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disneytva · 8 years ago

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April 2017 Programming Highlights

Saturday, April 01

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior

Miles from Tomorrowland “Who Stole the Dinosaur? / Nine Minutes ‘Til Bedtime”

(8:30 – 9:00 A.M. EDT)

“Who Stole the Dinosaur?” – Space Trader Dashiell Scamp needs the Callistos’ help getting a dinosaur off his ship.

“Nine Minutes ‘Til Bedtime” – When the Stellosphere goes haywire, Miles and Loretta must fix it before their parents come home.

TV-Y

Saturday, April 08

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior

Miles from Tomorrowland “Chasing the Stormchaser / Galactech: Loretta‘s Lost BraceLex”

(8:30 – 9:00 A.M. EDT)

“Chasing the Stormchaser” – Miles and Loretta interview a stormchaser but soon become part of the story.

*ABC News Meteorologist Ginger Zee recurs as Dr. Z.

“Galactech: Loretta‘s Lost BraceLex” – When Loretta can’t go on a school field trip, Miles volunteers to collect data for her BraceLex.

*LeVar Burton (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) recurs as Dr. Consilium.

TV-Y

Saturday, April 15

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Junior

Miles from Tomorrowland “Gamechangers / Goon Baby Goon”

(8:30 – 9:00 A.M. EDT)

“Gamechangers” – Miles and Loretta learn how to create their own holo-game.

*Whoopi Goldberg (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) recurs as The GameMaster.

“Goon Baby Goon” – Gadfly creates a Baby Goon, a toddler who threatens the ship.

*Mark Hamill (“Star Wars”) recurs as Gadfly.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Doc McStuffins Toy Hospital “Get-Well Gus Gets Well / Triceratops Trouble”

(12:00 – 12:30 P.M. EDT)

“Get-Well Gus Gets Well” – When flying Pegasus toy Get-Well Gus crashes and breaks off one of his wings, Doc outfits him with a prosthetic.

*Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges (“The Fast and the Furious”) guest stars as Get-Well Gus.

“Triceratops Trouble” – Doc and the toys have trouble diagnosing a triceratops train that can’t get enough traction to move.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Tangled: The Series “Fitzherbert P.I.”

(7:30 – 8:00 P.M. EDT)

Eugene sets out to find a role for himself in the castle and decides to be a royal guard.

TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Elena of Avalor “Captain Turner Returns”

(9:00 – 9:30 A.M. EDT)

When Naomi’s mom gets a new job in their old kingdom, Naomi and Elena try to convince her not to move the family away from Avalor.

*Julie Nathanson (“Sofia the First”) guest stars as Naomi’s mom Captain Scarlett Turner, and Rich Sommer (“Mad Men”) recurs as Naomi’s father Captain Daniel Turner.

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Mickey and the Roadster Racers “The Impossible Race / The Happiest Helpers Cruise!”

(10:00 – 10:30 A.M. EDT)

“The Impossible Race” – Cuckoo Loca enters her first Roadster event.

“The Happiest Helpers Cruise!” – The Happy Helpers become cruise directors on Valentine’s Day.

TV-Y

Original Series – Series Premiere on Disney Channel

Puppy Dog Pals “Hawaii Pug-Oh / A.R.F.”

(10:30 – 10:55 A.M. EDT)

“Hawaii Pug-Oh” – When Bob says he’d love to feel the sand on his toes, pug puppy brothers Bingo and Rolly go on a mission to Hawaii.

“A.R.F.” – Bob introduces the pups to A.R.F., a robotic dog he created that is programmed to clean up their messes.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Puppy Dog Pals “The French Toast Connection / Take Me Out to the Pug Game”

(10:55 – 11:20 A.M. EDT)

“The French Toast Connection” – Bingo and Rolly travel to France to get Bob some French toast.

“Take Me Out to the Pug Game” – The pugs chase Bob’s prized baseball across the city.

*Famed sportscaster Bob Uecker guest stars as a baseball announcer.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Tangled: The Series “Challenge of the Brave”

(7:30 – 8:00 P.M. EDT)

Cassandra and Rapunzel enter the Challenge of the Brave, a gathering of warriors from across the kingdom, to test their courage.

*Danny Trejo (“Machete”) guest stars as Wreck Marauder.

TV-Y7

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Puppy Dog Pals “The Go-Long Retriever / Pot O‘Pugs”

(10:30 – 10:55 A.M. EDT)

“The Go-Long Retriever” – Bingo and Rolly try to get away from a self-fetching stick that begins chasing them.

“Pot O‘Pugs” – When Bob says he needs a pot of gold, the pups search for one at the end of a rainbow.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Puppy Dog Pals “A Pyramid Scheme / Special Delivery”

(10:55 – 11:20 A.M. EDT)

“A Pyramid Scheme” – Bongo and Rolly travel to Egypt to find the Great Pyramids.

“Special Delivery” – The pugs try to deliver a Mother’s Day card for Bob.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

The Lion Guard “Ono the Tickbird”

(11:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. EDT)

Ono must fill in for a rhino‘s “seeing-eye bird” while the Guard helps the rhino and tickbird resolve their differences.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Tangled: The Series “Cassandra v. Eugene”

(7:30 – 8:00 P.M. EDT)

Rapunzel is tired of the constant bickering between Cassandra and Eugene and decides to send them off on a scavenger hunt in hopes it will be a bonding experience.

*Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy”) guest stars as The Stabbington Brothers.

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Elena of Avalor “King of the Carnaval”

(9:00 – 9:30 A.M. EDT)

Esteban’s childhood friend, Victor, returns to Avalor during the kingdom’s Carnaval celebration and convinces Esteban to help him rob the royal treasury.

*Acclaimed Emmy and Tony Award-nominated actor Lou Diamond Phillips (“La Bamba”) guest stars as Victor Delgado.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Puppy Dog Pals “Design-A-Dog/ Ice, Ice Puggy”

(10:30 – 11:00 A.M. EDT)

“Design-A-Dog” – Bingo and Rolly accidentally chew Bob’s childhood toy.

“Ice, Ice Puggy” – When Bob’s icemaker breaks, the pugs go to Antarctica to get him ice.

TV-Y

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Sofia the First “Day of the Sorcerers”

(11:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. EDT)

After a secret meeting of sorcerers, Cedric must choose between taking over the kingdom and maintaining his friendship with Sofia.

Original Series – Episode Premiere on Disney Channel

Tangled: The Series “The Return of Strongbow”

(7:30 – 8:00 P.M. EDT)

When Eugene‘s old friend Lance Strongbow sweeps back into town, he tries to drag Eugene back into his thieving ways.

*Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Broadway’s “Aladdin”) guest stars as Lance Strongbow.

TV-Y7

#Tangled #Tangled The Series #Puppy Dog Pals #Doc McStuffins #Elena Of Avalor #EOA #Sofia the First #Miles from Tomorrowland #the lion guard #the lion king #Mickey and the Roadster Racers #Disney Channel #Disney Jr #Disney Junior

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itsworn · 6 years ago

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TROG Brings Street Racing to Drag Racing’s SoCal Birthplace

Back in 2012, a small drag-oriented event held on the East Coast called the Race of Gentlemen (TROG) shook the hot rod scene. Although it gathered only 15 hot rods and 15 motorcycles, it still captured the imagination of gearheads the world over. It was organized on the beach and featured aesthetics reminiscent of faded pictures glued in a 1950s photo album.

Over the years, other TROGs have come and gone, including one in 2016 that tread the sand of Pismo Beach, California (unfortunately plagued by stormy weather). Promoter Mel Stultz and his crew traveled back home afterwards, thinking another race was unlikely to take place on the West Coast. Yet, surprisingly, officials from the scenic city of Santa Barbara contacted Stultz in 2018 and asked him to have an event in town! They made it clear racing on the sand would not be an option, but how about using a street along the beach?

Willys Window: Hot Rod Ranch’s Gil Muro provided this unique perspective of Santa Barbara’s staging lanes through the tinted Plexiglas of his survivor Willys Gasser. Photo: Gil Muro

Stultz loved the idea, and so was born the TROG Santa Barbara Drags. He came to town with the support (and members) of his club, the Oilers, which had been established in Carlsbad, California, in 1947 and was revived a few years ago. The Oilers, with help from local enthusiasts, transformed Cabrillo Boulevard in front of Santa Barbara’s Hilton Beachfront Resort into an eighth-mile dragstrip, where 30 motorcycles and 70 pre-1935 cars entered grudge matches, with no trophy spoiling the fun. As a bonus, an exhibit called Customs by the Sea welcomed a selection of fantastic pre-1959 traditional custom cars.

Want to see more TROG action this year? The city of Wildwood, New Jersey, will have another can’t-miss sand-slinging event on October 4-6.

First in Line: Jimmy White, the owner of Circle City Hot Rods in Orange, California, hasn’t driven his well-known ’31 Model A much in recent years, but he decided to get it ready for the event. This old hot rod, found in Riverside, California, runs a nasty 334ci Hemi equipped with a 6×2 Weiand manifold. It had the honor of making the first pass of the day with Muro’s Willys, the cover car for our latest Gasser-themed issue (“Willys Fever,” May 2019).

Ex-Stocker: Roseville, California’s Jim Luke bought a 100 percent stock ’29 Model A, right down to its mechanical brakes. It had been restored decades ago. Over the course of a year he morphed it into this jalopy, keeping the original rails but installing ’40s hot rod specifics: juice brakes, a ’39 Ford gearbox, a 21-stud flathead, Sharp heads, a Thickstun intake manifold, an Isky cam . . .

Another Bird: We showed you Lynn Bird’s blue ’32 Ford three-window coupe back in March 2019 (“Distinctive Deuce”). Always the tinkerer, his latest endeavor is this great-looking ’25 Model T. It is motivated by a ’49 Mercury flathead that’s assembled with Offenhauser heads and an Edmunds intake. The body sits on heavily modified ’34 Chevy framerails. Bird won most of his races.

Raging Orange: One of the fastest cars running the eighth-mile, the historic Orange Crate (now owned by Steve Gilligan) wowed the crowd with its good looks and performance. Brothers Bob and Terry Tindle bought the ’32 Ford Tudor already chopped in 1959 and went on to transform it into a fast strip contender. It features a tilt body along with a Hilborn-injected 417ci Olds motor with a Potvin blower.

Bad to the Bones: Rolling Bones member Dick Deluna drives and races his ’34 Ford five-window (which has been chopped 6 inches) all over the nation. Check out the unusual grille from a Canadian Cockshutt tractor. Behind it resides a ’49 8BA flathead now displacing 284 ci. It received Stromberg carbs, Navarro heads, an Offenhauser two-carb manifold, and a Vertex magneto.

Heavy Chop: Back from making a pass, this is Tom McIntyre’s ’32 three-window Ford from the Rolling Bones crew. It performed well, courtesy of a ’54 Dodge Ram Hemi bolted to a five-speed ’box for long-distance journeys. The coupe additionally uses a Halibrand quick-change and an aluminum bellypan.

Pretty Penny: Alex Carlos struggled a bit to see the flagman behind the wheel of his chopped Penny Hemi Model T. Spectators loved the car’s track antics, watching as it flew down the eighth-mile thanks to a 354ci Hemi fed by a Weiand intake manifold and six carbs. A four-speed BorgWarner transmission gets the power to the ground.

Sushi and Louis: Team Throttle Racing from Japan entered the field with this (near lane) narrowed modified driven by TROG regular Atsushi “Sushi” Yasui. Behind it sits Louis Stands’ 1927 Ford roadster equipped with a 327ci powerplant from a ’63 Corvette.

Little Zip: A recent Craigslist find, this 1927 T owned by Reno, Nevada, resident Rory Forbes appeared to have been a California circle track racer as far back as 1949. On the dash resides a plaque stating, “Participant NHRA National Drags-1959 Detroit, Mich.” The roadster hasn’t changed much in the last 60 years, still featuring its Joe Bailon paint and Tommy the Greek striping.

Hot Rod Lady: Diana Branch owns both a colorful ’29 Ford roadster and this ’32 Tudor, running a Studebaker V8 bored to 299 ci, a Chevy five-speed transmission, and a Chevy ’57 rearend. The sedan’s good looks should be attributed to the 4 1/2-inch chop and 5-inch channel. The Glacier Blue Chrysler metallic paint does not hurt either.

Stude Study: Traveling with his wife Diana, Tom Branch joined the mayhem with his real steel ’32 Ford showcasing a 304ci ’63 Studebaker V8, hopped up with four Stromberg carbs. Fabian Valdez at Vintage Hammer Garage helped build the roadster, which is fitted with ’50 Pontiac taillights, 15×4 and 15×8.5 American Racing mags, and Inglewood slicks in the back.

The British Are Coming: These 1960s-styled Deuces are owned by two U.K. expatriates. In the near lane is Nostalgia Ranch’s Jay Dean with his 331ci Cad V8 five-window coupe, chopped 3 1/2 inches. In the far lane is Dice Magazine’s Dean Micetich with his three-window, which was painted in 1964. It relies on a ’55 Cad motor and ’57 Olds rearend. Dean dropped the driveshaft during this run, but got it fixed to participate again later!

Spirit of ’47: We introduced you to Paul Gommi in HRD’s Sept. 2018 issue (“The Way We Were”). The competitive racer brought his supercharged ’32 Ford roadster, which was built in 1947 and ran 129 mph at El Mirage shortly after. All eyes were on Gommi, who won his class at the 2018 RPM Nationals, but issues with the flathead’s block didn’t allow him to perform as well as expected.

Local Racers: The Hanssen family are the caretakers of these two racers built by Willis Baldwin of Santa Barbara. On the left is the ’49 Baldwin Special, and on the right, the bare aluminum C/Mod ’51 Baldwin Special used from 1954 until 1957 in SCCA competition. The ’49 Special runs a ’46 Merc flathead with a full-race Clay Smith cam, Edelbrock heads, and triple Strombergs; the ’51 Special is also powered by a Merc flathead, this one fitted with Ardun heads.

Welcome Back: It was good to see Gene Winfield in Santa Barbara, looking none the worse for wear after his European ordeal last year. He was attending a car show in Finland in September when he broke his hip in a bad fall. During recovery, he came down with pneumonia; that and other health complications made it impossible for him to fly commercially back to the States. A GoFundMe page set up to get him home reached its goal in just a few days, and he was back in the U.S. by late October.

Colorado Rods: The Lucky Tramps Car Club out of Colorado presented a couple of fine rides driven by an equally fine couple. Brooke Dolan drove the Deuce coupe with S.Co.T. supercharged flathead power and Navarro heads, while husband Daniel competed with a ’34 five-window Ford with a flathead V8, too.

Fun T Time: Tegan Hammond had a ton of fun racing the Hammond family’s ’27 Ford roadster. The powerplant of choice is a rare 1927 HAL double-overhead-cam four-cylinder. By the next decade, few utilized that engine, as it had been surpassed by Ford’s flathead V8.

Grandpa’s Headers: The exhaust on the banger engine in Jenny Boostrom’s ’23 Model T roadster was fabricated by Jesse Belond, grandson of famed exhaust maker Sandy Belond, using a vintage photo they found as reference. So far it’s the only one, but Jesse hopes to make more, “trying to keep Grandpa’s name out there.” Arch Gratz built the motor with a rare Thomas intake and head, and two Stromberg 81 carbs. Clayton’s Hot Rods in Santa Cruz, California, put the car together, which Jesse bought for Jenny as a Christmas present.

