One of the best and smartest drivers and engine builders of all time! I was married on june 8yh 1974 and my wife and I went to the spring nationals on our honeymoon. We had our room right over "Grumpy" and I watched him rebuild a transmission on the tail gate of a truck right below our room. He conradulated us on our marriage and even gave me a beer as he worked on his car. a real nice guy!
No Fire suit - no fire shoes - no fire extinguisher - no face shield - and SMOKING A STOGIE - and this is in the Pro ranks - God to love it. RIP GRUMPY
Gary Rice; I know we are watching 1/4 mile legend, Bill Jenkins. However I still cringe from seeing F1 Racer Nicki Lauda's Fiery wreck. I have extingushed 3 vehicle fires myself. Fuel fed fires go out of control in seconds. I smoke too. Nasty habit.
Jim Huskey yeah buddy. Even though it's great to have social media to keep in touch with my kids watch the grandkids grow through photos and videos, those magic days back then oh wow. I was driving a six-pack Mopar to high school back in the 70s LOL. Yeah I miss the people back then. Things sure have changed
Jim Huskey honestly people were so different. Most of America, had the same Carefree spirit through the 70s. Just seemed like everything was so relaxed even though we worked really hard on farms and factories... It was time for our cars. Today expense keeps a lot of interest away from it. When I go to the drag races here in Southern Michigan, I don't see so many people in the stands anymore. It's a different world for sure. But the top three are making their brands of street cars and drag cars again. So for the Future Days it won't be because the cars are not there, it will be because of a lack of interest if the sport dies. Hopefully youth will turn back to it, and keep those memories moving :-)
@@70stunes71 I like how you spoke those words, drag racing, any type of racing will never die. As long as you have young men and a little power u will always have some type of racing going on period, it's all in the rush you get from your body being stuck to the seat, the rest of your life your left chasing that rush trust me I'm only 30 and been driving illegally since I was around 7yrs old, now as a father of two young boys who just like me are addicted already to speed and the rush, I've had to slow down to make sure they can enjoy moments with me I now build/work on cell towers and the rush I get from being up top with me myself and God is alot like the rush I used to get in my younger days.. racing will never die out, but what they are racing could always change......
Yes sir , could use this film of Grumpy as a clinic for power shifting. Cleetus McFarland needs to pattern his driving after Grumpy. He could probably shave almost a second off of his times. He doesn’t power shift at all.
That's NO stock transmission ! Regular factory trans would bust wide open hitting just second gear like old grumpy , did factory trans would not hold long enough to slam third ! Oh how I would love to drivem and shiftem that way and never worry about busting up ur car u had to drive to work on Monday ! Even road racers need car fast out of the curves !
@@scottyjones27 old school muncies shift like that from the factory. Usually just need a hurst shifter. I have power shifted many stock transmissions with good results. For the occasional street race it's fine. Usually the clutch takes shit first. However for dedicated race use I would certainly update the internals.
Now people have to have a 30ft enclosed air conditioned trailer for a car that they don't work on between rounds. Gotta have a bed and TV to keep the kids entertained and keep the wife, if she's even there, from getting the least bit hot, or cold as the evening goes on.
My favorite Grumpy story was when everyone in the class was breaking valve train parts except Bill Jenkins. They were all blown away when they finally discovered his high tech secret. They were all using gear drives and Bill was using a stock Chevrolet nylon timing set that absorbed most of the engine harmonics and kept them from being induced into the valve train.
Definitely. You could call it "how the Chrysler hemi handed me my ass". Grumpys camaros were not very successful in pro stock against the mopars , especially sox. From 69 - 71 Chrysler/sox& Martin OWNED the class!
Little Joe ..... you heard wrong 😂😂😂😂. The only thing that beat the Hemi, was the rule book. It wasn't until 1972 , after the nhra added weight to only the Hemi cars & not the chevys that grumpy started winning.
Back in 76 I did not know of Bill Jenkins or much about pro racers for I did my racing on the street with a ex bracket 68 Z28 that two brothers bought, no consoles, no hidy lights no extra weight. They broke the motor. The motor was not salvageable and they went and bought a 70Z again as a bracket racer. The shop that they used was my friends who bought the 68, sourced a 70 LT1 and modified it. More compression, cam, head work, etc. I bought it from them for $2500. Watching Bill shift brought back memories for that is how I shifted it. 7,050 rpm all day and night. One tough car and motor
Had the Honor of working with Grump years ago. The company I worked for made gaskets (not felpro) and I designed and fabricated several for him for his big block engines. Previously he used a copper gasket and a wire ring around the bore. The ones I made for him was a spin-off from a my gasket design used in NASCAR. I have one of the BB gaskets mounted in a frame with a testimonial letter from Bill. He ran the gasket on 1400 HP engine with no wire rings. I had a hard time convincing him to try a set that way but he was convinced after one set. He said there was no combustion leakage.
I had the privilege to talk to Bill twice in my life. Everyone said what a prick he was to his fans, bullshit. I asked him a question about which block he used for his builds at the time. He waved me over and we talked for a good 5 minutes or so. Well, he talked and wrenched and I watched and learned.
Perfectly said! Step to the head of the class! He was my neighbor for 35 years. Can still remember his phone number at his shop. He would answer questions over the phone and he was always right.
My father raced back in the late 50's and early 60's. He raced a 1957 Pontiac Thunder Chief and he beat Grumpy at Lancaster dragway in PA. Grumpy argued with the officials. They told him "get over it Bill you lost". Miss you Dad.
Grumpy drives, explains racing, and wrenches almost exactly like my old man it’s so awesome. My pops always has been a drag racer long before i was born. I remember being 4 or 5 years old and going for rides in his 71 El Camino SS 4 speed drag car I couldn’t even see over the dashboard but those are by far my best childhood memories listening to him powershift that 11 second A-body’s M21 @7K rpm while being put into the seat by the acceleration. But the reason he reminds me of Grumpy is He’s also i guess a perfectionist when it comes to building and driving hotrods. He taught me everything I know about building drag cars and building motors. Grumpy Jenkins was my sports hero I looked up to as long as I can remember. But my dad is the most awesome man I know of for letting me grow up around hotrods and drag racing. I honestly LIVE for my Chevelle. Every day no matter what is happening or how I am feeling I always spend 100% of my free time doing something on my Chevelle. I’ve never taken any of my vehicles to a shop because I have successfully done the work myself all thanks to my old man. I wouldn’t want any different of a life. Nothing is better than the hotrod life. For me anyway.
