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You all remember John Crump's buildup from last Fall (see Photos page 5). Well, he's come a long way! His brother Jeff Wilson sent in these photos and information to keep us updated on the progress...
"Approaching the end of a two-year build-up, that may just stretch into three, John Crump is getting nearer to completing his second love "The Mistress" with limited funds, and no help from anyone except his wife & brother Jeff. John's dream may roar to life late this season, but as all low budget build-ups go, it may not happen until next year. One way or the other, John is doing what it takes to make it right the first time. Patience and waiting for the right part at the right price is a big part of the effort.
We've all seen Automotive Magazine articles on Low Budget Build-ups. That's fine if you already have the money for your project, you just go out and buy your cheap parts and build something over three months. In real life, where parts come from any money left over from your paycheck, you just can't make it happen in the span of three months. I've seen this guy eat cereal for dinner cause he spent $300 on a set of zoomies off eBay, let the Automotive Magazines do that and we'd still be waiting for completion stories of build-ups from the 1980's. Although the dragster looks about completed in these pictures, it is far from it. The motor is gutted, the real motor is being assembled now, and there is no tranny at this time, also the real slicks have to be purchased, as well as a lot of grade 8 bolts, nuts, washers. Not to mention all the safety equipment yet to be purchased.
Why anyone would want to attempt a project like this, and live off of so little in the process is beyond me. But that is what makes the sport of Drag Racing so exciting & popular and makes others wish they could do it or have one of these too. Drag racers are definitely "One of a kind" people, they feed off of the need to be part of something, the need for speed or just to show people that "I can do this". John has accomplished quite a bit so far and is anticipating teary eyes when his Alcohol Breathing small block comes to life, I'm looking forward to that moment as well. John will do his very best to represent this side of drag racing in Alaska. Next story will be from the Dragstrip, showing burning rubber, wheels up & hauling butt."
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Here is Art Smith's great looking digger out of Seattle, Washington. He has dubbed her "Old Bones" (referring to the aging car and driver). The 210" Pete Ogden chassis is now fully upgraded and just recently certified SFI 2.4A. He will be running it by the end of May with a blown 468" BBC on alcohol, and promises us more shots of the car once he gets it to the track. Art used to run an A-Gas '34 Coupe in the Chicagoland area back in '61. He's been wanting to get back into it for years, and here he is!Checkout the shot of the car below as it appeared in the October 1970 issue of Hot Rod magazine.
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Tom (last name unknown) sent in this shot taken at the 1999 U.S. Nationals by Russell Mudd. This is Dave Huber's Dragmaster Dart restored to the original condition as it was last raced at the U.S. Nationals in 1965. That's Dave Huber and the original car builder Jim Nelson. Brenda Mudd occupies the seat.
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Tim Conder's Armageddon Top Fuel match racing operation out of Seattle will get underway in 2002 with these two beautiful beasts. Both chassis were built by Pete Ogden to be as identical and authentic as possible, while 100% NHRA legal. This team is about an epic contest of Good and Evil. One car is dubbed "Big Bad Son of God" and the other ride belongs to Satan. Tim and fellow driver "Slim" Jim Hoogerhyde plan to run these cars in match race shows around the country.
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The cars sport 392 Donovan Hemi's with the finest of everything, including Velasco billet cranks, Hotheads, and Titan roller valvetrains. One motor runs an Engle cam and the other an Isky, both ground to the same specs. They twist 3.40 geared, floating 9" Fords through clutches. Those are 6-71's with all the Hilborn goodies perched on top. Tim built the bodies himself, and also plans to have full bodies available for each car eventually.
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To read all about the construction, the show and to see more great shots of these machines, visit Armageddon Top Fuel's fantastic website: http://www.armageddontopfuel.com Then watch for The Ultimate Contest this Summer!
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This is Dennis Jarrell's 225" Helloosination. The 1969 Logghe chassis was originally a dual hemi car out of Lansing, MI. Dennis is a DaimlerChrysler employee, and he decided the 406 motor with its big bore (4.375) and short stroke (3.38) combination might work well. The wedge sports an iron version of Indy Cylinder Heads very successful aluminum head along with their injection setup.Helloosination has yet to unleash a full pass. An 8.27 @ 168MPH is their best so far. Dennis says he is still working on the combination, and hopes to throw some more converter at it next year to eliminate sluggishness on the first half of the run. The Jarrell High Life team only attended the Good Guys meet at Indy last year, and kicked the rods out of it. They got it back together and made one light pass before the tracks closed for the 2001 season.
Hopefully, Spring 2002 will see Helloosination laying down down some solid 7's for Dennis and crew.
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This is Glen Ely's "Dueler II" twin engine AA/FD. Glen and crew had the car out at the 21st annual Southeast Nostalgia Nationals, November 3-4, 2001 in Bradenton, Florida. It was the first time the car had been out since a devastating crash a couple of years ago.
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Instead of attemping to give you specs and such on the car, visit the Dueler's excellent website for photos, history, video clips and more: http://www.dueler2.com
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This great looking digger belongs to Matt Boroo of Antioch, Illinois. He's also known as Matt "Hemi Hunter" due to the appetite this big Chevy car has for Hemi-powered competitors. Matt's currently 17-1 against the old Mopars.