Barnes’ Find: A ’32 Ford coupe with the Pacific Ocean and Channel Islands National Park in the background—what’s not to like? The chopped Deuce belonging to John Barnes had been drag raced around 1951-1954. Lack of hood allowed spectators to admire the supercharged flathead V8 with Fenton heads.

Lake Refugee: Racing against Daniel Shircliff’s orange A is “Hudson Joe” Buffardi’s ’29 Ford roadster, prepared with an uncommon ’49 337ci Lincoln flathead. It is fed by dual Merc side-draft carbs on an Edmunds intake and runs a Potvin cam and Mallory dual-point ignition. It seems that the car raced at El Mirage in the 1950s through the mid 1960s. When Buffardi bought it in 2004 it was “just a body.” He fabricated the hood, nose, and grille. Notice the neat aircraft-inspired exhaust system.

Wheeler’s Wheels: David Wheeler is a regular racer, having competed at the TROG Pismo race and the 2018 RPM Nationals (see our Mar. 2019 issue). He made a handful of passes with his stout Model T.

As the Flag Drops: Tom Franzi of Germany is ready to hammer the throttle of his Model A, which was built in the mid- to late-1950s. He bought it about a week before the race. Seemingly painted metalflake in the 1960s, the 6-inch-channeled roadster with sectioned ’32 grille received a ’56 324ci Olds Rocket V8 at some point.

Harley Alley: The event wasn’t only about cars, as 30 vintage bikes made a ton of passes all day long. Incidentally, Harley-Davidson was a major sponsor of the Santa Barbara Drags.

Wayne’s World: This nice lineup of healthy motors is led by a not-so-common Wayne head-equipped 235ci Chevy six motivating Cedric Meeks’ ’34 Ford coupe. Cedric is the son of Russ Meeks, who won the Grand National Roadster Show’s AMBR award in 1972 with his well-known tilt-body, rear-engined Model A roadster.

Bronze Flame: Lars Mapstead is just the third owner of the Bronze Flame, a real-deal survivor of 1950s hot rodding that still wears its original lacquer flamed paint job over a steel (not aluminum) track nose fabricated by Sam Barris. Original owner Ed Donato raced the car at the lakes and the Santa Ana drags before putting it in storage for some five decades. The car is no museum piece, as Mapstead has run it at the RPM Nationals and the TROG beach race in New Jersey.

By the Sea: TROG Santa Barbara wasn’t only about hot rods. The Hilton’s rotunda also the terrific Customs by the Sea exhibit. It actually called for additional vehicles to be displayed on site, but regulations forced promoters to park a bunch of cars on the other side of the wall, facing the ocean. The two ’36 Fords belong to Alan Windard (Throttlers CC, Salt Lake City) and Jon Fisher (Burbank Choppers CC).

Refined ’50s: It was great to see two of the most elegant chopped customs built in recent years. Scott Roberts’ 1954 Mercury (foreground) cruises thanks to a 292ci Y-block. It features a bunch of traditional alterations: shaved door handles, frenched headlights, rounded corners on the hood and doors, and more. It kept company with Kelly and Mark Skipper’s ’51 Ford with ’53 Chevy teeth.

Buick Beauty: Steve Pierce selected what some might consider an unlikely candidate for a custom project, a ’40 Buick coupe. Among the most noticeable modifications: a top chopped 4 inches in front and 5 1/2 in the back, ’39 Ford headlights, and ’41 Cad bumpers. The color is reminiscent of Ford’s famous Washington Blue.

Grapevine Redux: Back in the day, spray gun extraordinaire Larry Watson prowled the boulevards of Kustomland in a ’50 Chevy that was first painted black and silver. He later resprayed the car in lavender, which is when it acquired the name Grapevine. John Denich owns this clone built with accuracy in mind, from the ’55 Olds headlight rings and side trim to the ’53 Chevy grille and ’54 Merc taillights.

Deuce Duo: The Burbank Choppers Car Club had a handful of rides on site, including this pair of Deuces. Jack Carroll drove the painted example to Santa Barbara. The 5-inch-chopped body shell sits on a chassis assembled by Lynn Bird. Unlike Carroll’s coupe, Deron Wright’s 283ci three-window (right) wasn’t channeled. He also drives it with five-spoke mags compatible with a 1960s hot rod appearance.

The 1,000-Mile Trip: Yep, Daniel Shircliff traveled in his daily driven Model A from Phoenix for the weekend, adding a thousand miles to the odometer. His Craigslist find was apparently built around 1961-1962 and last driven in the 1970s.

Antique Vibe: Blessed by beautiful weather, the staging lanes remained packed all day long. With 70 cars registered, each participant had the opportunity to make several runs. Palm trees as far as the eye can see contributed to the fantastic vibe of this inaugural get-together which, we hope, will return to the West Coast in 2020.

The post TROG Brings Street Racing to Drag Racing’s SoCal Birthplace appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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#IFTTT #Hot Rod Network

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ropedropnet · 8 years ago

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News Nuggets from Around Disney World

They’re going to bring this back to Food & Wine, right?

The biggest “news” since we last shared a helping of News Nuggets is the announcement of the details of Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. This year’s festival runs 75 days from opening Aug. 31 through Nov. 1. It was also have 35 booths (“marketplaces”) this year. For more details, check out Disney’s press release about what’s to come.

Now, from the rest of the nuggets:

The New “Minnie Mouse Loves Dots” Collection is Now Available at UNIQLO at Disney Springs – In a surprise to no one, Elyssa has already picked up a few things from this collection.

The Rock Working with Disney Imagineering to Update The Jungle Cruise Attraction for Upcoming Film – I think I’m going to need Dwayne to skipper a boat for Elyssa and ,e before I can fully evaluate these changes. (Sadly, it looks like this rumor wasn’t true.)

New MagicBand 2 Colors Unveiled at Walt Disney World Resort – The headline for this article is weird, since it mentions the colors (which aren’t available separately), but the article is really about the custom designs.

New Mickey Mouse Celebration Cakes Coming Soon to Walt Disney World Resort – These look like monochrome versions of the Amorette’s Patisserie cakes, but are cheaper and available in the Disney restaurants.

Reservations Now Open for ‘The Music of Pixar LIVE!’ Dining Package at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Dining packages are all the rage. I wonder if this show will actually require on, though.

Incredibles Super Dance Party Being Replaced in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom; Limited Time Meet & Greet – I admit it: Elyssa & I have had fun at the Incredibles Dance Party in the past.

Celebration at the Top – Savor, Sip, and Sparkle extended to select Sundays through August 27, 2017 – No real surprise, here. I’m still not sure this event is something I’ll do, though.

Disney Store Introducing “Fantasyland Football” Theme Park Merchandise in Fall 2017 – I own a couple of the basketball shirts, so I hope they make the football ones as nice.

Mickey Mouse races around London in promotion of his new animated series “Mickey and the Roadster” – Adorable.

Disney Parks Chairman Bob Chapek to Reveal What’s Next at D23 Expo 2017 – It’ll be tough to top last year’s announcements. Maybe just some more details about things they’ve already talked about?

Alcoholic Milkshakes & Floats Arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Just In Time for Summer – That’s one way to spend some time during the heat of the summer at The Studios.

Sound Lion now closed at Disney Springs – Huh. I actually wandered into the store the other week while waiting for Elyssa. I imagine it was tough to get the kind of volume necessary in “high end headphones” to cover the Springs rent.

Rumors point to a possible Haunted Mansion restaurant at Magic Kingdom – Friend of the site Ken Storey writes about the latest dining rumor.

Walt Disney World plans to deploy driverless shuttles in Florida – These seem inevitable, especially since Disney can just map every square inch of its property to plug into its driverless system.

WDW News Today Rumor about Walt Disney World Looking to Build Volcano-Themed Resort Hotel at the Magic Kingdom – I thought the rumor of the volacno coaster (I first heard from Jim Hill) was a little extreme, but this takes it up a notch.

This Mother’s Day, Pamper Mom at Disney Springs – If you’re going to be down at Disney World over Mother’s Day, maybe you want to check out a special gift for your mother.

Baby Groot & Star Lord of MARVEL’s Guardians of the Galaxy Now Meeting Guests at Walt Disney World – I enjoy Disney feeling out the edges of the Universal deal. That said, it’s not exactly Chris Patt meeting as Star Lord. (Baby Groot seems promising, though.) Here’s a video of the experience:

youtube

Disney Springs to host free yoga session ‘Yoga By the Springs’ for small group of guests – Again, if you’ll be at Disney World on May 9th and like yoga, why not give this a shot?

Splash Mountain at the Magic Kingdom to be Closed Summer/Fall 2017 for Refurbishment – All of September, and October, and the first half of November? That’s a long refurb.

Kenny the Pirates’s Rumor Round Up of the Character Changes at Walt Disney World – Moana seems like a natural fit for Adventureland. Also, Rey in the BB-8 meet-and-greet would be awesome, but the queue would need to get much bigger.

Paddlefish at Disney Springs Offering Unique Mother’s Day Special – $48 is a lot for a pasta dish, even if it has Lobster (though I probably pay that much for a good steak a few times a year).

Cake Decorating Experience at Amorette’s Patisserie Extended through August – It’s a “different” experience, but $129 is still more than I would value it.

Catch a Sneak Peek of Disney·Pixar’s ‘Cars 3’ Now at Disney Parks – You can just look at the Disney movie release schedule to see what’s coming up. (Thor after this, right?)

Member creates DVC Investment Calculator – Seeing the overall investment over the length of a contract can be pretty daunting.

May 2017 Monorail service adjustments – Check this out: “From 11:30am to 6:00pm on May 16, 17, 23 and 24, stops at the Contemporary will be switched to the Express Monorail line. During this period, the Resort Monorail will shuttle between the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom only. The Express Monorail will make stops at the TTC, Contemporary and Magic Kingdom. ” I’m sure that won’t confuse anyone.

Savor a Taste of the Pacific Northwest at Geyser Point Bar & Grill – Nice little promotional video for Geyser Point. Unfortunately, the food and service don’t really live up to the location. (At least from out experience.) Maybe when Roaring Fork is back open, there will be less stress on Geyser Point and the service will improve.

Creators Ready ‘Happily Ever After’ for May 12 Debut at Magic Kingdom Park – I’m still apprehensive about this show, but I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s going to come together at the end. I’ll embed the preview video at the end of hte post.

Additional Backstage Viewing Area Being Opened for “Wishes” Farewell and “Happily Ever After” Debut at Magic Kingdom – Disney is anticipating a pretty big crowd for the end of Wishes and the start of Happily Ever After. I think they’re probably right to expect that.

Typhoon Lagoon closing for maintenance mid-May – Looks like you shouldn’t plan on visting Typhoon Lagoon on May 15 and 16.

Disney is about to revive one of its classic theme park ride systems – Has it really been 30 years since Disney built an all ages BOATRIDE in the US?

Fittings and Fairings Clothes and Notions – Between this and the Captain’s Grill, there’s a lot closed at the Yacht Club.

Disney World gondolas would connect parks, hotels, documents confirm – It really looks like this whole gondola system is going to happen, huh?

Rumors of Disney Creating Star Wars “Starship” Luxury Resort & Experience Attached to Disney’s Hollywood Studios – What’s interesting to me about this rumor is how far it’s spread. I’ve had a number of people I wouldn’t consider diehard Disney fans bring it up to me.

Frozen Summer Games Coming to Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park Starting May 26 – Interestingly, this is still the only place that you can meet Kristoff on Disney property.

Here’s the preview for Happily Ever After video I mentioned earlier. Seem you next time!

youtube

The post News Nuggets from Around Disney World appeared first on Rope Drop [dot] Net.

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#walt disney world #disney #Disney Springs #Epcot #Events #Magic Kingdom #Walt Disney World #car 3 #f

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itsworn · 6 years ago

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Mickey Thompson Hits 400, George Barris Builds an Air Car, and Flying Caduceus Launches Bonneville’s Jet Age in 1960

Ancestors

With so much action occurring simultaneously in so many regional hotbeds this year, no single magazine staff could hope to be in all places at all times. Robert E. Petersen’s unique advantage was owning multiple titles, each employing specialists who overlapped into the print equivalent of an automotive internet. Moreover, “Pete” could test the potential of any emerging market quickly and relatively cheaply by utilizing in-house editorial and production people to either start a publication from scratch or spin one off from an established Petersen title, then heavily promote the new project in the others.

This year, go-kart-crazy Car Craft launched an offshoot called Kart, packed with ads. Similarly, Motor Trend soon spawned competition-oriented Sports Car Graphic. Immediate, widespread widespread distribution of anything new was assured by a North American dealer network already profiting from Pete’s established monthlies, plus a steady barrage of thicker, higher-priced, “special edition” Petersen annuals, how-to books, racing compilations, and other recyclings of previously published articles and photography.

As the go-kart craze took off, drag and lakes racer Charles Scott’s muffler and dyno shop diversified into manufacturing pintsized performance parts. Sons George (left) and Billy Scott respectively demonstrated the differences between a conventional quarter-midget roadster and a rebodied, dual-purpose kart. “Billy the Kid” advanced to fuel and gas dragsters as a young teen and, ultimately, to champ cars, finishing 23rd in the 1976 Indy 500.

We’re sharing this ancient history to illustrate how the vast Petersen Publishing Company photo archive came to acquire an incomparable range of subjects. This year’s vehicular variety foretold the unprecedented strangeness of the decade to come. Among other oddities, Pete’s road warriors documented beatniks and bubbletops, a fighter-jet engine on wheels, four V8s on wheels, and a show-winning custom “car” with no engine and no wheels. They covered the first 400-mph American car and driver, tested a new wave of “medium compacts” from all three of the Big Three, and chronicled sleepy Pontiac’s seemingly sudden emergence atop auto racing (the GM division’s reward for three years of discreetly circumventing Detroit’s 1957 agreement to stop sponsoring, supporting, or even promoting high performance).

While those lucky guys enjoyed virtually unrestricted access wherever they flashed a Petersen business card, only a tiny fraction of their photos were published at the time. Whereas anything in print had passed scrutiny from the editors, advertiser-conscious publishers, and all-powerful editorial director Wally Parks, the rest of the story often went unseen and untold due to political, business, personal, or space considerations. It’s these unpublished outtakes that deliver deeper, truer insight into scenes unfolding right in front of staffers’ lenses—but subsequently kept behind the curtain separating us mere mortals, the readers.

Norm Grabowski continued living every young male’s dream life, driving hot rods and acting in B-movies and television shows alongside Hollywood’s hottest honeys. Mamie Van Doren posed for HRM’s Eric Rickman in Norm’s ’25 T to promote a forgettable film with an unforgettable title, Sex Kittens Go to College. Still powered by a flathead here, the red touring soon acquired a hot Chevy V8, landed its own TV series (My Mother the Car), and found a new owner, studio-photographer Kaye Trapp. SoCal drag fans watched it push-start both the Zeuschel, Fuller & Moody AA/Fueler and the MagiCar that Trapp campaigned in partnership with Ron Winkel. (See Aug. 1960 HRM.)

