https://youtu.be/S_YiYjxQH1U
Quite the history.
Great find. I remember watching those run back in the day. A bunch of the big drag teams would bring cars to our high school during the week before the Winternationals would start to hype up their attendance. The Ramcharger cars were flashier but we all looked at the Comet trying to see all the tricks. It was neat seeing the shots of the back straight at Riverside as a drag strip.
Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on January 15, 2022, 01:25:46 PM
Great find. I remember watching those run back in the day. A bunch of the big drag teams would bring cars to our high school during the week before the Winternationals would start to hype up their attendance. The Ramcharger cars were flashier but we all looked at the Comet trying to see all the tricks. It was neat seeing the shots of the back straight at Riverside as a drag strip.
I missed out by about a decade. Life was so much different before social media. Imagine people getting together in person to enjoy leaps in go-fast technology. The interest is still there in "man," only said interest remains dormant while we stare at our phones. I am just as guilty, but I do pause to think about those times and relish the machinery that came out of those times. (And use my phone and laptop to find such things, so it isn't all bad, computer technology. The proverbial two edge sword.
Thanks, great sound just idling.
Jim's sons still have the car and the other 1967 funny car
They will take it to shows and will fire it up. Crude compared to todays funny cars but really neat to see
Here's the middle of the fast changing class 1966. Still injected but stretched with mostly steel body. I think the photo is Les Ritchey's shop his car behind the Holman & Moody built car of Gas Ronda. In the front is another stretch chassis - probably the one for Les' own car.
Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on January 16, 2022, 03:02:05 PM
Here's the middle of the fast changing class 1966. Still injected but stretched with mostly steel body. I think the photo is Les Ritchey's shop his car behind the Holman & Moody built car of Gas Ronda. In the front is another stretch chassis - probably the one for Les' own car.
That's hot!
We used to run a 1965 Mustang fastback with 427 SOHC in B/Gas in the old Modified Eliminator in NHRA racing
Bought the engine for $935 from Fords great garage sale in the early 70's. Added fuel injection later on
Ran consistent low 10's at 143-144 mph. Had drum brakes and was tough to stop but a blast to drive
Quote from: Steve McDonald Formally known as Mcdonas on January 16, 2022, 08:37:03 PM
......1965 Mustang fastback with 427 SOHC in B/Gas ......Bought the engine for $935 from Fords great garage sale in the early 70's. ... Had drum brakes and was tough to stop but a blast to drive
Must have been fun 67-68 I was crewing on a BB Chevy powered Fuel Altered. I was doing high school work experience at the Chevy dealer and the driver worked across the street at Russ Davis Ford. Always a learning experience hearing him and Gas Ronda talking tactics.
We bought a pair of Cammers from Mickey Thompson for the Mega Buck Pantera project. $24,000 for the pair then another 10 grand to have Earl Wade blueprint the one that went in the car - I always argued they were new so we should just light it and go. brakes
Everybody ran drum brakes. We all knew that the disc brake pads drug on the discs so drums were probably .00001 faster.
Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on January 16, 2022, 03:02:05 PM
Here's the middle of the fast changing class 1966. Still injected but stretched with mostly steel body. I think the photo is Les Ritchey's shop his car behind the Holman & Moody built car of Gas Ronda. In the front is another stretch chassis - probably the one for Les' own car.
The standard wheelbase car at the top of the photo is Les's '65 car being reworked. The middle car is Gas's and it was the ONLY one that used "Ford stamped" rear frame rails. The bottom "full chassis" was Tasca's according to H&M's John Wanderer ( project manager ) about 30 years ago.
Randy
Quote from: gt350hr on January 17, 2022, 11:41:37 AM
Quote from: 98SVT - was 06GT on January 16, 2022, 03:02:05 PM
Here's the middle of the fast changing class 1966. Still injected but stretched with mostly steel body. I think the photo is Les Ritchey's shop his car behind the Holman & Moody built car of Gas Ronda. In the front is another stretch chassis - probably the one for Les' own car.
The standard wheelbase car at the top of the photo is Les's '65 car being reworked. The middle car is Gas's and it was the ONLY one that used "Ford stamped" rear frame rails. The bottom "full chassis" was Tasca's according to H&M's John Wanderer ( project manager ) about 30 years ago.
Randy
I read that Les did the stretch to his 65 car himself and did not get one of the H&M factory 66 cars. Why would Tasca's frame be at Les' place. Were the H&M drag cars built in Long Beach while Stroppe and H&M were partners? That would make sense then for the Tasca frame to be at Les' so he could copy it for his car.
Les's car was not stretched. I saw the remains at Holman moody in '77 when I was there in a fenced off area . The wreck was horrific . Things broke that I thought couldn't. I was allowed to take the H&M tag off of it and ended up letting Brent Hajek have it C6HM1006DR IIRC.
Quote from: gt350hr on January 17, 2022, 06:36:57 PM
Les's car was not stretched. I saw the remains at Holman moody in '77 when I was there in a fenced off area . The wreck was horrific . Things broke that I thought couldn't. I was allowed to take the H&M tag off of it and ended up letting Brent Hajek have it C6HM1006DR IIRC.
Is that for a 1966 car? I was told he had stretched his 1965 5F09K380233 car. Are there any records where his 65 car went?
Quote from: gt350hr on January 17, 2022, 06:36:57 PM
Les's car was not stretched. I saw the remains at Holman moody in '77 when I was there in a fenced off area . The wreck was horrific . Things broke that I thought couldn't. I was allowed to take the H&M tag off of it and ended up letting Brent Hajek have it C6HM1006DR IIRC.
Is this the car ?
Quote from: honker on January 17, 2022, 08:47:51 PM
Quote from: gt350hr on January 17, 2022, 06:36:57 PM
Les's car was not stretched. I saw the remains at Holman moody in '77 when I was there in a fenced off area . The wreck was horrific . Things broke that I thought couldn't. I was allowed to take the H&M tag off of it and ended up letting Brent Hajek have it C6HM1006DR IIRC.
Is this the car ?
No that is Gas Ronda's first 1965 car 5F09K380239 behind Les' shop. It broke an axle in testing and that is the result. Ford gave him their show car 5F09K380231 since the accident wasn't his fault. So when you see all the articles about Gas' "original" car remember it's really his second one.
Great find, keep them coming
Thank you
Quote from: deathsled on January 15, 2022, 08:11:35 AM
https://youtu.be/S_YiYjxQH1U
Quite the history.