Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

This thread started out being about Stock and Super Stock cars, and so I am slightly off-topic (what else is new?), but, I wonder of anyone else here remembers Darrell Vittone's Fiat Abarth coupe that he shoe-horned the engine out of his VW Beetle Gasser (the original EMPI "Inch Pincher") into, and ran as a Gasser until (I think) NHRA make him quit???

It ws TINY!!!! Had to be the smallest drag car I ever saw...
He didn't have to worry about aerodynamics because it didn't have any frontal area....

I think he ran in sometime around 1968 or '69.

Weird, for sure...





Bill

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

I built a 1969 brookwood chevy wagon with a 265 hp 396 2bbl rochester in the late seventies it had alot of potential ,I just ran it a few races it had to weigh 4705 lbs and ran Q/SA best run was 14.04 on a 14.17 index and I didnt have enough gear in it to help it run in high gear but it was a terror 1st and 2nd it would put 4 cars out on Jerry McClanahans Q car but he would reel me back in his car was running 13,80's very cool car it got alot of looks it would wheelstand 3ft on the launch , remember seventies rules legal cams lift duration ,and overlap, no low gear trans, factory pistons etc I had about $2000. dollars in it total it needed a 6.14 gear i started with a 5.57 gear. those were the days $2000 dollar Stockers.Painted it in my driveway Grumpy Jenkins refrigerator white.

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

I'll bet I still have heads, intake and carb off a 396-265 hp. Sure not many of those in these parts.

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

Wasn't that motor 1969 only?

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

I watched them change the engine in the Inch Pincher at Indy. From the minute they pulled it into the pits until the new engine was running was 20 minutes. The new motor was completely plumbed and wired and everything was a plug in. I watched them say on the BJ auction that GM never put a 2 barrel on a big block and I can name several of them including the 396 which a friends mom had

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

My Dad ran Comp. Eliminator in the early 60's, and told me once of a guy who did that in a Comp car back then. He said it absolutly killed the record at the time. Used to race in C/SR.

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

I attended the 1971 U.S. Nationals and was walking through the pits and spied a beautiful, red, 6-cylinder-powered C/Street Roadster. Went over to take a closer look and was blown away by the home-brewed, aluminum billet hemi (yes, I asked) cylinder head. It was a work of art. I think the block was a 300 Ford... or, maybe a 240. I think the deck height dimension is the only external difference, so I couldn't tell.

If I remember correctly, it was Jan Reidel's car, and I kick myself for not taking a picture of it. It was beautiful! And, unique.

I think Jan was from Tiffin, Ohio. Has anybody else here ever seen that car?

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

Thanks Dave for the info on LeChances Maverick. That's something else seeing that triple Weber carb'd 300ci inliner. I know that there are some Chevy 6's that are doing the deed also; by the way, how fast did the Grey Ghost Corvair run? I used to own a '65 140hp/4 carb/Powerglide.

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

Big Blue, The best times for the Gray Ghost are:

As a 95HP - Darlington, 2003, 14.99/88.09. NHRA V/S record

As a 110 HP - Rockingham, 2005, 14.81/88.47 IHRA V/S record

Re: Coolest or Oddest Combo.....
 

Just 1969 for the two barrel 396 and only in the big cars impala and so on.
I still have intake,carb and air cleaner.