1961 Safari wagon
 

Hello All.
I am new to this web site. I am looking for some information and would love to know more about your group. I recently purchased a 1961 Pontiac Safari wagon that was campaigned by Frank Lumley and Ron Sanders during the 60's and 70's. This car broke 5 NHRA records, the first being at Cecil in 1968.

I want to learn more about this car and preserve it and its history. I would like to race it this year. It ran at Atco, Maple Grove, cecil and many other east coast tracks.

Any one have any information. I have pictures and some background, You an check it out here.

http://www.wwgauctions.com/auctions/...cleID=36&id=32

Thanks for any help you can give.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

It was raced as a Super Duty combo until NHRA outlawed the over the counter parts very early in the 70's (McKeller solid lifter Cam, SD Heads, etc.) The it was raced as a regular 389/318 HP which was not very competitive after NHRA outlawed the SD parts. The car was a factory green color and had white painted stock steel wheels on it on all 4 corners. I knew Ron pretty good back during the SD days but have only spoke to him once since then and that was on the H.A.M.B. Jr. stock site via computer. He got into restoring Corvettes when he quit racing the wagon. If you can track him down he is a great guy to talk to.
P.S. The car was raced with a "SLIM JIM" 3 speed automatic at that time and not a turbo 350 that is supposed to be in the car now.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Hey Tango.....I'll give Ronnie a call and see if he wants to respond. I'm sure he will. If you plan to race it, you should know that the 318 h.p. motor is now factored to 275. It should make a killer O/SA combo. But maybe you could run it in N/SA. That way you'll leave my buddy Bobby Bender alone!

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

i raced with scott tiemann for about 20 years. if he did the motor in your car rest very easy at night. he always knew what he was doing with pontiac's. everyone of the car's from his shop flew at the dragstrip and everyone of them have always been show quality also. i love your car.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Hey....Now that it is 275 HP it should be a pretty good combo and that Turbo 350 would be a legal replacement trans. Thanks for mentioning that Don. Please tell Ron I said hello.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Yeah, but you'll need a 65 , 389 block or a 64 from a GTO ,with the starter bolt holes.

That car has a 455 in it now. It went through a couple of owners out here before going back East.
I see somebody snagged the 66 Tri-Power off of it before the auction... I'm pretty sure I know who it was.
Doesn't matter ...It's not usable in this application..
Maybe you'll hear from Bob Michael. He knows all about the 318 hp combination. He'll help you out, with no B.S.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

One of the best sources of Pontiac information happens to be local right here in the Philadelphia area and is a very good friend of Ron Sanders.
Phil Szupka is a Pontiac Encyclopedia. He and his son still race in Stock and Comp. Eliminator. He can help you with any questions you have.
PM me and I will give you his contact information.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Dear Tango:
Congradulations on buying my old Pontiac S/W.

If you have 1/100 the fun with it that I had you will be way ahead.
I received a email today from the guy (Bill Shurla) I bought it from in 1968 telling me it was sold and telling me about this forum.
I built and drove it many years and in many NHRA classes.
It was bought it in Boston, it was built in Upper Darby, Pa. and raced out of Brookhaven, Pa.
I am now SCCA road racing Corvettes with my son. I am crew chief, spotter and Gofor.

I still have lots of info about it. I gave a lot of info to the person that I sold the car to but don't know what he has passed along to you.

I would be glad to help you with anything I can.

Bob Bender: Thanks for remembering me.
Yes, we had a lot of good times racing at Cecil County. I have seen your race car at The Keystone Nationals and The Dutch Classic but could never could locate you.
Hope we meet up in person some day.

X TEC MAN:
Sorry, I don't know who you are but "Hello" to you too.

Ron Sanders

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Very cool car. Enjoy.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Thanks, Mark. Yes, I'm the guilty party who begged NHRA to lower the HP ratings, but the bad news is it is still not nearly as good as the later model 400's. My 62 G.P. has only gone about 3-4 tenths under in sea level air. I'd be glad to help you what I can. Congrats on your find. I love those Pontiac wagons!

