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-   -   Interesting story/history behind your racecar? (https://classracer.com/classforum/showthread.php?t=39773)

Mike Carr 03-24-2012 10:04 AM

Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
I've heard a few good ones over the years. Red LeBlanc being a one-owner of his SS/G car; Bill Davis is a one'owner of his current SS/D record holding Camaro; Larry and Shirley Jewell going on their honeymoon in Larry's current SS/DA Corvette.

Anyone else have some interesting/fun stories and history with a past or current racecar?

Mike Carr 03-24-2012 10:24 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Forgot two of the best Camaro's out there--Dan Fletcher's Stocker and S/S.

Mickey Whaley 03-24-2012 11:31 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
John west hit his gas pumps at his station in 1969 then made the convertable a race car.

James Perrone 03-24-2012 06:05 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Were you in the backseat?

aspen7709 03-24-2012 06:38 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Bought my aspen from a stripper (ginny cook) for the cost of a tow bill. $12.00. Cleaned the car and found empty mary jane bags, a couple of needles and job apps for every strip club in town plus a few condom wrappers.... Thank god for welding gloves LOL. New car is my car I drove to highschool and college in the eighties....Got LOTS of memories and stories with that one.... should hit the track by the end of summer...

Red LeBlanc 03-24-2012 09:24 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Mike. Your right . Our current 69 Mustang is My wife Linda first new car. It is titled and licenced. We did go on our honeymoon to Panama City Beach Fl.in the same car.It could tell a lot of stories.. Red & Linda Le Blanc..

BobUnkefer 03-24-2012 10:31 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Red,
You never told me the part about the honeymoon........

Here I've been telling that story for years and never told the best part!

Is it stll titled in HER name? :-)

Unk

Phillip marvetz 03-26-2012 05:56 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by aspen7709 (Post 317422)
Bought my aspen from a stripper (ginny cook) for the cost of a tow bill. $12.00. Cleaned the car and found empty mary jane bags, a couple of needles and job apps for every strip club in town plus a few condom wrappers.... Thank god for welding gloves LOL. New car is my car I drove to highschool and college in the eighties....Got LOTS of memories and stories with that one.... should hit the track by the end of summer...

Best one so far. lol

My Aspen Wagon came from GTX John, The tow bill cost more than the car.

KRatcliff 03-26-2012 06:05 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
I grew up at the drag strip with my dad and mom. I had zero interest in getting into this sport. There was more than enough fun going to the races and hanging out with them plus the Emmons' Circus.

My mom found a car for sale that Irvin Johns owned and she peer pressured me into buying it. That wasn't exactly my first car. About 6 months prior, my dad found a '68 crate motor Camaro that he had me buy.

He took me out to the track and explained everything you could imagine what to do from the burnout to staging the car plus shifting. He didn't tell me anything about what to expect when I needed to shut down the car. It was a wild ride for a 1st timer for sure.

When the drag racing bug bites it leaves a nasty scar.

Red LeBlanc 03-27-2012 11:31 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
UNK... Yep still in her name & titled.. Ture story .. Honey Moon 69 Mustang. Both of them still look really good.. Red Le Blanc.

Larry Hill 03-27-2012 12:35 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
We have owned our 71 Cuda since 1980. I still remember driving Chris to swimming lessons in that car when he was 3 years old. (He will be 35 next month).

Patsy

Greg Hill 03-27-2012 04:16 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
My Camaro that I now race came from the late Jimmy Casey from Lubbock, TX. Jimmy and I were good friends and talked all the time and I mentioned to him I would like to have a 70-71 Camaro. A few weeks later he called and and said he had found a really nice car and it could be had for $1400 and he had a guy coming through Memphis and could deliver it to me. I told him I would take it and to have his guy bring it to me. The guy brought it to my warehouse and I helped him unload it. After the delivery guy left I started I started looking it over. I opened the trunk and there were a bunch of old greasy rugs in the trunk. I took the rags out and there staring me in the face was the gas tank. The trunk floor was almost all gone. I think I. Replaced every body panel with the exception of the top and deck lid.

Gary Jennings did the roll bar and chassis work and dipped the body in a large caustic tank to remove any body filler or seam sealer. Gary called me and told me I had better come up to his place and take a look at my old car because there wasn't much left of it. Well, he was right. Quarters, inside and outside wheel houses , both door skins, hood, fenders, inner fenders, and valance panels and I had a race car. I will say that it was a very light race car.That was more than 20 years ago.

FED 387 03-27-2012 09:11 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Ran a 67 Camaro in Modified Production years ago---bought it from my next door neightbor 82 years old--typical little old lady car 6 cylinder 3 speed on the column NO extras--- no radio nothing ---it had 7000 milles on it in 1973 she wanted to get a 4 door NOVA with automatic so she could take her girl friends around--dealer did not want it so I paid her $400 for it--- and as they say the rest is history---ran it as a E or F/MP car--had the first Nash 5 speed with Long Shifter and First 6:50 Ford gear too got it from Zoom---this car would hook on a ice rink--- sold it in 1981 built a Monza hatchback gasser---got all the sheet metal from GM for free ----287 cu in/3600 pounds would run 10:20 at 132 mph all day long---held the record for awhile----sure wish I had it be a fun car to play with---last I heard the car was in Alabama but that was 10-15 years ago

Marine One 03-27-2012 09:50 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Hill (Post 317947)
We have owned our 71 Cuda since 1980. I still remember driving Chris to swimming lessons in that car when he was 3 years old. (He will be 35 next month).

Patsy

My 71 tri black, big block Cuda came from a guy with a pet black bear (got pictures!). The car had been sitting under his car port for 20+ years.

My NHRA Trans Am is out of Cape Canavaral. The owner was a NASA engineer. Still has the Challenger plate on it that he gave me. I guess they were the first "specialty" plates in the US and were used to help generate funds for Challenger missions. After the accident, if you had a Challenger plate you could keep it as long as you renewed it every year, but the first time you failed to renew it, you were done.

goinbroke2 03-28-2012 06:09 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Went to Downey Ford in N.B in 86 and tried to order a "mean mister dirt" (or whatever it was called) mustang. I wanted a lx with delete everything and the gt drivetrain. "you can't get that". I argued and went to my car (72 fastback torinogt with a 428cj I dropped in) and grabbed the HotRod magazine that had the order number/options/what to get/etc.
Nope, wouldn't do it! I recognized a salesman from my stockcar days but he was working used cars now. Showed me a loaded 83gt. :(
My dad was with me so we pulled out for a test drive and stopped at the lights in front of the dealership. Light went green and I launched at 4500 and was in 3rd before I got across the intersection, smoking the hides.
Pulled back in 5 minutes later and the whole dealership was out there, the main guy screaming at me and saying he called the cops etc. I said I'd take it at least 5 times to the salesman before this guy would shut up. Was signing the papers when the cops showed up. They talked to the manager and left.

Exactly one week later my insurance company called and said I HAD to have full coverage because the car was "owned by the bank".

Exactly 2 weeks to the day I put the car 7 times end-for-end into a plowed field when I hit snow with the cruise control on!

Got it back a couple months later and started bracket racing it. Now it's patiently waiting for me to finish the 302/215hp crate motor that I have the heads in front of my desk at work for the last month.......
Bought the car in 86, that's 26 years and 12 postings including 4 years in germany. (went 257kph on the autobahn after I swapped the 2-4bbl's and 4:86's for a 2bbl and 2.75 gears.
No....mustangs are NOT supposed to go that fast, very scarey with the floating around!

rx dealer 03-28-2012 12:06 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
When i had my 69 camaro back in the mid 90's I had a problem with the car missing at high end. I tore that whole car apart but no dice..go to the track and it does same thing..then one day i was at the track working on my camaro and this very nice tall blond was looking at my race car and she said your car don't sound good and i said yes it sounds sick and i said can you please give the car a kiss to make it feel better and sure enough she kissed the driver side fender above the Z/28 badge with bright red lip stick..I found the problem that day and i won the race!!..I kept the red lipstick on that car till i sold it 2 years later..Luke SS 311

Hemi Moose 03-28-2012 01:28 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Anybody here know the story behind this thing...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiYr0z8GdC...ta-720x431.jpg

Todd Boyer 03-28-2012 07:33 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemi Moose (Post 318158)
Anybody here know the story behind this thing...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hiYr0z8GdC...ta-720x431.jpg

Love the "Wheelie pipe" !!!

philip miles 03-29-2012 11:14 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
I was 19 in 1970 when I told my brother that there was a guy at work wanted to sell a 1969 Z/28 not running. It was a Baldwin Chevy ordered for racing, no options other then cold air hood and spoilers. He said let's go look at it. I ended up buying it for $1350. with out the 8 track player but with tow hubs ,tow bar, slicks, headers and 140 chevy off road cam installed. It had 10k on the odometer, but the engine wouldn't turn over. We took it home and pulled the heads to find an intake manifold bolt that the original owner dropped down an intake valve while putting the heads back on the after having the heads machined from press in rocker studs to screw in rocker studs. I guess he tried to start it, but with the bolt in the cyclinder, it jammed the engine, but the bolt didn't damage anything. My brother and I put the heads back on the engine without dropping bolts, the engine ran fine. I've owned the car ever since.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

SCOTT SST2871 03-29-2012 01:42 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by marine one (Post 318060)
my 71 tri black, big block cuda came from a guy with a pet black bear (got pictures!). The car had been sitting under his car port for 20+ years.

