FW: Stroll through drag racing history!

[Matt Matthews]

These are very cool old drag racing pictures…

 

Matt

 

 

 

Subject: Stroll through drag racing history!

 

Back in the day, anything was possible. How about an Offy with a 
side-mounted blower on Ed Donovan's dragster?




Nothing says drag racing like way too big of an engine stuffed into too 
little car; reminds me of the models I used to imagine as a kid.




Rear slicks churning, front tires grabbing air, and, an acrobatic flagman.



Uhhh, dude? I don't think you asked for a big enough head start.




A wheelstander with everything but the kitchen sink.



Who said snakes can't fly? Prudhomme gets air in the lights in Seattle .






Hard to believe that today's Top Fuelers evolved from this; from its whitewall tires to its Rat Fink-like shifter placement, I really dig this car.
......and the #1 use of aircraft-surplus belly tanks..........diggers and lakesters of the late ' 40's & ' 50's



( A bove) So you still think that Don Garlits invented the rear-engine dragster, do ya? (Below) Donnie and Gene Bowman's flathead-powered 
Vineland Villain wasn't pretty, but it sure looked crude. Back then, functionality trumped almost everything.




.....love that lo-tech scavenge system on exhaust........



I love this shot, taken in the pits at Lions. No, not the neat old flip-top panel wagon -- the lady, dressed in skirt and heels. Priceless.






 Surfers pilot Mike Sorokin almost having his helmet sucked off at speed (center).




 in-car cameras shot from Jess Sturgeon's car.




This is a great shot, too, taken from the cockpit of one of Scotty Fenn's legendary Chassis Research chassis that revolutionized the sport. 
I took some Photoshop liberties with the original to blur the background as the El Camino tow vehicle was a distraction. Love that steering 
wheel and big ol' brake handle. (Below) This is Fenn's workshop. That's Fenn at far left overseeing work on some of his K-88 and TE-448 chassis.








A nother vintage chassis on this cool twin. A lways amazing to me to see how primitive the early driver-protection devices were.




Okay, if you don't like this photo, you can hardly consider yourself a drag fan. Classic Lions stuff.




Here's how those early dragsters got their nickname; the driver sat behind the rear tires like a rock in a slingshot.




A couple of engines, four tires, a little extra tubing, a welder, and there's little that early drag racers couldn't -- and didn't -- try.




Ilooooooooove this shot. The photographer did such a great job of exposing it and allowing you to see every detail, nut, and bolt on the blower. 
A rthur Trim tells me that this is Connie Kalitta's Logghe-chassised Ford-powered digger, photographed on a chassis dyno in one of Ford's labs/




Indy is a place where magical thi ngs happen. Look closely, and you can see that "Big John's" battle-scarred 'Cuda has all four tires off the ground.




Not all new ideas were good ones; Exhibit A is Noel Black's two-engine, four-wheel-drive Top Fueler from 1967.




Call me an astute observer, but I reckon that "Big Jim" Dunn was pretty much done for this run at Lions in the rainbow-hued Dunn &Reath digger.






Who says you need four wheels?



"I'll take Scary Fast Tricycles for $500, A lex."








In the same vein, who says you even need four wheels or three wheels? The famed Leffler-Coburn Iron Mistress 
coupe had six! In a true example of the sum of the parts not being equal to the whole, Neil Leffler and Bill Coburn 
each took the fuel-burning Hemis from their competition coupes and paired them for this interesting experiment. 
It wasn't real fast, but it was spectacular.



?


We've seen lead weights and tubes filled with lead shot as front-end ballast, but a rock? I kid you not. 
Clearly, the Red Mountain Boys knew how to rock.







I think we've all seen the classic photo above of Don Garlits' career-changing transmission explosion at Lions, 
but at left is the less-seldom-seen but equally-breathtaking downtrack angle. I'm not sure who circled the fan 
in the stands or why, but that's how this image was posted.






