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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
#160629
12/16/08 08:21 PM
12/16/08 08:21 PM
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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I spoke with Joe for 15-20 mins on Monday night. They are recouping from the trip to Fla.(PRI SHOW) He will be back in full swing again very soon. 
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
#160630
12/17/08 10:08 PM
12/17/08 10:08 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
Mopar Missile JP
Back To The 70s With J.P.
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Back To The 70s With J.P.
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
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Quote:
Thanks again Joe for sharing all these great stories & knowledge with us.
I still want to hear the bologna & ketchup story again. 
That would be a funny one to share with all these guys. 
Kevin,
I'm not sure that I can tell the bologna & ketchup story as well as Dick O but here goes.
Anyone who knew Donnie Carlton understood that he had certain likes and dislikes when it came to food. Yet, Donnie's tastes were fairly simple and straight forward. Also, take into context the times - back in the 70's Pro-Stock teams DID NOT have chefs and hospitality transporters following them around. IF we ate lunch at the track you knew that it would be fast, simple, and something that Donnie liked. Thus, on the occasions we actually got something to eat, Donnie splurged on his favorite - white bread, balogna, and his favorite condiment - ketchup. Hey, Donnie was the boss and if the boss wants balogna and ketchup sandwiches then EVERYBODY got balogna and ketchup sandwiches.
Another of Donnie's food quirks was that he ALWAYS would have a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich for breakfast - ALWAYS!!! It really should not be a big deal but you cannot believe the hard time he got from countless waitresses and restaurants in those years. When they refused to grant his wish, he would simply order an order of toast, an order of bacon, some lettuce, some tomato, and a small cup of mayo and build his own!!! That worked for Donnie but angered many a waitress and cook. We never got tossed from any restaurants for that but we got plenty of ugly stares... What usually got us tossed from a restaurant was Dick O going behind the counter and helping himself to the coffee. Sometimes the service in these places was less than stellar and we had to take matters into our own hands. For some unknown reason, certain restaurants took offense to our "self serve" methods. Usually they asked that we NEVER come back but a few showed us the door right then... Some folks just can't take a joke...
Joe
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
[Re: Billy B Bad]
#160632
12/22/08 10:07 PM
12/22/08 10:07 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
Mopar Missile JP
Back To The 70s With J.P.
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Back To The 70s With J.P.
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
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Quote:
I was born in 1968, so these cars that I love I never got to see run in there day.
When I did get to see drag racing it was Bob Glidden in a Thunder bird.
Anyway, I got to learn and found a love for the Missile as well as few others over the years by reading and listening to stories.
The "Wire Car" was the 1st one I ever read about and found myself wanting to know more and more about Don Carlton and who he was and all the history.
I am lucky to know one former NHRA drag racer from years ago and hearing his stories is a treat.
I try to read what I can about other racers as much as I can. My current study Is Billy "The Kid" Stepp. Could you share any stories about racing The Kid or Akron Arlen (that's if you guys ever did of course).
Please keep telling of the stories and maybe share pictures if you wouldn't mind. For me its like being there and seeing & Hearing it firsthand. To me, those were the days of drag racing.
Thanks for joining and be sure to stick around, allot of fun guys here.
It never ceases to amaze me that folks like yourself are so interested in what we all did so many years ago. Like so many young racers of today, we were just trying to make a living (well, maybe have a bit of fun along the way too).
Getting to your question, yes, we did race against both Billy Stepp and Arlan Vanke many times. In fact, at one point in his driving career, Don Carlton drove one of Billy's cars.
When it comes to Billy - the stories I have to tell would best be told in private. What I can say it that he was a very likeable guy, but never, never, make him angry. Enough said.
Arlan Vanke was then and is today one of the neatest guys you will ever want to meet. That guy is the essence of "cool". Whenever I see him I always call him DAD and ask if I am still in the will. Arlan has more stories to tell than any person on earth and every one of them is priceless. In October, Arlan, Ted Spehar, Dave Kanners, and I went to spend a day with Mike Fons at his home near Houghton Lake Michigan. It was a day to remember! Story after story rolled off and it was much like 35 years ago after a day at the track where the stories never ended... Priceless.