Some of the artists’ faces appear here, frozen in time by mischievous colleagues always armed with cameras. Almost all of them are gone now, nearly six decades after so much of their best 1960 work was developed, dried, sleeved, labeled, filed, and forgotten, forever—or so it must have seemed to our frustrated editorial ancestors. It’s our pleasure to prove them wrong here in the next century.

Motor Trend magazine’s Aug. 1960 Indy 500 coverage bemoaned rain delays during both qualifying weekends that reduced attempts by 66 entries. Soggy fans were effectively repurposing handout copies of an Indianapolis daily when Petersen Publishing Co. (PPC) photo chief Bob D’Olivo happened by. (Kiddies, don’t try this with your smartphones or tablets.)

Imagine a Daytona International Speedway parking lot—or any parking lot, anywhere in America, today—without a single crew-cab pickup or so-called sport utility vehicle as far as the eye can see. Petersen editorial director Wally Parks, also NHRA president, shot the photo during Daytona’s Speed Week, undoubtedly envying NASCAR’s booming popularity. (See Apr. 1960 HRM; Apr. and June 1960 MT; Sept. 2016 HRD.)

Technical editor Barney Navarro helped make Motor Life a respected monthly both before and after parent Quinn Publications was acquired by rival publisher Robert E. Petersen. Navarro broke the story of GMC’s groundbreaking V6 in the May 1960 issue and offered a prescient prediction: “Granted, the new powerplant can be found at this time time only in a pickup truck, but such a unit certainly has possibilities for future passenger-car power.” The same article teased readers with a small factory photo of the 12-cylinder, 610-cubic-inch prototype that GM engineers created by aligning two of these engines inside of a single crankcase and oil pan.

Staff photographer Colin Creitz captured a scene that could have been Anywhere, USA, this season. A similar exposure from the top of this grandstand led off Barney Navarro’s tips for “Stock Car Drag Racing” in the June 1960 Motor Life. If the wall of hay bales seems familiar, the little track situated just over the hill from Hollywood provided a convenient midweek location for automotive-themed films, television shows, and commercials. We recognized the starter on this sunny Sunday as future world champ Jimmy Scott, a recovered street racer who had been unofficially “sentenced” to strip duty by the City of San Fernando’s Judge Morgan, who moonlighted as track manager in the 1950s.

Many of the negatives selected for this series were both composed and processed by the same PPC employee: Pat Brollier. Equally skilled as a photographer and a lab technician, he enjoyed a long career on photographic director Bob D’Olivo’s team.

It’s hard to believe that such great action and from such a rare angle wasn’t published at the time, somewhere, but what we cannot find in our incomplete collection of PPC magazines qualifies for Backstage Past consideration. The surprisingly stock Burkhardt, Brammer & Wilson ’29 on ’32 rails is boiling the biggest balonies like a dragster at Riverside because it ran like one, and then some. NHRA Museum curator Greg Sharp cited 1958 evidence that then-driver Howard Eichenhoffer’s 212.264 mph in the dirt was the best by any dry-lakes car, including streamliners and lakesters. Mike Burns and Don Rackemann also spent time in the seat. A Sept. 1959 HRM feature called it the world’s swiftest drag roadster at 9.81/156.79. Its front-blown, nitro-burning, 341ci DeSoto was backed by a ’39 Lincoln tranny using high gear only.

Alternate angles of this odd setup started appearing this year in Motor Life subscription ads ($3 per year) and also atop Motor Trend’s “Rumors” column. The unidentifiable executives and ad reps pretended to peek at what appears to be a Corvair sedan, wrapped in one of the first car covers we have found on film. The high angle reveals the close proximity of neighbors to the employee parking lot, where countless car features were shot for Petersen publications (at 5959 Hollywood Boulevard).

Bob Petersen’s hiring philosophy favored enthusiasm and wrenching expertise over writing ability. “Pete” got all three in Ray Brock, the HRM tech editor credited with designing and managing the first thrust-powered land-speed car—despite the reality that only wheel-driven vehicles were eligible then to set the unlimited LSR. Still under construction in this late-April photo, the Flying Caduceus would hit the salt in late summer for a series of disappointing shakedown runs. Collapsing air-intake ducts and a scary front-end shimmy restricted recorded speeds to less than half of owner Nathan Ostich’s 500-mph target. (See Apr. and Oct. 1960 HRM; Aug. 1960 R&C; July 1960 MT; Dec. 1960 ML; Jan. 1961 CC.)

Did he or didn’t he? From the empty starting line and serious looks on these faces, we suspect that some discussion ensued. All we know is that the rubber was burned during a big May meet at Inyokern, California, where entries included the pretty Kurtis sport special of record-setting City of Industry, California, councilman Sam Parriott (waiting to run).

A July ’60 MT editorial titled “The Vanishing Mechanic” expressed concern that new-vehicle production was outpacing young technicians entering “the field of auto mechanics.” One promising sign was the record number of schools and students participating in Plymouth’s annual Trouble-Shooting Contests. Since the concept was introduced with a single Los Angeles event in 1954, contests had spread to 16 locations nationwide, involving nearly 1,000 high school, vocational, and community college students in two-person teams. Factory mechanics planted various gremlins in the Plymouth engines (e.g., “Most-overlooked malady was cork in the intake manifold, causing engines to run on four cylinders.”).

HRM Editor Wally Parks commissioned what must have been the first-ever V8 swap into a Comet. This roll of film was processed on June 3, barely three months after the model’s March introduction. We wonder how FoMoCo executives reacted to subsequent articles explaining how modified ’40 Ford Hurst-Campbell mounts enabled a painless conversion (“no cutting needed”) from the weak Ford-Mercury inline-six to a Duntov-equipped 283 Chevy. (See Aug. 1960 HRM and MT.)

The guy running the Chrondeks at Pomona for NHRA’s regional meet couldn’t have imagined the advances coming to timing systems—and “timing towers”—over the next six decades. HRM’s Eric Rickman went backstage to get the shot.

Imagine the look on the face of an unsuspecting tow-truck driver instructed to “get the big spare out of the trunk.” Firestone’s development of 48-inch-diameter rubber specifically for unlimited-LSR attempts greatly enhanced both the safety and speed of “record racing” in the 1960s. This early tire rolled under the Flying Caduceus, mounted on a giant wheel also designed and manufactured by Firestone.

Ed Roth followed up 1959’s revolutionary Excaliber/Outlaw showstopper with the Beatnik Bandit. This time the entire body was one piece, mounted on a shortened ’50 Olds frame. Fritz Voigt, Mickey Thompson’s engine builder, hopped up the Rocket. Rod & Custom contributing artist Joe Henning’s initial illustrations called for a fixed roof, but Henning went back to the drawing board after Roth requested a bubbletop. Less than five months after Bud Lang stopped by the shop this August, the completed Bandit would steal the annual show in San Mateo, California. (See Mar. and May 1961 R&C; May 1961 CC.)

Newly outfitted with four 6-71 GMC blowers beneath two tall “blisters,” front-wheel skirts, and a narrowed tail section, Challenger I returned to the Bonneville Nationals in August and earned Mickey Thompson’s third-consecutive HOT ROD top speed trophy (365.330, one way). The first 400 and fastest single run by an American would wait for a private session on September 9, when M/T hit 406.600 before blowing one Pontiac early into the backup pass. (See Nov. 1960 HRM; Dec. 1960 ML; Jan. 1961 CC.)

Two Petersen-affiliated players who never avoided a spotlight were Car Craft editor Dick Day and frequent PPC contributor George Barris, whose photography and how-to articles were regularly seen by millions in HRM, CC, R&C, even Motor Life and Motor Trend. The customizer is shown accepting one of two awards earned by his XPAK 400 in Detroit during Labor Day weekend. NHRA staged this second National Custom Car Show in conjunction with its National Drag Championships.

After Ed Roth stole his thunder with the groundbreaking Excaliber/Outlaw, kustom king George Barris countered with the XPAK 400 Air Car of the Future. Dual 4hp jet-aircraft-starter motors, remotely controlled by a pushbutton box, spun a large fan that supposedly elevated the Jack Sutton aluminum body above a rippling parachute “on a five-inch cushion of air.” Critics maintained that hidden hydraulic jacks were doing the lifting, but we have seen no underside photos. Barris claimed the metalflake finish to be the first commercial application of a Dow Chemical process involving “a million particles of chromed aluminum.” (See Jan. and Mar. 1961 CC.)

Two youngsters who seemed as if they’d live forever were checked prior to October’s Los Angeles Times-Mirror Grand Prix for Sports Cars. Dan Gurney went on to smash the track record in a mid-engined Lotus and led the USAC event until he was sidelined by a blown head gasket. Carroll Shelby finished Fifth in a Maserati. American Hot Rod Foundation curator Jim Miller recognized the industrial surroundings as Riverside International Raceway’s newly constructed garages, and wonders why these checkups were not performed in the track’s medical center as usual.

Near the end of October, publisher Robert Petersen evidently commandeered a new ’61 Chevy wagon for a hunting expedition. Yes, that’s an unlucky eagle displayed in staffer Neal East’s photo.

We can’t say where or why the exotic CERV-I (Chevrolet Engineering Research Vehicle I) was parked amongst these late-model Chevys—outdoors, yet—in November, following rare exhibition runs during Riverside’s Grand Prix weekend. Designer Zora Arkus-Duntov, Stirling Moss, and Dan Gurney took turns behind the wheel. Then-exotic goodies included cast-magnesium injector stacks and an aluminum 283 block and cylinder heads (90 pounds lighter than iron), a four-speed case, a water pump, and a starter-motor case. Suspecting the location to be Bill Thomas Race Cars, GM’s southern California skunkworks, we shared the photo with Brian Brennan, who worked there in high school. The longtime Street Rodder editor ruled that out, but the building looked familiar. Brennan suggested that the absent exhaust system might indicate a stop at the nearby Orange County shop of Jess Tyree, a buddy of Bill’s who built headers for some of his projects.

PPC’s Christmas parties in the early years were legendary. This one evidently involved a Roaring ’20s theme for which editorial director Wally Parks, HRM photographer Eric Rickman, and three unidentified accomplices were properly attired.

The post Mickey Thompson Hits 400, George Barris Builds an Air Car, and Flying Caduceus Launches Bonneville’s Jet Age in 1960 appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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itsworn · 7 years ago

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Corvette’s Founding Fathers Pt 6: XP-87 Designer Peter Brock

Of the six men in our “Corvette’s Founding Fathers” series, Peter Brock had the shortest career at GM, but his contribution was enormous. Like all of the Founding Fathers, Brock had “gasoline in his veins” and was cut from the same cloth as Larry Shinoda; post-WW-II Southern California, the birthplace of modern hot rodding.

Peter got the car bug at the age of 12 when he spotted a ’49 MG TC with a broken engine in back of the garage where he had his first after-school job. Peter studied the lines and mechanicals of the MG TD and at 15 bought the car. With help from his car pals, he got the car running.

Brock’s second car was a ’46 Ford that he made into a fast, award-winning hot rod. Whereas Shinoda’s Chopsticks Special hot rods were scrappy-looking, Brock’s hot rod Ford was a beauty that included a 3-inch chopped top, a 4-inch channeled body midsection, raised fenders, a Hudson nose, a fabricated aluminum hood and a radiator air intake made from two Mercury grille shells. Under the hood, Brock installed a ’49 Cadillac engine with a ’37 LaSalle transmission. The entire car was painted white, had two American racing blue stripes that ran from front-to-back and over the rear seat tonneau and Moon hubcaps. The car was quick at the drags and won its class at the Grand National Roadster Show two times.

While pit crewing for some older car pals that were racing, Brock decided that he wanted to race, but Brock observed that racing was an expensive enterprise. He determined that he’d better first learn a trade. And since automotive design was his second passion, he’d have to go to Art Center College of Design.

Brock’s approach to getting into the school was stunning; he just walked in and told the receptionist that he wanted to attend. The reception lady asked about his portfolio and Peter had to admit he didn’t know what a portfolio was. After she explained what a portfolio is, Peter went to his car, created a series of drawing on blue-lined school paper, came back in after a few hours and said, “Here’s my portfolio.” He made his case that after a month, if his work wasn’t approved, he’d leave.

Brock didn’t see much value in life drawing, light and shadow, and graphics classes. But the “Transportation 101” class was exactly what he was looking for. With great teachers and classmates, combined with his enthusiasm, Brock was ready for his next big break. Designer Chuck Jordan was working as a GM headhunter. When Peter explained his situation to Jordan, he received a round-trip ticket to Detroit for an interview with GM, and later a job offer. Brock later said, “GM was like going to the best grad school. The best education a car designer could hope for.” Brock was the youngest designer ever hired at GM.

Brock couldn’t have been happier and would often work after hours. One evening Harley Earl entered the design studio and struck up a conversation with Brock. Earl asked Brock what he thought of GM’s design direction. Surprisingly, Brock told Earl that GM needed to look into the small car market because the Europeans were making inroads and there was a need for a “student’s car” for young people that couldn’t afford a new bigger car. Earl was intrigued. After several more evening conversations with Brock, Earl informed Brock that he was starting the XP-79 Cadet project and that Brock was to lead the design effort, under the direction of a studio boss.

Brock went through the entire design process, from sketches, line drawings, to a full-size mockup that looked like a truncated Vega. Earl loved the concept and expanded it to include a delivery vehicle. But when Earl showed the $1,000 Cadet concept at the 1958 line review meeting, there was dead silence. GM president Harlow Curtice said, “GM doesn’t build small cars.” The project was dead, but it did plant a seed that soon became the Corvair.

Earl was about to retire and his Olds Golden Rocket-like C2 Corvette concept was going nowhere. Around the same time the 1957 AMA Racing Ban killed all racing activity and possibly even the struggling Corvette. But 46-year-old Bill Mitchell was about to take over as VP of Design upon Earl’s retirement and had his own ideas of what the next Corvette should look like. Studio A was where official GM advanced design was created, so Mitchell setup Studio B where he could do his own private design work. After returning from the 1957 Turin Auto Show, Mitchell gave his Studio B team photos of cars that most impressed him: an Abarth 750 and Abarth Alfa 1000. He liked the bulging fenders and sharp horizontal crease line, and instructed his team to sketch some ideas based on the photos.

A few days later, Mitchell came back to review his team’s progress. He carefully looked at all the drawings and stopped at one and said, “Whose work is this?” Brock raised his hand and Mitchell said, “Nice! I’d like everyone to take a closer look here because this approach to the theme has some real possibilities. Your goal is to expand on this. Let’s see how we can approve.” Bob Veryzer might have been peeved because he put Peter’s drawing away. But during the next review, Mitchell asked, “Where’s that sketch I approved?” Veryzer put the Brock sketch back up and Mitchell said, “Yes, that’s the one! This is what I want!” That’s how Peter Brock got in the lead design team.

Brock refined his design and explored removable roof panels, unique door hinges, and a rollbar built into the B-pillar. Several weeks into the project, Mitchell asked Peter if he knew anything about Earl’s SS Racer. Brock explained that he and several of his designer friends drove around the clock to Sebring to see the car race. Mitchell was impressed and then explained that he had acquired the SS mule chassis and intended to use it as a successor to Earl’s car, and work on it as an “advanced concept,” not a new Corvette. Thus the XP-87 was born.

