What? Why?

I was asked these exact questions in a text I received this week from a good friend of mine. I had posted a picture on Facebook detailing the right front headlight area on a beat-up 1959 Dodge Custom Royal that was awaiting a serious restoration at a garage in a nearby town. She didn't fully understand why I took such a tight, detailed photograph of this heap until I explained more of the details. Details like rust, patina, the concept of weathered objects in a life-after-people throw away society - and the fact it's one of several niche genres I digitally capture and then hopefully sell reprints of later on.

It's the same deal here - What? Why? I've been asked this multiple times as to why I write and photograph what I do. First off, I love what I write about - I have been a fan of muscle cars, street rods and 60's era drag racing since I was a kid. Growing up in the 60's and 70's definitely helped. Owning and being involved with classic Detroit iron for almost 40 years has also been a plus. Lastly, I have a yen for any type of motor-sports and hot rodding that's totally off the wall. If it contains mega-wow factor or makes me laugh my ass of while I'm engaging in it, all the better. Is it safe to say that I drool over off the hook hot rods and/or rat rods? Or really odd-ball muscle cars? Or how about muscle cars that were "never built" by the factory, but in fact, several documented examples actually exist? You betcha. You want weird, but hilarious motor-sports? On it - that's why I did a blurb on Barbie Jeep racing.

Speaking of rare, odd-ball muscle cars, ever hear the story of the two 1970 Olds Vista Cruiser wagons that were built with all the 4-4-2 option hardware including the W-30 455 V-8 engine? While one of the wagons whereabouts is still unknown as of this writing, the other one is believed to be alive and well in a private collection. While the model was never offered to the public, two Vista Cruiser Wagon were built by Oldsmobile as a 4-4-2 with the W-30 package. The engine was a 370 HP 455 CID V-8  producing a diesel-like 500 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm. Other W-30 features included the now-incredibly rare lightweight air induction W-25 fiberglass hood. After both Vista Cruiser's were built, they were taken off the assembly line by Oldsmobile Engineering and turned into W30s with all of the special 442 parts, before being handed over to Popular Hot Rodding magazine for testing. Nicknamed “The Wonder Wagons”. Along the way, one wagon was snapped up by the late Oldsmobile expert Joe Mondello, who owned the car until his death in 2011. The other wagon was reported to have been shipped to Car Life magazine in Japan and is believed to have been sold to someone in that country.

It seems street rods in these modern times carry less shock value and more wow-appeal. There have been some builds lately that do more than raise the bar - they define a balance between unparallel workmanship and rolling art. But every once in a while, one comes along and totally upsets the apple cart - and I feel that's a good thing. Take for example this 1929 Tudor hot rod. Never mind the chopped and channel job that's been done. Dig the open exhaust... or the fact is has no front brakes. That's right - zero. Only rear brakes. It may say 28 C/G for a certain Gasser class in drag racing, but this beast is street driven regularly.

Now, how about strange but true motor-sports. How strange?  How about drag-racing motorcycles made of farm equipment? Summertime snowmobiling in Wisconsin? Did I mention tractor-trailer drifting? Since mankind’s earliest days, the never-ending quest to somehow go faster has always been a powerful force. But somewhere along the line, something went a bit haywire. Either by coincidence, accident, or defiance, automotive enthusiasts have taken unsuspecting forms of transportation and modified them into some pretty bizarre styles of racing.

 - Our first example is a brilliant blend of farm equipment, bored country folk, tractor pulls, motorcycles, and good 'ol drag racing ingenuity. Outside of a few suspension tweaks and some seriously knobby tires, these bikes are the exact same thing you see drag racing at the local strip, with 1200+ cc motors, some outfitted with nitrous, and even the occasional turbocharger upping the ante.

 -  First held in Grantsburg, Wisconsin back in July of 1977, the obscure form of racing commonly referred to as summer sledding, has been held every year since its inception. Originally designed as a challenge to see who could make it 300 feet from the island on Memory Lake to the shore, this oddity has since transformed into a competition where over 100 racers compete in both drags and ovals, with an eight-lap championship run capping things off. In a sport like this it’s a “sink or skim” experience, so these snowmobiles often get stripped-down and beefed-up before being unleashed on a lake.

