My first race attended was Irwindale 64'. Top billing was 8 TF, 8 AA/FA. Dad also took me & my best friend to Lions, Fontana, Bakersfield, OCIR, and Pomona (Winternats). In my opinion, FED's back then had much more individuality & style, than today's top fuel rides.
You’re welcome Since several people seem to like it I have a new video in the works! But it’ll be Fuel Altered pictures and videos from the mid to late 60s
Drag racers of the 60'zs were the badest of al! Their cars had nothing extra or not. required,l like tthose 2" hose clamps held the motor to the frame. The slick dudes had a feul pump that pumped airpressure into the 3 ro 5 gallon moon tank mounted on the front 4 inch drop straight axle with adj. Radious arms about 4 to 5 feet in length. The mecha ical fuel pump pumped air pressure into the tank for more fuel pressure "Ole racers trick to give them an advantage over their opponents. Along with petcock valve in the bottom of the frame which held 25 gallons of water drained a fter tech 210lbs.lighter and a lead filled 100lbs helment the driver sat on during tech. They all had tricks to bend rules, that is how they would win and smoking the tires all te way down the track. Engine RPM was traction controll and a clutch no transmission! Balls on the 3rd member with a spline coupling under neath them. If that didnt keep it hard nothing else would! Zoom Hayes Schaffer even fac tory dump truck clutch disc, which had brass fillings in the asbestos clutch material that increased torque transfer from motor to the cheater slicks by the weight of your foot is what determined the winner aThat my friend was what made frag raccing what it is today After the flag dropped! There was one winner determined until 1 final car thatbeet everyone he raced. And recieved a kiss from trophy girl and a 6 foot trophy with a gold plated car on top and the winners name engraved on it with pro elininator was a top class for dragsters. And prize money!
PS they ran 1/4 mile in 8 seconds until Winged Express was the 1st that went 200MPH in 7.38 seconds in 1964 or 65 AA/FA with a 90 inch wheel base and Willy Borsh steered the wing with one handed and school bus steering wheel mounted on a 90° steeringbox watch Winged Express Pomona Terry Roche crew boss and tuner check out the flames look like a torch tip a d the pressure from the exhaust pipes added a down force of 6400lbs that is 3tons of down force for traction. And another 1000lbs from the spoilers wind pressure helped it get down the track in 7 seconds. At 200MPH 2 thumbs up Terry
The early days of diggers was a dangerous time. Many racers gave up on them after all the accidents and injuries sustained by other drivers. Drag racing really benefited from the rear-engine digger and the safety equipment that trickled down to slower cars. It's now a very safe, although a bit less exciting, sport.
I sat in one recently- the diff is literally under your nutsack. Everything was dangerous in those things! But the coolest thing is doing a wheelie while smoking the tires!!
Lift" peddle it" lol stay in it to win it" slingshots are insane" especially with that rear end being down by your man parts. Yeah nah" and those front wheels look like they were off my Schwinn stingray, PTWR" is lite af" roast pavement
It was a clutch explosion in 1970 that sawed Garlit's car in two and took half of his foot with it. That of course led to Big Daddy introducing the rear engine dragster to Top Fuel in 1971. Many teams still ran slingshot dragsters but they were phased out of Top Fuel by the end of the 1972 season.
@@davidtimms3201 they have the only known video of the explosion at BIG DADDY'S drag racing museum. Don Garlits was the first man to get the rear engine to work. Others tried but just couldn't get it work. If you ever get to Ocala Florida you've got to go to the drag racing museum.
I've said it before and I'll say it again....the modern era doesn't hold a candle to this era. Front engine dragsters became deadly when the genie was let out of the bottle and teams started to purposely set the clutches up to slip allowing more controlled power to the ground. The basic OEM heavy duty truck clutches were not up to the task.
I’m pretty sure he meant it as it went from a competition where it was anyone’s game everyday people raced to now it’s all about the money! Sponsors paying teams just so they can get their logo on tv! It went form a competitive sport to a competitive money maker! Go look at pictures of NHRA events 30-50 years ago the stands are full and go to a race now plenty of space up in the stands!! That’s how I feel about it!! Once corporate businesses get involved it takes all the fun away!!
@@draehnpipe67 So pretty much every sport. Name a sport that’s better today than thirty or forty years ago. I’ve been going to the drag races since the mid seventies, still love it. It is a niche sport however so even though all the things you said are correct there’s much more to it than that.