Based on Brock’s refined sketches, a work-order was released for a 1/5th scale model to be built. Because of UAW regulations, all of the work would have to be done only by the modelers and Brock couldn’t even touch the model. What Brock learned was that the modelers were outstanding and fast craftsmen, totally open to changes; they were there to serve the designers. Once again, Brock was learning from the best.

Around the same time, Ed Cole was pushing his Q-Chevrolet line concept that would have all 1960 Chevrolet cars, including the Corvette, use a transaxle for better weight distribution, and to eliminate the interior transmission hump. Duntov’s engineering layout included an all-aluminum fuel injected engine, a four-speed transaxle, four-wheel independent suspension, a platform chassis and inboard brakes. A full-size space buck was built and Brock and the team translated the 1/5th scale mode into a full-size clay model. Brock commented that with the space buck, everything fell into place. Unfortunately, the entire Q-Chevrolet concept collapsed due to cost and was diluted down to the Corvair.

But Mitchell still was hooked on Brock’s design. The XP-87 project morphed into Mitchell’s Stingray Racer and then into the 1963 Corvette project, both driven by the capable skills of Larry Shinoda, Chuck Pohlmann, Tony Lapine and Gene Garfinkle. Because of the AMA Racing Ban, Peter saw no opportunity to be involved with anything connected to racing, so he left GM on good terms and went back to California.

Post GM Brock raced a used Cooper and later upgraded to a Lotus II Series 2, coming in runner-up two seasons in a row to veteran racer Frank Monise. Through providence, Brock was Carroll Shelby’s first employee and set up the Carroll Shelby School of High Performance Driving, ran Shelby’s Goodyear Racing Tire operation, helped develop the very first Shelby Cobra, created the Cobra Daytona coupe to take on the Ferrari, won an FIA GT World Championship, and World Speed Records at Bonneville.

In 1965, Brock started Brock Racing Enterprises and raced Toyotas, Datsun, Lotus cars and a NASCAR Mercury until 1972. After Brock decided to end his racing career, he got into hang-gliding. In recent years Brock has worked as an automotive photo journalist and authored a book about the Daytona Cobra Coupes and Corvette Sting Ray: Genesis of an American Icon. In 2017, Brock was initiated into the National Corvette Museum’s Hall of Fame in 2017. Peter Brock’s single sketch was the beginning of the Sting Ray. Vette

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itsworn · 7 years ago

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History of the (Grand) National Roadster Show

Just by the look on all of those hot rod faces out there, I can foresee some snoozing in the ranks at the mention of history, any history. Well, don’t worry. This is history that you will enjoy, at least I hope so. Rather than examining the heroes of the Crusades, or the Battle of The Bulge or the American Civil War, I going to give you some insight into a few hot rod heroes, those folks that you may have read about in ‘the little books’, one of which you may have had hidden in that World History book during an eleventh grade history class. This is the story of the folks that started what is now the Grand National Roadster Show, the longest continuously running hot rod show in the country, and maybe the world. The year is 1948. The scene is Northern California, specifically a then-rural area south of Oakland. The boys were coming home from World War II and had money in their pockets. The Oakland Speedway had been hosting dirt track racing since 1931, and was known as the home of the ‘Roaring Roadsters’.

The ‘Roaring Roadsters’ Coming Out Of Turn 2 at Oakland Speedway. The East End Of The Speedway Faced The Hillcrest Knolls, and East 14th Street Near 159th Avenue In San Leandro. Eric Rickman

NorCal street rodder, drag racer and good guy Rudy Perez remembers he and his Dad going there in 1946, “Names like Bignotti, Foyt, Gotelli, Sweikert and Vukovich were regular competitors. My Dad and Jack Hagemann, Sr., were charter members of the Pacific Racing Association, which eventually became part of the Bay Cities Roadster Racing Association.”

Some of these roadsters not only raced but were also driven on the streets of the East Bay. Clubs like the Oakland Roadsters, the East Bay Roadsters and the still-active Satan’s Angels would be seen cruising East 14th Street, a pre-freeway main artery between downtown Oakland and the small suburbs of Hayward and Fremont in the south bay. Gathering spots included the Circle Drive-In and Gordon’s Drive-In.

A View Down The Mail Aisle Of The 1953 National Roadster Show. This Is By far The Best Early Image Yet, Showing The Interior Of The Exposition Building And Many Of The Cars In Detail. Jack Chinn

The Brand New Oakland Exposition Building As Seen In 1931 Just Prior To Completion. With Its Large Doors At Each End And Big Windows For Ventilation, Its Rafters Were A Haven For Local Birds That Left ‘Presents’ For The Car Show Entrants. It looks Like Construction Workers Drove Cars That Might Later Have Been Turned Into Roadsters.

Enter one Galand ‘Al’ Slonaker, an advertising and public relations guy working at the time as a publicist for the City of Oakland school system. Al had experience promoting local flower and garden shows, as well also dabbling as a promotor of events at the Oakland Speedway. Al and his wife Mary were planning a new car show at the Oakland Exposition Building, showcasing new imported models for the Oakland Motorcar Dealers Association. His thoughts revolved around those previously-mentioned soldier boys, hoping to attract some of them to the new, sporty models.

A Scene From Al And Mary Slonaker’s 1949 International Auto Show, Showcasing The New Models From Overseas. A Not-Visible Corner Of This Building Is Where It All Began. Frank Livingston Collection

Al and Mary had heard that many of the young folks were fans of the ‘Roaring Roadsters’ at Oakland Speedway, but did not have the means or the guts, for that matter, to go racing. Hence the emergence of the street rod roadster, an early low budget street cruiser. There was enough early iron around that if you wanted a roadster, no problem. If you wanted performance and had a few extra bucks, there was an emerging market place of parts that made the early Ford flathead motors come alive.

So how did Al and Mary find these street rod roadsters? Picture a cool fall Saturday afternoon at the Circle Drive-In. A non-descript American sedan rolls up. Al and Mary get out, him in a suit and her in a three-quarter length fur coat. “We are having a new car show at the Oakland Exposition Building next month and would like to have some roadsters to display”. Of course the guys and gals said sure. One of these guys was Donald Bell.

Rosemary Accosta, wife of current GNRS Hall of Fame member Bob Accosta and Al Slonaker’s ‘girl Friday’ from 1955 to 1972, remembers Al talking about that day. “We didn’t know roadsters from roller skates; we just told the guys to bring the cars that they were most proud of.” The following February the Exposition Building at 10th and Fallon Streets in Oakland was filled with the latest models of many import brands, as well as a small group of ‘hot rods’. But wait. Al was aware of much of the bad press that ‘hot rods’ were getting in those post-war years, in various media outlets like Life Magazine. His solution; the group was billed as ‘roadsters’, not hot rods.

The crowds of people that saw Al and Mary Slonakers’ International Auto Show that February in 1949 spent as much time looking at the roadsters as the new sporty cars. Rosemary recalls, “Mary saw the impression that the roadsters made on the crowd, and on Al. She knew that Al was a visionary and always thinking of new projects. Thus was born the idea for the first National Roadster Show.”

Al, being the consummate showman and innovator, decided that, in order to attract the finest roadsters from the West Coast, he needed to order a trophy that no one would forget. Hence the birth of the now-famous nine foot trophy. Rudy Perez remembers Don Bell’s story about the day that he and Ken Fuhrman picked up the trophy, “Al forgot to tell me that the trophy was 11 feet tall! Granat Brothers Trophy Company in San Francisco built the trophy in their basement and was worried that if the base wasn’t big enough for the huge brass ‘loving cup’ on top, it might fall over. Granat then removed part of the base, cutting the height to 8 ½ feet. Even then the damn thing would not fit in my truck, so the trophy company had to break it down into pieces.”

Since Al had ordered a 9 foot tall trophy, he figured that no one would miss 6 inches in the height. From 1950 through 1961, the person that won the big trophy had to take it home with them, to display it or whatever. The base of the trophy is built in steps, and each winner has a brass plaque signifying the year that they won. In 1962, a smaller version of the trophy was given to the winner to take home.

The Famous Nine-Foot Trophy Awarded To America’s Most Beautiful Roadster. The Car Owner Gets A Plaque On The Tiered Base And A Slightly Smaller Version Of The Trophy To Take Home. James Handy

Now let’s fast forward to January 1950. Al and Mary had spent a good part of the previous year getting to know the who-is-who in the roadster/hot rod world. Al invited Dean Batchelor and Alex Xydias to bring their SoCal Streamliner. Also in attendance was the 1927 Ford Roadster of Gene Winfield ( a car that he still owns), Harold Casaurang’s 1923 Ford roadster, Gordon Vann’s 1917 Dodge roadster and the roadster of Bill Carash. A young George Barris even brought two of his latest customs, and Stu Hilborn brought his lakester. The first National Roadster Show was a reality, opening in the Oakland Exposition Building on January 19, 1950 for a four day run.

The crowds came, to the tune of over 27,000, and were impressed with what they saw. During the previous year Al had become acquainted with a young man who had just help start a new magazine in Los Angeles. Al asked this young man to come and help judge the entries. Enter one Wally Parks, the then editor of Hot Rod Magazine and later the founding father of the National Hot Rod Association, a.k.a. NHRA. Also in attendance were Robert Petersen, the founder of Hot Rod Magazine, Bob Lindsey, Tom Medley, the first official employee of Petersen Publishing Company, author Griff Borgeson and Motor Trend’s Walt Waron.

At the 1950 show, Al and Mary managed to get a partial sponsor in Standard Oil of California. They needed stanchions to rope off the cars, and someone suggested new blue and white Standard Oil 55 gallon drums filled part way with water. Standard Oil also presented each show entrant with a special box containing 4 quarts of their finest motor oil.

The Niekamp Roadster That Won The Big Trophy At The 1950 National Roadster Show In Oakland. The Car Is Now In The Petersen Museum Collection.

The first person to be awarded the nine foot trophy and judged as the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster was Bill Niekamp from Long Beach, California. His baby blue 1929 Ford had a track roadster nose and full belly pan made by Whitey Clayton, and a 1942 Mercury flathead motor with Evans heads. Another major award dubbed the Most Beautiful Custom Roadster went to Vincent Gardner’s 1947 Studebaker. Three trophies were given in each class, as well as a few special awards.

The 1951 National Roadster Show Saw The Emergence Of Multiple Car Club Displays Like This One From The Ramblers Of San Francisco. Frank Livingston Collection

The years from 1951 to 1957 saw many changes at the National Roadster Show. Slonaker started a new award called the Custom D’Elegance, since custom cars and lead sleds were becoming a large and important part of the show. He also created new classes for street roadsters, sedans, coupes, customs, lakes racers, speedway cars, antiques and sports cars. In 1953, Slonaker started the People’s Choice award which gave the spectators input in determining trophy winners.

One somewhat controversial myth regarding the National Roadster Show involved the use of the name, ‘Oakland Roadster Show’. The show was never officially called the ‘Oakland Roadster Show’, except in some print media. Many long time attendees and participants often referred to the show as just, ‘Oakland’. I guess that they thought that the National Roadster Show title was just a little too generic. The media picked up on this and championed the ‘Oakland Roadster Show’ moniker. Many a magazine coverage used that title in their annual coverage of the show. One of the best books on the history of the show, authored by Andy Southard, Jr. and Dain Gingerelli, is titled, ‘The Oakland Roadster Show – 50 Years Of Rods And Customs’.

The infamous and late Blackie Gejeian was the subject of a second well-traveled true story about the 1953 show. Blackie was part of the Fresno, California, contingent and mostly credited with setting the standard for future show displays. You see, Blackie was extremely proud of the fact that his ’26 Ford T roadster had a fully chromed frame and suspension. The problem was that no one could see most of that bright work when the car was sitting on the ground. So Blackie decided, to Al Slonaker’s dismay, to drain the engine fluids and tip the car on its side periodically during the show. This grew very tiring. One morning Slonaker showed up to open the show, and all everyone was talking about was the large mirror under Blackie’s car. When Slonaker discovered that the large mirror in the nearby Ladies restroom was missing, Blackie was in even more trouble. After that, mirrors under the cars and more elaborate displays became the norm.

After the Niekamp car won the AMBR in 1950 the track roadster theme became even more popular. The show was expanded to six days and opened on February 20, 1951. Rico Squalglia won the big trophy in 1951 with his 1923 Ford track roadster. Thanks to folks like John Mumford and Roy Brizio the track roadster is still in vogue, keeping alive those early memories from Oakland Speedway.

Rico Squaglia And His AMBR-Winning 1923 Ford Track-Nosed Roadster. The Car Still Exists Today In Northern California, Having Gone Through Multiple Owners And A Complete Restoration. Frank Livingston Collection.

The 1950’s were good to Al and Mary Slonaker, and the new National Roadster Show. Entries came from all over the Western states to compete for the big trophy. The show was opened up to race cars, customs and street rod coupes and sedans. The Slonakers enlisted help from local clubs and police departments, all in an effort to show the public that young men and women that owned and drove modified vehicles, a.k.a. hot rod roadsters, were responsible hard working adults. My first Roadster Show was in 1962 and my memories over the past 55 years cannot be replaced. I hope that this beginning chapter and future chapters will be as memorable to you as writing them will be for me. Enjoy.

Stay tuned for our next installment: a trip through the 1960’s and 1970’s, complete with wild customs, angel hair and psychedelic paint jobs.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to the following folks for their input into this story: Rudy Perez, Bob and Rosemary Accosta, Rik Hoving at Custom Car Photo Archive, Andy Southard, Jr, Dain Gingerelli, Bo Bertilsson, Frank Livingston, Sondre and Olav at Kustomrama.com

Another Very Nice Club Display, This Time From The Hayward Head Hunters From Hayward, California. This photo is From The 1956 Show. Frank Livingston Collection

The custom 1950 Chevrolet Convertible Of Ted Leventhal Was Part Of The Swanx Club Display At The 1955 National Roadster Show. The Swanx Club Was Responsible For Helping Al And Mary Get Other Local car Clubs Involved In The Roadster Show. Hot Rod Magazine

Ken Fuhrman’s 1932 Ford Roadster Won The Nine-Foot Trophy In 1956. The Frame Was Fully Chromed And The Engine Was A Bored And Stroked 1946 Mercury V-8. James Handy

A Typical Entrant In The Street Roadster Class At The 1956 National Roadster Show Was This 1926 Ford On A 1932 Frame, Built by Rudy Perez, Sr. Under The Jack Hagemann Hood Was A 284 Cubic Inch Flathead With A Three Carb Offy Intake, Offy 8.5 To 1 Heads And A Vertex Magneto. The Color Was Ford Truck Goldenrod Yellow. The Car Was Sold At The Show And Totaled In An Accident In 1957.

The 1936 Ford Phaeton Owned And Restyled By Tommy “The Greek” Hrones Of Oakland, California. Tommy Restyled The Car In 1937. In 1952, Tommy’s Phaeton Was Shown At The National Roadster Show In Oakland, By Then Tommy Had Removed The Running Boards, Added A DuVall Windshield, Shaved The Door Handles, Added Fender Skirts And Bobbed The Trailing Edge Of The Front Fenders.

