More vintage Pro Stock

[70bigblockdodge]

http://www.nhra.com/blog/dragster-insider/2011/11/15/topless-funny-cars/

One of the weirdest creations I think, turning the closed AFX cars into convertibles.

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That is a front engine dragster with a streached out dart body. Amazing how fast those cars developed from a 4" wheelbase adjustment in 1964 running low 11's to 2 years later cars like the one above running mid 8's.

 

[C Body Bob]

That's is correct Dave. I believe Garlits used one of his "Swamp Rats" to make his. I'll try to find a pic of it

 

[C Body Bob]

The Dart II

With a dragster chassis. Don Garlits was simply amazing

 

[70bigblockdodge]

He is the man. Drifting my *** try running a car through the traps at 200+ mph hazing the tires the whole way. I think he said in his book that that car was a handfull. It looks like it.

 

[C Body Bob]

He was & still is an intervator

 

[C Body Bob]

Twin plug Hemi

Here is the MOPAR Missles twin plug Hemi. Note the saimesed distributors

 

[C Body Bob]

Oldfield/Missle

Van supplied by Chrysler to gather tech & research info. The Missle was a rolling laboratory

 

[C Body Bob]

Note the Holley carb boxes inside

 

[70bigblockdodge]

There was a story somewhere that they also had a station wagon that they would have up to 70-90 mph near the finish line to get pictures of the missile with tape tails as it crossed the line at 130-150 mph. It is also said that Tom Hoover rode in the passenger seat with a oil pan on the floor so he could see how the oil sloshed as the car made a pass. How great would that be?

 

[C Body Bob]

I got pics of their Duster with the streamers on. Seems like I did hear that story about the wagon. I think I have a pic of a wagon used by either them or the RamChargers. I'll dig through my archives when I get time & post em

 

[C Body Bob]

Rarely seen car

Any of you guys remember this one

 

[C Body Bob]

The Kid

And his crew

 

[C Body Bob]

Roy Hills Arrow

With its Petty built Hemi

 

[C Body Bob]

The Flash's Arrow

Ok what's interesting about this pic is the Monza is Ronnie Manchester's car. However that's Larry Lombardo driving it. I believe the only race he drove Ronnies car. Lombardo drove Grumpys Toy for Bill Jenkins. They apparently had some kind of problem & couldn't qualify Grumps car. So they borrowed Manchesters car. Put Grumps motor in it. Butch Leal in the Hemi Arrow. After years of ridiculous weight breaks that burdened Hemi cars they became uncompetitive in NHRA. Held their own in other series. Here you can see a hastily prepared Monza, yes with a strong engine appears to have a nice lead on one of the baddest Hemi cars out there at that time.

 

[C Body Bob]

Note the Pro 1 on the rear side window on the Monza. Lombardo was the series champion & only the champion can run the Pro 1 Untill he is dethroned.

 

[cm23uoc]

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I think the Arrows were small block cars. The Hemi had been factored out by then with weight breaks even the destroked 366 hemis still had too much weight and seems that valve train just doesn't work on small CID. Bob Glidden got one of those small block cars to run well but of course Chrysler was in such finacial trouble he got lured back to Ford. NHRA's bullshit practices are still going on today, after umpteen years of Warren Johnson, Greg Anderson, and Jason Line Dodge wins back to back Pro Stock championships the field is once again dominated by Chevrolets, and suddenly one of the best engine builders Roy Johnson's engines can barely run mid pack. Allen only won last week by a holeshot. Sorry for the rant but it is depressing to see the NHRA run al the manufactures off again, wait till Pontiac headed Toyota Camary show up. Same stuff different decades Ronnie Sox and Herb McCandless, Arlen Vanke and others dominated superstock they accepted the rules for Pro Stock, the same group dominated early Pro Stock so the NHRA took away their engines (Hemi), then changed the chassis because GM and Ford had such crappy chassis. Chryslers finacial problems let the others have at it for a while then in late 80's-early90's Dodge ruled the Pro Stock ranks again until they put Mopar and Koffel in their sites to win GM's favor for the ad $.

 

[C Body Bob]

Dave your dead on except for one thing. The arrows of Butch Leal & Roy Hill still ran Petty preped Hemis. This was before the 500 inch rule of 1982 that did away with all weight breaks. There where other Hemi cars out there too. Notable where Jim Kinnetts Volare which the national ET record in 1979 & John Hagens. Hill ran a Hemi Omni Charger in the 80's along with Reid Whisnant & Hagen. I'll dig up some pics

 

[C Body Bob]

The small blocks

Dick Landy & then Bob Gliden had factory help on the W2/340 cars & Glidens car just killed them. Landy had Brad Yuill driving. You can see his name on the door. The Yuill bros ran Hemi A bodys in Pro then switched to GM in the late 79 on into 80's They campaigned a super light J2000 Poncho that required a lot of ballast to make weight. But that's a different story

 

[C Body Bob]

The Hemi cars

Here is Butch Leals Arrow after it was sold, but still running in Pro Stock under the Corks Obsession name (it was The California Flash). You can see the hood scoop says Hemi Arrow. I doubt the Petty's where helping with this.