Where I grew up in Delaware, 60% or the roads were still dirt when I got my license in 1963. We used to go out in the country where there were a couple paved roads that were straight for over 2 miles due to the huge soy bean fields and had races. Many times for money, some times just for bragging rights. I bought a 1961 Ford Starliner with the 390 Police Intercepter Tri-Power engine, a three speed/over drive trans mission and a 4.11 limited slip rear end (forget what Ford called them back then?). It was fast and would squeal the rear tires when shifting into over drive in 2nd and 3rd both! It got 4 to 5 MPG and I was glad gas was cheap!

I recall George's car, of course. There was a blown GMC six cylinder rail dragster. A beautiful Cream and Salmon colored '55 Cheyv gasser with a straight front axle. A black/red interior '63 Chevy Bel Aire with a honest to goodness 4 speed, dual quad, posi traction 409. My friend had white '58 Chevy station wagon with a 348 Tri-Power that I would love to duplicate. Then there was the guy with the '57 Corvette w/ a dual quad 327.

I loved the Chrysler factory altered wheelbase cars, especially Dick Landy's Dodge. I couldn't wait to get the nexti issue of hot rod to see pictures of them in action.

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I saw Landy launch THAT car so hard when the rear bumper hit the track it buckled the quarter panels above the center line of the wheels
I LOVE the AFX cars

When I saw one of Landy's cars it had those weird or 180 degree headers and it sounded like a herd of Corvairs!

Here's a claimed factory AFX--took the pic at last years World of Wheels. I dig the paint.

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And a drag car from that era that ran around PGH PA

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I met with George Montgomery again yesterday. George has enough stories about the drag racing scene of the 60s and 70s to fill several books and he's not shy about telling them. A few years ago AMT made a plastic model kit of a Ranchero that was given to George for one of his exploits.
While trying to recover from bronchitis a few weeks ago I bought one of the models of his special Ranchero and put it together. I haven't built a plastic model in 40 years. I took it over with me when I went to do another interview and asked him to autograph the hood for me. He was happy to do it, and it set him off on yet another of his stories, this time about how the model came to be and why the model has a V8 instead of the correct 6 cylinder, etc etc. Times like this I have to remind myself that I'm working, I feel like a star struck kid having a really great dream.

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That's awesome, the car, the story, the guy, the fact that you get to be entertained while working !

Iffn Lion's was still there I could hear the cars from my office.



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The Malco Gasser has been on display at the Henry Ford Museum for a few years. I just saw a piece on Hemmings showing it as part of a new 'Engines Exposed' exhibit. Pretty sure I had a plastic model of that car as a kid and saw it at our local drag strip.

Hemmings Blog Henry Ford Museum Exhibit

You can easily kill an evening looking through this thread:

American Graffiti

Lots of nice period photos of 50's and 60's drag racers.

That vid of Grumpy Jenkins in the drivers seat demonstrating the lost art of power shifting is great.
Ah, the memories........:cool:

A current pic of the local drag strip we used to hang out at every weekend. That staging area would be full with 100s of cars. I think it finally closed in the 80s. The scoring tower (at top of pic) still stands.

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I went over to visit George Montgomery again. George is just a peach of a guy. He had triple bypass surgery this fall but is now feeling better. He called and said he wanted to talk to me about progress on his biography. He is in his 80s, way overweight, and I am afraid he is one more great person that I've come to know who I will outlive.
We had a great conversation. When he gets started talking about drag racing in the 50s and early 60s I lose all track of time. His son Gregg had to come in and tell us it was time to get moving. While I was there he took a call from a guy who wanted help building one of those 2500 hp street legal cars. Apparently there is a TV series about them? George said he would do the machine work but wanted nothing to do with what happened with the engine after he assembled the long block. It was classic George. Rough and cantankerous if he doesn't like you, but just the sweetest guy if he does.
My friendship with George is one more unexpected way my life has been blessed. How did this happen to me?

One of the machinists in my shop tuned and set up the junior dragsters for Antron brown, Morgan Lucas, Shawn Langdon, Leah Pritchett, and others when they were coming up through the ranks.

He's been racing his whole life and gets mentioned several times a year on the NHRA telecasts.

He and I can kill some serial time, just sitting there with me asking questions and him telling me stories.
That there is time well spent, bench racing is life well spent.

Raced my 57 Chevy at Lions..Blew the motor got drafted..1969

Very cool stuff indeed. It's not often we get to meet our childhood heroes, much less get to learn enough about them to actually write their biographies. How exciting...

Born in 1960 and taking a very early interest in cars (didn't hurt that my dad took us to the races quite often), I well remember all of those names. I was perhaps too young to understand just how special those times were, but looking back, racers and race fans never had it so good. There is something missing today that I guess we took for granted back then.

How long until the book comes out? I'm looking forward to reading it.

Jeff, it will be 6 to 9 months. I can't put it any further to the front burner right now.
Some "coming attractions."
..
In 1960 he wanted to save engine weight so he had some GM 6-71 blower housings cast in magnesium. He got the dimensions wrong and the aluminum rotors would slightly rub against the magnesium, but only until the aluminum machined the clearances to 0. Aluminum rotors against aluminum housing would gall and seize, but the aluminum rotors would just wear magnesium away. With 0 clearance he was able to get 17 psi blower pressure instead of the max 12-13 from an all aluminum blower. He made a small fortune selling blowers to everyone in drag racing. All the big names were using his blowers. Garlits, Kalitta, Tommy Ivo - everyone. No one knew his secret for years.
You should hear him talk about driving that blue Willys down the strip at 150 mph with the front wheels off the ground the whole way.