Blackie Gejeian Gets Ready To Drive Into The 1953 Roadster Show in Oakland. Frank Livingston Collection

Bill Montero Of San Jose Entered Two Roadsters in 1954, One Of Which Was This 1932 Ford. The Car, Called ‘The Hula Girl’, Was Chopped And Channeled With Full Fenders. The Engine Was A 296 Cubic Inch Mercury With Triple Carbs. Andy Southard Photo

Tom Hocker Of Oakland Showed His 1940 Ford Coupe In 1953 In The Custom Coupe Class. The Engine Was A Bored And Stroked Mercury Flathead. The Body Had Shaved Emblems And Door Handles, Pontiac Bumpers And Frenched Lights. Frank Livingston Collection

Current GNRS Hall Of Fame Member And Satan’s Angels Club Member Frank Livingston Started Showing Chevy Fleetline Custom Sedans Back In 1955. This 1949 Model Featured Many Mild Custom Touches Including Frenched Lights, Pontiac Bumpers And Kaiser Taillights. Frank Livingston Collection

At The 1953 National Roadster Show, Young Hayward, California Customizer Joe Bailon Accepts His Class Award For His Highly-Modified 1941 Chevrolet Called ‘Miss Elegance’. The Car Had Everyone Talking About Its Fully-Chromed And Fully-Instrumented Dashboard. Frank Livingston Collection

And Here Is That Famous Joe Bailon Chromed 1941 Chevrolet Dash. It Is Rumored That The Bailon Family Still Owns The Dash. Joe Passed Away In 2016. Frank Livingston Collection

Ron Dunn’s 1950 Ford Coupe Built By Valley Custom Won The Best Custom Award At The 1953 National Roadster Show. The Car Was Sectioned 5 Inches And Had Most Of The Exterior Trim Removed. The Car Still Exists Today. Frank Livingston Collection

America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Of 1954 Was Owned By Frank Rose Of Oakland. His 1927 Ford Had A Custom Tube Frame and Aluminum Body Panels Made By Jack Hagemann. All Suspension Pieces Were Chrome Plated. Pinstriping Was Done By Tommy The Greek. Frank Livingston Collection

Red Jones Accepts His Dragster Class First Place Trophy From 1954 Roadster Show Manager Mary Slonaker. Jones’ Dragster Had A Best Quarter Mile Speed Of 126.62 In 1953. Frank Livingston Collection

Bob Travers Of Oakland Accepts His Award At The 1954 Roadster Show For His Yellow Mild Custom 1950 Ford Convertible. The Interior Was Done In Black And White. Body Mods Included Frenched Lights, Mild Trim Removal, Louvered Fender Skirts And A Pontiac Grille. Frank Livingston Collection

This Is The 1949 Ford Club Coupe Owned By Ray Duckworth. Shown In 1953 The Car Was Sectioned 3 ½ Inches, The Top Chopped 2 Inches And The Front Fenders Extended 6 Inches. The Headlights And Taillights Were Frenched. The Engine Was An Oldsmobile 88 With Two Four Barrel Carbs. Frank Livingston Collection

Dick DeVecchi’s 1941 Chevy Fleetline Looks Stock, Until You Look Under The Hood. The Six Cylinder 1953 GMC 6-Cylinder Engine Is Full Race, And Sports A GMC 6-71 Blower. Dick Still Owns The Car; It Was last Exhibited At The 2009 Roadster Show In Pomona, As Part Of The 60th Anniversary Display. Frank Livingston Collection

The 1951 America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Winner Showed Up Again In 1954, This Time Owned By August Correia, Jr. The Car Appeared At The Roadster Show Again In 2009, Restored By Carter Fisher After It Was Found In A Barn In California’s Central Valley. Frank Livingston Collection

Blackie Gejeian shared the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award in 1955 With Ray Anderegg. The Fenders Have Been Removed For The Show. All Of The Suspension Components And The Full Frame Were Chrome Plated. Frank Livingston Collection

The Two AMBR Winners In 1955, Blackie Gejeian and Ray Anderegg, Are Shown Flanking The 9 Foot Trophy. The AMBR Award Was Only Shared Between Two Cars Twice, 1955 And In 1968, When Bob Reisner’s ‘Invader’ and Joe Wilhelm’s ‘Wild Dream’ Tied For The Award. Frank Livingston Collection

Ray Duckworth And His Wife Accept A Class Award in 1953, For His Sectioned 1949 Ford Club Coupe. Frank Livingston Collection

In 1955 Ten-Year-Old John Douglas Smith Entered His Micro-Midget Racer In The Roadster Show. The Slonakers Were Constantly Looking For New Exhibits To Attract More Families To The Show. Frank Livingston Collection

In 1955 Al Slonaker Presented A Special Award To San Francisco’s Al Williams For His Alfa Romeo Ghia Speciale, A Futuristic Bat Wing Coupe Concept Car Built By Ghia In Turin, Italy. One Of Three Built From 1954 To 1956, Williams’ Coupe Is Now Owned By Bob White Of Scottsdale, Arizona, And Is Being Restored. Frank Livingston Collection

An Entry In The Rod Street Coupe Class Was This 1932 Ford Coupe Of John Kreutzer. The Front Portion Of The Body Was Sectioned 3 Inches. The Engine Was A Full Race 221 Cubic Inch From A 1942 Ford With A Two-Pot Eddie Meyer Manifold. Frank Livingston Collection

A Class Winner In The Sports Rod Category Was The Road Racer Of Ak Miller And Doug Harrison. Frank Livingston Collection

This Entry In The Full Custom Convertible Class Was The 1949 Ford Owned By Donald Carroll Of The U.S. Navy. The Paint Was 1953 Buick Maroon And The Top Was Chopped 4 Inches. The Headlights And Taillights Were Frenched. Frank Livingston Collection

This Belly Tank Lakester Was Entered In The 1953 Roadster Show By Emmett Cull, A Member Of The Clutch Busters Club Of Oakland. The Chevrolet Engine Had A Spaulding Ignition And A 5-Carb Manifold. Frank Livingston Collection

A Class Winner In The Modified Rod Roadster Class in 1953 Was The 1932 Ford Of Fred Smith And Paul Leuschner. The Ford V-8 Engine Propelled The Car To A Record 13.77 Seconds In The Quarter Mile Drag. The Award Presenter Is Show Manager Mary Slonaker. Frank Livingston Collection

Oakland’s Donald Bell Accepts His Class Award For His Chopped 1934 Ford Coupe. The Paint Was Baby Blue, The Front End Was Chromed And The Engine Was A 286 Cubic Inch Mercury Flathead With Three Carbs. Frank Livingston Collection

This Very Nice 1949 Mercury Was Entered In The 1953 Show By Bill Chatham. The Grille Was From A 1946 Lincoln And The Taillights Were 1950 Buick. The Car Ran 120 MPH At Bonneville In 1952 With A 1946 Mercury V-8. The Color Was Maroon. Does Anyone Know Who Did The Chop And Bodywork? Frank Livingston Collection

George Barris Brought The ‘Kopper Kart’ Custom Pickup To The 1958 Roadster Show. The Heavily-Modified 1955 Chevrolet Pickup Was Built By George As An Advertisement For The Barris Custom Shop. It Was Last Seen In Many Pieces In An Ohio Field. Andy Southard Photo

Frank Livingston And Joe Bailon Shared The Custom D’Elegance Award At The 1957 National Roadster Show. Frank Livingston Collection

Blackie Gejeian Accepts A Class Award At The 1953 National Roadster Show. He Would Later Tear The Car Apart And Bring It back To Oakland In 1955, Sharing The America’s Most Beautiful Roadster Award With Ray Anderegg. Frank Livingston Collection

Ted Lundquist Brought His Heavily Modified 1951 Kaiser Sedan To The 1953 Roadster Show, and Won The “Most Popular Car” Award. The Front End Used Cadillac Grille And Bumper Items; The Taillights Were 1952 Lincoln. Ted Was A Member Of The Swanx Of Oakland And The Owner Of Lundquist Coach Craft Of San Francisco. Frank Livingston Collection.

The Year Of This Photo Is Unknown But This Is Probably Close To What The Show Floor Looked Like At The International Auto Show In 1949, Where The First Group Of Roadsters Were Shown In Oakland. Frank Livingston Collection

The Chrisman Brothers Iconic Number 25 Dragster Was Shown At The Roadster Show in 1955. This Was A Modified Dirt Track Racer. Art Chrisman Had The Honor Of Making The First Run At The N.H.R.A. Great Bend Nationals In Kansas In 1955 In This Car.

Dick Williams Accepts His Award For America’s Most Beautiful Roadster of 1953. Of Note Is The Very Basic Construction Of The Nine-Foot Trophy; Compare It To The Latest Version In The Photo On The Red Carpet Above. Frank Livingston Collection

Dick Williams Is Justifiably Proud Of His Roadster After Winning The AMBR Award In 1953. Frank Livingston Collection

This Channeled Rod Street Roadster Was Entered In The 1953 Show By Mary Jane Edwardson. The Body Was Channeled 10 Inches And The Frame Dropped 6 Inches. The Balanced 1941 Mercury Engine Ran Stromberg Carbs. The Top Is A One-Piece Carson-Style Unit. Frank Livingston Collection

Donald Bell Is Seen Here Getting His Chopped 1934 Ford Coupe Ready To Move Into The Oakland Exposition Building For The 1953 National Roadster Show. Frank Livingston Collection

Dave Gayner Entered His 1936 Ford Roadster In The Sports Roadster Class At The 1953 National Roadster Show. The Engine Was A 1953 Dodge V8 Sending Power Through A Ford Transmission To A 1948 Mercury/Columbia Rear Axle. Frank Livingston Collection

Another Entry In The 1953 Rod Street Roadster Class Was This 1927 Ford On 1932 Rails Owned By Roger Hugo. The Engine Had Triple Carbs And Was Ported, Relieved And Balanced. The Car Ran 109 Miles Per Hour At The Drags. Frank Livingston Collection

Romeo Palamides Accepts His Dragster Class Award At The 1955 Show. The Engine Was A 304 Cubic Inch DeSoto. The Car Weighed 1500 Pounds. Romeo Would Later Go On, With Tom Griffith, To Found American Racing Equipment, One Of The Largest Makers Of Specialty Wheels In The World. Frank Livingston Collection

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itsworn · 7 years ago

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Two Deaths Darken Nostalgia Drag Racing And Cackling Events In California

Scene: 26th NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion

Those fans and cackle-car teams who showed up for NHRA’s 26th “Bakersfield reunion” seemed glad to be there. Spectators found closer parking than usual, for starters, and could select a seat or fence spot anywhere, even at peak Saturday attendance. They had to be happy about the return of extracurricular activities that made this event so unique and irresistible since 1992, pulling people back year after year from all over the world. Some say they come just to hang over the fence while period-correct, 1950s and ’60s American push cars with big V8s accelerate nitro-burning race cars to life close enough to feel heat from fiery zoomies and weedburners. Folks were denied that luxury last time, among other things. (Read all about it in the Mar. ’17 HRD.) The resultant outcry must’ve gotten awfully loud before the museum board voted to spend 30 grand for a full-length Armco barrier that evidently satisfied the Mother Ship’s nannies.

The racers themselves just want to race, of course, immune from trash talk about boycotts and loyalties. As always, CHRR’s contestants came through with either the best or second-best nostalgia show on the planet (rivaled only by the independent March Meet here). Final determination of season champions in NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series categories is a built-in bonus. Fans were further treated to Firebird Raceway’s rain-postponed pro finals, wherein Jim Murphy defeated Adam Sorokin in AA/FD, and Jason Rupert dropped Ryan Hodgson in AA/FC. Those outcomes helped secure points titles for both winners. Their fellow season champions are Kin Bates, A/Fuel; Don Enriquez, Jr. Fuel; Bobby Cottrell, 7.0 Pro; Dustin Lee, Nostalgia I; Dave Lawson, N-II; Ed DeStaute, N-III; Brendon Frye, A/Gas; Rich Harrison, B/G; Brian Smith, C/G; Mike Raberner, D/G; and Dale Hicks, Hot Rod.

CHRR’s jam-packed pits dictate fewer categories for this grand finale. Event winners were Jim Young, T/F (in the absence of runner-up Murphy, who’d brushed the wall past the finish line in the semis); Bobby Cottrell, F/C; darkhorse Englishman Nick Davis, AA/FA; Bates again, A/F; Gary Reinero, AA/G; John Marottek, J/F; Pete Peterson, 7.0; Lloyd Harden, Nostalgia; Terry Newton, A/G; Jeremy Hanger, Pro Mod; Bob Moreland, A/FX; and Bob Tingler, S/S.

The unavoidable elephant in the joint this year was last year. Despite ideal weather all but Friday morning and NHRA’s mighty promotional machine, revenue required to fund year-round museum operations suffered obvious hits in cackle-car entries (fewer than half of last year’s record 100-plus), attendance, souvenirs, even auction items. Nothing gets the attention of upper management like sudden revenue reduction. By reinstating the old attractions, NHRA’s directors gave hope that they’ve learned not to fix what ain’t broke. Only time—and their customers—will tell.

Fire Dancer: Amazingly, a dozen traditional AA/Fuel Altereds showed up (two more than AA/FDs) and stole the show during qualifying. The Bradford family’s Fiat got straightened out past the finish line, but Randy’s pedaling fractured four connecting rods. Veteran photographer Paul Sadler got the shot.

Iceman Returns: Leading Friday night’s honoree ceremony was grand marshal Rick Stewart (right, with emcee Bob Frey), whose 25 years working NHRA starting lines followed success in fuel and gas dragsters. “The Iceman” also starred—and crashed—in famed director Robert Abel’s first project, 1965’s Seven-Second Love Affair. Gene Adams’ slingshot was destroyed, but student photographer Les Blank’s onboard camera and microphone kept rolling along with the cockpit. Stewart went to the hospital, where he awoke to a bright-orange sky that he figured was hell, but proved to be the first night of the Watts riots. Cameraman Blank went on to become an award-winning documentarian. His color film may have been the earliest audio-visual footage ever shot from a crashing drag racer’s perspective.

High-Riser 302: Sean and Anna Clason’s freshly finished Model A is no stranger to the streets of Bakersfield, but it’d been a while; so long that nobody under 50 was alive the last time this car disturbed the peace. Sean’s late uncle, John DeWitt, drove it everywhere in the late 1950s (flathead-powered) and early ’60s (Chevy V8) before starting a restoration around 1965. Progress would be slowed by family obligations and health issues, then stopped by his 1998 passing. The chopped ’31 body, complete with original glass in all but one window opening, sat another eight years before the young couple scored a used rolling chassis. The rest has been accumulated or fabricated over the last decade. They rebuilt the 302 Ford—the first engine for both—in their kitchen. The biggest challenge turned out to be adapting not two, not three, but four reproduction Strombergs—inline, yet—to an early, carbureted engine plucked from a generous pal’s parts car (along with the C4 tranny that’s still behind it). The only affordable solution that occurred to Sean, Anna, and buddy Sean McDougall (whose Nov. ’16 HRD cover coupe is in the background) was mating a fuel-injected 5.0L Mustang’s manifold with a Speedway adapter plate designed to put four 97s atop a 6-71 blower. Anna made wood patterns for a sheet-metal power tower that merges induction technologies, topped off with irresistible stacks appeal. Flawless welding throughout illustrates years of oil-pipeline experience by both Seans. The cowl lights are now turn signals.