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Thanks Don. I would love to hear from him. I am not sure what I am going to do at this time. I am fairly new to racing although I am an older (60) guy.I do know that as a car buff, I would love to keep the history of this car going on. if you can contact him he can call me @ 609-579-8782.
thanks,
Tom Maddox

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

WOW. Ron, thanks for answering back. I am really pleased to meet you, especially since I own a car with your name painted on it. I am pretty new to the racing scene although like you I have been crew chief and head gofor for my daughter who has been racing JR Dragsters for 5 years. She has now moved into Super Pro Dragsters so that keeps me busy. Because I couldn't stand to see her have all the fun I started driving Super Pro Dragsters too, but unfortunately being a little older and a little arthritic, I decided to get something a little tamer and easier to get in and out of. I am also a bit of a collector of Muscle cars and when I was at the auction in Atlantic CIty last week, I just couldn't pass up on this very cool car.

I do have some pictures and info but I really want to get as much as I can. I am not sure why I am so fascinated with this car, but I love pontiac, I have a PHS documented 64 GTO and I would really like to let this car and the work that you and Frank Lumley did carry on. I plan on taking out to Atco, Raceway Park and Cecil this year. You are absolutely invited to come and take it for some runs.

If you would be so kind, I can be reached at tommaddox1@aol.com. Would love to hear from you and find out more about your current racing.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Darn.....you are getting old.....LOL. I just talked to you on either this site or the H.A.M.B. site about 2 years ago. We used to talk on the phone a lot back in 1974and before. Also when you ran at the points race at Capitol Raceway back in the "stone age". I was good friends with Joe Perzan, Sam Samuels, Johnny Walker who all ran 60 SD Pontiacs. Oh well....I forget a lot to. We are getting older or something like that. Anyway have a nice time and take care of yourself.
Terry Bell (used to live in Md.)
aka X-Tech Man

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Living in NJ I'm sure the Nostalgia Super Stock organizations would welcome you with open arms.Englishtown,Atco, Maple Grove and others all have nostalgia meets during the year.Not much traveling,a relaxed tech inspection (mostly safety) and fun racing.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Dear Tango:

Did I understand that you bought the car at the Atlantic City Auction ? I was there with a group of friends on Friday from 11 AM to after 7 PM. We first checked out the Flee market, then the show cars and about 3 PM we went to the auction until it finished. We never saw the S/W.
I was also in your neighborhood this Sunday at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Drivers Club for a Daytona 500 party and fund raiser. Small world !

I would be very interested in knowing what you intend to do with the car.

I gave a lot of info about it to the guy in Michigan that bought it from me. He restored it painting it white (it should be Green) but think it had other owners since the guy you got it from. So I don't know what was passed along to you. I would be pleased to send you what ever you want.
Also if you need any kind of help with it. I am there for you.
I can be contacted at RSanders61@MSN.COM
It was a GREAT car to me.
I wish you all the luck in the world with it.

X-Tech Man:
Yes ! Now I know who you are. Great hearing from you. I was trying to figure who you were from your bio but no luck with that. Yes, they were great days of NHRA racing. Did you know that our friend Joe Perzan (60 SD S/W) inspired us to build this 61 Super Duty S/W ? Good luck down there in Fla. Maybe we can meet up some time.

Don Heims:
Glad you are feeling better. I hope the trend continues.
Remember it's my turn to buy a the "Lock & Key" next time come we come down there.
Ron Sanders

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Not trying to hijack your thread but I also loved the old Pontiacs as I owned a few.....

Me and my partner drove down to Capitol with our Simple Simon's Pie Wagon one summer(1966 or 1967) and raced a high dollar Jr Stock event.

