More Dragster Photos!

 
My ’57 Chevy is my daily driver.  I’ve had the car for 15 years, finishing the car 13 years ago.  The car has been all over Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South and North Carolina, and California, where I spent 4 years.  The car has been on the track at Daytona Motor Speedway and I did 3 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway for shows.  The car is a 210 2door sedan with Bel Air trim.  355 cu in Chevy with reworked 350 automatic transmission.  The seats in the interior are 64 Impala buckets front and rear in original black vinyl.  The wheels are original American Racing tongue thrust “D” wheels, it’s painted Fire Mist Metallic. 

The yellow car is a “52 Ford Courier, or better known as a sedan delivery.  It has a reworked flathead motor with C4 automatic transmission, with front disc brakes and tilt wheel.  This wheels are the new American Polished Wheels.  The interior was done by “Little Yank” – Omer Ethier of Valdosta, GA, in grey tweed and leather.  Comfort items include; power door latches, power windows, and cold AC, all controlled by switches on overhead and floor consoles.  It was completed after 4 years of hard, happy labor. 

My new project is a recently acquired front engine dragster, built and driven originally in 1966 by Roger Gates of California.  The dragster has had an interesting and Historic past in Drag Racing in Southern California.  It won many races in Top Gas and Top Fuel in its career.  With the help of Roger Gates I am in the process of accumulating data and specs on the vehicle during different phases of its past.  It originally ran with 392 Hemi with 5/8 Stroker on gas, then with a big block Chevy, then with 2 Chevy big blocks, then with Hemi on fuel, then with big block Chevy on fuel. 

The dragster was undefeated for 2 years at San Fernando Raceway in Southern California.  Defeating the likes of Tony Nancy and other greats from the past.  It has even run Don Garlits, but not as lucky.  It originally had a full body, formed by Wayne Ewing (same person who originally formed the Great Black Prudhome Car).  It had a similar scoop for the blower as the GBR dragster did.  It was a real looker too – it won Best of Show at the big Tridents Car Show in Los Angles in 1968.  We want to restore this car to as original as we can for the Nostalgia Drag Races – for show only, but be able to fire up and drive (burnouts, etc.) and just plain rattle windows.