@@TheoneGodfather I agree I still go to the races I even go to the NHRA races every year even tho next season will be the last race at my local NHRA strip which will be closed down and turned into a industrial park!
This is when drag racing was fun and more affordable for families but like every sport corporate money grubbing pricks and advertisers caused the spectators attendance to drop across all major league sports whether it's stick and ball games or any form of motorsport! Also in drag racing the funny cars and dragsters of today are ugly compared to TV Tommy Ivo, Gene Snow, Jungle Jim, Mickey Thompson and other cars they raced in! In the 1970's here in Quebec Canada we had Sanair and Naperville speedway. We could walk right up to the cars and take pictures but that's all gone now!!
That car belonged to Harold Abner. I recognize his number (we were also top fuel in Division 5), though that particular car was before my time. Since it sits so very low it looks like something possibly laying on the ground beneath the car-- but that's a boring answer. So just for fun let's say that it was some type of crazy scoop system designed to center air flow out the back of the car. And I say that because it looks (remotely looks) something similar to a system Pete Robinson installed on his front-motor car that ended up causing enough problems to crash and kill him (the fast-frame photo sequence told the story on that one). Pete, by the way, was an engineering professor at Georgia Tech, so I suppose we can write his death off as a mad scientist gone wrong. Back then you just never knew what the guy next to you was going to come up with. Rules were much more flexible compared to today.
Man alive! Those guys had some cahoonies! To drive or rather hang on to those machines.Brilliant stuff love it
My first race attended was Irwindale 64'. Top billing was 8 TF, 8 AA/FA. Dad also took me & my best friend to Lions, Fontana, Bakersfield, OCIR, and Pomona (Winternats). In my opinion, FED's back then had much more individuality & style, than today's top fuel rides.
392 Chrysler was one bad - ass engine.
It really was the golden era of drag racing although dangerous for the drivers. So glad I got to experience those times!
Brings back lots of fantastic memories as a teenager and frequent visitor to Green Valley Raceway in Smithfield Texas
The only way to fly oh the smoke gets in my eye devine universe.
I'm 70 years old and I still love nitro!!!
Thanks for the video. Really enjoyed it. Those were really the glory days.
You’re welcome Since several people seem to like it I have a new video in the works! But it’ll be Fuel Altered pictures and videos from the mid to late 60s
Cool choice of music!I Loved going to Fremont back in the day...
Really cool video. Luckily, there are still front engine nitro cars. They call them Funny Cars.
Drag racers of the 60'zs were the badest of al! Their cars had nothing extra or not. required,l like tthose 2" hose clamps held the motor to the frame. The slick dudes had a feul pump that pumped airpressure into the 3 ro 5 gallon moon tank mounted on the front 4 inch drop straight axle with adj. Radious arms about 4 to 5 feet in length. The mecha ical fuel pump pumped air pressure into the tank for more fuel pressure "Ole racers trick to give them an advantage over their opponents. Along with petcock valve in the bottom of the frame which held 25 gallons of water drained a fter tech 210lbs.lighter and a lead filled 100lbs helment the driver sat on during tech. They all had tricks to bend rules, that is how they would win and smoking the tires all te way down the track. Engine RPM was traction controll and a clutch no transmission! Balls on the 3rd member with a spline coupling under neath them. If that didnt keep it hard nothing else would! Zoom Hayes Schaffer even fac tory dump truck clutch disc, which had brass fillings in the asbestos clutch material that increased torque transfer from motor to the cheater slicks by the weight of your foot is what determined the winner aThat my friend was what made frag raccing what it is today After the flag dropped! There was one winner determined until 1 final car thatbeet everyone he raced. And recieved a kiss from trophy girl and a 6 foot trophy with a gold plated car on top and the winners name engraved on it with pro elininator was a top class for dragsters. And prize money!
PS they ran 1/4 mile in 8 seconds until Winged Express was the 1st that went 200MPH in 7.38 seconds in 1964 or 65 AA/FA with a 90 inch wheel base and Willy Borsh steered the wing with one handed and school bus steering wheel mounted on a 90° steeringbox watch Winged Express Pomona Terry Roche crew boss and tuner check out the flames look like a torch tip a d the pressure from the exhaust pipes added a down force of 6400lbs that is 3tons of down force for traction. And another 1000lbs from the spoilers wind pressure helped it get down the track in 7 seconds. At 200MPH 2 thumbs up Terry
Smoking all the way up the strip, good old daze......
I saw the Surfers in there a few times. COOL!