 -  Words simply cannot describe our last entry. The sport of drifting is obviously nothing new. But when a 15,000-pound big-rig with over 1,100 horsepower shreds a course, it makes regular cars look like yawn city. Piloted by Michiel Becx, who was also the brains behind the Becx-TDS Racing team, a video is the only way to truly capture this beacon of automotive ingenuity and driver prowess while behind the wheel. The video is 6+ minutes long, but is truly amazing. https://youtu.be/OT8Eh7BBqOQ

Until next time, stay crazy.
Dave

Rain Dates And Delays

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said, "... into each life some rain must fall". That is ringing more than true as I write this. It is pouring like a bastard. While numerous local meteorologists will mention that we need the rain, a gamut of vintage automobile enthusiasts wish the liquid sunshine occurred while we're working during the week. Looking back over the past two months however, I must admit, the weather has been spectacular here in coastal Maine. This has led to more car buffs than usual to bring out their Detroit iron that they may not have done otherwise. But what do you do when the skies open up, sometimes unexpectedly? We live with it, and drive our hot rods anyway.

While some enthusiasts will disagree with me, I will always give kudos to the "more hardcore" group who are not afraid to drive when the sky is crying. I remember when I owned my street / strip Mustang that was a borderline drag car - people used to ask me how I could drive it in the rain, especially when I knew it was in the forecast? Well, first off, the vehicle was water tight - even with it's aftermarket sunroof driving through a car wash. Second of all, it had wipers. That's what they were intended for. At times, it did get a bit entertaining keeping all the windows defrosted, because much of the original Ford HVAC system had been removed in the pursuit of speed, but I managed.

One of the biggest car shows of the season here in Maine is still taking place this weekend. The organization does not do rain dates. The only time they do, is if there's REALLY adverse weather in the forecast - like hurricanes, severe thunderstorms with hail, or tornadoes. Their theory is, if it poses a substantial threat to participants, then let's not be that stupid. But some moderate steady rain? No problem. This museum still believes in the creed of a vehicle is meant to be enjoyed as well as driven. Yes, the number of vehicles this year will be much thinner compared to previous years, but a hardy 50-75 vehicles will still show up. It's still a bummer more don't brave the elements - normally there's 600+ vehicles.

Major drag racing events have fallen victim to Mother Nature. Whether you're old enough or not, ever read about the 1962 NHRA Winter Nationals that were held out in Pamona California? Why this particular year? Because this was one of those rare times when the elements win out. Rain delayed the event for a week. Event organizers were worried that most of the scheduled and registered participants would not stick around for when the weather finally cleared. Don't forget - this was when the NHRA was in it's infancy. Every event, participant, and spectator counted. But, history would show that drag racers were just as hardy as other sports enthusiasts. Ninety percent of the people registered stuck it out until the skies cleared and the event was history in the making. The '62 Winter Nationals was where many us first witnessed A/FX cars as well as classic muscle cars featuring a plethora of high performance like 409 V-8 Chevy's, 421 Super Duty Pontiac's, 406 6-barrel Fords, and the crazy 413 cubic inch Max Wedge from Chrysler. Dragsters and some drivers were finally coming into their own. It was a memorial and historical time.

Face it - it's only rain. One of these days, we're all bound to get caught in it whether we plan to or not. We're not going to melt and neither is the ride. Don't let the weather be a total buzz kill. Get out and enjoy your street rod, muscle car or truck, rat rod, or vintage ride. Besides - we'll be complaining how cold it is in less than six months anyways...

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Freedom

Freedom; noun - the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint to oneself and/or to others. When it comes to high performance vehicles of any genre - be it muscle cars, rat rods, or any custom hot rod build - freedom can be a tough exercise to execute even if you own the rig you're restoring, or modifying, or building. I can remember when I owned a '79 Chevy C-10 and it was finally time to paint it. It took me a year to figure out the paint scheme and colors I wanted and after that, it took several friends and myself nine months to pull it off in our spare time - but it was all worth it. However, if I had a dollar for every piece of free advise, or suggestion, or recommendation, I could take 2 weeks vacation from work... and that was just on the paint job. Some people were upset that I didn't use all Chevy colors (only the orange was a Corvette color) or that I didn't paint it Hugger Orange like everyone else did. The kicker was, after I sold it, there were about 4-5 other trucks rather similar to it...