Your post almost made me tear up,,my dad was an aircraft mechanic in the air force, he taught me EVERYTHING he knew, my memories are very similar, but it was in a 67 Buick GS400,4 speed,,
I'm really disappointed in today's, so-called, American youth; I just retired from staff at an American college, and not one of the dudes I met knew how to build horsepower, do an oil change, nor even what a spark-plug was about; that really suks bawls!☆¡
This man is one of the smartest racers i have ever met!!! Ronny Sox, another one of the best. I had a chance to run a race against Ronny, in a race where i was ruining a American motors Rambler, we crossed the finish line, looking at each other, he won by a bumper bolt!! Dick Landy, Made those Dodges, Run "Like-A-Scared- Cheetah"!! All of these men were excellent, in their Drag Racing! I did learn a lot from all of them. they were very instrumental in relaying information that helped me win the Winter Nationals at Pomona California. in the Gas Sedan class i won!! You really learn a lot, When you meet Smart people, who like what they do all the time, and it is fun!!!!
Virian Bouze oh yeah so many great memories back then. I've always been a die-hard Mopar guy but grumpy was the real deal and he gave a lot of competition plenty of fear. Those were the magic days and I sure miss the 70s.
@@roninkraut6873 no offence,all good,Pearson, no doubt, and no offense to petty ,God knows we love him BUT, it took RP 200 wins to get 7 season, s,,only tock Dale 83,not to mention a lot of RP's wins were during largely uncontested hemi years in the 60s,also with fewr wins that means Dale was top 5 WAY more of the time,,bet hey jmo, all racing is good huh?
Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins was awesome during his time. I wasn't a real Chevy fan but he brought Chevy out of the dark and into the future during his time of racing. I especially loved him in the early 1970's with his V8 monster vega's.
BOB AND GRUMP were two incredible genius engine builders,BOB surprised the world in 1978 when he made a LA mopar wind 9200 rpm every shift to win the pro stock championship with our punkest engine,rip to both of these giant men
I miss all the legends--Lee Shepard, Dyno Don Nicholson, Ronnie Sox. Not looking forward to the next few years when we'll start to lose guys like Pat Musi, Warren Johnson, Don Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta, and the GOAT Don Garlits.
One of my family members race back then when he raced he said he never did like him lol cuz sbc cloud only run 2 barrel and the big block mopar ran 4 he said the big blocks would be running him down on top end
Summer of 68 I saw Grumpy run at a drag strip in northern new jersey. I was walking through the pits and was walking by Grumpy’s Camaro . I looked underneath the rear of the car and Grumpy was underneath looking at the rearend where the driveshaft connects to it . He said something to me explaining what he was checking. I was a big fan of him and at 16 I was surprised he spoke to me . He wasn’t Grumpy he was really a nice guy . He remains my favorite racer to this day .
he is one of the best drag racers that NHRA history ever was he was always a gentleman and a true legend of the sport of drag racing and to me he will always be a winner to everyone who drag races Rip bill grumpy Jenkins wish you were back
The 70s and 80s were the best time of my life . My boyfriend / husband to be was into our 66 Chevy Nova . We spent our weekends working on the motor or polishing the mags it was power and beauty and pride . Later in the 80s when he bought me my 67 Chevy Nova that ran on cam and was showroom I thought I had everything and wished I could drive like the legend Jenkins . I miss the 70s and 80s and just good clean fun and the power of the motor you build just for fun .
If you told Grumpy Jenkins in '68 that in 50 years you would be able to walk into a dealership and buy a street car that would beat these cars in the quarter he probably would've said...." It wouldn't surprise me at all". Great video of these pioneers!
One of the best videos I have ever seen on 60;s drag racing. The in-car shot of Bill driving is incredible. He is a real legend, no doubt about it. Thanks for posting this.
I got to meet Bill through a guy I worked with . He and Bill were friends for years . In the nineties Bill would stop by and pay him a visit and always in his Blue 66 Nova . He was a Legend in my eyes !
Man, does this bring back memories! I grew up in the town beside Berwyn, PA, and my brother and I had an Olds 442 and tinkered with it a lot. Once we found Mr. Jenkin’s garage, we went to it a number of times. He usually lived up to his “Grumpy” name. But every once in a while he’d throw a couple of kids some advice. For us, we’d finally made it when he grudgingly allowed us to watch him work on his latest “Toy”. But then, he’d always say “Okay, that’s enough, kids. Now beat it.” A brilliant character.
Back in the haye day of drag racing there were two identical twin brothers from a little town of Russel, Illinois ( it is so small if you blink driving through you could miss it ). They were drag racing brothers who beat Dick Landy 2 out of 3 runs at Great Lakes Drag Strip in Union Groove, Wi. They raced all over the mid west and the south up until about ten years ago. Bob and Fred Ghillings. Fred died about five years ago but to this day us old guys ( 75 yrs old ) will continue to tell stories about Bob and Fred until us old guys are gone and we are fading fast.
I love watching at 5:56 … staged, looking at his tach as he gets his revs up - all the while tuning his 'ears' to his rpms and chomping that cigar. In the run, he only glanced down and to the right at that tach during his 3rd gear pull, and was probably making sure his ears were still calibrated to the revs. THAT was drag racing at its finest. Grump was the face of Chevy at the dragstrip. Grumpy, Sox and Martin, Dick Landy; wow, those were the days in drag racing - and the best days to be a shade-tree mechanic.
