OK, Carlton and "Missile Maniacs", here is "A Brief History Of Time" pertaining to the events leading up to, and after, the Lukas Aspen build, with some extra tidbits thrown in. Enjoy the photos!

1970:

Joe Craig opens up CA Speedcenter in Fairfield, NJ, which quickly gains a reputation as THE Mopar-oriented destination for area gearheads. First customer: "Yours truly", with my 340-powered 65 Valiant.

1971-1974:

During this period, a strong customer base is built, and along with myself, many others begin careers in Super Stock and Stock competition. Joe builds a destroked 340 (305) small block for his 67 Cuda notchback for C/SM. Construction begins on my 71 340 SS/IA Duster.

1975:
Previously unknown local retail merchandising executive Ed Lukas wanders in to the store and is thrilled to announce that he is to campaign a SS/AA Hemi Dart with power supplied by childhood friend and Super Stock Hemi guru Tim Richards. Additional Scranton friend Joe Amato praises the project.

Wanting to put the Dart on a "diet", he asks me to locate an original complete FLOOR for the Dart. I find one on the Chrysler locator, and after a trip to the acid dipper, it is installed, along with a new roll cage by Bill Hayes. A fresh Bob Sodano paint job, with "The Over The Hill Gang" lettering, is now applied. A great running car, until Ed gets another idea!

1976:

Ed says that he is now thinking of running Pro Stock, again with Tim Richards power. But what about the car?

During this year, (I don't remember the exact series of events that led to this) Joe begins to purchase Direct Connection parts through SVI (Specialized Vehicles, Inc.) of Troy, MI. The principal owner is Mike Koran, and Ted Spehar has direct involvement. SVI, specializing in contract prototype and development work, is still in operation to this day.

Back to Lucas: He says that he would LOVE to build a Pro car from a Body-In-White. But how to get one? Through a series of conversations with Mike at SVI, Mike tells Joe, and then Ed, he can have his wish, a new-for-76 Aspen, and the requisition is processed.

But what about building the car? Lukas, Hayes (an oval-track specialist), and others, give it some thought, but Hayes suggests to Ed to have someone more drag-oriented do the build, and Ed agrees. A subsequent conversation with Joe, Hayes and myself, with Mike at SVI, brings an unexpected response: "I know someone who CAN do it, if he would agree to take it on, because he normally does not do customer work. I will make a call."

The builders were to be none other than Don Carlton and Clyde Hodges!

With the Body-In-White now ready, Joe, Ed, myself and Mopar bracket racer John Moser drive to Michigan in Ed's transporter (73 Dodge D600) to pick up the Aspen at SVI. While there, we meet Mike Koran and Ted Spehar, and get the grand tour, plus a ride in a special 76 "Feather Duster" Slant 6 fuel mileage development car. Along with the aluminum body panels, this car had specially modified main and rod bearings (1/2 their normal width,) low tension valve springs, and I believe a turbocharger was on it as well. The car was full of wiring and "data recorders", but the ONLY instrument inside the car was a vacuum gauge. They would run mileage tests in stocking feet, and drive only East to West, because they felt that the effects of gravity going North to South (driving up and down the globe, as opposed to across the globe during East to West) gave more accurate readings! You can't make this up. These dudes were SERIOUS!

The Aspen returns to Jersey, and Carlton then calls to say he is short of steel tubing for the build. We procure the tubing, load the Aspen and all of the other things Carlton wanted onto Joe's trailer, and head for Lenoir. We (Ed, Joe, Moser and myself) get the nickel tour from Don and Clyde, go over the build process and head back to Jersey. It is now late Fall 1976.

Carlton calls to say that much progress has been made, but they need to re-do their Gold B/A Colt for the upcoming 77 Winternationals, and will be delayed on the Aspen build. Lukas really wants to get the car finished ASAP, so with approval from Don and Clyde, he sends both Hayes and myself to Lenoir to work on the car to speed up the process. This time period is captured in my photos.

1977 and beyond:

After Hayes and I spend our time there, and Carlton and Hodges return from Pomona, they finish up the car, and then Hayes, Moser, Joe and myself drive to Lenoir to pick up the car.

Some other farmed-out work is done and then the car goes to Ed's house. Because of business and family commitments, and Tim Richards' move to the fuel categories, the Hemi does not get done. Weight break changes in Pro Stock made a small block favorable, and Ed has one built. After more delays of all varieties, it finally runs.

The car is brought to Englishtown for shakedown runs, or should I say "run". On the first pass, something in the motor breaks. And then the brakes fail and the car ends up in the sand trap, and fortunately does not make it THROUGH the fence and onto Pension Rd.

That is the only known pass the car made before it was parked, and then brought to FL when Ed sold his tool business here in NJ.

The rest is history.

First photo is at Indy in 1976. I took this not knowing that barely three months later I would be working in Don's shop.

Bill Rolik