Alleyoop2

[Z28SSMAN]

Ok Alleyoop2, just to show you we are not just GM here, I'm starting a thread about you so we can learn more about MOPARS. I guess all I know about you is that you race a 440 A-body and your dad was a well known and respected racer from way back. Fill us in.

[MR.hp]

I remember his Dad when I raced his Challenger at BIR, it ran 10.90's and was a sweet car. He did beat me as I ran a 11.90. I am pretty sure it had a 426 Hemi in it.

[Alleyoop2]

My Dad started drag racing in the sixties. First a 66 Chevelle 396 4spd car. Ran 13's as far as I can tell? I have some of his time cards from back then.

Then a 68 Super Bee(that turned out to be a Dick Landy car). 440 six pack ran low 11's. SS/GA

Then a 1970 Dodge Challenger 440 six pack. Ran low 11's for many years. Stopped racing for a couple years. Came back out, ran high 10's for a while then to really low tens, then at the ass end pulled a few high 9's. SS/F,GA Parked the car for about five years, sold all the really go fast parts, put on some milder parts and put it on the street.

He died in 2006 from pancreatic cancer. Not a day goes by I don't think bout him.

[Alleyoop2]

My Dad also had a 52 Chev when he died, he put a lot of work into it. Hiedts front end, Vintage Air Cond system, different rear, a bunch of other stuff. I flattened the hood, shaved the drip rails, put Indy car style hood latches in it, and some other stuff. Then I painted it for him. very nice car. My Mom kept if for a few years and then sold it.

[Alleyoop2]

I grew up going to drag strips, local and some not so local. I had quite an array of different cars throughout high school and a few years after. When I was young, I didn't care what kind of car I had, Chevy, Ford, Dodge, whatever was cheap!

Growing up at the tracks, the cars that made the biggest impression on me where the Mopars. My favorite car was (well, my Dads) and John Hagens 68 Barracuda.

As I got older, I just kept on buying Mopars. I'm a Mopar guy, but a closet Ford guy also.
I had a few street cars over the years, that I would bring to the track occasionally. anything I had would do 13's at best.

Then in the Fall of 2010, I bought my 71 Demon. It had a 440 in it. Did 10.70's @ 125 usually depending on the air quality. The Spring of 2013 I blew up the 440, rod broke, punched two holes in the block. My buddy had a stock 383 laying in the corner he said I could have. So we put on my 440 heads on it bought a different intake, and carb. Now the best to date is a 11.90 @ 112.
I don't know if I should have the 383 gone through, or build another 440, or do nothing at all. It only takes money, and I don't seem to have much most of the time!LOL!

I'm probably only going to race for another couple more years. Then get something to bring to the track when I feel the need. Probably something newer.

I've been doing body/paint Collision work for about 26 years now. Restored a bunch of old musclecars for a buddy of mine. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up!?

So, Z28SSMAN? Give me some of your back round? What got you into drag racing?

[Z28SSMAN]

Those are nice pics of your dad's cars. I remember most of them. All were vey nicely done. Do you know what happened to them? Sold to anyone locally?

Me? I'll post up some stuff about me in another thread. This one is about Mopars.

Mopar story #1. My memories of Mopars started back in the late 60s. We used to go to a couple tracks in the boot-heel of S.E. MO. in a little town called Malden. There was a guy named Bud Gross who had a black '68 Hemi Barracuda auto. I think I recall him having one eye. Back then, Keystone classics were the deal and he had what we thought were big 10" on the back and skinnies up front. You could see chrome long tube headers (no flanges for muffler hook ups) slightly hanging down. As he pulled out of his burnout he'd nail the throttle and actually blow the smoke off of the back tires. To this day, I've never seen another car do that. The car ran 10s back then. When the car went into high gear, it had a deep thundering echo. Hard to forget a car like that.