I'm a life long MoPar fan ; but the prosaic truth is that I like all of 'the greats' from the 'big 4' . Jenkins was the greatest ! His innovations and inventions are among the finest ; the "Slick-Shift" manual transmission was used by Chrysler for the 1968 Hurst-Hemi SS Dart and Barracuda , and ostensibly by the premiere racers (Landy , Sox , et al.) . My fave 'Grumpy's Toy' was the '67 SS/C Camaro , '68 SS/D Chevy II L-78 , and 1972 Pro Stock Vega .
I seen a lot of races, but the one that stands out is when Grump beat that Hemi Colt straight up, and took home all the marbles. Raceway Park went wild.
hearing the revs come up at the line, and then hearing that 396s rpm fall....it briefly labors, and then climbs back up strong when "da grump" sidesteps the clutch at the 6-minute marker...has got to be the best sound there is.....
@@Smittyschannel Hell yeah, you sidestep the clutch at 7500+ rpm and hope the clutch and flywheel doesn't explode and come thru the floor and hope the shift linkage dont break but when it she goes, it's the best feeling in the world
As a favor to the guys at K&G, and because Mr. Jenkins liked my 65 Chevy II, he had one of his guys help me tune my dual quad set up back in the day...1985. I won the High School nationals that year at Maple Grove!. Thanks Grumpy, and Mike! G>
White clothes were very popular back then. Everybody dresses like the milk man, lol. I guess my age is showing, most of you guys don’t remember the milk man I bet.
AngryRed Banjo yeah those were the days. Sure miss those 70s people were so different back then. Bunch of free Spirit teens and young folk having an incredible time of their life. We worked our fannies off to have the cars we drove and afford the performance parts for them. I'd like to take my own kids back to those days so they could see it all happen
In the early seventies when Grump was winning with his small block powered Vega the other competitors with big blocks complained that his motor was to small.
Notice after that run at 6:30 he shifts from 1st gear to fourth on his way back to the pit.. Just like him to save the wear and tear on that transmission like he does on the motor by pushing his car to staging by hand. He was just plain smart. Probably running 456's
I love these video's. Watching him slammin gears is awesome. The old power shift, took talent. Today, not so much. Thanks NHRA for another crappy change.
Little white Camaro sure sounds strong! Absolutely kicks like a mule off the line when Jenkins launches. I had to watch that a few times....his first race. I take it with him claiming 375 horsepower from the factory this is an L78 396 car, now making over 500 in race trim. From a different time, hasnt been like that in decades.
When I was a little kid (approx.1969), I saw him racing his Vega against the Sox & Martin at the New York National Speedway in Long Island NY. The Top Fuel cars scared the hell out of me.
Getting 540 hp out of that L78 396 Camaro back then , impressive ! Also it looks like Grumpy had an M21 Muncie in the Camaro , loved watching him row on that shifter using that famous chicken wing timing between shifts. I reckon that he was winding out that L78 pretty good too between shifts Perhaps 6,000 rpm ?
What a difference then compared to todays racing. Drivers pushing their own cars on open trailers hooked up to station wagons. Drivers working on engines in the open fields. A more simple time in those days.
I never was and still not brand loyal. Not much cash to burn in those days, so I learned I couldn't be chosey. Just bought the cheapest car and souped it up as I went along. Ford, GM, Mopar. Had 'em all. Can't say a bad word about any of them. Just great & funny times! Those were the days, my friend.......
Saw Bill many times at quite a few PA and NJ drag strips as the tuner for the Old Reliable driven by Dave Strickler. Their 61 409 maroon Biscane was a sight and not as aero dynamic as the Bel Aire coupe that most others had, but they still managed to win most of the time. RIP
stelthy100 I remember seeing bill Jenkins in his Vega years ago, along with Sox and Martin, and others back in early seventies. The blue max funny car, Kenny bernstein, etc. the coolest thing ever was the tv tommy ivo dragster , and the see thru carrier, he pulled around the country! Fun times..
In all my years on here, this is the best vid i've seen to date. I cant stop hitting the replay button. In my book, he was THE man. Those were the days. Notice he didn't wear any type of upper restraints either. Couldn't tell if he used a lap belt. Heres a digital handshake for posting this. TY.
We had a 76 Pontiac Safari Wagon with the 455 that would no doubt pull its own weight and another car on a trailer. If my parents had not given that thing to my destructive brother, I would gladly still be using it to pull a car or motorcycle to the drags. That or my Powerstroke F350. Yep, your right. Never see that anymore! Different times.
merrill mitchell yeah I seen that and had quite a laugh. Back then you would see a lot of bigger vehicles with a ball hitch on them pulling a boat xcetera. LOL today we have these fancy four wheel drives that cost a ton of money. Back in the 70s I did not know anyone that had a four-wheel drive truck except one guy who had gotten a great job and bought a brand new Chevy short box four-wheel drive with a 350 in it. LOL
The top pro stockers came to Omaha in '73. Saw Bill change his own tires between rounds, his speed wrench slipped, he swore quietly. Holy heck, proof he is human and not a God. Great guy.
I wish I knew where the link was to put it on here, but maybe if you search you can find it. They tore one of his old small blocks down in modern days here, checking all the components then reassembling it. Mind you this is a small block Chevrolet. This thing was making over 600 horsepower. The man was fiercely competitive and he didn't need a Hemi to get the job done. Grumpy definitely one of the icon Chevrolet racers of our time. In case you're wondering I am a die-hard Mopar guy but I had nothing but respect for this guy. Love watching him race back in the day. What Treasured Memories I have
Cornell University, College of Engineering...that's impressive...for those that aren't aware, Cornell is in the Ivy League and, especially back in the 50's/60's, was one of America's best Engineering Colleges ( a multi degreed Engineer who works for America's largest defense contractor, and car guy.
i'm not sure what Jenkins used in the camaro, but in his earier Chevy II (the boxy body style) he used a 3 speed moddified (normal reverse on the 3-speed shick was 4th gear) to run all 4 gears and a seprate shifter for reverse.
I had a really friendly, smiling guy walk into my room at work in the mid-90's. We both said hello, and just talked cylinder heads and engines for a little while until he had to go. He stood up, we shook hands and he introduced himself as Bill. I didn't realize until later who he was. He certainly didn't seem grumpy.