Muffler Magic: This 1959-vintage local fueler inspired applause just rolling through the pits. Oldtimers hadn’t seen the Scotty’s Muffler Service Special since Charles Scott replaced it with a super-light slingshot a half-century ago. The proud caretaker just happens to be named Scott and run a family muffler shop. HRD followed Scott and Kelly Cochran home to Washington and shot a full feature, coming soon.

Out To Pasture: It was hardly the brightest car driven into Famoso’s Grove, but the subtly shaved trim and expanded quarters sucked us in. Two tiny tow hooks, barely visible below the bumper, completed the impression of an old warrior. Rex Clifford lusted for it since the day that a straight-axled, tunnel-rammed ’55 first rumbled into his hometown of Mesa, Arizona. That guy sold it to one of Rex’s buddies, who eventually made a teenage dream come true. Forty years later, the old warhorse still runs a 327, tamed by a freeway-friendly combination of single quad, Turbo 400, and 2.73:1 teeth in its nine-inch rear.

Family Legacy: Thirty years since its last, disastrous local appearance in competition, one of Canada’s greatest AA/Gas Dragsters came to cackle with late builder-driver Jack Williams’ daughter under its signature canopy. Wendy Williams rescued Dad’s original trailer from nearly six decades of British Columbia winters. It easily won HRD’s unofficial Best Transporter award.

Flaky Character: A long-roofed shoebox might’ve been the brightest thing on either side of the pitside bleachers. Owner Rodney Lovato was quick to credit Sacramento’s Precision Frame for the stunning finish. A warmed-over 350 pulled his flaky 150 up and over the Grapevine from the San Fernando Valley.

Transport Service: Yes, you saw both local Fords in the last issue (Jan. ’18 HRD), but here’s a brighter view of Rick Davis’ rare AA roadster pickup and Tyler Weeks’ T retro racer. The Bakersfield buddies are members of what claims to be the founding chapter of the Model A Ford Club of America.

Farewell: Brett Henry, who traveled 1,200 miles from Wichita, Kansas, twice each year to challenge the world’s best traditional AA/Fuel Altereds, was seriously injured Saturday and died the next day. Top-end witnesses told us that the 50-year-old veteran completed the run normally and appeared to shut off, momentarily. The nitro-burning Chevy then accelerated through the shutdown area and into the wall before striking a berm along the property’s border. Photographer Kleet Norris captured the popular racer’s final burnout.

Cackling Comes Into Its Own

For his first 47 years of NHRA affiliation, respected racemaster Steve Gibbs never envisioned promoting events of his own. That all changed at the start of the 2016 California Hot Rod Reunion, shortly after Steve’s 48th NHRA anniversary, when the cofounder (with colleague Greg Sharp) of the original, since-trademarked Cacklefest® dramatically stepped down from his official’s role. At issue were unpopular new restrictions from NHRA headquarters on push starts, pit fire-ups, even the traditional Friday-night hotel cackle that gives the public free samples of nitromethane. Soon after, Gibbs resigned from the museum’s board and refused to sign a consultant’s contract that he considered “an insult.” Thus ended 48 years of faithful service, and started—originated, actually—a career. At age 77, together with cackle-car-owner Ron Johnson, Gibbs invented the Nitro Revival, the first commercial drag-racing event for real drag cars, held at a real drag strip, with no drag racing. Perhaps unavoidably, the rookie promoters scheduled it three weekends ahead of NHRA’s reunion. Perhaps coincidentally, NHRA ordered a big signboard for Barona Drag Strip’s starting line promoting the upcoming Bakersfield bash. (“I heard it cost them five grand,” said Gibbs, “and they’ve never bought a sign anywhere. A terrible sign; too much jammed in. You couldn’t read it from the stands.”)

As if the divided nostalgia community needed any additional drama, cosponsor Johnson, a two-time cancer victim, checked himself out of home hospice long enough to enjoy his back-to-back promotions in downtown Escondido (annual Nitro Night) and Barona, then died nine days later. Had he lived a little longer, Ron would’ve enjoyed the irony of accepting the Special Appreciation award that the NHRA Museum presented to his daughter and son at Bakersfield.

War Reenactors: With Ron Johnson watching, two of his tribute fuelers reenacted a routine that Tommy Ivo (seen in foreground) and Chris Karamesines experienced countless times in the mid-’60s’ match-race wars, before burnouts and electric starters eliminated push-down drama. Drivers Kol Johnson, Ron’s son, and Mark McCormick then staged and launched the cloned Chizler and Barnstormer, respectively, before idling downtrack. It was a fitting finale for both the event and cosponsor Johnson, a major player in the cackle movement.

Split Level: Soon to be southern California’s last surviving purpose-built facility, Barona reminds local oldtimers of long-gone San Diego County strips at Paradise Mesa and Ramona. The eighth-mile facility sits on Indian land near Lakeside. Clever carving of the surrounding hills created sufficient flat spaces for pitting and watching.

Royal Friendship: Rookie promoter Steve Gibbs and rookie booksigner Linda Vaughn took a break between autographs to visit with Linda’s sister, Sheila Ann Franklin, and Canadian speed merchant Brant “The Kid” Inglis, who was wrenching on the same 392 Chrysler that Jack Williams last ran in the Syndicate Scuderia. Looking on is Amber Greth, the gearhead granddaughter of Speed Sport legend Red Greth.

Pyromaniac: Retired firefighter Bill Pitts continues to put out flames. Nobody shoots them higher than the godfather of cackling, whose restored MagiCar inadvertently invented an entire exhibition category by lighting off in the Famoso Grove in 1993, during the second NHRA reunion. Golden Age star Jeep Hampshire is back behind the butterfly. Photographer Bob McClurg snapped the shot.

Thunder Lungs: Another reason for trekking to the southernmost part of the West Coast was a last chance—two chances, actually—to enjoy the Voice of Drag Racing. Jon Lundberg called the street action in downtown Escondido the night before Barona’s Nitro Revival. His sidekick here was NHRA Division Seven announcer Mike English.

Colorful Crowd: Barona’s crowd was small but colorful, consisting mostly of cackle-car teams and friends showing support for Steve Gibbs. The fan in the middle was fortunate to score an official shirt before souvenir items completely sold out. Enough money was made, according to Gibbs, to ensure another Nitro Revival on Sept. 29, 2018.

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itsworn · 7 years ago

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Hot August Nights 2017: The Heat Meets The Street In Reno

Seeing the streets of downtown Reno packed with street rods, muscle cars, classic trucks, and other assorted varieties of specialty vehicles is a sight that brings enthusiasts from all over the country.

Hot August Nights is a weeklong celebration of America’s best hot rods. The first Hot August Nights was held in Reno in 1986. This year’s event, the 31st annual Hot August Nights, attracted approximately 6,000 vehicles to Reno and the adjacent city of Sparks. Downtown Reno is the hub of the event, but it’s only one of numerous locations where the action is. The fun continues at many of the area resorts, as well as smaller hotels, drive-in restaurants, shopping centers—virtually any spot with a parking lot. Many of the Hot August Night participants make the rounds, and spectators might see their favorite vehicles at different locations throughout the week. Many of the local resorts sponsor their own judging and give out their own awards, typically in cash. An ambitious car owner with a worthy car can end up winning at several places. In addition to the show ’n’ shines, each location features vendor displays, live music, and driving activities.

Hot August Nights is one of the events where STREET RODDER awards winners in the Painless Performance Products Top 100 program and Ford Performance Best Ford In A Ford program.

Reno in August is the place to be. There is no other car show like Hot August Nights.

The Hot August Nights Cup

The most coveted prize at this event is the Hot August Nights Cup presented by Downtown Reno. The vehicles that compete for the Cup represent the top tier of street rodding—Ridler and AMBR contenders and other superheroes of the specialty car universe. Fifty vehicles are pre-selected to compete and are displayed in downtown Reno. Judges then choose the 10 finalists, each of which receives awards. Only one wins the big prize. In 2017, builder Steve Mank, builder Eddie Potestio, and show promoter Reggie Tibbets served as judges. They chose the 10 vehicles shown here and picked Bruce and Peggy Wanta’s 1936 Packard, built by Troy Ladd from Hollywood Hot Rods, as the Hot August Nights Cup Best of Show. See detailed coverage of these 10 finalists at hotrod.com/articles/the-top-winners-in-the-2017-hot-august-nights-cup-contest.

Bruce & Peggy Wanta’s 1936 Packard Roadster, built by Hollywood Hot Rods The “Mulholland Speedster” rides on a figure eight shaped frame and features unique independent suspension components. The Lincoln V-12 runs Hogan heads and is topped with a Latham-Hogan supercharger. The top flips 180 degrees into the deck.

Bruce Leven’s 1951 Ford Club Coupe, built by Wicked Fabrication This wild Shoebox combines race car, early sports car, and custom car elements. The Novi Indycar-style wheels were built from original Halibrand castings. The Shaver Racing Engines Lincoln 368 is topped with rare Hilborn injectors converted to EFI.

Ron & Dianna Maier’s 1957 Chevy Nomad, built by A&M Deluxe Customs Every modification made to the classic 1957 Nomad body enhances the car. The “Shomad” got an Art Morrison chassis, LS7 Corvette engine, and a long list of body and interior modifications, including a 2-inch chop and leather-covered front and rear bucket seats.

Rob & Julie Freeman’s 1956 Volkswagen Beetle, built by Browns Metal Mods The “Berlin Buick,” is based on Rob’s concept and design. The oval window Beetle’s back seat was eliminated to make room for the electronic Hilborn-injected 1961 Buick 215 small-block V-8 engine. The tube chassis features independent suspension.

John & Sheila Emacio’s 1956 Chevy Nomad, built by G3 Rods The Nomad sits on an Art Morrison chassis and is powered by a Jack Gibbs 409 engine with Inglese injection, backed up with a Gearstar 4L80E transmission. The grille opening was customized with mesh. The custom interior is covered in red leather.

Ted & Colleen Hubbard’s 1930 Ford Model A coupe, built by CAL Automotive Creations This factory steel Model A, built by Andy Leach, wears a 6-inch chop and Paleozoic Blue paint, with a distressed leather interior. The ARDUN OHV aluminum Flathead is fed via a classic S.Co.T. blower with a Winters quick-change rearend in back.

Josh & Tamara Hodges’ 1969 Chevy Camaro, built by HED Industries Speed Shop The Camaro is modified with widened doors and fenders, and a bunch of scratchbuilt parts, such as the hood, grille, front bumper, and functional air ducts. A 441ci Magnuson-blown LS7 engine makes 1,000 hp, backed by a TREMEC six-speed transmission.

Kenneth Rathmann’s 1932 Chevy Sedan, built by Fab-Worx The two-tone Chevy, built by Steve Chapman, features a small-block Chevy crowned with a trio of two-barrel carbs. The two-tone paint is beautiful, but peek underneath to see an incredible polished and plated chassis and suspension.

Adam Simms’ 1953 Chevy pickup, built by Phil Ferrari Hot Rods The truck’s exterior mods include frenched headlights, shaved panels, and a remote-controlled bed floor. The engine compartment holds an injected Chevy 502 big-block. The chassis includes a Mustang II–style frontend and four-bar rear. Plush leather fills the cab.

Jerry Logan’s 1960 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, built by Kindig-It Design The “Copper Cadillac” is well known from TV’s Bitchin’ Rides. The chopped, slammed, and lowered body features candy Brandywine paint, copper trim, and bullets everywhere. An Art Morrison chassis was specially built for the 454 Ram Jet–powered car.

Painless Performance Products/STREET RODDER Top 100

’60s GM Truck Front Crossmember Tired of those squeaky steel-on-steel “A” frame bushings in your 1960-1966 GM truck? The crossmember from a 1974-1986 truck will bolt right in with only a couple of holes that need to be drilled. Are rubber A-arm bushings now in your future?

There is no shortage of awards at Hot August Nights. The Top 100 prize package (a cool jacket, plus magazine and web coverage) isn’t as lucrative as the big money prizes given out by the Hot August Nights Cup or by some of the casino resorts around town, but the glory that accompanies a Top 100 win is unequalled. We hope these 10 winners agree. For more photos and videos of STREET RODDER’s picks, go online to http://bit.ly/2htzrCc.

1937 Chevy Pickup | Dale & Rozanne Buck | Mesa, AZ When Dale bought the truck from his father 49 years ago it was a workhorse, used it to haul stuff, for transportations, dates, errands, and family trips. Now it’s packed with a supercharged 383 stroker engine with dual carbs, riding on a modified MII front suspension and Chassisworks rear, and Mickey Thompson wheels and tires. The body and bed feature more than 25 modifications, including a one-piece hood and shaved sheetmetal, finished in tangerine and cinnamon paint. The cab is updated with bucket seats, Mooneyes gauges, modern audio, A/C, and yards of brown leather.

1959 Cadillac Coupe DeVille | Larry Hanson | Gig Harbor, WA Larry bought his mile-long 1959 Cadillac 17 years ago, from the son of the first owner, who died. The 63 Series Coupe De Ville had been parked for 28 years under a carport. The rusted Caddy was torn down for a frameoff rebuild and most of the sheetmetal was replaced. Bob Salstrom helped with much of the heavy lifting. Now the candy purple Cadillac looks and rides better, powered by a dressed-up 454 with a 4L60 transmission. The interior combines modern elements, like digital gauges and a contemporary steering wheel, with classic two-tone tuck ’n’ roll Naugahyde.

1936 Ford Club Cabriolet | Michael Mongiello | Eagle, ID We don’t see many 1936 Club Cabrios, especially one as nice as this one. Only 4,616 were produced, and Michael believes there are only around 200 in existence today. This one was purchased from the original owners in Minnesota, and was street rodded with help from Griffin Rod & Customs, Danny Ingram, and others. The custom Dayton wheels were painted Tacoma Cream to contrast the Cloud Mist Gray (a 1940 Ford color). The lighter color is also used for pinstriping and on the valve covers and air cleaner cover on the Chevy 383 stroker engine. A Glide bench is covered in deep brown leather.

1940 Ford Coupe | Ken Machado | Reno, NV The reddest street rod at the Atlantis Resort was this homebuilt 1940 DeLuxe coupe, driven from Ken’s house, 2 miles away. The car was inspired by the Flathead 1940 Ford coupe Ken drove in high school (and drag raced in B/Gas). This time, Ken built his car strictly for the street (and shows), and with features not available in his teenage years, including a 480hp LS3 engine backed by a 4L65E trans, and a TCI suspension. Sheetmetal changes include the big-block firewall and low-key rear wheeltubs. Ken’s coupe won the Best Street Rod prize at the Atlantis in addition to STREET RODDER’s pick for Top 100.

1952 Ford Victoria convertible | Jay & Dianne Skow | Quincy, CA Jay and Dianne’s Vicky is a true custom survivor. Jay used his lawn-mowing and newspaper route money to buy it when he was 15. He cut off the top when he was 16. After Jay’s 45th high school reunion, Dianne encouraged him to redo the car, which had been ignored for 42 years. The body-off rebuild was done with old-school components, such as the 1957 Thunderbird 312 Y-block with triple 94s. Fatman and RideTech components are out-of-sight suspension upgrades. The shaved, nosed, and decked body has 1958 Lincoln headlights, a 1958 Buick grille, and inverted 1956 Packard taillights.

