Dick Harrell drag car (new thread)

[Kim_Howie]

Garys shop is still at the same place. He was also at vettefest. Kim Howie

[Stefano]

The Same John Buttera now "Califorina" Street Rod Builder?

[Rat_Pack]

Yes that is the same one..............RatPack................

[menmyfcs]

John has been into so many different areas. Street rods to custom Harleys and now does design an one off things for Harley factory.Very talented.He built the Schumacher cars of the 70s the Mickey Thompson Maverick and 2 Grand ams.
Barry Setzer cars and the list goes on.You could buy a complete car with and ED PINK blown fuel engine and a top of the line Buttera car and know it would run good just like you could a street car.Then it was up to you after that unless you hired Ed Pink or others to do all the rest.
Like a Fred Gibb car Yenko or others. you knew it had all the right parts.

[davenkc]

Belair62
Maybe I can kill 2 birds here with one stone.

A few posts back on the subject of known Chevelle f/c I mention a couple. Also mentioned "3rd gen" Bodies like the 68-72-74 Chevelles were almost non existant but there was a Poniac or 2 Like the M/T. As luck would have it I ran across a pic of it last night. thought you might like to see it. After seeing your interest in the Grey Ghost.
Dave
scan by Dennis Doubleday
Built by " Lil' John " Right menmyfcs?

[JoeC]

Bruce Larson ran a cool looking 66 or 67 USA-1 Chevelle with those crazy looking forward bent injectors.

[Mr70]

Any idea as to why the 64-67 Chevelles had Funny Cars formed and the 74 did,but not the A-body 1968-72 Chevelle?

[whitetop]

mr 70
Not 100% sure about this but this answer is probably pretty close. Weight & Size. Unlike the Super Stock ranks which were broken out by class, the F/C class in the '68-'72 time period I believe just ran by a minimum weight requirement(I'll say 1800 lbs for argument sake)) so why disadvantage yourself by running a heavy 2200 lb '70 chevelle barge when you can run a small Vega or sleek Camaro weighing 1800 lbs and still be legal? Also the earlier Chevelles while called F/C were that in name only-still looked stock bodied in a way. They were very unlike the later flip top Funnies.
Dave

[menmyfcs]

You hit on one of my best subjects. In reality. John built the 1st one that burnt up at Gainesville 73 then the next one that was also Yellow Which became the Black car that was crashed at Union Grove 4th July 74. then it went to Romeos shop on Pulaski and 103rd?and got the front frame from the firewall forward replaced then ran the rest of the year as the red car to become the Marines blue car for 75.I have some good pics of those.
Yes the bodies for the later Chevelles became to big.
Body for that Grand am was by Pelligrini then modified by Hank Buck in Berwyn Ill. Red car also painted by Hank.

[davenkc]

Good answer, Exactly why the "flip top" all fiberglass body came into being displacing the "door cars" (ie)Cars like Dick's 67. Steel or "real cars" rear clip with glass components front end doors etc. The weight and as is said today aero. The older cars could still be made to compete but more hp created the problem with available traction.
The evolution of the funny car had begun.
Yes Bruce Larson is another who had a 66-67 Chevelle. And with more thought I am not sure if it was Bobby Wood as I said or Jim Maybeck. Malcom Durham early on I believe to.
But I never saw a 68-72 Chevelle f/c.
enough for now
Dave