Was born in 71 and remember as a very little kid some of these old racers at various strips in our area. It was the tail end of an Era but an Era I got to witness and it would be great to have those old Guys back again. Racing was far different back then, new ways to do everything were coming out almost daily and all the old fab parts as no companies sold the stuff from a magazine yet, you had to get in and get dirty then drive it as well. Good times.
I keep thinking what a cool classic late 60s Camaro he's racing. Then I remember it was pretty much new back then. It's cool seeing a new 60s Camaro drag racing. They will never make them like that any more. Grumpy seemed like a pretty smart guy.
At about 5:32, an altered goes by being pulled by a pickup truck. Will's Fargo. There are 3 guys on the tailgate of the pickup. The guy in the center is my dad.
Judy C...... The Fram filters of "today", are Nothing compared to the filters they made back then... total junk these days, like lots of things these days.... Sadly!!
Just a mention of Brock Yates who narrated this clip, and is seen doing the interviews with Jenkins: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Yates Yates was as famous, and highly regarded, in his field as Jenkins was. He died last Oct. 5th, (2016). BrockYates was one of the best American automotive writers of all time, and knew racing of all kinds from the inside out. These two guys, Jenkins and Yates, both now gone, were among the very best in their time. American automotive legends for sure, R.I.P
Just look at how far we've come.....all starting with our love for cars and the race to make them go faster. I was born in the 60s and i have the honor to say ive seen then and now.. WOW!!
i saw bill jenkins win a pro stock race in 73. he kept his water pump covered with a towel. it was taken off as soon as the hood was being shut. i was very curious. learned years later he was the first to use an electric motor to run his water pump and cooling fan. the idea was marketed by moroso.
One of the best and smartest drivers and engine builders of all time! I was married on june 8yh 1974 and my wife and I went to the spring nationals on our honeymoon. We had our room right over "Grumpy" and I watched him rebuild a transmission on the tail gate of a truck right below our room. He conradulated us on our marriage and even gave me a beer as he worked on his car. a real nice guy!
Great story for sure Sharkman
very cool !!
TONIGHT! On That DIDNT fucking happen, we have this bitch.
Wow!
Best of luck to you and your sister
No Fire suit - no fire shoes - no fire extinguisher - no face shield - and SMOKING A STOGIE - and this is in the Pro ranks - God to love it. RIP GRUMPY
Gary Rice ... those were the days!
Back when men were men and the cars were shit.
Gary Rice;
I know we are watching 1/4 mile legend, Bill Jenkins. However I still cringe from seeing F1 Racer Nicki Lauda's Fiery wreck.
I have extingushed 3 vehicle fires myself.
Fuel fed fires go out of control in seconds.
I smoke too. Nasty habit.
@Dave Micolichek Ashley Force should slap him. Funny Car Princess.
No seat belts either.
Real men raw horsepower no computer or electronics the good old days!, RIP Grump!
You understand computers give people more HP nowadays right?
@@lollipop84858 computers have no soul. Is that you Skynet?
Was everything just way cooler back then or does it just seem that way to me LOL
Jim Huskey yeah buddy. Even though it's great to have social media to keep in touch with my kids watch the grandkids grow through photos and videos, those magic days back then oh wow. I was driving a six-pack Mopar to high school back in the 70s LOL. Yeah I miss the people back then. Things sure have changed
Jim Huskey honestly people were so different. Most of America, had the same Carefree spirit through the 70s. Just seemed like everything was so relaxed even though we worked really hard on farms and factories... It was time for our cars. Today expense keeps a lot of interest away from it. When I go to the drag races here in Southern Michigan, I don't see so many people in the stands anymore. It's a different world for sure. But the top three are making their brands of street cars and drag cars again. So for the Future Days it won't be because the cars are not there, it will be because of a lack of interest if the sport dies. Hopefully youth will turn back to it, and keep those memories moving :-)
Way cooler
The cameramen, announcers, and editors were top notch.
@@70stunes71 I like how you spoke those words, drag racing, any type of racing will never die. As long as you have young men and a little power u will always have some type of racing going on period, it's all in the rush you get from your body being stuck to the seat, the rest of your life your left chasing that rush trust me I'm only 30 and been driving illegally since I was around 7yrs old, now as a father of two young boys who just like me are addicted already to speed and the rush, I've had to slow down to make sure they can enjoy moments with me I now build/work on cell towers and the rush I get from being up top with me myself and God is alot like the rush I used to get in my younger days.. racing will never die out, but what they are racing could always change......
The Grump shows us how power shifting is done.
RIP Bill Jenkins.
Well said.
Yes sir , could use this film of Grumpy as a clinic for power shifting.
Cleetus McFarland needs to pattern his driving after Grumpy. He could probably shave almost a second off of his times.
He doesn’t power shift at all.
That's NO stock transmission ! Regular factory trans would bust wide open hitting just second gear like old grumpy , did factory trans would not hold long enough to slam third ! Oh how I would love to drivem and shiftem that way and never worry about busting up ur car u had to drive to work on Monday ! Even road racers need car fast out of the curves !
@@scottyjones27 old school muncies shift like that from the factory. Usually just need a hurst shifter. I have power shifted many stock transmissions with good results. For the occasional street race it's fine. Usually the clutch takes shit first. However for dedicated race use I would certainly update the internals.
*Ronnie Sox
He's towing his Camaro with like a '67 Pontiac Catalina. That's how shit was done back then. 😎
MUCH more comfy than driving 14 hrs in a C10 :)
Of course! Pontiacs were used to seeing the Chevys in the rearview!! HAHA
Hey my first $75 car was a catalina.400 cubic inches. She would haul the mail....
Now people have to have a 30ft enclosed air conditioned trailer for a car that they don't work on between rounds. Gotta have a bed and TV to keep the kids entertained and keep the wife, if she's even there, from getting the least bit hot, or cold as the evening goes on.
