Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
[Re: CH3NO2]
#27863
06/17/06 10:16 AM
06/17/06 10:16 AM
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Anonymous
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Quote:
You guys are stuck in the 70's. History started before then. Who was the mechanic's for the Ramchargers in the early years? Let's go back where history was made, like 63 and 64....De
Ok lets work that way,Fender Tubbs,CKC, Wild man Ray capps,Gene Snow,Texas Twister,color me gone,ramchargers,the Lawman,and guys like that,I know your dad was part of this history,Who has pictures.And is old like me that got to see all this history as it was made.
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
[Re: CH3NO2]
#27865
06/17/06 03:57 PM
06/17/06 03:57 PM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,160 Texas
dannysbee
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Posts: 5,160
Texas
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I don't have pictures but I do remember my first trip to a drag strip with my parents. It was Green Valley Raceway. My Dad worked at the General Motors Assembly plant at Arlington an his friend and coworker was Vance Hunt and he had a new dragster we went to see run. The automatic max wedge cars evidently had just came out and there was quiet a bit of contraversy about them. But if I remember correctly a max wedge auto won the eleminator that day. I just remember the max wedge car having to give the other cars multi car length head starts and it reeling them in and passing them for the win. The max wedge would set there on the line with back tires slowly turning chirp chirp chirp then the flag man would give the signal and the max wedge car would lumber out about five or ten feet and it would come to life. I was 7 years old and I have been hooked ever since.
Getting old just means you were smarter than some and luckier than others.
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
#27866
06/18/06 08:22 AM
06/18/06 08:22 AM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 15 Orlando
BillyShope
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Quote:
I've always wanted to know more about the backgrounds of guys like Tom Hoover or Ted Spehar, in terms of just what they did in life that got them involved and were actually very good at the drag racing specific end of the automotive industry. Of course, I know that Hoover was an engineer by profession, but how did that translate itself to his apparent passion for as well as obviously his skill in the racing side of Chrysler. Seems like in a guy like Hoover's case, he must have been quite knowledgeable/proficient in just about every aspect of a drag car whereas maybe most guys are knowledgeable in one thing moreso than another, i.e. engine vs. suspension vs transmissions. I've always gotten the impression Hoover was sort of the 'overseer' of operations so to speak in the Mopar drag racing efforts, at least for a specific team. Wasn't Hoover also responsible for the initial design of the 426 version of the Hemi? In the case of any of those guys, were some just found to be good race guys by someone at Chrysler and that's how they got involved or what? Just curious about the backgrounds of some of the other guys whose name's I have read or heard so much about, but don't really know just 'who' they are...
John, I might be able to answer some of your questions. There's always been a group at Chrysler interested in motorsports and in the promotion of Chrysler products, but the "modern" era probably began with the Ramchargers and their '49 Plymouth "High and Mighty" C/A. Some of the early efforts, such as the Indy runs, were directly promoted by the corporation, but the Ramchargers were formed as strictly a "grass roots" operation. In fact, we were afraid we might lose our jobs if our dragracing efforts were discovered by our managers. To most engineers in the automotive industry, the job is simply another 8 to 5 engineering job and nothing more. (I actually had a manager tell me, during a review, that I was "too interested in cars." That was Bill Swan, in Advanced Development, if there's a Chrysler retiree hanging about this board.)
I just registered, but, as soon as I figure out how to do so, I'll post some pictures of the C/A taken during construction. I see there's a chance to attach a file, so, if I'm lucky, there'll be a picture with this post. Okay, unless the picture's too big, you'll see three kids sitting at the rear of a '49 Plymouth sans body. The guy in the middle is yours truly. On my left is Herman Mozer, the first president of the Ramchargers. On my right is Jack MacPherson and the guy hiding behind the steering wheel is Dwight Knupp.
Last edited by BillyShope; 06/18/06 09:49 AM.
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
[Re: BillyShope]
#27867
06/18/06 09:48 AM
06/18/06 09:48 AM
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Good morning and Welcome Bill:
My name is Stewart Pomeroy, and I live in Tampa. I was a wannabe Chrysler racer during the early 70's. Now I collect old Chrysler Drag Racing Photos, and have about a thousand. I do not have many of the Ramcharger era unfortunately. I am trying to get together a small private reunion of Chrysler people on the 15th of December, in Orlando during the PRI show. I would like to extend an invitation to you.
If I can do anything for you, let me know. I have the capability to scan slides, photos, and negatives and burn them to a disc. If you have any use for this service, let me know. There is NO CHARGE for this service, I would hope that you would let me keep a copy though. This is not for any commerical usage, just my personal collection
Sincerely Stewart Pomeroy
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Post deleted by Defbob
#27868
06/18/06 10:05 AM
06/18/06 10:05 AM
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
#27869
06/18/06 10:40 AM
06/18/06 10:40 AM
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Not true --- I only stole the important ones
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Post deleted by Defbob
#27870
06/18/06 11:51 AM
06/18/06 11:51 AM
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Post deleted by Defbob
[Re: CH3NO2]
#27875
06/18/06 02:06 PM
06/18/06 02:06 PM
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
[Re: B Dartman]
#27878
06/20/06 07:38 AM
06/20/06 07:38 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,932 Finalnd, Perkele
jyrki
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Posts: 2,932
Finalnd, Perkele
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Last year I bought a chevy LT1 engine and trans from ebay, and while changing some messages with the seller he mentioned that he used to have an old pro stock hemi colt he raced, but crashed it in the 80's. He even sent me pics of it, and if I remember correctly he said he run in to 7's with a B1 engine? Anyway, I haven't got those pics left anymore, but still have his address. If interested, I might ask if he could send the pics of the car again.
Plynouth VIP '67 TT IC EFI
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Re: CHRYSLER DRAG RACE HISTORY AND PEOPLE
[Re: jyrki]
#27879
06/20/06 08:09 AM
06/20/06 08:09 AM
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jyrki: YES --- ask him if he would send you those photos of the Colt again
thanks Stewart
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