I received similar "guidance" in regards to the engine, transmission, tires, and wheels, but nothing compared to when I totally customized the interior. Many people didn't understand what I was doing while it was in process, but when it was finished, they loved it. However, there were some who hated it - and sternly advised me to change it back to stock. The picture to the left is very close to what I did, minus the seats, as I've lost most of the pictures taken back then to a massive computer crash. I've always been one to follow the "dare to be different" mode. Think about it - if we all did the same thing when it came to our hot rods, where would be be? It's a rabbit hole I do not wish to venture down.

I belong to several photography groups on Facebook, and the two I post to the most involve cars as well as other objects and landscapes that just reek of rust, patina, or that are weathered, etc. I think this one reason why, as I've noted before, I am so attracted to beaters and vintage Detroit iron that has been graced by patina.

While a beautifully restored muscle car or street rod will ring my bell, one that is original with patina and is weathered, will ring a whole bunch of them. I find myself, especially at photo shoots at car shows and cruise-ins, gravitating towards the rusty stuff. In fact, at the last two cruise-ins I attended, there were guys with pickups and flatbeds that offered far-from-pristine vintage car parts for sale. It ranged from flat-head Ford valve covers to an early 50's Olds Rocket 88 hood. I shot more pictures of the wares they were selling than any other vehicle. Needless to say, it made for interesting, but cool, conversation. It's freedom to photograph what I want.


I was reading an article this weekend about how a guy came to own and modify a 1929 Dodge Gasser style hot rod. While the 3" chop was already done and it was a very solid foundation to work with, it did not have an engine or transmission, as well as zero floor boards... and I mean nothing. However, the article went on to say that he had the freedom to built it the way he wanted to. In fact, he used a ton of miscellaneous other parts and cobbled together a ride where the end result was extremely reet. 

I also had a chance to watch Havana Motor Club via iTunes download. In a nutshell, this documentary tells the story of Cuba's vibrant underground drag racing community that's pretty much been in existence for the past 55+ years. While a great deal is spoken in Spanish, you don't need an interpreter to follow or relate to this movie. In a socialist country that, for the most part is rather poor, the ingenuity and the dare to be different mentality can be mind boggling. Many racers and mechanics make their own parts. Another racer uses an engine that he recovered from the ocean floor that was used in a ship that used to smuggle Cubans to America. Not every vehicle is pristine or American. But that doesn't matter - it can't. It is a true "united we stand, divided we fall" type situation. These people create freedom where there is little to none. 

Live, engage, and be grateful for your freedoms, people. And those freedoms don't include ridiculing  and/or mocking others negatively who don't happen to agree with you. That's not utilizing your freedom... that's you being an asshole. 

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

How Did We Ever Survive As Kids?

If you're old enough to remember the sixties and/or the early seventies, and you were under the age of twelve at any point during that time frame, can you recall anything cool but dangerous - let me clarify; what is considered "dangerous" in today's society - that you experienced in an automobile? One example that came to mind recently, I was going through some old photos taken back around 1970 (note: not the one on left) when I lived in northern New Jersey. We had a cool neighbor named Jerry that lived down the street who had a 1962 Chevy C-10 (he also had a 1957 Chevy that he built into an altered wheelbase drag car - that's why he was cool). With the company of his wife and about 8-10 kids from our block piled in the bed of the truck, we all trekked the mile or so almost every Sunday evening in the summer to go down to the local ice cream stand. Jerry drove - his wife Louise, tried to keep some resemblance of order. We all just laughed. Other neighbors used to wave at all of us as we cruised by. We thought nothing of it. Were we crazy, or was it a safer time with less cars and maniacs on the road, or were we just plain stupid? Try the kids in the pickup bed today, someone will call 9-1-1 on you and if you're caught, you'll probably end up doing jail time.

This also got me to thinking, just how on Earth did we survive as kids, or taking it further, how did people in general survive some of the muscle car offerings during this era as well as the heroes of drag racing when they got their start back in the 1950's? Another example from my childhood, was the 1967 Dodge Dart my Aunt Bea owned. It was a snazzy 2-door GT model with a 273 small block V-8 and bucket seats. Ah, those seats - not only were they vinyl, but they had these metal medallions sewn into the seats smack dab in the middle of where one would sit. In the summer time, the hot vinyl would burn your legs, but those medallions were like branding irons. It didn't matter that the car had A/C or if the windows were rolled down. The damage would already be done.