1965 Chevy Impala Two-Door Wagon | Richie Valles | Agua Dulce, CA The idea behind the wagon was to combine the looks of a GM concept car and the style of a ’60s custom, with some lowrider flavor. It had belonged to an old woman in Hollywood who used to drive it to Vegas to see Elvis perform back in the day. Richie redid the car at his shop, Unique Twist Auto Body in Burbank, converting the body to two doors, chopping the top, modifying the front and rear, and adding Buick Skylark wheels. Suede covers the 1966 Impala seats. The 327 engine, in old-time custom tradition, was left simple. Richie took a chance with candy magenta paint, and people love it.

1933 Willys roadster | Vaughn Veit | Buffalo, MN Vaughn’s car collection includes every body style of 1933 Ford. This rare Willys is one of his non-Fords and probably the rarest; only 71 Willys roadsters were built that year, and very few remain in the United States. The car turned up in California and was built from rusted parts at Roy Brizio Street Rods. The Flathead runs Navarro heads and intake, and a pair of Stromberg 97s. Underneath, an Art Morrison chassis modernizes the ride. Sid Chavers finished the interior. The painted wheels are one-offs built by Curtis Speed. Vaughn recently had the Willys in our photo studio. Look for a full feature soon.

1956 Chevy Nomad | John & Sheila Emacio | Chattaroy, WA Three days after winning its Top 100 award, this 1956 Nomad took Fifth Place in the Hot August Night Cup contest. In 2011, John and Sheila won Top 100 with a different 1956 Nomad. That one was silver and black with an LS6. This one runs a Jack Gibbs 409 with Inglese sidedraft injection and a Gearstar 4L80E. The car was built at G3 Rods and sits on an Art Morrison chassis. The wheels are from Billet Specialties. Billet aluminum side trim is from Atomic Machine. Dark red leather was used throughout the interior. John calls it a “finessed hot rod,” and says the white paint highlights the car’s build quality.

1954 Hudson Metropolitan Convertible | Ted Whipple | Reno, NV Yes, there are Hudson Metropolitans. Built by Austin, Metros were badged as Hudsons in 1954 when Hudson merged with Nash. Ted bought his from the original owner’s widow, and builders Ken Carford and Ricky Ruiz helped him resurrect the rusting car. MG Midget suspension parts support the stock frame. The 2.3L Ford engine was donated by a 1985 Mustang II with a C4 trans behind it. JBM wheels measure 14 inches. Interior touches include the vinyl and tweed covered bench, Stewart Warner gauges, and a Moto-Lita steering wheel. Ted drives it a lot, shows it a lot, and answers questions a lot.

1950 Chevy Fleetline | Mitch & Pam McDonald | Foresthill, CA In addition to pro-built rods, we like to recognize “real world” owner-built street rods, such as this 1950 Fleetline. This was a two-owner car when Mitch bought it from a friend five years ago, and began modifying it to his taste. Now it features a one-piece windshield, a filled hood, and a mild rake—with a dual-carbed 427 Chevy big-block engine for plenty of power, a Heidts IFS frontend, and four-bar rear. The beautiful interior includes SRT Challenger seats upholstered in black and tan leather. Five-spoke Americans measure 17 and 20 inches and roll on a set of Pirelli tires.

STREET RODDER Magazine’s Best Ford In A Ford A 1929 Model ATudor With Factory Steel and Homebuilt Style

YEAR: 1929 MAKE: Ford MODEL: Model A Tudor Sedan OWNER: Blayne & Karen Brokens STATE: Idaho

We were at the Peppermill resort when we spotted Blayne and Karen Brokens’ homebuilt 1929 Ford Tudor sedan, black and shiny as a pair of wedding shoes, but with genuine hot rod attitude—a nice rake, just-right chop, and Ford power.

The full-fendered Model A had been street rodded by its previous owner when Blayne and Karen bought it and brought it from Minnesota to Idaho. That was 20 years ago. By then the sedan was ready for some updates and upgrades. The interior was redone with two-tone gray leather upholstery, a Lecarra steering wheel, VDO gauges in the 1932-style dash, and a JVC audio system in the overhead console.

The factory steel has a 4-1/2-inch chop, a filled grille shell, and lots of louvers in the hood top and sides. A 4-inch dropped I-beam axle with Posies springs enhances the stance. Aldan coilovers suspend the Ford 8-inch rearend. The BFGoodrich tires are mounted on Weld Pro Comp five-spoke wheels.

To keep Ford power flowing through the Model A, Blayne kept the 351 Windsor that came with the car, rebuilding it with Edelbrock heads under Ford Motorsport valve covers, and an Edelbrock intake under a Holley carb. Ford introduced the 351W almost 50 years ago, and Ford Performance still offers Boss 351 crate engines based on this time-honored engine.

Blayne and Karen drive their Model A at local cruises around Pocatello and to farther-away shows such as Hot August Nights, where they won the STREET RODDER Best Ford In A Ford award presented by Ford Performance.

Read more about Blayne and Karen Brokens’ 1929 Ford at hotrod.com/articles/hot-august-nights-2017-homebuilt-1929-tudor-wins-best-ford-ford.

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itsworn · 8 years ago

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NASCAR Bans The 426 Hemi And SOHC Ford To Launch A Wild 1965 Racing Season

1965.

It was the worst of times for NASCAR fans; it was the best of times for everyone else. As if the third season of General Motors’s company wide ban wasn’t going to be bad enough for stock-car competition, Chrysler Corporation responded to Bill France’s decision to outlaw Hemi Dodges and Plymouths by reassigning fan-favorite factory teams—including nondefending-champion Petty Enterprises—to drag racing. The Grand National division became an intrasquad Ford Motor Company scrimmage. While loudly protesting NASCAR’s refusal to accept an overhead-cam 427, Ford didn’t mind dominating. Meanwhile, attendance plummeted along with lap speeds and sponsorships.

Not coincidentally for Chrysler, the same engine that was in short supply even for factory teams in 1964 was everywhere in 1965. Less than a year since the game changing Dodge Chargers exhibition team was unable to secure promised Hemi replacements for its worn-out wedges, a mid-motored sporty car sported one. Brothers Bill and Bob Summers used four of ’em to bring the wheel-driven land-speed record home to America, averaging 409.227 mph and erasing old memories of Mickey Thompson’s nonrecord 406.60 with Pontiac power. Ray Fox’s winter project was supercharging the Hemi in his idled NASCAR stocker, which Lee Roy Yarbrough took out for a world-record lap of 181.818 at Daytona.

The American Hot Rod Association was a prime boycott beneficiary, immediately embracing the fleet of radically altered ’65 models that Chrysler unleashed on an unsuspecting sport this January. While feisty AHRA president Jim Tice and many independent operators blessed these acid-dipped bodies on shortened wheelbases as legitimate “stockers” suitable for heads-up racing, the conservative NHRA effectively banned the Mopars by strictly applying altered-class rules and lowly sportsman status. Anything weirder than conventional Super Stockers or Factory Experimentals was forced into a handicapped eliminator category. By the time Wally Parks reluctantly granted brand-new Bristol International Dragway a one-time “experimental” exemption for June’s inaugural Springnationals, many had graduated from dual quads and gasoline to injectors and nitromethane. Collectively, all types of derisively christened “funny” cars already threatened the time-honored “kings of the sport,” Top Fuel Dragsters, for fan appeal and bookings, particularly down south.

Meanwhile, Indy cars were attracting unprecedented interest for entirely different reasons: last May’s much-televised fatal crash and the rear-engine revolution that finally produced a nontraditional Indianapolis 500-winning car and driver. Road racing’s popularity also soared to new heights, thanks to “Formula Libre” (i.e., no-rules) sports cars made in America, powered by American V8s, driven by dashing Americans like oil-man Frank Hall. In just its first full season, the United States Road Racing Championships (USRRC) circuit evolved into the foundation for what soon became Can-Am racing. Finally, in November, Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove waged a legendary private war over the unlimited land speed record, which changed hands three times in two weeks and ultimately punched the first 400- and 500-mph record-setter through the 600 barrier.

Some of these major milestones are illustrated here for the first time, among outtakes from lesser-known events. Petersen’s editors never had nearly enough space for all of the worthy images brought back by staff photographers between January and December. We know the feeling. Consistent with the mission statement for this series, we’ve prioritized race cars that were underexposed at the time, and ever since. If we’re doing our job, you’ll do your part and write us with personal memories inspired by these selections.

Chrysler’s controversial altered-wheelbase fleet debuted winningly at AHRA’s traditional Arizona opener, though Bud Faubel (far lane) needed a holeshot to defeat Al Eckstrand’s conventional, NHRA-legal Hemi car in Saturday’s Mr. Stock Eliminator showdown. Both finalists clocked 10.93 seconds. Chrysler Corporation’s doorslammer dominance was ensured prior to the first round by whomever tossed a handful of small metal objects into the intake ducts of Phil Bonner’s second-qualified (10.84) Mustang, bending valves and eliminating the biggest non-Mopar threat. (See Apr. ’65 HRM & CC.)

Shelby authority Austin Craig confirmed this to be the first competition G.T. 350, pointing out the original, reversed hood scoop designed by Peter Brock (but rejected by Carroll Shelby). The prototype was photographed at Willow Springs (California) in early January. Austin identified the test pilot as Sports Car Graphic tech editor Jerry Titus, a talented driver who subsequently wheeled both of Shelby’s factory-supported cars in West Coast races.

The unprecedented double whammy of Chrysler’s new NASCAR boycott and General Motors’s continuing racing ban left just a few independents to challenge FoMoCo’s factory fleet when the Motor Trend 500 opened this stock-car season on Riverside’s road course. Local hopeful Ed Brown qualified respectably with an average speed of 89.568 mph and completed 408 miles for a 23rd-place finish in the sole 1965 appearance of this heavyweight contender. Junior Johnson’s winning speed averaged 102.846. (See Apr. ’65 HRM & MT.)

Driving off the end of Lions Drag Strip in this fueler��s first test run and consequently earning a 90-day suspension was a blessing in disguise for Roland Leong, who replaced himself with a kid recommended by engine-builder Keith Black: Don Prudhomme. The trio promptly won NHRA’s Winternationals (pictured), setting low e.t. of 7.76 in the Top Fuel final (at 201.34 mph), and repeated at the NHRA Nationals. Kent Fuller designed the Hawaiian as a fraternal twin to his all-conquering Greer, Black & Prudhomme chassis. (See Apr. ’65 HRM & CC; May ’65 MT.)

Chrysler’s boycott left Ray Fox with a new 426 Coronet and nowhere to race. With backing from Dodge and Hurst, Fox installed a 6-71 blower, Hilborn injector, and driver Lee Roy Yarbrough for a successful Daytona International Speedway assault on the closed-course world-record of 181.561 mph set by Art Malone on the same track in 1961 with a highly modified, fuel-burning, winged Indy roadster. Yarbrough’s top straightaway speed of approximately 225 mph netted a record lap of 181.818, on gasoline, on a windy February day.

Two days before the Daytona 500, Ron Eulenfeld climbed both the wall and Bill DeCosta during a 100-mile qualifying race, triggering a fiery, 12-car crash. Neither driver was injured, thanks partly to newly mandated fire-resistant clothing. This was the first in a four-photo sequence published by Motor Trend (May ’65).

March’s USAC Phoenix 150 was one of the last pavement events showcasing all three types of champ cars. Pictured during qualifying are an ancient 1952 Kuzma dirt-track car driven by Dee Jones (87) and the 1961 Watson roadster of Carl Williams (33), both Offy-equipped, followed by Lloyd Ruby in a Ford-powered Halibrand (7). Don Branson (not shown) won the race in another traditional Indy roadster while setting a world-record average of 106.4 mph for 150 miles on a one-mile track. (See June ’65 MT.)

The braking smoke and scary proximity of people suggest that this exhibition stunt at Laguna Seca (California) Raceway might’ve ended tragically. The unidentified dragster performed during May’s U.S. Road Racing Championships round. Before-and-after shots by Sports Car Graphic photographer Toby Palmieri reveal the driver’s tire-smoking launch at the opposite end of this straightaway, then his successful stop just ahead of a hard left-hander.

Jim Clark’s historic Indy 500 victory was the first by a foreigner since 1916, and the first for any back-motored car. Despite skipping Monaco’s Formula One event to run here, Clark went on to win 1965’s world championship.

One year after one of Mickey Thompson’s cars caused the crash that claimed two lives, the controversial California hot rodder who’d pioneered mid-mounted motors since 1962 switched to this front-engined, front-wheel-drive setup. The aluminum small-block Chevy wore Thompson’s own DOHC cylinder heads. After driver Bob Mathouser made multiple practice laps at 154-plus on straight methanol (compiling a front-drive-record average of 153.374), Thompson rejetted for 15-percent nitro for qualifying. The track’s fueling station either accidentally or intentionally pumped in a 42-percent load that fried the engine on Mathouser’s warm-up lap, wiping out an investment that M/T pegged at $250,000. (See Aug. ’65 HRM & MT.)

Ironically, a message evidently targeting Mickey Thompson came from a team that was ultimately bumped out of Indy’s field (by one-tenth of a mile per hour). Rodger Ward consequently worked the race in the broadcast booth, instead of the Moog Special.

Race-queen Jessica St. George, a recent Playboy Playmate of the Month (Feb. ’65), joined Robert E. Petersen for a parade lap during his HOT ROD Magazine Championships. The publishing magnate was also one of 10 founding partners in Riverside International Raceway.

Though the second annual HOT ROD meet received the expected extensive coverage in Petersen magazines, no mention was made of long delays and verbal confrontations between sportsman racers and track-manager Don Rackemann (center) late in Sunday’s eliminations. Whereas the inaugural edition was smoothly conducted by NHRA personnel, Petersen turned this edition over to a small local crew that never ran a show of national-event scale. After the right lane’s staging light malfunctioned, the Christmas tree was replaced by Riverside’s single-amber “LL” starting system (for “Leavers Lose”), which lacked handicapping capability. Management resorted to spotting slower cars downtrack, allowing one car length per .2-second difference in respective national records, with flag starts and breakouts. Besides the inherent inaccuracy, because only the quicker contestant triggered e.t. clocks, a slower opponent never lost via either red light or breakout. Fans booed starter Rackemann, and Drag World writer (and future CC and HRM editor) Terry Cook devoted an entire column to what he termed a “catastrophy” [sic]. (See Sept. ’65 HRM & CC.)

Paul Sutherland’s fire mask got even cooler after dark, when a red bulb illuminated the nose tip. The fulltime fabricator for Woody Gilmore won this year’s AHRA Nationals at Lions and was the world’s fastest drag racer at 219 mph. He alternated between his own Woody car and Jim Brissette’s—sometimes at the same event; e.g., he drew himself in the semifinals of the 36-car Sunday half of Fontana’s M/T meet enroute to a runnerup result (See Dec. ’65 & Jan. ’66 HRM; Feb. ’66 CC.) The background Barracuda serving as a bench was among several donated by Plymouth for eliminator winners.