My favorite Grumpy story was when everyone in the class was breaking valve train parts except Bill Jenkins. They were all blown away when they finally discovered his high tech secret. They were all using gear drives and Bill was using a stock Chevrolet nylon timing set that absorbed most of the engine harmonics and kept them from being induced into the valve train.
This needs to be a movie.
I completely agree.
Definitely. You could call it "how the Chrysler hemi handed me my ass". Grumpys camaros were not very successful in pro stock against the mopars , especially sox. From 69 - 71 Chrysler/sox& Martin OWNED the class!
@@kurtpoblenz2741 I heard he was beating those hemis with a 331 chevy ?
Little Joe ..... you heard wrong 😂😂😂😂. The only thing that beat the Hemi, was the rule book. It wasn't until 1972 , after the nhra added weight to only the Hemi cars & not the chevys that grumpy started winning.
@@kurtpoblenz2741 So why does he beat the hemis with his 396 chevy ???
Back in 76 I did not know of Bill Jenkins or much about pro racers for I did my racing on the street with a ex bracket 68 Z28 that two brothers bought, no consoles, no hidy lights no extra weight. They broke the motor. The motor was not salvageable and they went and bought a 70Z again as a bracket racer. The shop that they used was my friends who bought the 68, sourced a 70 LT1 and modified it. More compression, cam, head work, etc. I bought it from them for $2500.
Watching Bill shift brought back memories for that is how I shifted it. 7,050 rpm all day and night. One tough car and motor
Man, I could sit and listen to him run through the gears in this clip for hours!
I replayed some of this video 10 times at least, wandering around the house trying to get anyone to watch it.
Know whatcha mean...music to my ears!
Had the Honor of working with Grump years ago. The company I worked for made gaskets (not felpro) and I designed and fabricated several for him for his big block engines. Previously he used a copper gasket and a wire ring around the bore. The ones I made for him was a spin-off from a my gasket design used in NASCAR. I have one of the BB gaskets mounted in a frame with a testimonial letter from Bill. He ran the gasket on 1400 HP engine with no wire rings. I had a hard time convincing him to try a set that way but he was convinced after one set. He said there was no combustion leakage.
Good for you, Mel!
Was that with Mr. Gasket?
Old Griz
Doubtful.
@@kevintucker3354 look at the stickers on the car ,buddy,MR GASKET
@@OldGriz708 I think in the comment he posted "a my gasket" but he meant Mr.Gasket.
Sitting in there slamming gears and puffing out smoke on a cigar while kicking the other guys ass in the other lane?
-Gangster.
love the fact that Grumpy ordered a 1968 L79 350 horse 327 Nova and then proceeded to stuff a wildly modified 396 in it
Sends chills to me every-time I watch this, was certainly way cooler back then. I love the rhythm and perfect timing of the 2-3 shift at 6.00.
I had the privilege to talk to Bill twice in my life. Everyone said what a prick he was to his fans, bullshit. I asked him a question about which block he used for his builds at the time. He waved me over and we talked for a good 5 minutes or so. Well, he talked and wrenched and I watched and learned.
Perfectly said! Step to the head of the class! He was my neighbor for 35 years. Can still remember his phone number at his shop. He would answer questions over the phone and he was always right.
Hit fourth and take a drag off the cigar. Real man!!!
I like the little elbow wind up on the 2-3 shift
David H. They would have thrown your snowflake ass out of the pits back then.
@Dave Micolichek here's the swing and the pitch .....and it's 3rd gear folks he's really moving now !!
My father raced back in the late 50's and early 60's. He raced a 1957 Pontiac Thunder Chief and he beat Grumpy at Lancaster dragway in PA. Grumpy argued with the officials. They told him "get over it Bill you lost". Miss you Dad.
What was Grumpy driving?
That's a cool story if it's true
I call bullshit
Well, we know who Bill was.
Grumpy drives, explains racing, and wrenches almost exactly like my old man it’s so awesome. My pops always has been a drag racer long before i was born. I remember being 4 or 5 years old and going for rides in his 71 El Camino SS 4 speed drag car I couldn’t even see over the dashboard but those are by far my best childhood memories listening to him powershift that 11 second A-body’s M21 @7K rpm while being put into the seat by the acceleration. But the reason he reminds me of Grumpy is He’s also i guess a perfectionist when it comes to building and driving hotrods. He taught me everything I know about building drag cars and building motors. Grumpy Jenkins was my sports hero I looked up to as long as I can remember. But my dad is the most awesome man I know of for letting me grow up around hotrods and drag racing. I honestly LIVE for my Chevelle. Every day no matter what is happening or how I am feeling I always spend 100% of my free time doing something on my Chevelle. I’ve never taken any of my vehicles to a shop because I have successfully done the work myself all thanks to my old man. I wouldn’t want any different of a life. Nothing is better than the hotrod life. For me anyway.
Your post almost made me tear up,,my dad was an aircraft mechanic in the air force, he taught me EVERYTHING he knew, my memories are very similar, but it was in a 67 Buick GS400,4 speed,,
Nothing like Pop, I miss mine
I'm really disappointed in today's, so-called, American youth; I just retired from staff at an American college, and not one of the dudes I met knew how to build horsepower, do an oil change, nor even what a spark-plug was about; that really suks bawls!☆¡
This man is one of the smartest racers i have ever met!!! Ronny Sox, another one of the best. I had a chance to run a race against Ronny, in a race where i was ruining a American motors Rambler, we crossed the finish line, looking at each other, he won by a bumper bolt!! Dick Landy, Made those Dodges, Run "Like-A-Scared- Cheetah"!! All of these men were excellent, in their Drag Racing! I did learn a lot from all of them. they were very instrumental in relaying information that helped me win the Winter Nationals at Pomona California. in the Gas Sedan class i won!! You really learn a lot, When you meet Smart people, who like what they do all the time, and it is fun!!!!
Virian Bouze oh yeah so many great memories back then. I've always been a die-hard Mopar guy but grumpy was the real deal and he gave a lot of competition plenty of fear. Those were the magic days and I sure miss the 70s.
TV Tommy ivo
Parnell I Jones
Snake and mongoose
Micky Thompson
@@ezrabrooks7785 nice list,how bout ol AJ,or the greatest American driver of all,,,Dale sr.
tragic life
No offense but I would put a few drivers ahead of Dale as the greatest. Petty being one of them but also David Pearson being up there too.
@@roninkraut6873 no offence,all good,Pearson, no doubt, and no offense to petty ,God knows we love him BUT, it took RP 200 wins to get 7 season, s,,only tock Dale 83,not to mention a lot of RP's wins were during largely uncontested hemi years in the 60s,also with fewr wins that means Dale was top 5 WAY more of the time,,bet hey jmo, all racing is good huh?
Flappin' his elbow before 2nd to 3rd!! Gettin'after it till it's GOT
Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins was awesome during his time. I wasn't a real Chevy fan but he brought Chevy out of the dark and into the future during his time of racing. I especially loved him in the early 1970's with his V8 monster vega's.
Sure miss him and the 10 time pro stock champ Bob Glidden. RIP to both
Miss them & Ronnie Sox too , Ronnie was from my home town.
BOB AND GRUMP were two incredible genius engine builders,BOB surprised the world in 1978 when he made a LA mopar wind 9200 rpm every shift to win the pro stock championship with our punkest engine,rip to both of these giant men
Glidden ran some four doors as I recall....Fords
@@strattuner ..
I miss all the legends--Lee Shepard, Dyno Don Nicholson, Ronnie Sox. Not looking forward to the next few years when we'll start to lose guys like Pat Musi, Warren Johnson, Don Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta, and the GOAT Don Garlits.
It's cool to see some of the pioneers of drag racing. Thanks for posting this.
5:45 is the best part when he's going through gears..... in car camera footage is awesome
Grumpy is one Kool Dude!
Grumpy vs Sox and Martin are legends in NHRA Super Stock racing!
Thanks for this awesome upload!!
One of the best builders and drivers of all time !
smoking a cigar why pulling gears! no snowflake here.
Randy Vinson 😮 that’s what you call some serious multi-tasking there. Lots of mojo there as well.
What a legend!
One of my family members race back then when he raced he said he never did like him lol cuz sbc cloud only run 2 barrel and the big block mopar ran 4 he said the big blocks would be running him down on top end
An air bag would've sucked though lol.
Back when men were men and sheep were nervous
Thanks for posting this video. Grumpy (Bill) Jenkins is my childhood drag racing hero.
This is awesome i watch this all the time shifting and smoking a seagar that's old school at its best
Summer of 68 I saw Grumpy run at a drag strip in northern new jersey.
I was walking through the pits and was walking by Grumpy’s Camaro . I looked underneath the rear of the car and Grumpy was underneath looking at the rearend where the driveshaft connects to it . He said something to me explaining what he was checking.
I was a big fan of him and at 16 I was surprised he spoke to me .
He wasn’t Grumpy he was really a nice guy . He remains my favorite racer to this day .
he is one of the best drag racers that NHRA history ever was he was always a gentleman and a true legend of the sport of drag racing and to me he will always be a winner to everyone who drag races Rip bill grumpy Jenkins wish you were back
The 70s and 80s were the best time of my life . My boyfriend / husband to be was into our 66 Chevy Nova . We spent our weekends working on the motor or polishing the mags it was power and beauty and pride . Later in the 80s when he bought me my 67 Chevy Nova that ran on cam and was showroom I thought I had everything and wished I could drive like the legend Jenkins . I miss the 70s and 80s and just good clean fun and the power of the motor you build just for fun .
This is gold dust for Drag race fans, just glad the best days of Drag racing is not lost.
If you told Grumpy Jenkins in '68 that in 50 years you would be able to walk into a dealership and buy a street car that would beat these cars in the quarter he probably would've said...." It wouldn't surprise me at all". Great video of these pioneers!
One of the best videos I have ever seen on 60;s drag racing. The in-car shot of Bill driving is incredible. He is a real legend, no doubt about it. Thanks for posting this.
Even the trailer had super stock cragar mags. Good choices by a great racer.
Lol, there wasnt much else to chose from back then..
At six minutes in... I’m loving the cigar and the elbow shimmy on the “real” shifting from 2nd to 3rd. Great clip, thanks for sharing.
4 speed shifting class starts at 6:00...:)
M-22
you dam rigth
Simpler times. Wish I could go back.
What a great video. That's what you call old school dragracing!
I got to meet Bill through a guy I worked with . He and Bill were friends for years . In the nineties Bill would stop by and pay him a visit and always in his Blue 66 Nova . He was a Legend in my eyes !
I was there and still remember the day.
When? Where? How?
Excellent! Thanks for sharing! R.I.P. Grumpy, thanks for the racing and the autograph! :)
Man, does this bring back memories! I grew up in the town beside Berwyn, PA, and my brother and I had an Olds 442 and tinkered with it a lot. Once we found Mr. Jenkin’s garage, we went to it a number of times. He usually lived up to his “Grumpy” name. But every once in a while he’d throw a couple of kids some advice. For us, we’d finally made it when he grudgingly allowed us to watch him work on his latest “Toy”. But then, he’d always say “Okay, that’s enough, kids. Now beat it.” A brilliant character.
Back in the haye day of drag racing there were two identical twin brothers from a little town of Russel, Illinois ( it is so small if you blink driving through you could miss it ). They were drag racing brothers who beat Dick Landy 2 out of 3 runs at Great Lakes Drag Strip in Union Groove, Wi. They raced all over the mid west and the south up until about ten years ago. Bob and Fred Ghillings. Fred died about five years ago but to this day us old guys ( 75 yrs old ) will continue to tell stories about Bob and Fred until us old guys are gone and we are fading fast.
I love watching at 5:56 … staged, looking at his tach as he gets his revs up - all the while tuning his 'ears' to his rpms and chomping that cigar. In the run, he only glanced down and to the right at that tach during his 3rd gear pull, and was probably making sure his ears were still calibrated to the revs. THAT was drag racing at its finest. Grump was the face of Chevy at the dragstrip. Grumpy, Sox and Martin, Dick Landy; wow, those were the days in drag racing - and the best days to be a shade-tree mechanic.
I'm a life long MoPar fan ; but the prosaic truth is that I like all of 'the greats' from the 'big 4' . Jenkins was the greatest ! His innovations and inventions are among the finest ; the "Slick-Shift" manual transmission was used by Chrysler for the 1968 Hurst-Hemi SS Dart and Barracuda , and ostensibly by the premiere racers (Landy , Sox , et al.) .
My fave 'Grumpy's Toy' was the '67 SS/C Camaro , '68 SS/D Chevy II L-78 , and 1972 Pro Stock Vega .
It was the Vega for me,331 smallblock killed all the hemis and ferds
I seen a lot of races, but the one that stands out is when Grump beat that Hemi Colt straight up, and took home all the marbles. Raceway Park went wild.
RIP Bill Jenkins, thanks for all the memories........
hearing the revs come up at the line, and then hearing that 396s rpm fall....it briefly labors, and then climbs back up strong when "da grump" sidesteps the clutch at the 6-minute marker...has got to be the best sound there is.....
Cragar S/S're really amazing!!!
Real shifting here boys and girls, no sissy padal shifters, sagging pants.The seat of his pants determined the tune...not a laptop!!!
Doesn’t sound like he lifts off the gas when he shifts, so fucking cool. Love the old racing videos.
@@bigboreracing356 This is why the mentally touched should never be allowed to time travel.
@@wdsracer yep, that's called powershifting. Get it wrong & you could blow an engine; they didn't have rev limiters back then
@@Smittyschannel Hell yeah, you sidestep the clutch at 7500+ rpm and hope the clutch and flywheel doesn't explode and come thru the floor and hope the shift linkage dont break but when it she goes, it's the best feeling in the world
@@briang4470 i love banging gears my self but can not bring my self to beat on my old Ford much Ny more
Great video, Really Nice to see Ronnie Sox, Dick Landy snd Grumpy all in one Video.
Don’t forget Big Daddy too.
What a story his life was,us Chevy guys were glad to have him!
The whole world was glad to have him. He inspired a whole new way of thinking by showing everyone how to do it!
Had the pleasure of being around Bill much later than this and was always in awe whenever he spoke. R.I.P. Grump
Awesome video!
I grew up as a kid looking up to these guys and wanted to be like them
As a favor to the guys at K&G, and because Mr. Jenkins liked my 65 Chevy II, he had one of his guys help me tune my dual quad set up back in the day...1985. I won the High School nationals that year at Maple Grove!. Thanks Grumpy, and Mike! G>
Nothing more badass than this! 🤘
This video always brings a smile to my face, especially the powershifting.
White clothes were very popular back then. Everybody dresses like the milk man, lol. I guess my age is showing, most of you guys don’t remember the milk man I bet.
Ummmmm,,,,,,, do you resemble the milk man? :)
Sorry, I couldn't resist!! (I'm dating myself, too)
AngryRed Banjo yeah those were the days. Sure miss those 70s people were so different back then. Bunch of free Spirit teens and young folk having an incredible time of their life. We worked our fannies off to have the cars we drove and afford the performance parts for them. I'd like to take my own kids back to those days so they could see it all happen
They all drove Divco trucks.
.pat mustard ?..
He’s my Dad
Thank you for sharing this FANTASTIC video, amazing to watch.
In the early seventies when Grump was winning with his small block powered Vega the other competitors with big blocks complained that his motor was to small.
A friend had that car for many years. Had it sitting at his service station in PA. I wish I had bought it from him!!
Notice after that run at 6:30 he shifts from 1st gear to fourth on his way back to the pit..
Just like him to save the wear and tear on that transmission like he does on the motor by pushing his car to staging by hand.
He was just plain smart. Probably running 456's
I think the pushing car to the staging lanes is to keep to engine cool an keep it from heat soaking before the run ...
Sure looks like he pulled it into second from neutral to me at 6:30.
I love these video's. Watching him slammin gears is awesome. The old power shift, took talent. Today, not so much. Thanks NHRA for another crappy change.
that's why the b&m or hurst shifter was a must.
I hate NHRA too,but it was technology than ended the fun,nobody can routinely outshift a modern auto drag trans
Little white Camaro sure sounds strong! Absolutely kicks like a mule off the line when Jenkins launches. I had to watch that a few times....his first race. I take it with him claiming 375 horsepower from the factory this is an L78 396 car, now making over 500 in race trim. From a different time, hasnt been like that in decades.
When I was a little kid (approx.1969), I saw him racing his Vega against the Sox & Martin at the New York National Speedway in Long Island NY. The Top Fuel cars scared the hell out of me.
These guys were pioneers to what stock car drag racing is today . For me it was the best of times watching these guys compete.
Finally! A video showing one of the "old school" stick handlers. Thanks to Bee-On, RIP Grump.
Getting 540 hp out of that L78 396 Camaro back then , impressive ! Also it looks like Grumpy had an M21 Muncie in the Camaro , loved watching him row on that shifter using that famous chicken wing timing between shifts. I reckon that he was winding out that L78 pretty good too between shifts Perhaps 6,000 rpm ?
What a difference then compared to todays racing. Drivers pushing their own cars on open trailers hooked up to station wagons.
Drivers working on engines in the open fields. A more simple time in those days.
That is no BS brother!..I could watch these all day and im off work today so think i will✌😁👍
Bracket racing is great when the cars running are manual shifting. This truly displays a racers skills.
OUTSTANDING! Grumpy was one of my high school heroes.
I never was and still not brand loyal. Not much cash to burn in those days, so I learned I couldn't be chosey. Just bought the cheapest car and souped it up as I went along.
Ford, GM, Mopar.
Had 'em all.
Can't say a bad
word about any of them. Just great & funny times!
Those were the days, my friend.......
back then it was for the love of racing because there was no money in it unlike today where it takes big bucks and major sponsors to run in the NHRA
@@79tazman it's still about love for racing everywhere except NHRA
Corp ad
Legend .RIP Bill Jenkins
Awesome video ! damn he knew how to power shift with the best of them !