I can remember a few other firsts; like the first time I rode shotgun in a 1968 Plymouth GTX that had a modified 426 Hemi pushing about 600 horses under the hood. I ended up purchasing that car after the test drive, (I drove way more conservatively than the current owner did. Mainly because I didn't own it yet), but I remember thinking how mind-blowing it was that a Detroit manufacturer actually unleashed and sold a beast like this to anyone in the general public, brand new, if you had around $4000. An even scarier thought was back in the fall of 1967,

just about all these cars had crappy 14-inch bias ply tires (if you were lucky, some GTX's came through with 15-inch wheels), marginal steering & suspension, and drum brakes. I also recall when I went to a local drag strip for the first time in the late 60's and seeing a top fuel dragster up close. You see, back then, it was no big deal for the fans to mingle with the drivers and crew chiefs in the pits. I truly believe we were way smarter back then in regards to leaving them alone and let them do their work. By following some unwritten code of respect, you could literally watch over the shoulders of Don Garlits, Dick Landy, Don Nicholson, Butch Leal, Gene Snow, and many other greats. Today, that is unthinkable.

I still vividly remember looking inside the cockpit of a front-engine dragster. It blew my mind that the rear axle housing was literally between your legs, as well as the 1000+ horsepower nitro-fed engine and racing clutch were right at your feet. For some reason, even at the tender age of seven, I rationalized if the engine and/or clutch blew up, it was only your feet. But if the rear differential blew up, it was your oompa-loompa's that took the direct hit. My young mind obviously didn't make the connection that if any of these components blew up in a fiery explosion that the chances of surviving were pretty much nil anyways. It wouldn't be until 1971 when Garlits debuted the first successful rear engine platform dragster, that things started making a turn towards the safer.

Do I miss the old days? Yeah, sometimes I do. But I also realize the advances that we've made in the automotive world, not just in the arenas of muscle cars, drag racing, and speed parts. While I'll be the first to admit that you should turn in your drivers license and car keys if you think GM's new option for some 2017 models dubbed the "rear seat reminder" is the best thing since sliced bread. This is a message that will appear on the dash accompanied by an audible alarm reminding you to check the vehicle's rear seat so as not to leave your kids or dog in a stifling hot car. However, two years ago, I was following a co-worker one time when we both worked for a fleet vehicle company and a new Subaru cut him off at a plaza entrance leaving him no time to stop in the brand new Toyota Avalon he was driving and thus broad-siding the Subaru at 40 mph. All the air bags went off in both cars and both drivers walked away from the accident without a bruise or a scratch. That's saying something. Fifty years ago, both would have probably died, or at minimum, severely injured. Time marches on - and there is good in this modern stuff we call technology.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

A Quick One While On The Road

It's 5:24am on Sunday June 19th as I write this and before I forget, I want to wish everyone a Happy Fathers Day. While this is a day of remembering Dad's everywhere, and I realize that nowadays this particular Sunday doesn't seem to carry nowhere near as much weight as say Christmas, Valentine's Day or Mothers Day, I have to say it's one thing to be a father - but it's another thing entirely to be a Dad. I'm not going to ramble on with some long diatribe, but take

the time to engage with your kids. Pass down some family history, traditions, and some of your passions. One of the best things my Dad did when I was much younger, was take me to a small Saturday night cruise-in that was primarily a summer event in Point Pleasant New Jersey back in the late 60's. We would go about twice a month during the summer. Hot rods were not his thing, but he dug the old Detroit iron that would be there. The fact that the event was rather small, and that it was free, didn't matter. The main thing was that he took time out of his busy work schedule to take me there - and this was way before laptops, email, the Internet, and cell phones - was way cool in my book. Plus, we would always get a small ice cream at the local Dairy Freeze afterward.

Ever have one of those weekends where you don't even try to make a to-do list because you already know it's going to get jam packed full on it's own? This is one of those weekends. Besides being Fathers Day, and the fact that my two daughters want to do something "for Dad" today, it's also my 31st wedding anniversary this weekend, and there are two car shows that I'm photographing at as well. So unfortunately, this weekend, the blog sorta pays the price. Between get-togethers with family and friends, processing all the pictures I've taken so far this weekend, attending our local city's Summer Solstice Festival, and spending some serious quality time with my beautiful wife, the blog this week is definitely a "quickie". I'll resume the regular format next week.