Chrysler’s boycotting NASCAR racers invaded multiple motorsports. Paul Goldsmith’s Hemi powered him to the pole in Pikes Peak’s stock-car qualifying, but one wheel caught a large rock during the race and spun him off course. Only the soft dirt prevented a long plunge down the mountainside. (See Sept. ’65 HRM.)

Innovation was obviously still alive in ’65. Tinbender Kenny Ellis remained the nation’s leading proponent of three-wheelers. His latest was photographed during July’s Drag News Invitational at Lions, but we found no mention of the fueler in magazine or tabloid coverage. (See Oct. ’65 CC.)

Yes, the longtime home of NHRA’s Nationals was designed to accommodate oval and road racing, as well as the drags. IRP’s Hoosier Grand Prix was the first road race for champ cars. Indy 500 rookie-of-the-year Mario Andretti (front) qualified first here at 111.626 mph and went on to win his first champ-car meet. Later this season, he became the youngest-ever national champion at age 25.

Rain and flooding cut Bonneville Speed Week to just four days and five miles of “short course.” Nearby, the crew of Nolan White’s record-holding Kellison went to work at the former airbase where B-29 crews trained for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings. The government selected the remote site for secrecy and security reasons in 1940. By 1945, more than 600 buildings had been erected as Wendover’s population swelled from about 100 to several thousand. One structure that survives to this day is the Enola Gay’s hangar. (See Nov. ’65 HRM & CC; Dec. ’65 HRM & MT.)

Humble beginnings don’t get much humbler than the home garage of Bill Simpson’s mom. The low-buck dragster racer launched Simpson Safety Equipment by sewing up the first compact, “crossflow” drag ’chutes and filtered face masks. This year, he also introduced a dual-’chute backup system for dragsters. (See Dec. ’65 CC.)

Dick Guldstrand’s Corvette got a little nudge from Jerry Titus in the second competition G.T. 350 during a September regional race at Goleta (California). Both drivers went on to clinch 1965 Pacific Coast championships in SCCA’s A/Production and B/Production classes, respectively.

History’s last great land-speed battle saw Art Arfons and Craig Breedlove take turns setting and resetting the unlimited world record in November. Art’s Green Monster initially lost its year-old 536.71 record to Breedlove’s 555.12 on Nov. 2; regained the LSR Nov. 7 with a 576.553 average; then lost it forever on Nov. 15, when Breedlove’s Sonic I exceeded 593 one way and 608 returning. That 600.601 record would stand for nearly 13 years (until Gary Gabelich’s rocket-propelled 622.50 in Oct. 1983). Adding insult to injury, Craig installed his wife for runs averaging 308.56 that made Lee Breedlove the world’s fastest female, erasing Betty Skelton’s previous 277.62 women’s record in Art’s Cyclops. A third former LSR holder, Walt Arfons, also competed, but dropped out early after his Wingfoot Express proved incapable of keeping its JATO booster rockets activated through the full timed mile. (See Oct. ’65 HRM & CC; Jan. ’66 HRM; Mar. ’66 MT.)

Jim Hall’s two-car Chaparral team totally dominated American road racing. Hall (pictured) and Hap Sharp combined for 15 major SCCA and USRRC wins this season alone and revolutionized sports-car construction. An automatic transmission freed the driver’s left foot to operate a pedal-adjustable rear spoiler that improved braking and cornering grip. All-aluminum, injected Traco small-blocks kept Chevrolet in the headlines all year, despite General Motors’s companywide auto-racing ban. (See Mar. ’66 MT.)

The one-and-only McKee Mk. V is another unintended consequence of NASCAR’s Hemi ban. Late in 1964, Chrysler-Plymouth dealer Bob Montana commissioned Bob McKee to modify a standard McKee chassis to accept this cross-ram 426. Chrysler’s target series were the 1965 U.S. Road Racing Championships and its 1966 offspring, Can-Am. Richard Petty visited McKee Engineering during construction and reportedly considered driving the car before deciding to go drag racing. Owner Montana took the wheel and competed until 1969. He’s pictured at Riverside during October’s Los Angeles Times Grand Prix. Following his 1971 death in a plane crash, his family converted the car into a 440-powered, registered street machine. It was eventually restored to this competition configuration and survives.

Talk about power struggles, imagine pushing a 1,350-pound load for 1,320 feet, fully suited. Doug Robinson was the lucky and unlucky recipient of a solo advancement into Round Two of Mickey Thompson’s 52-car 200-mph Club Invitational after scheduled opponent John Batto failed to fire and Robinson’s own engine flamed out. Standard procedure dictated that winning drivers cross the finish line under their own power. The rotund 26-year-old survived the extra exercise and another round (clocking 7.80/205) before dropping a close quarter-final decision to Saturday night’s eventual winner, Connie Swingle. (See Feb. ’66 CC.)

Supercharging came to the little Offy too late to keep the 50-year-old four-banger competitive with Ford V8s, despite the 500-plus-horsepower developed by two different builders late this year. (See Jan. & Mar. ’66 HRM.) The liquid dripping from Dale Drake’s factory version at Phoenix likely explains why this car isn’t listed among USAC’s Jimmy Bryan Memorial qualifiers in November. (However, Parnelli Jones and Rodger Ward would both drove blown Offys in the next Indy 500, respectively finishing 15th and 19th.)

Gary Dyer was first to successfully combine an altered-wheelbase factory car (ex-Branstner & Lindamood A/FX Color Me Gone), the 426 Hemi engine, a blower, and nitromethane. When an unprecedented 8.70 was reported in October from Ulby, Michigan, nearly nobody believed that any stock-bodied vehicle could be that quick. When an 8.63 came up on Lions Drag Strip’s “honest clocks” a month later, everybody did. (See Feb. ’66 CC.)

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itsworn · 8 years ago

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Building a Four-Banger Model A Motor for Street and Race

Hopping up a Model A Engine on the Way to TROG

Three years ago I answered an ad online for a Model A chassis. Already having two projects in the works, I figured maybe one day I would get to it and finally build that pre-war hot rod I always wanted. I was optimistic that my two muscle cars in the works would be quickly finished and the garage space would soon be available for the taking. Well, I was wrong.

After collecting parts for two years and getting further behind on my current projects, I decided to put the whole kit and caboodle up for sale. Through that decision, I met TJ O’Grady of Throttle Jockey Originals, located in Bohemia, New York. After some discussion, we decided that my ’29 roadster project would finally come to fruition with his help. Using my parts and his skills at building top-notch pre-war hot rods, we would build a true-to-form, pre-war banger-powered race roadster for the ages.

Once we hauled the goods to Throttle Jockey, TJ quickly took inventory and soon developed a game plan. First on our short list: taking this little four-banger and turning it into a peppy powerplant capable of transforming our Model A into a fleet-footed and lively race-inspired roadster. We hope to put this ride through the paces at several vintage races this summer, including The Race of Gentlemen, so the extra juice we’re hoping to cultivate from this setup will definitely come in handy.

TJ O’Grady rolls our Model A chassis in for inspection. This ’29 roadster will go through a myriad of changes over the next few months courtesy of TJ himself. Mods to the engine, frame, body, and suspension will all be done at his Throttle Jockey Originals shop. We are going to take this stock roadster from the “warm stick” that it is and turn it into a true hot rod in just a few short weeks.

The banger-powered drivetrain and chassis were said to be completely rebuilt by the previous owner. A quick inspection revealed the brakes are fresh, and the transmission and rearend look like they were gone through. The motor definitely looks rebuilt from the outside, but we will be able to tell for sure once we get the head and side cover off.

Our seller wasn’t lying. This engine was totally rebuilt and looks like it was just fired up a few times to see how she ran. We couldn’t have asked for a better starting point. The last owner also stated he bumped up the cam to a Model B stick for a little extra zip. We’ll need that added punch to work with our modifications.

Our plan is to replace the original head with a higher-compression model, so we need to check piston clearance to see what we can run on our motor. This is done by using the timing pin (located on the cover) and inserting it in the timing hole on the casing up front. After you do that, turn the engine until the pin seats itself. This will give you top dead center.

The piston peaks just over the top of the block at TDC. Depending on our head choice, we can probably live with this issue. We will also gain a little clearance through the head gasket. Note the “STD” imprinted on the piston, showing it is standard size. Looking closer, you can see these cylinders have been sleeved back to stock dimensions.

There are a few vintage speed heads remanufactured these days. The Winfield on the left and the Lion Speed head on the right are both re-pops and good choices for today’s banger builder. The Super Winfield in the center is an original piece and a bit outside of our budget. We chose the dual-plug Lion Speed on the right. Our piston height will not be a problem with this head.

The intake is an important piece in the horsepower puzzle. There are several different types being remanufactured these days, as well as originals that can be found online or at swap meets. Another option is a handmade piece, such as the manifold on the left. The center piece is an original Burns intake that has been bead blasted. The Ansen intake on the right is a re-pop that you can find at many Model A parts retailers. These are all single-carb setups; multi-carb intakes are a popular option, too. We will be going with the handmade single-carb intake on the left, built by WAC Customs of Torrington, Connecticut. Why not duals? Says TJ, “If you’re not increasing the size of the intake valve and putting a 3/4- or full-race cam, it will only make it run too rich.”

Matching the carb to your particular build can be a tricky assignment. Shown here are some typical Model A carburetor choices, including the original Zenith carburetor attached to original intake and exhaust manifolds (top center), flanked by a pair of Strombergs, an 81 on the left, and a 97 on the right. We will mount a 97 on the WAC intake, explains TJ. “We are increasing the cfm four to five times over stock, for a combination that will be streetable and race ready.”

TJ will design and fabricate new throttle linkage for our banger. To do this, he temporarily mounts our intake, along with a new 97. These bolt-on reissue carbs are popular with hot rodders for their “out of the box” performance. No need to chase parts or buy three vintage 97s to make one good one. This intake and carb will start us on our way to our throttle mockup.

This is the stock throttle linkage. TJ shows the range of travel of the factory setup. He’s going to simplify the linkage to our Stromberg 97 so we can cut down on moving parts but still get the correct travel and performance we need.

We remount the cowl section to determine how much travel we will have with the throttle linkage. Once determined, we can start modifying the pieces to fit.

Through a series of cuts and welds, twisting the original throttle on its original axis, and heating and bending the linkage to fit around the cowl, TJ simplifies the throttle setup. He then TIG welds the pieces back together for a nice, clean look. Heating with a torch helps to put the bends in the linkage rods so they fit flush against the firewall but still provide the necessary travel to full throttle. The finished product will be a more direct setup, without many of the add-ons other builders use to hook up the carb to the gas pedal.

Once the pieces are installed, the new linkage is ready to go. Here, TJ shows how the throttle rod clears the firewall at full throttle. We are now ready to tear down this linkage for painting and get back to the big stuff.

The aluminum Lion Speed head has been a favorite with banger builders over the years. It’s rated at 6.5:1 compression, which is a good bump over stock. We were lucky enough to receive one of the eight-plug heads from Charlie Yapp and his Secrets of Speed shop, and we should get a good boost in horsepower from this particular head design. Notice the cylinder head recess in the head (0.060 +/- as per manufacturer specs). This will give us the clearance we need with our pistons. Since two plugs will fire per cylinder, we will need a special distributor (more on that later). Here, TJ wipes down the surface to get rid of any contaminants before installing it on the block. Notice that our builder already attached the water pump and fan on the head in preparation for its installation.

A head gasket can make or break any build, and with four-bangers, it’s no different. There are gaskets on the market made up of all materials and thicknesses. You have to do your homework to find the one that’s right for your build. Charlie Yapp recommends not using a copper gasket with the Lion Speed head, so we are going with the gray fibrous piece on the far right. It’s a thin gasket at approximately 0.030 inch and will work well with our piston height and head selection.

Before installation, TJ takes time to clean any residue left over from the last gasket with a cloth and some alcohol. Next, he prepares the gasket with a copper-based head-gasket spray to help seal the gasket to the block and head. The gasket is then installed on the block. Once ready, we carefully position the Lion Speed head over the deck and ease it onto the engine, taking care to not damage the aluminum in the process.

Before we torque down the head, we install the water neck and gasket. It will get torqued along with the head bolts. While prepping for this Model A project, we forgot to purchase the water neck gasket, but luckily only a mile away from Throttle Jockey is Bob Bader’s Antique Ford parts store. It’s an oasis of stock, re-pop, and vintage parts, and it’s TJ’s personal playground. We ended up snatching quite a few things for our project at Bob’s, many of which you’ll see in future installments of this hot rod build.

TJ torques down the head bolts. He starts them at 55 ft-lb and then finishes them at 60 ft-lb. ARP fasteners were used on the head, and TJ needed them to be longer than stock to correctly install the Lion Speed head.

Here we are installing the spark plugs in the head. TJ wipes them in a little transmission fluid to help seat them correctly. He’s taking his time, careful not to cross-thread them in the soft aluminum head. The plug of choice is the 14mm AC Delco R44XLS as per Charlie Yapp’s instructions.

Our Mallory distributor has been modified to fire two plugs at once. After noticing the drive was 180 degrees out, TJ had to remove the distributor driveshaft and correct the issue.

TJ marks the number-one firing position to set the distributor. These four-cylinder engines have a 1-2-4-3 firing order. Once we have our firing order down, we set the wires for our head. Eight wires is twice the fun! Once we are done here, TJ cranks over the engine by hand, just to make sure everything clears.

Since we are adding some modern touches and using a 12-volt system, we decided to boost our electrical system a bit and chose a Powermaster 12-volt PowerGen alternator. It’s a single-wire install and has a max output of 90 amps, plenty of power for our Model A. It has the old-school looks of the original unit but with a big performance upgrade.

The PowerGen alternator came with everything needed for installation, which included the tension bar and bolts. Since it has a V-pulley design (like your other banger pulleys), getting a belt is as easy as going to your local hardware store: A lawnmower belt fits perfectly on our banger. Just make sure you get the right size. You will need clearance for your lower radiator hose, so a good fit is a must. Powermaster also warns about belt slip with its alternators, so make sure it fits tight without slippage.

TJ does all his exhaust work in-house. For this project, he’s decided on a particular style that he’s done in the past on pre-war builds. He starts with a flange from WAC Customs, and TIG welds his pipe pieces onto the form.

Throttle Jockey takes great pride in its exhaust and header work. Using pre-bent pipes, TJ shapes the pipes into a dual swept design that will feed longer side pipes. Here, he shows us his “fish mouth” cut to join two pipes together. This cut allows a tight fit when joining the pipes.

Part one of the exhaust is complete. We will work with this setup until we get the body situated. You see where the pipes have been spread to accept the next set of straights to lengthen the system.

Next, the WAC intake is attached to the exhaust flange. Its fit is flawless, not to mention it all looks downright killer. Shame to put any kind of hood over this setup.

This part of the engine buildup is complete. Once we get the body together, we will add the coil, wiring, and the rest of the exhaust. Tune in next issue for our suspension rebuild. TJ and Throttle Jockey have plenty of ideas on how to get this rowdy roadster race ready!

Sources:

Bob Bader’s Antique Ford Parts Center; 631/256-0030; [email protected]

Powermaster Starters and Alternators; 630/957-4019; powermastermotorsports.com

Throttle Jockey Originals; 631/689-8900; [email protected]

WAC Customs; 860-459-0399; [email protected]

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