Saw Bill many times at quite a few PA and NJ drag strips as the tuner for the Old Reliable driven by Dave Strickler. Their 61 409 maroon Biscane was a sight and not as aero dynamic as the Bel Aire coupe that most others had, but they still managed to win most of the time. RIP
Slamming those gears. Excellent video
This is great footage .what a guy cigar in mouth shifting lighting quick ..love this .
It’s a shame that time marches on watching these guys race was some of the best times of my life.
stelthy100 I remember seeing bill Jenkins in his Vega years ago, along with Sox and Martin, and others back in early seventies. The blue max funny car, Kenny bernstein, etc. the coolest thing ever was the tv tommy ivo dragster , and the see thru carrier, he pulled around the country! Fun times..
Me too!!
In all my years on here, this is the best vid i've seen to date. I cant stop hitting the replay button. In my book, he was THE man. Those were the days. Notice he didn't wear any type of upper restraints either. Couldn't tell if he used a lap belt. Heres a digital handshake for posting this. TY.
Did anyone notice that he was using a car to pull his camaro and trailer. That would never be seen now.
merrill mitchell - A big Pontiac no less!
We had a 76 Pontiac Safari Wagon with the 455 that would no doubt pull its own weight and another car on a trailer. If my parents had not given that thing to my destructive brother, I would gladly still be using it to pull a car or motorcycle to the drags. That or my Powerstroke F350. Yep, your right. Never see that anymore! Different times.
Hey Angry Banjo,looked like a 68 XL fastback to me.
You guys always use "trucks" its funny
merrill mitchell yeah I seen that and had quite a laugh. Back then you would see a lot of bigger vehicles with a ball hitch on them pulling a boat xcetera. LOL today we have these fancy four wheel drives that cost a ton of money. Back in the 70s I did not know anyone that had a four-wheel drive truck except one guy who had gotten a great job and bought a brand new Chevy short box four-wheel drive with a 350 in it. LOL
The top pro stockers came to Omaha in '73. Saw Bill change his own tires between rounds, his speed wrench slipped, he swore quietly. Holy heck, proof he is human and not a God. Great guy.
5:51. Bad ass gear banging, loose with a cigar, awesome
I wish I knew where the link was to put it on here, but maybe if you search you can find it. They tore one of his old small blocks down in modern days here, checking all the components then reassembling it. Mind you this is a small block Chevrolet. This thing was making over 600 horsepower. The man was fiercely competitive and he didn't need a Hemi to get the job done. Grumpy definitely one of the icon Chevrolet racers of our time. In case you're wondering I am a die-hard Mopar guy but I had nothing but respect for this guy. Love watching him race back in the day. What Treasured Memories I have
Cornell University, College of Engineering...that's impressive...for those that aren't aware, Cornell is in the Ivy League and, especially back in the 50's/60's, was one of America's best Engineering Colleges ( a multi degreed Engineer who works for America's largest defense contractor, and car guy.
i'm not sure what Jenkins used in the camaro, but in his earier Chevy II (the boxy body style) he used a 3 speed moddified (normal reverse on the 3-speed shick was 4th gear) to run all 4 gears and a seprate shifter for reverse.
I had a really friendly, smiling guy walk into my room at work in the mid-90's. We both said hello, and just talked cylinder heads and engines for a little while until he had to go. He stood up, we shook hands and he introduced himself as Bill. I didn't realize until later who he was. He certainly didn't seem grumpy.
Was born in 71 and remember as a very little kid some of these old racers at various strips in our area. It was the tail end of an Era but an Era I got to witness and it would be great to have those old Guys back again. Racing was far different back then, new ways to do everything were coming out almost daily and all the old fab parts as no companies sold the stuff from a magazine yet, you had to get in and get dirty then drive it as well. Good times.
I keep thinking what a cool classic late 60s Camaro he's racing. Then I remember it was pretty much new back then. It's cool seeing a new 60s Camaro drag racing. They will never make them like that any more. Grumpy seemed like a pretty smart guy.
At about 5:32, an altered goes by being pulled by a pickup truck. Will's Fargo. There are 3 guys on the tailgate of the pickup. The guy in the center is my dad.
u that nasty shifting at 5:50? now thats old school great stuff
He was flying flappin that wing and all!
And smoking a Cigar while powershifting. LOL 👍 ☺
Can you imagine the shape of the clutch on Grumpy’s car after a few runs. I imagine he melted a few and fragged a few more.
Back then what we called "Opening Up A Can Of 303 Whoop A$$ !
Nice piece of history !
Thanks for sharing.
I like the Fram filter commercial shoe horned there
Judy C...... The Fram filters of "today", are Nothing compared to the filters they made back then... total junk these days, like lots of things these days.... Sadly!!
Yeah like batteries. Those old Sears die hards were great.
I meant him at the winter national at beeline dragstrip about in 69 he was cool
Love this! Brings back many happy memories.
Luv this video,,see the mention of Fram filters,,,I used to sell them in an American Spares shop in London,,,,,back in 83"""" Thanx for a great vid
Just a mention of Brock Yates who narrated this clip, and is seen doing the interviews with Jenkins:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brock_Yates
Yates was as famous, and highly regarded, in his field as Jenkins was. He died last Oct. 5th, (2016).
BrockYates was one of the best American automotive writers of all time, and knew racing of all kinds from the inside out.
These two guys, Jenkins and Yates, both now gone, were among the very best in their time.
American automotive legends for sure, R.I.P
Just look at how far we've come.....all starting with our love for cars and the race to make them go faster. I was born in the 60s and i have the honor to say ive seen then and now.. WOW!!
No saggy pants fat boys with tattoos. I love it! This was seat of your pants living, like America was intended to be.
i saw bill jenkins win a pro stock race in 73. he kept his water pump covered with a towel. it was taken off as soon as the hood was being shut. i was very curious. learned years later he was the first to use an electric motor to run his water pump and cooling fan. the idea was marketed by moroso.
@ItsJustinFromTheFuture it kept the current from leaking out and getting into the motor