In a message dated 11/22/2000 10:59:29 AM Pacific Standard Time, FastmetalBDF
writes:
<<
Doug, Sounds like it takes a " king' s ransom " to buy that book
!!!
It' s not in my automotive library yet ...... and at that lofty price
....... NEVER will be !!! Those early Millers were truly
fabulous race cars !
I am sure many of the old time drag racing guys here on the list will
remember
the beautiful chromed Miller grille shell on the famous Art Chrisman - LeRoy
Neumayer flathead dragster, which Hot Rod mag titled " The West's Most
Fabulous Dragster " in the early 50s, and once was an early lakes modified .
Fortunately, this historic masterpiece still exists, is beautifully
restored,
and can be seen in the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona ( last I knew ),
or at big nostalgia events such as the Hot Rod Reunions held at Famosa
Raceway . I was lucky enough to see this great race car, which ran not only
flatheads, but
also with an early hemi, at that reunion in 1997 . The word MASTERPIECE
truly
applies to this early terror of the dragstrips ! I wonder if any of the
really
early dry lakes guys that are still around remember seeing it run back in
those pre - drag racing years ? That is going waaaay back ........
Bruce >>
Bruce,
I have the privilege of owning a set of Arduns that Leroy Neumayer drove
in the 50's. I bought them from an Iowa City street rodder 20 years ago. The
street rodder had purchased them from Roy Reed (Reed Bros. & Neumayer belly
tank, the one on the Moon Wheel Disc ads) who was closely associated with Art
Chrisman.
Several years ago I was lucky enough to meet Leroy at the Salt, along
with Joe Boghosian (Boghosian & Webster Ardun powered drag roadster), Tony
Waters & Ernie Hashim (Bakersfield Smokers), Hut Watkins (Nailhead Buick
powered Fuel Roadster from Madera, CA), Charles Scott(Scottys Muffler
Service), Dave Marquez(Ventura Motor Monarchs), Joaquin Arnett(Bean Bandits),
Ak Miller, Bob Joehnk(sp), Don Francisco, and a whole host of the guys who
were my heroes in the early 50's when I was in high school. Leroy Neumayer is
a regular fixture at Speed Week, sharing his wealth of Offy tuning experience
with the guys such as Bill Manley (Star Spangled Banger lakester) who are
running the Meyer/Drake power plant. I saw him this year at the Bonneville
Two-Club banquet during Speed Week.
I have also been lucky enough to make the acquaintance of Clem TeBow,
partner in C & T Automotive and one of the true pioneers in the field of
performance engines and the Ardun in particular.
In 1955 I was a freshman at Cal Poly College in San Luis Obispo, CA. One
fall weekend I attended a Bakersfield Smokers drag meet at Minter Field, an
abandoned auxiliary air strip west of Bakersfield. There were names there
such as the Hashims Automotive Potvin blown Chrysler rail, The Glass Slipper,
Art Chrisman in the #25 car you mentioned, The Nesbits Orange Special, Jack
Chrisman in his 29 Ford Tudor Fuel Sedan, Fritz Voigt(sp) with his Chrysler
powered Open Gas rail, Yeakel Bros. Fuel Hiboy Roadster, and Jazzy Nelson
with his legendary Flatty powered Fiat coupe.
Just before eliminations they staged a photo-op with all of the fuel
dragsters at the starting line. I was there with my trusty Ciro-Flex 2 1/2 X
2 1/2 reflex camera. The next picture I took was of the Top Eliminator round.
Strangely, the cars in the final weren't in the previous photo-op. It was
Fritz Voigt vs. Jazzy Nelson, and guess who won? Jazzy gave Fritz a
"Flatty-Jump", Fritz smoked the tires, and he couldn't run Jazzy down at the
end of the 1/4 mile.
That was back in the days when the SBC was so new that there wasn't much
speed equipment developed for them yet. The 331 Chrysler, 276 DeSoto, 331
Cadillac, and 303 Oldsmobile had been on the market long enough for the speed
equipment guys to develop parts for them, but the tire and drive-train
technology was still from the Ford Flatty engine and Cad/LaSalle tranny era,
making the Flatty a force to be reconed with until the SBC band wagon really
got rolling after 1955.
Pardon my rambling on. This period in performance engines was very
important to me, thus my present replication of the toys that the "big-boys"
had when I was a kid.......................Ardun Doug King
Remember, it's never too late to continue a happy childhood.
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