One cool thing about fairly big car shows - it seems all kinds of vintage cars pop up for sale. Not just at the car events, but along the side of the road. I'm very familiar with a lot of the high performance vehicles that are currently for sale in my local area (and by local, I mean about a 35 mile radius from my house), but some of the potential hot rod material I drove by (and stopped at one at my wife's suggestion) I didn't even know existed. Where's this stuff been hiding? Most vehicles I stumble across are

over-priced junk, but the one I stopped and looked at had incredible potential. Okay, the picture I took with my i-Phone sucks because it's mid-day sunshine and the vehicle in question is refrigerator white. Yes, it was a 4-door, but that didn't bother me - it was still a damn solid 1963 Nova with an automatic which means my wife could drive it. While my other half knew within 15 seconds that the 194 cubic inch in-line six that's currently between the fenders would be history and at least a potent small block V-8 would replace it, the old six cylinder ran like a top. It's current white exterior also meant you paint it any color you wanted and the clean silverish-blue vinyl interior had that unique smell that still jogs my good-vibe memory bank. In other words, one could drive this rig while building the replacement drivetrain and gathering all the parts needed to proceed to the end result. The best part is, with a little haggling, you could literally drive this classic home for about $2500. If you're familiar with these cars, that's dang cheap for a complete running and driving 1st generation Nova.

But the best vehicle I saw all weekend for sale was at a car show. I knew the guy who was basically trying to flip it, but his asking price wasn't out of line. It was a 1953 Ford Sedan Wagon and a true barn find. He only had to put air in the tires to help get the wagon on his trailer. Once home, he popped in a new battery, installed a set of new tires, change the fluids & filters, replace some brake and fuel lines, and had the gas tank cleaned. He made sure the V-8 motor, drivetrain, steering, suspension, and brake systems were all good to go, and he's been driving this classic all over the state - patina, rust, faded paint, and all. My wife and I really wanted this wagon, and my friend knew it. He loved the fact that we didn't want to change a thing, especially the paint. He was even willing to drop his price by a sizable margin, because he's known us for years, but it's just not in the cards right now. This thing called "building a new house" is sorta getting in the way...

But it proves that stuff is still out there to purchase, restore, to hot rod, or drive as is. And there are decent sellers who are indeed breathing oxygen when it comes to prices. But even if you're not in the market, get out there and engage with others in regards to your automotive passion and hobby. Use it or lose it. This is especially true when it comes to your kids. If you don't put the i-Phone away once in a while and interact with your kids now, they won't give you the chance later on.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

The Red-Headed Step Children Of Automotive

Okay - what's up with this weeks title? If we break things down a little, it might be easier to identify with. I went with the more urban dictionary meaning of "red headed stepchild"; a group or person who is treated without favor. If you take that definition and apply it to high performance, hot rods, drag racing, and muscle cars, you can start to formulate an image or scenario in your mind.

One of the more obvious examples that come to mind are rat rods. The rat rod, by some, are considered the bastard offspring of the red headed stepchild. I can remember just over 15 years ago, in the late 90's, when the Kustom Car Kulture and/or DeLuxe hot rod scene first started making rumbles especially in print. It took a while for public acceptance to settle in, but once it did, and it became en vogue, rat rods just exploded in popularity. At that point, it seemed anything went - and in some cases, the more clapped out a vehicle was, the more eyebrows it was trying to raise with some anti-status-quo statement.

In our comparison-stick society, rat rods seemed to be a love-it-or-hate-it type deal, due to the fact that some people only like pristine rides with mile deep paint, high-end wheels, along with a drive-train you can practically eat off of. The other side of the coin were the fans of rust, patina, and giving the pristine crowd the middle finger. The way I see it, it's your ride, your paying the bills on it, you build it however you want to. It all relates to something I read in an article recently; it's all about context.

David Freilburger who authored the article went on to say that, "... context is what separates the real cars and the real people from the 100% checkbook restoration jobs and auction opportunists." While I love a beautifully restored muscle car, or off-the-hook hot rod, that one sentence can also explain why I dig rat rods, barn find cars and daily driver beaters. They bear witness marks to a life long lived. It makes you want to lean in and hear it's story of who has owned it, where it's been, and what experiences it has had. Even if a car is still in unbelievable original condition, I like it all the more if there is one or two signs of road rash somewhere. It gets even better if I have a chance to talk to the 80-year old original owner.