My nhra trans am is out of cape canavaral. The owner was a nasa engineer. Still has the challenger plate on it that he gave me. I guess they were the first "specialty" plates in the us and were used to help generate funds for challenger missions. After the accident, if you had a challenger plate you could keep it as long as you renewed it every year, but the first time you failed to renew it, you were done.

ill bet that trans am came from the dealership i work for..ive been here since 1992 i may have even worked on it .the cape is 6 miles from here
scott fifield

Daran Summerton 03-29-2012 02:36 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Al Provost informed me that my Black 455 Cutlass K/SA was the first to ever go -1.00 under. He said he would never forget it back then it was incredible. I have had it about 7-8 years and believe it would still go -1.00 under in the right hands :)

Geerhead55 03-29-2012 10:59 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by philip miles (Post 318290)
I was 19 in 1790 when I told my brother that there was a guy at work wanted to sell a 1969 Z/28 not running. It was a Baldwin Chevy ordered for racing, no options other then cold air hood and spoilers. He said let's go look at it. I ended up buying it for $1350. with out the 8 track player but with tow hubs ,tow bar, slicks, headers and 140 chevy off road cam installed. It had 10k on the odometer, but the engine wouldn't turn over. We took it home and pulled the heads to find an intake manifold bolt that the original owner dropped down an intake valve while putting the heads back on the after having the heads machined from press in rocker studs to screw in rocker studs. I guess he tried to start it, but with the bolt in the cyclinder, it jammed the engine, but the bolt didn't damage anything. My brother and I put the heads back on the engine without dropping bolts, the engine ran fine. I've owned the car ever since.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock!

If you were 19 in 1790,, then you're damn old now!
Danny Durham

philip miles 03-30-2012 09:20 AM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Geerhead55 (Post 318501)
If you were 19 in 1790,, then you're damn old now!
Danny Durham

I corrected it, it only shows that getting old sucks, you can't even put stuff on paper correctly, except when using the bowl.

Casey Miles
248H "F" NHRA Stock

Wayne W 04-01-2012 04:27 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
Back in the good ole days I had a little trouble getting through tech with my 1966 Malibu SS, also one day in 1976 at Atco Larry Lombardo was looking the car over.

It wasn't till years later that I figured out that they had probably never saw a "1966 Malibu SS" with a 283 . I guess they figured it should have been a Big Block Car.

GarysZ24 04-01-2012 05:14 PM

Re: Interesting story/history behind your racecar?
 
My second race car wasn't supposed to be one, but I bought (thanks mainly to "Da Grump") a new '76 Chevrolet Vega. When I bought it, I wasn't even planning on racing anymore since the best I did with my first car (a '64 Chevelle), was a runner-up at the '76 Memorial Day drags at Bandimere in Bracket Four (after my first two seasons of drag racing). However, when I started this mechanics school class at the Career Ed Center (my senior year of high school), some class mates poked fun at me when I told them that my Vega was my present car. I thus called them out with their ma & pa bought V8's to next years High School drags, and when they didn't show, it gave me great pleasure to go back to school the day after, with the Bracket Four winning trophy, and the announcement that I also won the "KING OF THE HILL CHAMPIONSHIP", with my 4cyl Vega, that had a "Pro Stock" header, "Gabriel" rear air shocks, A60 rear and A70 front wide-oval street tires on it, with Lakewood traction bars for a cool look on the street....remember those AC spark plugs that were half cut over the electrode and came in the black & white boxes instead of their regular blue & white boxes? I had some of them too! Being mentioned on the Channel 7 news at 10pm, and having a picture article in the former "Drag News" magazine was the icing on the cake. I had the last laugh at school, and won the equivalent of the state championship in drag racing my senior year with that "laughed at" car...those who lost to me weren't laughing though!!!

I also went on (in '79), to being able to say (for 2-3 months), that I was a professional drag racer...I won 5 bracket races in 6 final rounds at the former "Mile High Raceway" (originally Thunder Road Dragway), and made the semi's at the D5 ET finals in Street Eliminator with the car (as a fill-in for a top ten points finisher who couldn't make the trip to Marion, Sd. for the finals).

That car was so good for me, that I remember (to this day) the vin number; 1V77B6U220942, and I haven't seen the car since Jan. 1992 when the 3rd or 4th owner had replaced the original 140ci cyl and turbo 250 auto that I enjoyed from when I bought it new, to a Pontiac 151 engine and a 4spd. I wanted to buy the car back but not after seeing that! Given the challenges I've had trying to make my Cavalier competitive in Stock, I often wish that I would've bought it anyway and just replaced those pieces with the originals...it would've been easier to work on, and I could've spent (likely) less money to be competitive, than I have on the Cavalier. It's probably scrapped metal now, but I'll always remember that '76 Chevy Vega!

If by some luck of major proportions that car is still around, I'd certainly try to buy it back, no matter what engine/tranny was in it...the history with that car was unmatched by any others since, although I hope to make some better memories with my Cavalier.... :)


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