[Bobby Zlatkin]

I'm a bit older than most of you, so my first car/hotrod was a '47 Chev. coupe. 216 cu.in. six.

The old man down the street that owned it wanted $175 for it, firm. My dad would only let me go $150
for it and wouldn't let me get it (my money from a $.50 hr. plus tips bag boy job). So, I gave the old guy $25 on the sly and my dad thought I got it for the $150 (Good job negotiating son).

I took it to the drags {Amelia Earthart Field in Hialeah (Miami), FL}. That was in late 1956. My first time running the 1/4 mile. Best time; 69 mph. No ET clocks back then.

Then I started to "soup it up". That's what we called it back then. First a set of Fenton cast iron headers
with straight through mufflers. Sounded like an airplane. My neighbor said when I came winding down the street it would mess his television up. Don't know if this was true or not.

Next a set of Fenton high lift intake rocker arms. Then a Mallory dual point conversion for the stock distributor and a Mallory coil. The coil was no good when it got hot and I ended up taking it off. Nothing I bought was new, everything used. Lastly, an Offenhouser manifold with two, one barrel Rochester carbs. Originally came with a single barrel Carter carb. This was over the period of about 1 1/2 years as the money would permit.

The dual carbs really made a big difference and by the time I finished with that car my best times were up to 74 MPH. Felt like it was flying. The only 8 cyl. cars I ever beat with it were stock Ford flathead V8's.
Never beat any overhead valve V8's.

But, I enjoyed working on and racing that car as much as any car I've ever had.