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hemid68 · 03-21-2013, 03:55 PM

Hi, this is my first post to this site, so I hope it comes out okay. There was picture of the "Canned Heat" Hemi Dart on page 205. As Mark J. said later, it was not an original Hemi car, which as far as I know was correct. I was a teenager at the time, but around 1969 -197?, there was a Pro Stock circuit in the St. Louis area, that ocassionally ran at Alton Dragway, in Alton, IL. I saw the "Canned Heat" car run there, and happened to pick up one of there business cards, which I still have. The first ironic part of this post is that in the 80's, after I got my Hemi Dart together, I heard Lou's name on the radio, as one of the new owners of a bar/dance place , called Fat Cats, in Glen Carbon, IL. I had plans of running NHRA Super Stock with my Dart, so I asked him if he was the same Lou Bigg's, which he was, and would he like to sponsor an original Hemi Dart. He said he would be glad to give me the parts he had left over from when he got out of racing, so I got a couple of tire tubes, a Dana sure-grip shell, and a set of headers. I then had my car lettered with "Fat Cats - Boogie Capital of the USA", until I restored it the last time. Fat Cats did not stay open very long, and I lost track of him. A second ironic part to this post is that the purple Dart on page 180, belongs (last I knew anyway) to a fellow named PJ Davenport, out of the Terre Haute, IN area. I had seen that car run with a 440, and PJ got my name from Chris Sanders, a friend of mine with an original 1968 Hemi GTX. PJ called me to see if I had any headers for a Hemi in a Dart, as he was going to put one in the purple car. I happened to still have the headers I got in sponsorship, from Lou Biggs, and I traded them to PJ, for a set of steel fenders, and steel hood, off of the purple car, to use on a Dart convertible Pro Street car I was building. So in a long round about way, those cars are connected. I don't know if he got it done, but PJ was putting a Hemi, and fiberglass parts on the purple car to race. Anyway, sorry to be so long and drawn out about this, but maybe it will clear up some of the questions on those two cars. I really enjoy all of the information that is passed around in this thread. Lastly, Mark J. and Dale, you guys really need to get that book together. Thanks. Dan

03-21-2013, 03:55 PM	#2255
hemid68 Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 163 Likes: 171 Liked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Re: Original hemi dart information Hi, this is my first post to this site, so I hope it comes out okay. There was picture of the "Canned Heat" Hemi Dart on page 205. As Mark J. said later, it was not an original Hemi car, which as far as I know was correct. I was a teenager at the time, but around 1969 -197?, there was a Pro Stock circuit in the St. Louis area, that ocassionally ran at Alton Dragway, in Alton, IL. I saw the "Canned Heat" car run there, and happened to pick up one of there business cards, which I still have. The first ironic part of this post is that in the 80's, after I got my Hemi Dart together, I heard Lou's name on the radio, as one of the new owners of a bar/dance place , called Fat Cats, in Glen Carbon, IL. I had plans of running NHRA Super Stock with my Dart, so I asked him if he was the same Lou Bigg's, which he was, and would he like to sponsor an original Hemi Dart. He said he would be glad to give me the parts he had left over from when he got out of racing, so I got a couple of tire tubes, a Dana sure-grip shell, and a set of headers. I then had my car lettered with "Fat Cats - Boogie Capital of the USA", until I restored it the last time. Fat Cats did not stay open very long, and I lost track of him. A second ironic part to this post is that the purple Dart on page 180, belongs (last I knew anyway) to a fellow named PJ Davenport, out of the Terre Haute, IN area. I had seen that car run with a 440, and PJ got my name from Chris Sanders, a friend of mine with an original 1968 Hemi GTX. PJ called me to see if I had any headers for a Hemi in a Dart, as he was going to put one in the purple car. I happened to still have the headers I got in sponsorship, from Lou Biggs, and I traded them to PJ, for a set of steel fenders, and steel hood, off of the purple car, to use on a Dart convertible Pro Street car I was building. So in a long round about way, those cars are connected. I don't know if he got it done, but PJ was putting a Hemi, and fiberglass parts on the purple car to race. Anyway, sorry to be so long and drawn out about this, but maybe it will clear up some of the questions on those two cars. I really enjoy all of the information that is passed around in this thread. Lastly, Mark J. and Dale, you guys really need to get that book together. Thanks. Dan