's 1962 twin turbo Nova which made some serious noise a year or two ago, as well as the 1959 Pontiac Catalina campaigned by Brent "Buck" McCoy and his team.

The Nova wore well-loved faded white paint, had some surface rust along the rocker panels, but carried some cues to it's true nature. As beat as the Nova was, you couldn't help but notice the purpose drag wheels, modern gauges, and trick roll cage. McCoy's Catalina, however, was at the opposite end of the spectrum. It was a 4-door sedan, adorned with rust, patina, and faded paint on every flank. Aside from the rear slicks, you would never guess this boat ran in the 10 second bracket. Even the front wheels had the plain factory hubcaps. To cap off the look, Buck and his team even dressed in overalls and straw hats. There goes the neighborhood...

When these two cars rolled off the assembly line, GM had no idea that cars like these could be recreated into what you see before you. Again, I have nothing against restored vehicles. In fact, they can spawn new ideas for our hot rodding hobby and community. On the flipside, you've been warned - the next time you see a cool hot rod or street rod and it doesn't carry off a sense of pristine, don't write it off as simply another rat rod.  It may be an automotive lifer that also has an incredible amount of knowledge to share. Or perhaps some macked out street machine that will deal you a dose of humility...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Unsung Hereos

I mentioned last weekend that the blog post got shelved because I was photographing so many cars that weekend, I just didn't have time to write. One week later, as I type this, I'm still processing the last few remaining pictures. I think I've also processed the last remaining hot rod ideas that just won't work, out of my head. All these ideas came to me while attending and photographing various car shows. During the past five days, I searched the following (and a few more than what's listed) on Craigslist as well as Racing Junk:
 - Gasser
 - School bus
 - Panel delivery truck
 - 31 Ford model A (again)

Somehow, I also stumbled across an ad for a 1984 International S1700 that's in very good condition for cheap money. I even reasoned with one of the lines in the ad: "Under 16,000 pounds - no CDL required." Bonus!

As I slowly but surely work these half-baked ideas out of my grey-matter, I have to be reminded of an absolute truth that my wife says from time to time; "We have a perfectly good car now." And while it may not be as glamorous as a muscle car, street rod, or rat rod, our current ride has served it's purpose so well, it doesn't owe me a dime. Maybe the car is paying me back, where a number of winters ago, I dug it out of a snow bank, paid $300 bucks for it, replaced a few parts over the years, and have proceeded to rack up almost 50,000 miles. Did I mention the odometer is almost at 200K now? It's still a comfy car, the heated leather seats still work, the Chrysler 3.5 HO engine can muster a few ponies and can tach up to 5,500 rpm every once in a while with relative ease. The JVC stereo in it is worth more than what I paid for the thing, and I can knock down about 22mpg. As far as daily drivers go, it's an unsung hero.

These heroes can come in all years, makes and models. Ever hear the story of the 1969 Shelby GT500 that has over 400,000 thousand miles on it? And it's still going on the original big block engine and top-loader 4speed? Granted, it's been through three clutches, one radiator, two carburetor rebuilds, almost two dozen brake pads, a timing chain, a cylinder head freshening, and more preventative maintenance you can shake a bunch of sticks at. It's been driven (and shifted) so much that the clutch fork also wore out - bent from use and fatigue - that the mechanic who replaced it had never seen that before. The vehicle is driven quite a bit less than when it was new. But back in 1969 and throughout the '70's, it was just another car.

Or how about the Gasser-influenced flip front 1940 Ford that Glen Krapff has owned for decades? He purchased it for a mere $50 bucks back in November 1962. The dash and interior paint is still original. The seats are from a 1966 GTO that was wrecked in 1969. They've never been recovered. The exterior paint was applied in 1971 - looking good with just a little fading. The blown big block Chevy has been in the family for over 30 years. Still crankin' thank you very much. And no, this is not a low-mileage, rarely driven rig; it has well over 100,000 miles... way over.

