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Updated 2/18/03
Updated 2/18/03
Updated 12/5/06!
Updated 11/25/06
Updated 2/06/03
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Updated 2/18/03
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11/25/06
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California
may have had a lot of fuel altereds, but they didn't have a lock on
'em.
A
picture of a AA/FA that was owned by an old friend of mine, Ed Pearson
from Wakefield, Mass, shown here in action at New England Dragway Epping,
New Hampshire about 1970 or 1971. Photo by Paul Wasilewski Jr.
Well, nobody ever said they handled that well...
...but they do come down...Greg Peek from Englewood, Colorado, when he wasn't playing bicycle, he shoed this 23T AA/FA in the early 1970's to absolutely no time...0.00 at 000.00 MPH according to the Drag Racing List...anybody got any times and or speeds? Ooh, an answer! Got an e-mail from Greg Peek, and this is what he had to say about this little episode... "This was Columbus, Ohio ?Spring Nationals 1972 or 1973. The track was junk, the temp was real hot. We had something cause the left tire to loose traction and the car started coming around, in correcting the car started bouncing off the liners and wound up in the photos you have. As best I recall we estimated that I was going close to 150 MPH by the location on the track that it took place. As you can see, I had my hands full, had my bell rung from hitting the helmet on the inside of the cage, but still got the chute out. I pulled off the track at a RH turn out just before the lights (to the best of my recollection) and that explains the no speed or ET. Ironically and probably fortunately we had been trying to get things lined up in staging so that we could run Rosen & Shoemacher from Detroit on this qualifying run, but NHRA saw to it that we did not. Dave Hough Collection
Hill and Parmer's Bad Habit smokin' the hides on this Conneticut based FA
The funny guys weren't the only ones with the body distortion...note the roof on the Bad Habit at the 1972 Springnationals...
The Bad Boys of the East Coast. The Bad Habit Fiat, Charlie Hill and Bob Parmer's killer AA/FA out of Wrightsville, PA. First Fuel Altered to run in the 6's at Indy, with a 6.91 in 1972.
Here we have the Bad Habit, about ready to spank Willie. Note that Willie's driving the New Wing, so this is post 1970. