Re: Cotton Perry
 

I have watched some you tube videos of Igor the inline six. That is one bad rocket ship!

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Here a couple months ago there was a thread kind of along this same subject as this one , it was about Cotton trying to buy the old car back does anybody know if he ever found it ? I wish i would win the lottery and buy that thing and give it to cotton to restore just so the Drag Racing world could see some true Drag Racing history it's cars like that one that belong in the museums . Cotton Perry has no idea the following he has I remember watching Wide World of Sports when I was a kid and seeing Hi lites of the Pocket Rocket in action and you couldn't pic up the National Dragster without seeing were Cotton was Kicking A** and taken names the amazing thing about that was he had a "HELL OF ALLOT" competition in those days and NO after market parts that made it even more amazing ! I thought that I remember hearing one time that Danny Coffman from Tennessee son Gregs car the white and purple post car SS/GA was Cottons old car I think they told us that one year at Topeka if my memory serves me right . if any body knows the status of this keep us updated would sure like to know . Chris

Re: Cotton Perry
 

NHRA H/MP was 9.00 or more lbs. per cubic inch and was for non-supercharged flathead V-8s, in-line four or six cylinder, opposed six cylinder and bstraight-eight engines with stock production type heads.

Robert Edgar

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Does anybody know if Cotton sold the White car to Mike Cates from Milan,TN? If so, I know where its at.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Talked to Cotton, doesnt sound like my friends barn find is his old car. It does still have the Mike Cates lettering on it though. Anybody know if he's still around?

Re: Cotton Perry
 

My Dad ran one of those Fords in Division 4 against Glen Self in '71 and '72. 1965 Falcon Sprint. Damn engines would just shake themselves apart. He'd pull the transmission between runs to tighten the flywheel bolts. If I recall correctly he ran the 300 block and crank with 240 rods (longer rod) and a custom JE piston with three rings and nylon buttons because the pins were into the oil ring groove. He hand ported the head and used a Clifford intake with three Weber 48 IDA downdrafts. Muncie four speed and a Dana rear end. It was an animal. Broke my heart when he finally had to hang it up and sell the Falcon. Just couldn't keep up with the costs due to a family.

My uncle would try to keep him focused on each round but Dad would outrun the "Mad Maverick" from Dallas or one of the other H/MP cars and say, "Where's Self? I want that Camaro." :D I also recall what he said when Cotton showed up in '73 or '74 I think it was and proceeded to blow the bottom out of the records. His words: "That's one fast pile of Chevrolet right there." ;)

Re: Cotton Perry
 

I ran a 51 Anglia with a 310 ford 6 in it back in 1969 and had the same problems you just described. There were no aftermarket harmonic balancers back then and no matter what I did, safety wire, extra dowels, extra bolts & dowels, even tried tack welding the bolts on the flywheel, you couldn't keep them on. They would either loosen up or break every 3 runs. I beat my head against the wall for a year then sold the engine to one guy and the car to another & went back to stocker racing

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Back in the day, Cotton Perry and Sonny Ray where the names you read in National Dragster every week from the Brainerd Optimist Dragway.
I would call them legends.

Re: Cotton Perry
 

Bench Racer check out Gary Isbell's Maverick from Fort Payne, Alabama on youtube. He was a pioneer in the inline six M/P class. He actually built & raced the first Chevy II that he later sold to Cotton & Jim Headrick & was a master fabricator (as you had to be back then). He actually cut a Boss 302 head in half & welded it to the other head to make a I-6 head! He went to a Ford because the crank was much more durable than a Chevy. I personally saw Gary run a 6.50 something @ Brainerd in Chattanooga with a 225" inline six in the Maverick. It was awesome & the sound that I-6 made was unforgettable..but when he & Cotton squared off on a Saturday night in Chattanooga, it was insane!