Author Topic: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?  (Read 12182 times)

Harris Speedster

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #30 on: April 05, 2021, 11:34:08 AM »
Randy,
I will plug along with it.
I believe it is from the 60's and not the 70's
I did say that when cammers came along, low budget guys got this type set up.
When I get more research done, will fill in anything I find of value.
Do appreciate your help as always,
With respect,
John

Is this the first futuristic exotic in the world?
Size of an ac cobra, but built in 1935 !
https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/features-stories-and-photos/harris-fwd-speedster-the-story/?PHPSESSID=v4pqtv6hep4ff4rvalrc9qsnj7

gt350hr

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #31 on: April 05, 2021, 01:11:19 PM »
    As you continue you research you WILL find the "injector hat" , Bowers supercharger, and the intake manifold are post '70 items. Tommy Grove was one of the first to use an Enderle fuel injector hat in '67 and those early versions had three fins on the top rear of the casting. Fortunately for you Enderle Fuel Injection is still in business and if you reach out to them , can tell you exactly what you have including what fuel it is set up for.
Celebrating 46 years of drag racing 6S477 and no end in sight.

Harris Speedster

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #32 on: April 05, 2021, 03:21:56 PM »
GT350 hr
thanks for digging further into the set up.
Did Tommy Grove run a FE back then, 60's ?

I will take your lead and make contact with them.
Will post what I find out from them.
Respectfully,
john
Is this the first futuristic exotic in the world?
Size of an ac cobra, but built in 1935 !
https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/features-stories-and-photos/harris-fwd-speedster-the-story/?PHPSESSID=v4pqtv6hep4ff4rvalrc9qsnj7

gt350hr

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #33 on: April 05, 2021, 03:36:35 PM »
  John
 Tommy raced a Plymouth until lured away to Ford in '65. He raced a '65 Mustang with a 427 High riser . "Late" in the year he finally got a cammer. For '66 , he was given one of the "long nose" cammer powered "funnycars" which he ran injected through '66 until he got the '67 Logghe flip top funny car and began running the blower.
Celebrating 46 years of drag racing 6S477 and no end in sight.

Harris Speedster

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #34 on: April 05, 2021, 05:50:47 PM »
Randy,
I contacted the Blower company, nice people.
They guided me to Don Hampton.
Sending him the pics and info .
Very interesting times and characters.
John
Is this the first futuristic exotic in the world?
Size of an ac cobra, but built in 1935 !
https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/features-stories-and-photos/harris-fwd-speedster-the-story/?PHPSESSID=v4pqtv6hep4ff4rvalrc9qsnj7

427heaven

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #35 on: April 05, 2021, 08:56:52 PM »
 Mid to late 70s would be my guess, somehow there should be a way to approximate its age.

CSX2259

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #36 on: April 12, 2021, 02:49:00 AM »
I would expect to see, Hilborn 4 port, Crower 8 port or maybe a Scott single blade on a race motor from the mid to late 60s. The hat with the anodized red Venturi blades would be more of a 1970s or later application. I was thinking it could be a Gasser engine as the teams or individuals that raced in those classes could be very diverse. Then you have the formed stainless steel feed lines, those are definitely from a later period.

Royce Peterson

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #37 on: April 12, 2021, 08:38:49 AM »
I started dealing with Ron Miller in the late 1980's / early 1990's. This is just the sort of thing that would have been used to power a lakes boat in that period of time. Parts like these were relatively plentiful and not too expensive compared to buying big Chevy or Chrysler Hemi parts. It would have made a reliable 525 - 575 HP all day long on the lake just roaring around or maybe pulling a skier or two.

Of course Ron was / is in the SoCal area, but these were popular anywhere a guy had spare time, a fair budget, and liked Ford stuff.
1968 Cougar XR-7 GT-E 427 Side Oiler C6 3.50 Detroit Locker
1968 1/2 Cougar XR-7 428CJ Ram Air C6 3.91 Traction Lock

gt350hr

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #38 on: April 12, 2021, 11:35:15 AM »
     Royce ,
      I moonlighted at FPP doing "behind the scenes work"  there for a couple years , leaving in '87 for personal reasons.
      Back then you could buy a flat bottom boat with a 427 Ford for a couple of thousand or LESS and throw away the boat. The biggest concerns were cracks in the parts from misuse "on the water".
 BB Chevrolets had literally made the Ford "obsolete" in the minds of boat owners because of parts cost and availability.
      Miller is still around selling used cars.
Celebrating 46 years of drag racing 6S477 and no end in sight.

Drew Pojedinec

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #39 on: April 12, 2021, 11:45:26 AM »
I had an 81 Dodge Aries when I was a kid.
I was wanted to get another and make it a dedicated drag car with a blower motor.
Ford engine, put chevy SS emblems on it.

Would be the ideal “funny car.”

Royce Peterson

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #40 on: April 12, 2021, 11:54:53 AM »
LOL exactly the sort of thing Ron used to say. I imagine he liberated a lot of crazy Ford 427 stuff from boats that never set sail under power again. His newsletters were great, wish I had saved them.


     Royce ,
      I moonlighted at FPP doing "behind the scenes work"  there for a couple years , leaving in '87 for personal reasons.
      Back then you could buy a flat bottom boat with a 427 Ford for a couple of thousand or LESS and throw away the boat. The biggest concerns were cracks in the parts from misuse "on the water".
 BB Chevrolets had literally made the Ford "obsolete" in the minds of boat owners because of parts cost and availability.
      Miller is still around selling used cars.
1968 Cougar XR-7 GT-E 427 Side Oiler C6 3.50 Detroit Locker
1968 1/2 Cougar XR-7 428CJ Ram Air C6 3.91 Traction Lock

98SVT - was 06GT

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #41 on: April 12, 2021, 02:38:08 PM »
      I moonlighted at FPP doing "behind the scenes work"  there for a couple years ,
When we first started buying stuff from Ron it was out of the garage at (I thing) his moms house. Somehow he knew all the places to buy the good stuff even in a time when every SoCal speed shop had shelves of used parts. Don Blair was almost like a pawn broker loaning people money on their parts and cars. Even after he closed his second store he had several cars and a barn full of parts at his house that people had defaulted on.
Previous owner 6S843 - GT350H & 68 GT500 Convert #135.
Mine: GT1 Mustang Track Toy, 1998 SVT Cobra, Wife's: 2004 Tbird
Member since 1975 - priceless

gt350hr

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #42 on: April 12, 2021, 03:37:41 PM »
    I did block work , screw in freeze plugs , transmissions , differentials , parts ID. Stuff like that. I felt like like I made a difference when I was there , but had to leave.
Celebrating 46 years of drag racing 6S477 and no end in sight.

Harris Speedster

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #43 on: April 12, 2021, 05:23:25 PM »
UPDATE;
Some new pics came in today from Cooper.
Some parts have M/T cast into the part
Micky Thompson.
Go figure ?
All the adj rocker arms and 427 pedestals are there, and a spec sheet was found for the poured pistons.
Is this the first futuristic exotic in the world?
Size of an ac cobra, but built in 1935 !
https://www.autopuzzles.com/forum/features-stories-and-photos/harris-fwd-speedster-the-story/?PHPSESSID=v4pqtv6hep4ff4rvalrc9qsnj7

Royce Peterson

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Re: any early funny car owners here? Or know of a person or company?
« Reply #44 on: April 12, 2021, 06:39:00 PM »
That would line up with boat parts because both Holman Moody Stroppe (Holman Moody on the east coast) and Mickey Thompson were big suppliers of speed boat parts for FE engines. Some of that stuff is highly collectible, there is a Chris Craft forum run by "P" that discusses that sort of thing regularly.


UPDATE;
Some new pics came in today from Cooper.
Some parts have M/T cast into the part
Micky Thompson.
Go figure ?
All the adj rocker arms and 427 pedestals are there, and a spec sheet was found for the poured pistons.
1968 Cougar XR-7 GT-E 427 Side Oiler C6 3.50 Detroit Locker
1968 1/2 Cougar XR-7 428CJ Ram Air C6 3.91 Traction Lock