The early days of diggers was a dangerous time. Many racers gave up on them after all the accidents and injuries sustained by other drivers. Drag racing really benefited from the rear-engine digger and the safety equipment that trickled down to slower cars. It's now a very safe, although a bit less exciting, sport.
I can see my pops in one of these pictures, 😊😊
I sat in one recently- the diff is literally under your nutsack. Everything was dangerous in those things! But the coolest thing is doing a wheelie while smoking the tires!!
Thank you very much
You’re welcome I appreciate you taking the time to watch it!
The Chrysler Hemi has owned fuel racing since the 50's....
Lift" peddle it" lol stay in it to win it" slingshots are insane" especially with that rear end being down by your man parts. Yeah nah" and those front wheels look like they were off my Schwinn stingray, PTWR" is lite af" roast pavement
For those wondering why they switched to rear engines, when a front engine blew up you got a face full of parts.
Ask BIG DADDY!
It was a clutch explosion in 1970 that sawed Garlit's car in two and took half of his foot with it. That of course led to Big Daddy introducing the rear engine dragster to Top Fuel in 1971. Many teams still ran slingshot dragsters but they were phased out of Top Fuel by the end of the 1972 season.
@@davidtimms3201 Damn! A clutch explosion is even worse, instead of a face full of parts you get balls full of parts!
@@davidtimms3201 they have the only known video of the explosion at BIG DADDY'S drag racing museum. Don Garlits was the first man to get the rear engine to work. Others tried but just couldn't get it work. If you ever get to Ocala Florida you've got to go to the drag racing museum.
@@artjinks2935 That's definitely on my bucket list! As a kid, it was so intriguing to see slingshot and rear engine cars going head to head.
I luv the music
Cool!
I've said it before and I'll say it again....the modern era doesn't hold a candle to this era. Front engine dragsters became deadly when the genie was let out of the bottle and teams started to purposely set the clutches up to slip allowing more controlled power to the ground. The basic OEM heavy duty truck clutches were not up to the task.
Drag racing is two words.
Fixed it better?????????
I wish I could have lived in the glory days of dragracing..today's nhra cars all look the same and money has corrupted the sport
How so?
I’m pretty sure he meant it as it went from a competition where it was anyone’s game everyday people raced to now it’s all about the money! Sponsors paying teams just so they can get their logo on tv! It went form a competitive sport to a competitive money maker! Go look at pictures of NHRA events 30-50 years ago the stands are full and go to a race now plenty of space up in the stands!! That’s how I feel about it!! Once corporate businesses get involved it takes all the fun away!!
@@draehnpipe67 So pretty much every sport. Name a sport that’s better today than thirty or forty years ago. I’ve been going to the drag races since the mid seventies, still love it. It is a niche sport however so even though all the things you said are correct there’s much more to it than that.
@@TheoneGodfather I agree I still go to the races I even go to the NHRA races every year even tho next season will be the last race at my local NHRA strip which will be closed down and turned into a industrial park!
This is when drag racing was fun and more affordable for families but like every sport corporate money grubbing pricks and advertisers caused the spectators attendance to drop across all major league sports whether it's stick and ball games or any form of motorsport! Also in drag racing the funny cars and dragsters of today are ugly compared to TV Tommy Ivo, Gene Snow, Jungle Jim, Mickey Thompson and other cars they raced in! In the 1970's here in Quebec Canada we had Sanair and Naperville speedway. We could walk right up to the cars and take pictures but that's all gone now!!
Whats that hangn from under the car at 0:34? I cant figure it out
That car belonged to Harold Abner. I recognize his number (we were also top fuel in Division 5), though that particular car was before my time. Since it sits so very low it looks like something possibly laying on the ground beneath the car-- but that's a boring answer. So just for fun let's say that it was some type of crazy scoop system designed to center air flow out the back of the car. And I say that because it looks (remotely looks) something similar to a system Pete Robinson installed on his front-motor car that ended up causing enough problems to crash and kill him (the fast-frame photo sequence told the story on that one). Pete, by the way, was an engineering professor at Georgia Tech, so I suppose we can write his death off as a mad scientist gone wrong. Back then you just never knew what the guy next to you was going to come up with. Rules were much more flexible compared to today.
@@FromMyEyesToYours thanks. I appreciate you
The Surfers at [0:32]
Music video👎
Do you want pictures with no sound? lol. Thanks for the hate and taking the time to make a comment!!! I appreciate it!