That's all well and good in regards to the here and now. But what about during the hey-day of muscle cars and drag racing during the 60's? Muscle cars were still just regular cars - just with cake-loads of horsepower under the hood. What about a Plymouth Belvedere with the A990 race Hemi option? It wasn't a million dollar collectible like it is today. Fifty one years ago, it was built for one purpose - to win at the end of the quarter mile. If you blew up the 426 Hemi motor, you pulled it and installed another one. In regards to muscle cars, one the best known red headed step children of the automotive industry was Pontiac. Think about it, how many times did they go against the GM grain? The years of racing, both on the drag strip and on the NASCAR ovals, that were more active than all other GM brands combine. Finding the legal loopholes, and releasing the GTO. Swimming against the stream in the mid-70's and releasing the Super Duty 455 V-8 Firebirds.

In some readers eyes, that would make them out to be a black sheep instead of the red head in question. In my opinion, it was the unnecessary death of Pontiac back in 2009 that made it so. Looking at the broad and diverse model selection back then, there were obviously zero plans to phase out this division. The fact that Pontiac had unique offerings that you could not get as a Chevy or Buick also drives home that fact. The problem was, as diverse as Pontiac was, there was no hope for GM to survive without some serious model duplication reduction. The pending lawsuits from Oldsmobile dealers carried some weight in the final decision, but once the US government got involved in the decision making process, things all went to hell in a hand basket. There was no loyalty, no sentimentalism involved. It was just a "dump this and get rid of that" or GM dies. Why Pontiac got axed is anyone's guess.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Can't Be Done. On 2nd Thought, Maybe It Can Part 3

Thanks for checking back with us on this last installment of our 3-part series where we take a look at certain people and the now-famous results they produced when someone else told them, "Sorry... that can't be done." However, instead of focusing on a particular automotive dealership personality, this week we'll be focusing on three famous drag strip drivers and certain distinct aspects in relation to their careers.

 The first two drag racing personalities need no introduction; Shirley Shahan and Malcolm Durham. Both drivers got their start in the mid-50's, except Shahan started as a spectator when her husband H.L. was involved as a driver with gas coupes, super stocks, and dragsters, as well as being a top mechanic. During an interview in December 1965, she said her start in racing was very simple; it was either go with him or stay home. Very soon after, she became interested in the sport and learned to drive competitively. By 1958, H.L. realized that Shirley was a much better driver than he was when they entered 50 drag races that year and she won them all.

By 1965, Shirley and H.L. wanted to take on a higher rung in the drag racing profession. With some financial backing from Chrysler, they purchased a Plymouth super stock. The story goes, it was around this time that she picked up the nickname, "Drag-On Lady" from a Chrysler public relations manager and would use that moniker throughout her career. By the next year, she became the first woman to win a major NHRA event - the 1966 Winternationals. The Shahans drove the super stock Plymouth and then a Hemi powered Dodge Dart over the course of several seasons winning numerous super stock crowns as well as fuel-injected match races.

While Shahan attained a good deal of success driving for Chrysler, by the early 70's she arguably became the most famous quarter mile driver for American Motors piloting an AMX S/S, as well as a Gremlin and Hornet after the couple was approached in early 1969 by AMC in an effort to jump-start the Kenosha Wisconsin manufacturer's image. It was another step forward in Shirley's career where she blew away the stereo-types as well as her competition.

The 1960's were also a time for breaking down barriers in regards to race. One of drag racing's first well known African-American drivers / mechanics was Malcolm Durham. Like Shahan, he got his start in racing in the mid-50's and by 1958 was winning regularly in the Washington D.C. area. By the early 60's, he was a mechanic for D.C. Hicks Chevrolet in Washington and drove the first 1963 Chevy Z-11 available in the area. That vehicle adorned the first of the "Strip Blazer" name that would grace numerous vehicles over the next decade. By the beginning of 1964, Durham became known as one of the best match-race drivers on the east coast.