We raced Joe Perzan.....twice! For some reason they made us re-run him .....we won and lost I believe in a later round to the old Pete Preston wagon then owned by the Wheatleys.....

Pontiacs were plentiful there that day......Frank Cannaday and Bob Maxey were two others I recall.....and I do recall the wagon that is the original posters.......


We used a '58 Pontiac wagon as a tow car to get there on that trip....

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Im glad Ron finally remembered me....LOL. I was friends with ole Frank "Pop" Cannaday (I thought it was Kennedy sp?) and I did all of Bob Maxeys cylinder heads for him and his customers before he died. Maxey raced a pretty Maroon 60 SD Catalina Hard Top with a 4 speed before going to bracket racing. Pop raced a 62 348 HP 4 speed Red Grand Prix before going to a 57 270 HP Chevy. Joe Perzan lived 2 doors up from Bob Maxey. That was one heck of a community with Mousie Brown, Fred Fry, Sam Samuels, and a couple of others all living on the same street. Several its sad to say have passed on to the "Happy Hunting Grounds". Mike MIatico was the owner of Capital Raceway and also owned and raced a 61 SD baby blue S/W plus owned the Carol & Loyd Cox 61 (M/T car) Blue Ventura.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Cannaday had a '61 or '62 wagon in D or E/SA.... Perzan had a '60 Wagon and was maybe in G/SA and Maxey also I think had a '60 wagon.
The colors on those cars ??? Well I am pretty sure they were all stock colors...Perzans was a gold or light brown.....Cannaday's was maybe a light blue or silver, not sure of that one and the Maxey car was black....

This was a race we saw on a flyer maybe in ND or one of the other papers from those days. Paid a lot of money for back then so we flat towed down.....

We were running pretty good then and usually not far off the record at our home track...Island.....If you could run on your record or maybe a little under you were competetive. Don't recall the exact rules but I know breakouts were already in effect at most all races......I think 1 tenth under was the limit...

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

I dont recall Cannady (or Kennedy) having a wagon. Just the 62 GP E/S later to be sold to a Bruce Conyers. I went to Aquasco and Capitol almost every Sat. and Sunday since 62. Maxey had the funky blue with faded silver/gray "Clinton Shaker" 60 wagon bracket car (it was a legal stocker before the SD parts were outlawed) after the maroon stick shift catalina. It broke a lot of T-10 tranmissions. Perzans was a gold and white and ran I/SA and led the Div. 1 points for awhile but the wt breaks changed during that time and could have been J/SA at one point. The black starfire was Sam Samuels and later sold to Johnny Walker. I tried to buy the Starfire sedan of Sam Samuels back in 1964. Tri power, SD parts, Gebler headers, 8 lug wheels, 4.56 gear and ready to race for $1000 asking price. BIG money back then....LOL. I was to young to buy it in1964 without my parents signing for it and it was sold to Johnny Walker instead. Maybe it was a good thing as Johnny blew the engine a few weeks later at Aquasco but didnt hurt the SD heads. It was rebuilt and set the NASCAR record in C/SA at Capitol in 1966. My late partner and friend Gene Collins in his 289/271 HP 66 Mustang used to lock horns every week in C/SA.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Here's a link to an article on the Pontiac in Super/Stock and Drag Illustrated from January 1969....
http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showp...postcount=4431

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

Thanks, Colesy

The pic in the snow pile , (Plymouth hubcaps and all) was taken in Lowell, Ma. on the day Bill Shurla sold the car to Ron Sanders and company . Bill found the car for those guys so they could run the S/D stuff in the lower classes.
Some of you may know Bill ,although he's no longer on this forum...Still wheelin' and dealin' cars, as far as I know.

Re: 1961 Safari wagon
 

All the pics are gone off this thread.

So, I'll add some.

Joe Perzan was also mentioned. I'll post a pic of his car, too.

I'll bet their competitors loved it when NHRA banned all those over-the-counter Pontiac dealer parts.