To remember specific races against Arlan is tough but needless to say he was a fierce competitor and you had better be ready or he would get you!
Joe Pappas
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
[Re: moderncylinder]
#160633
12/22/08 10:18 PM
12/22/08 10:18 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
Mopar Missile JP
Back To The 70s With J.P.
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Back To The 70s With J.P.
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
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Quote:
arlen cam back to racing about 10 years ago,, i did his heads and manifold work for super stock,, he raced a 65 car in nostalgia super stock at the nsca/nmca races that belonged to tony depillo.
i remember arlen telling me back when,, 72 or something,, they had a meeting of pro stock guys with nhra,, the hemi cars were the ones to beat and one of the chevy, pontiac, or something,, a gm guy said they needed to put weight on the hemi cars,,, that all he was looking for was a fair advantage.. after that they put the weight on.
i never talk to older guys about days gone by,, spehar is supposed to stop by my shop today, and george delorean stops by here every other saturday or so,, i think im going to start getting some history lessons,, though i must say,,, spehar,,, delorean,, and even maskin do not like to sit around and talk about the past.
jeff
Jeff,
Once guys like Ted Spehar and George Delorean get to know you the information / stories flow. I have known both these guys for the best part of 35 to 40 years and they are treasure chests of knowledge and experience that is unmatched anywhere. Richard Maskin is very quiet and reserved and always has been. Dave Kanners knows Richard very well and was his partner on the Maskin & Kanners Pro Stock Hornet. Dave has always spoken highly of Richard but I never got to know Richard very well.
Joe Pappas
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
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Re: Official Joe Pappas (Missile Team) Q & A Thread
#160635
12/22/08 10:45 PM
12/22/08 10:45 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
Mopar Missile JP
Back To The 70s With J.P.
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Back To The 70s With J.P.
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
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Quote:
Hey Joe,
Hope all is going well on your vaction/trip to Fla. Sure you have been super busy. 
Had a member ask on another thread about the 72 Cuda. Where it is now, why still sitting unrestored, any other info about the past few years ect. of its "under 3' of snow" life.
Or possibly even Stewart could fill us in, as I am sure he knows the facts, ect.
Kevin,
The '72 Cuda is in Canada and is owned by a fella named Mark. I won't reveal his last name as I have not asked his permission to do so. Needless to say, the car is in Canada and sadly it has been sitting outside for many years under a tarp. Dick Oldfield went up there a couple of winters ago with his nephew and looked the car over and took large number of photographs. It is in sad shape. There is a lot of deterioration that a mild cosmetic restoration will not come close to fixing. Over the years, Dick has tried to convince Mark to sell the car to someone with the financial means to properly restore the car to it's proper level but Mark has remained adamant that he wants to do this himself. Given today's costs it would not be unreasonable to need to spend $120K to $175K to make this car correct again (my estimation). I certainly hope that if Mark takes this on that he can do it correctly and give that very special car the total restoration it deserves.
Joe Pappas
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
[Re: ASA1711]
#160638
12/22/08 11:16 PM
12/22/08 11:16 PM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
Mopar Missile JP
Back To The 70s With J.P.
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Back To The 70s With J.P.
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 67
Howell, MI
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Quote:
Joe,
Back in the day, considering that The Missile was the Chrysler house team what was the relationship with the other Pro Stock teams like, ie; S&M, Landy, Jenkins, etc.?
You are right that the Missile team was the Chrysler "house" team. We did the R&D and passed information on to the other Chrysler Pro Stock teams through the Chrysler race group channels. When it came to the other Chrysler teams we had a great relationship. We all wanted Chrysler to win and if we could not do it ourselves, we were just as happy when one of the other Chysler teams scored the W. Ronnie Sox, Buddy Martin, Dick Landy, Butch Leal, Bill Bagshaw, Mike Fons, Irv Berringhaus, Don Grothier, and all the other Chrysler teams were first class folks. We worked hard and we played hard - that is just what we did.