I've never seen this car before, but it can't be any mis take that the names on its side are Capp and Fedderly, 
as in future Top Fuel partners (and Indy winners) Terry Capp and Bernie Fedderly. Both are still at it years later, 
Capp in nostalgia racing and Fedderly as A uston Coil's alter ego on the John Force team.






The first rule of running against a jet dragster: A lways leave first.........this could be titled "smoke vs fire"






Herman Munster , far lane, and Grandpa dueled at Lions in a ghoulish go that was featured on the popular television show.



 



 

...pretty much a "self-explanatory" shot of a distressed fuel Fiat at Lions..obviously the "chef" put waay too 

much oregano in the Zucchini Garibaldi....

............not a very good "marketing tool" for C&T cranks.....   

[D. Howland]

I love that stuff. If anyone gets a chance to see the museum stuff at Pomona, check it out. Just looking at where those guys sat is awe inspiring. Now they don't even do the full 1/4 mile for safety concerns.

 

Daryl

64 Valiant

[kelly pate]

What a gteat trip down memory "lane",  THANKS!!!
 

---

From: matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu
To: matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu
Subject: [EVBC] FW: Stroll through drag racing history!
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 08:35:21 -0800

[pas...@comcast.net]

Bitchin!

Keith

64 Valiant Ragtop

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Matthews" <matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu>
To: matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu

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[Donald Carpenter]

That's awesome Matt.  I love the drag cars of that era.  So much creativity and variety.  Also looks very dangerous!

Don carpenter

1965 Barracuda

On Nov 5, 2009, at 11:35 AM, Matt Matthews wrote:

These are very cool old drag racing pictures…

 

Matt

 

 

 

Subject: Stroll through drag racing history!

 

<image001.jpg>

Back in the day, anything was possible. How about an Offy with a 
side-mounted blower on Ed Donovan's dragster?

<image002.jpg>

Nothing says drag racing like way too big of an engine stuffed into too 
little car; reminds me of the models I used to imagine as a kid.

<image003.jpg>

Rear slicks churning, front tires grabbing air, and, an acrobatic flagman.

<image004.jpg>

Uhhh, dude? I don't think you asked for a big enough head start.

<image005.jpg>

A wheelstander with everything but the kitchen sink.

<image006.jpg>

Who said snakes can't fly? Prudhomme gets air in the lights in Seattle .

<image007.jpg>

Hard to believe that today's Top Fuelers evolved from this; from its whitewall tires to its Rat Fink-like shifter placement, I really dig this car.

......and the #1 use of aircraft-surplus belly tanks..........diggers and lakesters of the late ' 40's & ' 50's

<image008.jpg>

( A bove) So you still think that Don Garlits invented the rear-engine dragster, do ya? (Below) Donnie and Gene Bowman's flathead-powered 
Vineland Villain wasn't pretty, but it sure looked crude. Back then, functionality trumped almost everything.

<image009.jpg>

.....love that lo-tech scavenge system on exhaust........

<image010.jpg>

I love this shot, taken in the pits at Lions. No, not the neat old flip-top panel wagon -- the lady, dressed in skirt and heels. Priceless.

<image011.jpg>

 Surfers pilot Mike Sorokin almost having his helmet sucked off at speed (center).

<image012.jpg>

 in-car cameras shot from Jess Sturgeon's car.

<image013.jpg>

This is a great shot, too, taken from the cockpit of one of Scotty Fenn's legendary Chassis Research chassis that revolutionized the sport. 
I took some Photoshop liberties with the original to blur the background as the El Camino tow vehicle was a distraction. Love that steering 
wheel and big ol' brake handle. (Below) This is Fenn's workshop. That's Fenn at far left overseeing work on some of his K-88 and TE-448 chassis.

<image014.jpg>



<image015.jpg>

A nother vintage chassis on this cool twin. A lways amazing to me to see how primitive the early driver-protection devices were.

<image016.jpg>

Okay, if you don't like this photo, you can hardly consider yourself a drag fan. Classic Lions stuff.