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1998 found Matt wanting to go quicker than his old '66 Gilmore chassis could handle without extensive upgrades. He decided to move up to this slick 200" chassis built by Woody Mays.The alcohol gobbling 432 inch Chevy Rat motor is fed by a Bowers blower, Enderle injector and Hilborn -2 pump. The Dedenbear 'Glide and 3.70 geared 9" Ford twisted the "Hemi Hunter" to a best of 7.200 @ 194.21 MPH at Canada's Cayuga International Raceway this last season.
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The Hemi-powered cars out there have good reason to be nervous when Matt "Hemi Hunter" is in the other lane. Good luck Matt!
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Jeff Tillery found this rolling chassis in a barn (no kidding!) in Rockford, IL in 1987. Initially he ran the car with a dual quad 427 BBC on gasoline in the 9's. He removed the original early Chevy open rearend and replaced it with a Ford 9" at Dawson's in St. Louis and ran an injected 402 full roller BBC on alky in the 8's. He's now preparing to run easy sevens with the blown, alky injected 529" Cadillac.
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Chassis:1968/69 142" R&B - Original uncut chrome-moly. Only an additional hoop and kidney bars were added to certify to NHRA 7.50 specs. This is one of two originally constructed for the old blown gas class--the other is rumored to have crashed so this is the only one left like it. Mark Williams front spokes with Avon Speedmasters.Rearend & Tranny:Shorty A-1 glide (1.76 low) with Turbo blower converter and a TCI brake spins the Ford 9" equipped with Moser 35 spline axles, Olds ends, Moser nodular iron 3rd member, 4.11 pro gears, Mark Williams spool, and coupler.Engine:529" Cadillac - Ross 9:1 blower pistons, Eagle rods, nodular iron crank, Comp Cams valvetrain, Potter Automotive moly pushrods with T&D shaft rockers; Mert Littlefield stripped 8-71 blower (18% overdriven); BDS BBF blower intake and a homegrown retro plate; Enderle bugcatcher and alky barrel valve; Hilborn -2 pump; Vertex magneto; open chamber heads (2.19 intake and 1.88 exhaust); plus a zillion other fancy details.Estimates from the machine shop are 1100 HP and 950 to 1000 lb-ft torque with a 6700 max rpm. Car weight is approximately 1400 lbs without driver, so it seems like 7.50s should be easily attained.
Why a Cadillac? That is something Jeff hears often..."First, why not? Second, they're plentiful and cheap. I pay as little as $75 for a running 500 stocker. Third, they're lightweight--less than an iron-headed BBC! Fourth, the engine doesn't care what name it has--it's a good, well-engineered wedge motor with huge mains which run cool. Finally, it's the challenge to do something different!"
Jeff hopes to finish a few small details and be making some licensing passes at Virginia Motorsports Park yet this year. Good luck Jeff!
Paul Spotts from Hatfield Pennsylvania sent in some shots of his Pontiac powered FED. It's a 1968 Bob Durenhiem chrome-moly chassis, circa 1968. The 176" frame is mostly original right down to the wheels and steering. The big 428 Pontiac powerplant holes are topped with regular D-port heads. A Moonyham 671 blower on a cragar intake with Kinsler injection throws alky into Paul's beast. The dual bolt pattern Powerglide (bolts up to Pontiac block) twists the original 8 3/4 with Pontiac ends. The original hand brake now squeezes upgrade Wilwoods.
The previous owner ran 7.47 @ 187 with 20% nitro. Paul's best last year was 7.99 @ 175 on straight alcohol. He has a new bottom end for the 2001 season and hopes to hit the mid 7's this year. The car can be found in the October 2001 issue of High Performance Pontiac magazine. Visit Paul's "Spotts Performance" website at: www.spottsperformance.com If you hover over the logo at the top, you be treated to a closeup shot of his blown 428 powerplant!
A shot towards the big end at Alaska Raceway Park.
Here's some shots of John Crump's ongoing FED project. Click on the images to see a bigger shot. John and his brother Jeff Wilson live in Kenai Alaska. They are 150 miles from Alaska Raceway Park which is situated outside of Anchorage. John has built the car around a Ford 9" so far, and is planning on a 355 SBC and a Powerglide.
The rest is best described by Jeff...
"Here's a little history/info on John Crump (my brother) who is building his second FED, "The Mistress". We both grew up in Southern California in the 50's & 60's, and at one time lived just a short field crossing from Lions Drag Strip. As all little brothers do, I would follow my older brother John and his friends across the field to the fence that surrounded Lions. Being sneaky guys that they were, they would shove me under the fence, I guess to see if I got caught first, then if all went good they would go under and come in. We always entered in the pit side, so we really had some good times there, everyone thought we were just some racers kids. Our favorite spot was the bridge just behind the starting line, we'd stay there till someone told us to move on, we'd always come back awhile later, guess we were just high on Alcohol (and not the drinking type).We'd always venture to the shut down area to witness the speed of all those Gassers, Altereds & Rails. Usually we would lend a hand at pushing the cars out of the sand trap after their chutes didn't open, more then once did we pushed out Stone, Woods & Cook, Brasher & Cummings, and even Big John Mazmanian. Man those were in days.