The Ford, Chevy, and AMC teams were competitors but we partied just as hard with them as we did with the Chrysler guys. You have got to remember that we ALL traveled together and raced together about 10 months a year. We were like a traveling automotive circus act (don't throw stones at my analogy guys). The racing teams were all very close. We came out of the Detroit area and there were several teams right in our area - Fons, Wally Booth, Maskin & Kanners to name a few. We were friends then and still are today. I regularly see Dave Kanners and his wife Sue for dinner. Wally Booth gets his hair cuts from the same barber I have been going to for the last 28 years (yes, Wally and I still have some hair to cut!).
Our racing was serious but our friendships were just as serious. We all helped each other at the track and off the track.
Joe Pappas
Joe Pappas
MOPAR MISSILE
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Re: Official Joe Pappas (Missile Team) Q & A Thread
[Re: Mopar Missile JP]
#160639
12/23/08 10:00 AM
12/23/08 10:00 AM
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Anonymous
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Unregistered
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Anonymous
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Quote:
Quote:
Hey Joe,
Hope all is going well on your vaction/trip to Fla. Sure you have been super busy.
Had a member ask on another thread about the 72 Cuda. Where it is now, why still sitting unrestored, any other info about the past few years ect. of its "under 3' of snow" life.
Or possibly even Stewart could fill us in, as I am sure he knows the facts, ect.
Kevin,
The '72 Cuda is in Canada and is owned by a fella named Mark. I won't reveal his last name as I have not asked his permission to do so. Needless to say, the car is in Canada and sadly it has been sitting outside for many years under a tarp. Dick Oldfield went up there a couple of winters ago with his nephew and looked the car over and took large number of photographs. It is in sad shape. There is a lot of deterioration that a mild cosmetic restoration will not come close to fixing. Over the years, Dick has tried to convince Mark to sell the car to someone with the financial means to properly restore the car to it's proper level but Mark has remained adamant that he wants to do this himself. Given today's costs it would not be unreasonable to need to spend $120K to $175K to make this car correct again (my estimation). I certainly hope that if Mark takes this on that he can do it correctly and give that very special car the total restoration it deserves.
Joe Pappas
Joe, & All other Members.
Mark (Canada) was at the AllHemi in Ohio this past summer. I did not speak to him directly, but I did hear him tell a few people that the Cuda was being sent to a friend in Ga. to do a total restoration 
The guy doing the restoration, had become some sort of "partner" in the Cuda, and he was suppling the $$$$ & labor to do the resto.
Anyone else heard or know of any info on the Ga. resto.??? 
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
[Re: Mopar Missile JP]
#160642
12/25/08 08:32 PM
12/25/08 08:32 PM
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Anonymous
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Quote:
Quote:
Photo of the Final Round - Fons vs Sox
Stewart,
Did you notice the guy in the Rod Shop shirt standing behind Fons' car? Yep, that's right - it is me. Quite a day... Beat Ronnie in the semi and Herb in the final.
Joe Pappas
I could barely see anything it said..
Here's a blow-up
No Fred. 
A blow - up picture
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
#160643
12/25/08 09:02 PM
12/25/08 09:02 PM
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Anonymous
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So there has to be a story associated with this picture...
Were you already with Carlton, or still with Fons at this time.?
Any idea who the guy behind the car is.? Kenny?
Last edited by Kev_73_Missile; 12/25/08 09:02 PM.
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Re: Official Joe PAPPAS Q & A Thread
[Re: Mopar Missile JP]
#160648
12/25/08 10:10 PM
12/25/08 10:10 PM
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Anonymous
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Unregistered
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Anonymous
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Quote:
Quote:
Alot of us were only 8=9=10 back in 71-72
Can we play the name game with this picture.
Kevin,
You must think my eyesight is a lot better than it is... That photo was taken on the steps of the capital just about the time the US Racing Team was officially kicked off. If you blow it up so blind me can see the faces, I will try to put all the names with those faces. Remember - I wear bifocals...
"blind" Joe Pappas
Best I can do.
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