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Post by polarapirate on Feb 15, 2020 3:00:25 GMT
Nice article Jerry about your early days racing, and even in a Dodge for a bit. You need to letter your Chevelle. "Boltin Bolton", "Joltin Jerry". I still like "The Iowa Ice Man". See you soon !!
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Post by c5farmer on Feb 16, 2020 23:56:37 GMT
Polara bear, that 56 Chevy was a lot of fun. It had a 427 engine and ran a best of 11.42@117. Interesting story is that the first time I took it to Cedar Falls to race it made the finals in the pro bracket. The track regulars could not believe the old, primer painted exgasser could be that consistent! They may have been laughing when it first got to the track, but they weren’t laughing when it left! Good times racing on a very limited budget. Probably had less than $2,000 invested.
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Post by sportf on Feb 17, 2020 12:54:29 GMT
What year was that Jerry?
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Post by moparsteve on Feb 17, 2020 14:48:00 GMT
Back in the days when you could build a car for very little money and be competitive! Built my first SS car and raced it that first season for about what I've got a set of heads now!
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Post by c5farmer on Feb 17, 2020 16:53:22 GMT
That was in 1983. I started racing in 1972.
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Post by polarapirate on Feb 17, 2020 19:42:41 GMT
Well gentlemen I think I see a future project for Victory, we all have a past in Drag Racing, and that special place where we all started. We may not be Garlits, Force, Jenkins, Glidden, Sox & Martin, etc., etc., but each of our stories is neat and interesting, especially the cars we used to race. Maybe there could be a history of each Victory Racer with pictures of the past and the current race cars. Plus include those Victory members that are no longer with us -- Larry Pelts, Ron Rector, Kenny Grishum, etc.. I know we have the Champion's page, and that is neat, also. I always tell my family that my early days were just like "American Graffiti" only with newer cars. My very first pass down our local Drag Strip was in 1971 with the car I drove to High School every day. Drive it over and put slicks on it. I still have that car.
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Post by miserablebastard on Feb 17, 2020 23:56:42 GMT
We may not be Garlits, Force, Jenkins, Glidden, Sox & Martin, Don Breummer.. fixed it for you George..
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Post by polarapirate on Feb 18, 2020 3:49:45 GMT
I knew I forgot one of the greatest heroes of Drag Racing !!!! Thank's Scott !!
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Post by polarapirate on Feb 18, 2020 15:49:31 GMT
Jerry, what transmission were you running in your 56 Chevy ?
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Post by polarapirate on Feb 19, 2020 19:04:01 GMT
Jerry, I would like to hear about your Dodge, what was it and what trouble it gave you.
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Post by c5farmer on Feb 20, 2020 2:14:37 GMT
PolaraBear, My Mopar experience was a 1972 Dodge Demon. I bought it from Grand Spaulding Dodge after talking with Norm and Lenny Krause! It was a Banana Yellow 340 auto with the GSS package. That included a Paxton super charger, hi volume oil pump, aluminum valve spring retainers, and super tune. The only option I had added was a set of headers. The car came with a 3.55 gear, which I changed to a 4.30. it included a year membership in the GS Scat Pack Club. At 5,000 miles the torque flite died and at 6,000 miles the first of 3 crankshafts blew up. At 9,000 miles I sold the car with a blown engine for $1500. The best et it ever ran was 14.00. Now, I wish it still was in my possession as Norm only built a couple hundred of them before the gov't stopped him due to anti smog regulations. Last one I saw for sale was around $80,000! Who knows, if the drive train would not have been a lemon, I might still be racing a Mopar!! This one of the only pictures I have of it, taken in 1976 at Cordova. Maybe the last time I raced it and blew the crank before selling. The answer to your other question--The old 56 Chevy had a TH400.
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Post by oldracer on Feb 20, 2020 2:28:56 GMT
neat story, sorry it didn't work out for you.
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Post by polarapirate on Feb 20, 2020 15:12:49 GMT
Jerry, sorry your Dodge turned out to be a lemon, sounds like it should have run better than a 14. The reason I asked about the 56 Chevy transmission, was I was expecting you to be a master of the 4 speed, much like our friends Damon, and Scott (the Miserable one), that likes to show Don Bruemmer how its done on occasion.
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Post by sportf on Feb 20, 2020 20:08:48 GMT
I never had money for racing. Just didn't work out. Built a 36 Chevy Sedan street rod with a 283 that probably put out an honest +275 HP and later, a 32 Desoto. But those were a whole lot of my time with low buck parts. I finished the 36 in about '75, and the Desoto in '83. The Chev went down the road when the Desoto was finished, never to be seen again.
In or about '92 I was ready to get my lifelong dream car. I got a short Field work assignment to Long Beach and drove out with a tow bar in the back of my S10, buying my '62 Sport Fury from the resto guy for Richard Carpenter. That eventually got a 12 second 440 that I raced when I could. Its a neat story how I got to buy that car I'll tell you sometime.
But then, the need for fast came up and I got my '63 Sport Fury out of Arkansas and built it to a dedicated race car. But I was well into my 40's before I could really swing any of that. Really couldn't do a lot of racing till I retired due to continuous travel for work.
I was always into cars, just got more time to do it now.
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