Dick Harrell drag car (new thread)

[davenkc]

JoeC
I have no personal knowledge of the shop other than it existed.
The Sanders in the name of that shop is I believe the first name is right Frank Sanders. He was responsible for S&S headers, I remember the mention of that name as the builder of many sets for Dick for his racecars. I have a picture many have seen it is on many web sites of Dick's 64 Chevelle (427 Z11 power) racing a Ford Thunderbolt.
On the front fender is clearly seen "S&S Headers"
One other thing to answer another question I "officially" went to work for Dick when we started moving into the shop on Hickman Mills drive in KC. (winter/spring 67-68) One of the things Dick had brought with him was several sets of headers for Camaros with a 427, Guess what they were... S&S. This leads me to believe that the header equipped Early (stress on the early) Yenko cars had S&S headers. How does that prove out?

Dave
ps I can post the pic of the 64 Chevelle if you have never seen it.

[Stefano]

The information and participation on this thread has been phenomenal but I would like to get back to the issue at hand.

Since many have stated (certainly not to my satisfaction) that which Tim/COPO Locater does not have, then someone please tell me just what he does have.

As an independent bystander I am more confused than ever [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Who, what, where and when, built/raced the Funny Car which he has?

Copo Locater where are you??????

[copolocater]

Stefano please don't pull me back into this issue.I originally ask for help and received none.Now all this info is pouring out of the woodwork.Thats all I ask for from the beginning.The car is for sale like it was before this happened.It's just a 69 funnycar body with an updated chassis.I just want to get rid of the albatross.It's become a thorn in my side.You will see that I will not make other posts.But to reinterate Stefano I don't care.Thanks anyhow the more my name pops up the more people pressure me to respond.I don't need it anymore

[JoeC]

Dave,
here is an early picture of the 64 Chevelle with the Z-11 engine. I took this picture of a picture in Valerie's scrap book.
So you remember doing a lot of 427 conversions at the shop on Hickman Mills drive in KC on Camaros, Chevelles, and Novas?

[davenkc]

Joe,
Yes I have seen that pic before. Here is the pic I mentioned. That pic has the front fender obscured by reflected sun or something.

Yes originally there was 2 of us who did the conversions, myself and a fellow named Danny O'Shay. As I have mentioned I personally did all 4 of the Chevelle 427 conversions (the other red one was sold to my brother as a 396/375 and a week later recieved a 427 after the 396 spun a front main.So in reality I did all 5 of those. It is hard to put a # on the Camaros and Chevylls (68s were chevyll). But I put in 10-12 hours a day for nearly 3 years.I would do it again in a heartbeat. Early on when Dick learned of my passion for the funny cars I was allowed to learn the work side of them (not just watching them). I would not trade those times and memories for ANYTHING! Few people had the chance to do what I did and will be forever grateful to Mr.Chevrolet for that chance.
Dave

[davenkc]

Stefano,
Aginst my better judgement I will comment on Tim's car
First and foremost I will not make any guesses on its past history, based on my observations of it at the reunion I will venture an opinion (stress opinion).
First in regard to the chassis. My first impression was it was a home made bracket racer. However Craig who I was with there observed it was very near in design to an early Tom Smith (Wolverine Chassis ) a builder of some renoun in the late 60's. He stated the slightly offset driver location and rec.tube lower frame rail being consistant with his design. Not being familiar with that I take his word for it. But that by no means is any proof of anything.
As far as the body goes I for one think it is a VERY good one considering it's age. I for one would be very happy to have it beside the 71 Camaro f/c body in my back yard. That being said the possibility of tracing a body back is at the very best marginal. There were funny cars everywhere all over the country. Unlike "real cars" there is no paperwork no serial numbers nothing only he said she said to rely on
so if I have made any point I hope you understand. My statment that I would like to have it is just that, I would like to have it. But my racing days have passed years ago and I know it so I must be satisfied to just look and reflect on what I should have done.
best wishes to you and Tim.
Dave

[Stefano]

Dave,
I certainly don't know nnuch about funny cars, but I gew up down the road fronn Rick Roshto and Steve NNanhart. They ran a funny car called the Vixen. I used to hang out, with nny custonn built Shwinn chopper. I would listen to engine and watch the flannes it would through out of the headers, at dusk. you could hear the car throughout the neighborhood literally for nniles, Very fond nnennories indeed.

If there is a way to verify and validate who nnay have raced/built the car and if it does have sonne historical significance then I nnight be inclined to put a deal together with Copolocater.

[hvychev]

STEFANO! Get the M button fixed or postpone your next super car purchase and spend the C-Note for a new one!!!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Stefano]

I have nny priorities strait, everything and then sonne, plus a little nnore goes to sonne 'really neat cars' and a couple of 'super cars'.

Who needs nn's any way.

[menmyfcs]

Funny car bodies were made by a few people at the time. The one in Chicago was Fiberglass Ltd, Ron Peligrini. There were also a few chassis builders in that area.BTW. for you Chicago guys. The Funny car hang out in the late 60s and early 70s was the Phillips motel in think was 8750 S. Ciscero.That is where most of us stayed.Also Speed sport on 111th. None of which I knew to build the kind of car Tim has. I have 5 or 6 pictures of Tim's car's previous owner, Ken Peterson, prior to the eBay auction. Ken Peterson sent Valerie the pictures and she emailed them on to me. Peterson met Richard Schroeder while he was in Boise along with Mousie Marcellus, who was the partner of Wild Wille Borsch and still owns the Winged Express. Petersen told me that Mousie & Schroeder told him it might be a Dick Harrell car. When I saw both Richard and Mousie about 3 weeks later they said "NO WAY" did they say that. When the car went up for auction on Ebay, the auction was discussed on several of the race sites (i.e., Fuel Coupes), which all posts said no way was this a DH funny. I don't believe that Tim did not receive any help. He just asked people who may not have known. Kinda like asking the guy at Home Depot in the lumber dept how to build a computer. Please don't disregard the fact that Tim's car is still a darn nice find. J&E Fiberglass and Fiberglass Trends also made this type of body. If it were me I would just keep posting on sites and researching. The best way is to trace backwards. Start with Ken Peterson. If you need his contact information either can be obtained from myself or Valerie. The body may have never been with that car till a short time ago. Again, find out where Petersen got it and trace it back. I would say the Northwest to start. Now to send something that may answer a few other questions. As you can see someone scratched out the Sanders Auto name and the address; here is a dated Dick Harrell invoice. Please note that the invoice is an authenticated Dick Harrell handwriting for one of the Yenko conversion cars. Have fun with it!