Re: Racing Polys

[William Harrison <bbjt3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Don
Did you know Akron "Arnie Vanike"? I probably spelled the last name wrong, but I remember a guy who campaigned nationally. I think it was a Gasser but not sure.
See you Saturday
Bill

--- On Mon, 1/31/11, Gary Pavlovich <glpavlovich@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> From: Gary Pavlovich <glpavlovich@xxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: Racing Polys
> To: 1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Monday, January 31, 2011, 12:16 AM
> 
> Jim,
> 
> Very cool story on your Poly racing days.  I would
> love to own a 1962 Dodge Dart.  While I like all the
> 62-65 cars I would have to say the '62 Dart would be my
> first pick and of course it would have a 402" Poly Stroker
> motor in it.
> 
> Thank you for sharing your history with us.
> Gary Pavlovich
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim Rowland" <dodge440@xxxxxxx>
> To: <1962to1965mopars@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2011 6:31 PM
> Subject: Re: Racing Polys
> 
> 
> > 
> > Don;
> > 
> > I used to race my parents 1962 Dodge Dart, Sedan, at
> Route 30 in Gary, IN. That car was a 318 stock 2 Barrel. It
> was a radio delete. It had  an open rear end and I am
> assuming it was 3;23 but it may have been a  2:
> something because on the open road it would get between 17
> and 20  mi. to the gallon. Also it was single exhaust
> power steering and  manual brakes. It ran in F/SA. It
> was a 727 trans. It weighed exactly  3,000 lbs. Also,
> stock 14 inch wheels.
> > 
> > The first time I took it to the track i had a cutout
> put on the  exhaust, standard 6 inch by 2.5 inch
> galvanized plumbing pipe and a  screw on cap. Back in
> the day it was against the law for a welder to  weld a
> cutout on a cars exhaust system if they were still on the
> car.  I found one in Chicago Heights, IL to do the job,
> I even remember  their name (The Brooks Brothers). Most
> welders wanted you to take the  exhaust pipe off the
> car and then they would weld the cutout on it.  The
> pipe and cape ran about $1.25 and the welder charged me
> about  $2.50. He just cut a small hole in the exhaust
> pipe and welded the  pipe over the hole at a 45 degree
> angle. The next step was a seat  belt only on the
> drivers side. Try explaining that to your 
> parents!!!!!! They will buy the safety logic but why for
> only the  driver. I forget what i told them, something
> like I did not have the $ $ for two or the driver is
> essential to getting help if there is an accident. What ever
> it was they did not make me take it out.
> > 
> > Anyway, everyone was going to be at there on opening
> day, March of 63, and we were excited. I paid my fee
> $3.00  and go to tech. They tell me  to take a
> hick until I get a drive shaft loop. thats when I
> first  learned about unibodies My buddies were running
> Gm cars and they had  the X frame, thus a drive shaft
> catch. The next week I got two long  threaded cheap
> bolts 1/4" by 1 1/2 inch fine tread, several nuts and
> a  piece of steel probably 4'L x 1.5 W" from the trash
> at the gas  station. Located the spot on the floor
> where the drive shaft was  mostly still in the tunnel
> hump. Drilled two holes though the floor  dropped in
> the bolts and put two nuts up to where they would keep
> the  steel piece of the drive shaft and then put the
> other 2 nuts on after  the  small, and I mean
> small. piece of metal.
> > 
> > The next Sunday, i passed tech with flying colors. In
> those days the rules said  at some point the drive
> shaft had to be encompassed for  360 degrees. It did
> not say specifically what type of steel or what  width
> and thickness. If my dad saw it i would point out it was
> another  engineering safety feature that I read about
> to make the car safer.
> > 
> > We get to the line and i make my first ever pass and
> with that cut out open I thought i was driving a max wedge.
> I make my first pass and my time slip said about 16:45 and
> 80 something MPH. My buddy said i  should let him drive
> it. I forget his et but he upped the MPH over  90. I
> was mad. I did not realize at the time that the MPH was 60
> ft  before and after the finish line. I do not think he
> knew it ether and  just kept his foot in it as long as
> the engine was still climbing. It  was not his car as
> long as he could get it stopped. So i came back and 
> and made 3 or four runs with a best time in the 16: teens.
> Every body  always lost in that class to a 1958 Old's
> 98 or 88 Convertibles, there  were several, with the J
> 2 option, 3 deuces. Man did they pull on the  top end.
> Kind of like how the Hemis would fly by the Thunderbolts
> in  mid to late 64. Never did win a trophy with that
> car. I never realized  until much later i was always
> smoking the right rear way too  much.
> > 
> > That is one of my other poly stories.
> > 
> > Just a side note and I will sign off. I would race a
> friends 64  Pontiac Cat. three on the tree  389 2
> door with a deuce and he would  always beat me by 
> about 3 bumpers. If I opened up the cutout I would 
> have him by usually 2 to 3 cars. I kept telling him to put
> on a cutout.
> > 
> > Jim
> > 
> > 1965 Coronet 440CI
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > The next week we took a couple of long bolts
> > On Jan 30, 2011, at 6:49 PM, Donald Gallimore wrote:h
> > 
> > Gary P wanted to know who raced polys.
> > 
> > Back around 1970, my brother and I raced a 318 Poly in
> IHRA/AHRA Pure Stock.
> > Pretty much a stock set-up in a 1965 Belvedere
> 1.  With a slipping tranny, we
> > set the National Record.  Best run was a 15.96 in
> L/SA.  This was in legal
> > trim.  Back then that was a very amazing
> performance for a couple of  guys with
> > limited financial resources, if I can say so. 
> Would have been nice to see the
> > performance if we'd had a good tranny and the right
> gears.
> > 
> > Akron Don Gallimore
> > 
> > 
> > ----
> > Please address private mail -- mail of interest to
> only one person --  directly to that person. 
> I.e., send parts/car transactions and negotiations as well
> as other personal messages only to the intended recipient,
> not to the Clubhouse public address. This practice will
> protect your privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and
> fine tune the content signal to Mopar topic.  Thanks!
> > 
> > 1962 to 1965 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines:
> > http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html and
> 
> > 
> 
> 
> ----
> Please address private mail -- mail of interest to only one
> person -- directly to that person.  I.e., send
> parts/car transactions and negotiations as well as other
> personal messages only to the intended recipient, not to the
> Clubhouse public address. This practice will protect your
> privacy, reduce the total volume of mail and fine tune the
> content signal to Mopar topic.  Thanks!
> 
> 1962 to 1965 Mopar Clubhouse Discussion Guidelines:
> http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.org/mletiq.html and
> http://www.1962to1965mopar.ornocar.com/general_disclaimer.html.
> 
> 
>