Duke's Drive In

[markjohnson]

All right, that's enough teasin'! Let's hear this 409 vs. LS-6 story from one of you guys!

[olredalert]

-----Mark,,,Jakes Dad is a one-in-a-million type guy. I met him shortly after I moved to Chicago in 1976 to take a job at Classic Motors in Hinsdale at the original "Jack Douglas Chevrolet" building. Jake (senior) was a route salesman with Nabisco and hes six foot four or five, so we called him the "Cookie Monster". He was a very welcome regular around C/Motors all the time I worked there as he brought all the out of date cookies and crackers to the dealership and kept us well fed for years. There is no way you could meet Jake and not become instant friends with him. I really do treasure his (and his families) friendship. He owned an absolutely beautiful 67 red/black 327/350 67 Vette roadster with A/C forever. He drove that car everywhere (and I do mean everywhere) and yet it always looked pristine. He used to tell us stories about his cousin and the Nassau Blue 62 409. His cousin, you see, was a wild, wild kid. He talked his old man into ordering the 62 409 Impala as an everyday family driver. After the car was home, cousin Eddie started going to Wisconsin and a certain quarter of a mile just about every weekend and almost always took his younger cousin Jake. That car got modified way past everyday driver status but was apparently still used by his Dad during the week. I think Jake told me that after the 73 gas crisis his cousin popped a 283 in the hole when he hurt the 409 and kept on driving the car. Eventually he parked it and it sat until he gave it to his cousin, Jake, who then restored it back to near new. Jake and his wonderful wife, Birdie went to the very 1st Car Craft Nationals in Indy with Jan and I. I took a 69 El Camino I had done a resto on with a tri-powered fairly mild 454. We had a ball, and I still have pictures of that weekend somewhere.
-------This is all a smokescreen to get out of telling you how he smoked my butt with that 409 against a very good running LS6 71 Corvette one night on the way back home from Dukes. Other than him beating me it wasnt that memorable a race (FOR ME!!!) .......Bill S

[RPOLS3]

I asked my dad about that race again after starting this thread and he thought he remembered that Stretch and Emo were in the LS6 (Stretch Driving) and you and Marty Levine were following behind in a 63(??) fuelie. That was probably almost 30 years ago and I wasn't there for that one so it's anyones guess at this point. If I remember - it was probably when the 409 had the 4:56 gears in it too???

[olredalert]

-----Jake,,,You are so right!!! I had a red 63 fuelie. I think I had sold the LS6 to Stretch by that time. Geez,,,I remember it like it was yesterday, but instead of it being me behind the wheel it was me watching from right behind. At least now I dont feel quite so bad about loosing . Senility setting in early.......Bill S