Mopar #2. One day as I sat under a shade tree at my house in So Ill., a friend pulled up in a '63 Fury 2dr. The car was black with one blue fender and a red hood. The exhaust pipes kind of dangled. Overall the car was real sloppy. He had Goodyear polyglas white lettered tires on it. Where there was no plate on the rear, someone had written BYE with white chalk. He looked at me and said let's go for a ride. We went to an old road where we had marked off a 1/4 mile. He stopped and as I watch him select low on the pushbutton gear select, he torqued the car up to get the rears slowly spinning. He nailed it and as the speedo hit 40, he punched the pushbutton to get it into 2nd and again into high gear. The car ran pretty damned good.
We later went to another town about 30 miles with it, where my cousin pulled up in his brand new fathom blue '70 SS-396 Chevelle. My cousin told the friend to get that piece of crap Fury out of there. The friend told him he'd beat the Chevelle. Well we went outside of town on a deserted road. As he sat there torqueing the Fury with the tires slightly turning--when we dropped the arm, he left the Chevelle like it was standing still. The Chevelle didn't have posi and it went up in smoke.

Mopar #3. Another friend used to cruise around in a yellow 71 Vega 4-speed. One day, he pulled up in a purple '70 Challenger 440-6 pack pistol grip. Had the flat black hood with the chrome hood locks and chrome luggage rack on the trunk lid. He had traded in the Vega for the Challenger! I think he had 3.91 sure-grip in it.
I was concerned at first to ride with him, because going from a Vega 4cyl to a car like that made me wonder if he was in over his head. He beat the living daylights out that car. One day he swung by my house and said he wanted me to ride with him to Sikeston MO. dragstrip (about 25 miles away). He had borrowed a pair of slicks from a friend. One fit in the back seat and the other he managed to get in the trunk. He drove 100 mph to the track and went into exit ramps sideways.
Back in those days I was allowed to pour down bleach for the burnouts. I also made sure I had a cigarette hanging out of my mouth as I poured it (not very smart). He kept leaving the line spinning those slicks. We kept lowering the air pressure until the tires made a flopping sound. He talked trash to a guy with a silver '66 Chevelle big block with tunnel ram hood scoop who had obviously towed it in. The Chevelle would edge him out, but as we kept lowering the pressure, he ended up beating the Chevelle. Needless to say, the guy in the Chevelle was pissed. We swapped the tires back and ran 100 mph back to my house. The next week, I heard his engine and it sounded like he had blown a piston out of it. The poor thing just chugged. I saw him a few years ago working as a security guard at a hospital in Paducah, KY. I asked him about the old days. He said he wished he still had his Dodge.

Ok, there's three short Mopar stories for you. I have plenty more.

[Alleyoop2]

Good Stories!

I was to young to remember the details of the Super Bee. All I know is he sold it tp build The Challenger.

He sold the Challenger to a guy from Iowa, which then that guy sold it to a guy in Texas. As far as I know the guy in Texas still has the car. I have talked to him a couple of times throughout the years.
If I could have my choice I would love to own the Super Bee if it hasn't been crushed. I loved that car! Don't get me wrong, the Challenger was a really nice car, but the Bee was way cooler to me, and it has a history.

As far as Mopar goes, a 68 Hemi Barracuda or Dart is the coolest cars on the planet! Love them, I keep my on the SS/AH cars all season long. I have to get out to the U.S. Nationals one of these years. They have the best turnout of the year for the Super Stock Hemi Shootout there. Just my opinion, but the 68 Hemi Barracudas & Darts are the epitome of all cars!

[Z28SSMAN]

I think the Super Bee was the most stunning. Probably the sharpest Mopar body design in my opinion. Looks like your dad made sure he had big enough tires on all his rides.

[fast toys]

That '52 kinda looks like Larry Peterson's old car. All your Dad's cars were great looing.

[Alleyoop2]

I think the Super Bee was the most stunning. Probably the sharpest Mopar body design in my opinion. Looks like your dad made sure he had big enough tires on all his rides.

Yeah, they all had steamrollers on the back!

[Alleyoop2]

That '52 kinda looks like Larry Peterson's old car. All your Dad's cars were great looing.

I don't know who owned the car before him? Thanks, he spent hours and hours keeping them clean and running good.

[paul440]

Check this out, both Alleyoop and Z28SSMAN's Chevelle in the pits at North Star

[Z28SSMAN]

Wow! Great pic! Definitely a classic! Thanks paul440.

I'd like to share the pic on the Northstar Dragstrip Facebook site.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/5378..._comment_reply

[paul440]

Yes, feel free to post it :)

[Alleyoop2]

Check this out, both Alleyoop and Z28SSMAN's Chevelle in the pits at North Star

Very cool picture! Thank you