Hello everyone:
Let me tell a little tale(well sorry long
) of of some personal recollection and show a new part for the Prisoner. Not one to open up but maybe someone can relate. Pardon my Grammar.
So this nondescript little box came the day before and its another item to check off the needs list. It was a lot of money in my little world. Something I had been researching the past months for which way to go.
After making the decision last week I called someone who was an absolute cool talented guy in my eyes.
Lets go back to a time when there were no cell phones. No computers or internet. The only way you found out what was going on with a race in a 24 hour period was if someone you knew was at the race, the old grapevine. Or the other was to wait till Tuesday when National dragster came out to get 2 week old info.
A time when Pro Comp was in full swing. There were WDRS races , divisional points with Nitro cars. A time were a family on middle class budget or a couple friends could put a Nitro car together run locally and maybe a match race. Not a top hitter but some good respectable fun.
A time were you saw a car in the ND and maybe it would be in your area at some point. It use to be neat to see a car that debuted with some new paint scheme or combo but sometimes when you saw it ,it was patched and burnt from some other race up to that point.
I loved all facets of drag racing but near and dear to my heart was Funny Cars.
Along with that I watched all the drivers and teams with great interest. So much personality and colorful people. Everybody was dirty and amenities were scarce (well except for a few) . Like anyone though I had a few persona that caught my attention and one of those was “Wild” Wilfred Boulitier. He just seemed as he put a nice car together. Crafty low buck team.
Matt on here and I have been friends since grade school. While sitting at Matts house drinking mother fletchers super juice, listening to Alice Cooper and Deep Purple etc. Reading the ND to get the latest as we were heading to Reading (1975) in a few weeks we noticed in the black and white photo section a New Mustang II FC that looked really cool. It was a Cox lay down car and had the Body hung just perfectly.
Low and behold the car was at Reading and it was Wild Wilfred. Coming up on car it was like that Aaaaaaa moment when the rays of light poured down from heaven. Sitting there with its homemade window louvers and this neat “T” windshield that obviously gave you visibility. Well to this day we always talk that if we built a car that would be the model.
Now back to the purchased part. So a few years ago read that a guy named Wilfred Boutilier started WW engineering and was making top notch Rocker systems. Had to be same guy right? Doing a little searching seen that yup it was. At time was doing a different engine and didn't need rockers. Buuuut with the change 2 years ago and started doing up the 385 series Ford that changed everything.
The moment came last week that I called WW Engineering. Would he answer? Could I keep on task and not sound like an idiot? Would he be snooty? ( I'm a princess and wound easy) etc??
Well that all disappeared in the first 5 seconds of the call. Actually I called and left a message at first. He called me back. In those first moments I could just tell right away was talking to a caring and knowledgeable guy. He just went on without question on geometry, what to watch, what he had done with Trick Flow etc.. No pressure. Wanted to know what else I was looking at, my combo etc.. A deal was struck .
Now while we are finishing up semantics I brought up the above story. Dang you would have thought we were friends from way back. He just opened up I couldn't believe it. Wish so bad that Matt was on phone and I would have recorded the conversation. I literally felt like I was standing on that dusty path looking at the grass that car was on from those many years ago. He went on about all kinds of back stories with other cars and races, how he met his wife and subsequent move.
It was a real trip for me. There is just no way I have the mental competence to repeat all that was talked about with any sensibility .But will compactly recall this little bit. The Mustang II in speak here. NHRA gave him a ton of issue running the car (windshield) at Winternats debut and basically told him he couldn't pass tech. Which eventually they let him race that one time.He had many calls and threats to NHRA about how car made the rules. They finally gave in and said he could run car the season but would be rewriting the rules for next season. He did indeed do the windshield like it was for visibility. They also had scored the material along windshield line so that it would act as an escape hatch. Again compacting story.
At seasons end. He had Rusty Greer (remember that name) rework the body to meet what he was told and he hated it. To him the car was all wrong now , ugly and actually lost some MPH. Upon returning next season with car to make matters worse. They never modified rules as they said they would.
He decided to cut up body and throw away. SAD.
I opened the rockers up today and did some rough check outs. Everything looks good so far. One nice thing (in my mind) is that these have a one pc stand for the intakes and individual exhaust stands which locate and square to location by running up against the intake stand.
Some photos attached. I will dig out one of the photos I have of the FC when get a chance for you to see.
On that note The Prisoner team wishes you all a great new year. Health and low ET’s your way.
Remember those who have passed and press on in there honor.
BCNU
Luke