Now that I think about it, I was on Racing Junk earlier today. I saw this nice '32 5-window street rod with an East Coast style channel and no-chop roof. Literally turn key. Maybe I could convince my wife that this hot rod could the next "unsung hero" in the stable. I didn't think so either...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

I'll Just Have To Win The Lottery

My wife should know better - she said to me the other day, "... we should start thinking about getting another vehicle." It may take her a little while, usually about 15 seconds, when she'll clarify as to the need and utility of this potential purchase. Where we currently live is very close (walking distance) to numerous amenities - you name it; shopping of any type, her art studio, the library, the ocean and boardwalk, restaurants, our friends, the list goes on. No, I'm not trying to sell you my house. My point is, for about eight months out of the year, we can truly get by with only one car. The other four months it's a little bit of a stretch. Over the past four years, all of the other toys (read: potential 2nd vehicles) have been sold; the antique Chevy truck, the Mustang, as well as the motorhome. The only rig in the stable is a Chrysler 300. We love the car and it has performed very well for us, but it's steaming towards 200,000 miles. It will make it without breaking a sweat, but at some point, it will do just that - break... and break hard. I'm talking about the transmission or head gaskets eventually giving up the ghost. I won't fix it mainly because the car just isn't worth my time and expense.

Me, in my infinite wisdom, thinks a 3-car scenario is the best way to go; his, hers, and the spare in case one of vehicles has to be repaired, which is always inevitable. Recently, two problems have arisen from this thought process; One, I currently don't have the space for three vehicles. The second problem, at least my wife thinks so, is in my world, the "spare" vehicle always comes in the form of an antique vehicle. I was at a car show last Friday evening, and in Maine, one thing is for sure when the calendar flips over to September - lots of antique hot rods get christened with a "For Sale" sign. It's almost like a right of passage into Autumn. One vehicle in  particular caught my attention which I never thought it would; a 1949 DeSoto, which was a very presentable driver that could be had for just over $6200. It was adorned with a cool shade of blue (my wife loves that color) and the fact it had the optional wood-grain and chrome dash. I instantly went into dream mode of dropping in a stout Chrysler big block, beefier automatic and a after-market rear end. Add a few custom Auto-Meter gauges, throw on some boss wheels and tires and... BAM! Dependable 3rd vehicle. Of course, you may also realize I went through this same process last week with a '29 Ford Tudor and I didn't have to do any work to! Just drive it!

Then reality hits but denial supplies more solutions. Fact - I don't have the space for three vehicles, never mind the room to modify one.  Denial solution - I can modify it at the garage I work at and park it there until it's done. Fact - with my regular work schedule as well as the time spent with my Vintage V8 Photography side business, I don't have the time to do this before the snow flies. Denial solution - we'll "make time" and eagerly get assistance from co-workers while completely ignoring the fact they they also have lives to live. Fact - your wife is totally not going to go for this. Buy the dependable '98 Camry that's cheap (over $4700 less) and a cake-walk to work on. Make your life easy, for once. The hot rod will come again at the right place, at the right time. Denial solution - the Camry is NOT the DeSoto... or the Ford... or that '65 Chevelle from last month. Make your yourself happy for once.

Then I realize once again that if I'm no good without any of those cool rides, I'm not going to be any good with them. The Camry (or some other cheap transportation) will get me from point A to B, even if it is about as exciting as watching the grass grow. And, if something happens to it, who cares? You should've seen me when the head gaskets went on the Mustang all of a sudden a few years back. Losing my shit was not an accurate enough term. It was not pretty. With all head gaskets, the cylinder heads had to be milled to insure their surface was tack straight. Ever mill a set of AFR aluminum heads? Talk about being nervous.

Then I have the quick thought of I'll just have to win the lottery. That would solve all my problems. I could purchase as many vehicles as I wanted AND have room to house them as well as work on them. I could even have that vintage Gasser I've always dreamed off. Yeah... okay. I don't think that would be such a hot idea. Why? Because I know me well enough, that's why.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave