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deerejoe
10-02-2003, 07:00 PM
There are probably a few members aside from me that will recall the vehicles in this story.

Once upon a time, in early 1959...before sanctioned dragstrips, christmas trees and big money sponsor cars invaded Kansas City, MO (my home town) we used to hang out at an outlaw strip just off Chouteau Trafficway, near the Missouri river.

I had recently purchased ($3100.00) a brand new, 1959 Chevvy Impala conv. with the first (and only) "4 on the floor" in the metro area. The engine was a 348 CID (solid lifters) with 3 vacuum operated, 2 barrel carbureters feeding the intake with expensive 100 octane (.33 cents per gallon) gasoline. Lakes pipes completed the near stock package. The car looked good, sounded good and RAN real good!! I was da man!!

Being 'king of the hill' is a fleeting and rapidly changing title even in those days and my time was at hand...

It was a cool, sunny, wonderful Saturday afternoon. I was sitting in my car at the start line with my hood just partially raised for some needed cooling; having dispatched all the recent newbies that day when I saw in my rear view mirror a black sedan pulling in behind me.

A man well into his gray years got out and approached me.
He said he'd been advised that I had the fastest car at the strip.

I assured him that it depended on who had advised him of that.
I merely had an 'old Chevvy convertible' with a small V8. Nothing really to rave about!!

He pressed me further saying he had just bought the 1959 Plymouth Savoy (a de-chromed, low end model used for taxi cabs)
and wanted to see how it ran. I told him to give it a go and see what it would do.
Well no, he really wanted to see how it would do against the fastest car.......heh, heh, heh....I could see him still at the start line wondering what happened when I lit the wick to those 315 horses...but what the hay...why not have some fun with the "old man".

He asked me how we START and I said we just honk the horn and GO on the third honk. Since he was new at this drag stuff I would let him do the honk START.

He got into his car and pulled into the lane beside me.
I closed the hood, fired up that 100 octane...the noise from the Lakes pipes startled him for a moment...I motioned for him to begin the honk sequence...and I was off like a shot!!

I generally never look back because the rear view mirror will show me where my opponent is....where the hell is he??

Lakes pipes are a bypass system around the mufflers (no cats in those days) terminating under the front door sills... and they are LOUD!!
Well, I HEARD this incredible "growl" coming from over my right shoulder and before I could look he went by me like I was standing still!!

The Chevvy was still pulling its guts out when that Plymouth beat me BAAAADDDD!!
If ever I wanted a back door to slink out of it was that day.

That "old man" was a poker player of the FIRST ORDER and I was just this silly kid with more arrogance than common sense.

There has to be a moral there somewhere...

1. Know your opponents STRENGTH'S ( Golden Commando V8 with TWIN QUADS). Auto trans.
I was later told he never chirped a tire coming off the line!!

2. Never seek a comfort level. When the going gets tough, the tough get going...definition...keep spending and upgrading the hardware, watch your back and above ALL else...learn to LAUNCH.

3. Finally, watch out for (old men with) BLACK cars!!

jgc61sr2002
10-02-2003, 07:08 PM
Joe - Nice story, brings back memories.:D

PhastPhil
10-02-2003, 07:34 PM
My dad told me a similar story, only he was a spectator that day. It happened out at West Hampton raceway on Long Island. The older gentlman in this story had bought a brand new Chrysler 300 and proceeded to blow the doors off every car that day. Even the hot rods. The poor guy got booed, though. Seems those who worked hard at building and tuning there cars didn't appreciate the fact that this guy was wealthy and just "bought" his car. Sort of like he cheated, while they did it the enthusiast's way.

PhastPhil
10-02-2003, 07:35 PM
And this too occured in 1959!

Ross
10-03-2003, 09:23 AM
Those old Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge products had some FAST engines. Almost all cop cars used them for a long time.

Constable
10-03-2003, 09:26 AM
Great story.... My grandfather use to street race in the central jersey area in the 40's and 50's. He always tells the best story's, but they always have meaningful outcomes.

jerrym3
10-06-2003, 11:57 AM
In the early 60's, there wasn't any competition for the Mopar 413s, stick or automatic. So, for the heck of it, Island dragway set up a run whereby a Corvair went halfway down the track and stopped.

When the light went green, the Corvair took off for the eighth mile race while the Plymouth 413 took off from the regular starting line.

Winner? Mopar by a hair.

Another place we would go to race (sanctioned) was an airport strip in lower NY State. Got so popular, they would run four cars at a time.

Two of the "new" Ford 352s came around one Sunday, probably 1960. One car was a black convertible, the other was a red 2 dr sedan (cheapie).

The convert had all kinds of sayings written on the car like "built by Ford to beat Chevvie" etc.

Well, the convert got beat bad by a Chevvie, and on the return trip back from the finish line, the rowdys threw bottles at the car.

But, the 2 dr held his own until he blew a 1-2 shift in one of the races.

Been a lot of years, but I could swear he was using a column shifter.

jeSSe96
10-07-2003, 01:53 PM
nice story