Cotton Perry
 

I have been watching some you tube videos of old modified cars and cottons car is a unique one. I was not going to races when the H/MP class was in its heyday but I wish I had been. I love to see the inline six cars. I have not been able to find any info on the engine he ran. I was hoping someone on this forum would be able to shed some light on Cotons car. Thanks in advance. Don Jackson

Re: Cotton Perry
 

I'm not sure what combo Cotton used but, I do know what Glen Self used in his H/MP Camaro. Most of the Chevy six cylinder guys used the same combo because that was all there was. Glen used the 292 inline truck engine bored & stroked to @ 311 cu. in., aluminum rods, I think @ 14:1 compression, highly modified stock cast iron head, roller cam, 3 weber carbs & a magneto ignition. Later on he switched to a H.E.I. ignition, sheet metal intake and 3 Holley 2-barrels. Those cars were fast but, so were the Fords with the 300 inline six in those days. I remember those old modified days very well. It was exciting...hope this helps.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Thanks Reggie, I have watched you tube videos of Cotton's Chevy II and the Mad Frenchman's Ford Maverick. I have watched the 300" ford altered Ann Peto drove in IHRA and the inline 6's of the Treadwell's make runs. I don't think I ever got to watch an inline 6 in a full body car other than stock eliminator. I also never remember seeing a slant 6 on the strip.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

I have searched the net with no luck anyone know what the rules were for H/MP? I can't even find a weight brake for it. Thanks Don Jackson

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Last I heard Cotton was alive & well living in Ringgold Georgia he has a auto repair shop--- give him a call he would probably fill you in---I ran him several times and if I remember that was a 292 truck engine bored out to 301 CI-- they used a homemade manifold and 2 Holley 4bbl carbs---biggest problem was breaking crankshafts--- they only lasted a few runs then they would throw em away and put nother one in. That car won a lot of races!!!!

Re: Cotton Perry
 

They brought that car up to the legendary "Union Hill", or "the Hill", AKA Music City International Raceway 1/8 mile track many times to run in "Combo I" which was the "no breakout" class where class cars ran off their index with no breakout. It was indeed a 0.060" over 292 Chevy six. I think I saw at least three different induction systems on the car, 3 Holley two barrel carbs, 3 Weber side draft carbs, and a single Holley four barrel. The engine was radically modified, Jim Headrick even milled the head bolt columns out of the intake ports to allow access to the ports for more radical porting, then used a stud and nut in the intake port to hold the head down, and a pipe plug in the valve cover area to seal off the intake port. I think the weight break for H/MP was 11 lbs per cubic inch. When NHRA killed off Modified Eliminator, H/MP was one of those classes that did not get moved into Super Stock or Comp, that weight break was eliminated, and they were told to "just move to another class", but the car just could not make a competitive weight in another class with their combination, so the Pocket Rocket simply got parked. At one point, Cotton ran in Comp with a six cylinder dragster, but eventually that got parked too, and Cotton stopped drag racing.

Cotton does still run a shop in Ringgold. Jim Headrick died several years ago, in a car accident I think. Cotton's son runs a dirt car, I think. Rumor was that Cotton was building a replica of the Pocket Rocket, and was also looking to find the original.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

The dragster, owned by Brian Browell, was raced by Brian Browell after Cotton vacated the seat. Browell transitioned from inline power to Jenkins V-6 power and has had much success. Cotton and Jim were real gentlemen. Jim died in a highway accident in Alabama driving a motor home he purchased. I think he may have had a heart attack or medical condition. Jim owned Race Engine Design, which is still in business today. Cotton' son, Jamie, races a Late Model dirt car in the area and he has had his own success. I saw Cotton a few of years ago at the U.S. Nationals. He looked good and was in good health. His stories and accounts of the era is spot on. Cotton owns a service station in Ringgold, Ga that was destroyed by a tornado about two or three years ago. A business competitor cleared area in his place and put Cotton and his employees in his building to help Cotton and the employees out until a new place was built and service their customers. When I think of Modified Eliminator, I always have Cotton' name right near the top of my memories. I hope to see a Pocket Rocket in the future. What many people don't realize was that Cotton and Jim did this with production blocks, heads and cranks. There were no good parts available at the time and probably still aren't. To run the way they did, with what was available, is/was amazing. Every time I go past Brainerd Optimist, I think about how many times that the Pocket Rocket went there and raced or tested.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Thanks for the info guys.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

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Cotton Perry
 

1st post on this forum....Terry Spargo from ICR forum mentioned the new list of accepted collector tethers was posted on classracer.com....so I decided to have a look and register.....next thing I see is a discussion about Cotton Perry , well I guess it would be safe to say , our meeting at the 1978 Fallnationals in Seattle , is the reason IGOR exists to this day , we thought they were crazy , well we took it to a whole new level of crazy . H/MP , they changed bearings like a top Fuel car between runs , we thought it was kind of cool........until we engaged......the inline six nightmare , Cotton Perry and crew almost pulled it off that year , little did we know they set our path to try and conquer IGOR.....better now, 35 years later , but still the same torture.......the people who race Comp seem to be attracted to the impossible.....it's their nature.....