<image017.jpg>

Here's how those early dragsters got their nickname; the driver sat behind the rear tires like a rock in a slingshot.

<image018.jpg>

A couple of engines, four tires, a little extra tubing, a welder, and there's little that early drag racers couldn't -- and didn't -- try.

<image019.jpg>

Ilooooooooove this shot. The photographer did such a great job of exposing it and allowing you to see every detail, nut, and bolt on the blower. 
A rthur Trim tells me that this is Connie Kalitta's Logghe-chassised Ford-powered digger, photographed on a chassis dyno in one of Ford's labs/

<image020.jpg>

Indy is a place where magical thi ngs happen. Look closely, and you can see that "Big John's" battle-scarred 'Cuda has all four tires off the ground.

<image021.jpg>

Not all new ideas were good ones; Exhibit A is Noel Black's two-engine, four-wheel-drive Top Fueler from 1967.

<image022.jpg>

Call me an astute observer, but I reckon that "Big Jim" Dunn was pretty much done for this run at Lions in the rainbow-hued Dunn &Reath digger.

<image023.jpg>

Who says you need four wheels?

<image024.jpg>

"I'll take Scary Fast Tricycles for $500, A lex."

<image025.jpg>

In the same vein, who says you even need four wheels or three wheels? The famed Leffler-Coburn Iron Mistress 
coupe had six! In a true example of the sum of the parts not being equal to the whole, Neil Leffler and Bill Coburn 
each took the fuel-burning Hemis from their competition coupes and paired them for this interesting experiment. 
It wasn't real fast, but it was spectacular.

?<image026.jpg>

We've seen lead weights and tubes filled with lead shot as front-end ballast, but a rock? I kid you not. 
Clearly, the Red Mountain Boys knew how to rock.

<image027.jpg>


<image028.jpg>

I think we've all seen the classic photo above of Don Garlits' career-changing transmission explosion at Lions, 
but at left is the less-seldom-seen but equally-breathtaking downtrack angle. I'm not sure who circled the fan 
in the stands or why, but that's how this image was posted.

<image029.jpg>

I've never seen this car before, but it can't be any mis take that the names on its side are Capp and Fedderly, 
as in future Top Fuel partners (and Indy winners) Terry Capp and Bernie Fedderly. Both are still at it years later, 
Capp in nostalgia racing and Fedderly as A uston Coil's alter ego on the John Force team.

<image030.jpg>

The first rule of running against a jet dragster: A lways leave first.........this could be titled "smoke vs fire"

<image031.jpg>

Herman Munster , far lane, and Grandpa dueled at Lions in a ghoulish go that was featured on the popular television show.

 

<image032.jpg>

[MOJACK]

Thank you Matt, that was awesome to see the wacky innovations back when things weren't so restricted at the track.

Jack

 

 

 

--- Original Message -----

From: Matt Matthews

To: matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu

Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 11:35 AM

Subject: [EVBC] FW: Stroll through drag racing history!

These are very cool old drag racing pictures…

 

-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---

[JOHN MORELOCK]

Ahh   those were the days when men were men and sheep were nervous
very cool stuff
thanks
john
 

---

Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:08:21 +0000
From: pas...@comcast.net
To: evbc...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [EVBC] Re: FW: Stroll through drag racing history!

[Damon mortimer]

Thanks Matt!    Very cool!!  Im surely keeping this e-mail... --- On Thu, 11/5/09, Matt Matthews <matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu> wrote:

[d yucavitch]

For a few weeks early in 65 petty drag raced a barracuda, until a spectator fatality during an accident. there are a few pix of him and the car out on the net. Accident was apparently at dallas georgia.Good article at "bump-drafts.com" just rambling dave y 65 cuda ss --- On Thu, 11/5/09, MOJACK <MOJ...@CHARTER.NET> wrote:

[Soren]

AWESOME!

 

From: evbc...@googlegroups.com [mailto:evbc...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Matt Matthews

Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2009 08:35
To: matt...@sciences.sdsu.edu

 

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