It is those days that John remembers best. After he was married and living in Lake Havasu, Arizona in the 70's, he started running a 160" small block sand rail and did pretty well, won a lot of trophies and even got some pavement time in it. When he moved to Alaska in the late 70's he had to sell his car, not much sand up here.
So now in the 2000's, he is once again remembering those good old days, and with web sites like yours, he has got the bug again to relive the past. He started out by purchasing a FED Chassis plan from Mark Williams. Bought tubing, a Tig Welder and a Tubing Notcher, made a funky jig and started welding. After we got the shoulder hoop up, we realized that something was wrong. We didn't think that the shoulder hoop was suppose to be above your head as you were sitting inside with your legs over the rear-end. After looking at the Plans we discovered that these plans were all wrong, kind of like a funny car cage with a dragster front-end. He contacted Mark Williams by e-mail and explained the problem, they revised their plans but failed to lower the shoulder hoop, they sent us the revised plans and after seeing what they didn't do, we decided to just use our memories and build our own design. We mocked up the rear-end, tranny & motor, then tack welded the cage area and roll bars, sat back and wondered why it all tilted to the right at one point, and left at another. Come to find out that our wooden & tin jig was not strong enough to keep things inline once we hit it with the tig, Man that tubing can move.
We made a new jig using a "H" beam and 2-1/2" pipe. Tore the cage apart and started all over, this time it didn't move once you welded on it. We feel it came out nice."
Good luck Guys! We're all anxious to see some shots of "The Mistress" boilin' the hides!
Don Slagle from Pennsylvania - 175" chassis from approximately 1963. Blown 434" SBC on alky. ATI Powerglide with 5500RPM stall converter and 3.42:1 rear gears. Best pass: 7.57 This shot was taken at Quaker City Dragway.
Mike Korpis from Las Vegas - 150" 1962 Al Swindahl chassis. Enderle injection on a SBC with a Powerglide. Best so far: 8.15 and 165MPH. This shot taken at Woodburn Dragstrip.
The 178" chassis was originally constructed for Art Linkletter and was run in Top Fuel with a blown hemi by Art's son in '67 and '68. Childs and Albert picked up the car and campaigned it in Top Fuel for the 1970 season. Ty put his first passes on the car in 1999.
The first pass with the car in September '99 saw major carnage, as the bolts holding the rear-end housing were sheared clean. The u-joints and driveshaft came apart, and Rick was plenty eager to get it stopped! Fortunately, the shields did their job, the rear-end rotated down, instead of up, and Rick was uninjured.
After converting the car to a 4.56 9" with a spool, a one piece coupler, and a full length 'Glide, Rick was ready to try it again a year later. The car didn't run well warming up, and sputtered after the first 10 feet of pass #2. Bad fuel was blamed, but worse than that, it was discovered that the motor only had 20PSI of oil pressure. Spun cam bearings were the culprit, and they galled the bearing bores bad enough to wipe out the block.
Rick has since put together another motor, and is building a 406 now for the car to serve as a spare. Let's hope his streak of hard luck is over! He plans to hit Marion County International Raceway, Norwalk and National Trail Raceway in Ohio this next season.
Read more about Rick's digger (and his Dad's) here: http://www.homestead.com/dragster/
Last November, I took a trip with some friends to Pomona for the final NHRA event of 2000. While there, we decided to stop in at the NHRA museum near the track. As we walked in the door we were treated with the sight of three emaculate pieces of history: The Howard Cams Rattler, The Kuhl & Olson special, and one of Chris Karamesines old beasts. They had just been brought to running condition for the Cacklefest at the Hot Rod Reunion at Bakersfield.
(Click on these small images to get a bigger view)
Having been to the museum before, I knew the famed Greer-Black-Prudhomme front engined monster was lurking somewhere, and I was looking forward to drooling near it again. As we rounded a corner, we heard a high-pitched whine and then the thunder of what could be nothing but a blown nitro powerplant. The door in the back of the museum was open and we peeked outside. It was the bright yellow GB&P beast at full cackle! Some friendly gentlemen were making sure all was ready to fire at the Steve Evans memorial service that evening. We walked around it, breathing deeply while it shook, rattled and popped. Ahhhhhhh, sweet nitro!
When the excitment was over, and the last of the fumes had drifted off, we entered the far end of the museum. There was none other than Wally Parks and Tommy Ivo inspecting the new exhibit in Tommy's honor. Tom was all smiles and handshakes, happy to pose for a picture beside his injected 454, 4-motored Buick. It was a dragster ya know, before he stuck that body on it!
-Chris Miller, Photos: Jeff Mueller
During the 2000 season, Larry won the Slingshot/Altered class at MAR in May, won Nostalgia Eliminator at the Slingshot Nationals in July, won the Slingshot/Altered gamblers race at MAR in August, and took runner up in Slingshot/Altered at the HHRR in August.
The top shot was taken at Cordova Dragway Park in Illinois, and below at Mid America Raceway in Missouri.
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