When Chevrolet (and GM as a whole) dropped out of drag racing suddenly during the 1964 model year, Durham took the successful Z-11 engine he used in his 1963 Impala and stuffed it between the fenders of a new 1964 Chevelle. In a 1968 interview with Super Stock magazine, he said that race car, dubbed the Strip Blazer II, was his answer to the Ford Thunderbolt and competed in the A/FX class that the NHRA had to create to accommodate the flood of altered wheelbase vehicles. He gained national attention when he started beating the likes of Sox & Martin, Bill Jenkins, and Dave Strickler. He wasn't just a great driver - he used his mechanical know-how to creatively rework the Chevelle that included things like an 8-inch engine setback that went undetected by just about everyone.

By the late 60's, he helped break the 200-mph funny car speed barrier and was running deep into 7-second quarter mile times. He returned to the Pro Stock ranks by the mid 70's, until he got out of racing for a while so his son could attend college. He returned briefly in 1984 with a Pro Stock Camaro, but after a crash in 1985 in Rockingham, he officially retired. In 2001, he was recognized as one of the top-50 NHRA drivers of all time. Today, Malcolm Durham can often be seen with other professionals at nostalgic drag racing events.

Dick Harrell got his start in high performance & driving in the early 50's. After a tour of duty in
Korea, he returned stateside to the Carlsbad New Mexico area where his family owned a dairy farm. He ran a ‘56 Chevy while earning money working in the local potash mines and as a garage mechanic to keep his love for the competitive sport of drag racing alive. On weekends, he would drive his car 165 miles to El Paso, Texas or 280 miles to Amarillo to compete. By 1961, Dick began to travel across the Southwest, racing a factory-backed 409 Chevrolet where he won almost every regional race in a three-state area. By 1965, Harrell's driving abilities caught the attention of Nickey Chevrolet based out of Chicago. In 1966, Harrell piloted an altered wheelbase Hilborn-injected 427 big block Chevy II and was hailed as one of the sport’s top attractions.

By 1968, Herb Fox, an employee of Fred Gibb Chevrolet in LaHarpe, Illinois, met Dick Harrell and formed a business association that would evolve and prove to be beneficial to both Gibbs and Harrell. That same year, Harrell moved his shop from New Mexico to Kansas City, Missouri. His shop specialized in converting and modifying Camaros, Chevelles, and the newly introduced Big Block Nova. All of these vehicles could be purchased through Harrell's dealership (among other Chevy dealers) with a 427 cubic inch engine with modifications up to 500 horsepower. Another first for Harrell was building and converting some 427 powered Novas with a special competition 3-speed automatic transmission.

This is where our story takes a turn - to the extremely rare and brutal 1968 Harrell-built 427 Chevy Novas. Fred Gibb realized Chevrolet was doing a good job in NHRA drag racing, holding it's own in the competition against both Ford and Chrysler with the stick shift classes, but only Ford and Chrysler were the main competition in the automatic classes. The car chosen to overcome this problem was the newly introduced L-78 396 big block Nova. The transmission would be a completely re-designed Turbo Hydramatric 400 for competition purposes. Fifty cars were built for Gibb in the first two weeks of July 1968. Gibb kept one of these cars for himself to race. He began advertising the rest of them and sold several through his dealership. However, Dick Harrell would get some of these Novas for upgrades and 427 conversions, to be sold through the network of Chevrolet Dealers he had established. This is how some of these Gibb COPO cars wound up being Harrell built COPO Novas. Confused yet?

Regardless of how these muscle cars came down the pike, Harrell-built 427 SS Novas had a reputation of being faster and more brutal than other COPO vehicles offered through Yenko, Nickey, Dana, or even Gibb Chevrolet. Former Harrell technician Dave Libby remembers these cars. Looking back in hindsight, Libby mentioned that building and selling these Novas was ..."probably not the brightest idea on the planet. They were brutally fast." Libby also went on to say, in almost all cases, the cars were modified further beyond the COPO specs outlined by GM. "One Tripoli Turquoise Nova has an L-88 short block in it, another dark blue model has a Bill Thomas 505 cam and other internal modifications. These Novas left the Harrell dealership in excess of 600 horsepower." Bill Thomas himself, who owned and ran the largest Chevrolet mail-order parts dealership in the country during that time when linked up with Nickey Chevrolet, even had the chance to test drive one of Harrell's Novas in the fall of 1968; "The one I drove was Matador Red, had headers, a 950 Holley, and other mods. The results kinda tore your head off..."

Ah, the late 1960's... times like these will never be repeated.
Until next time, peace out.
Dave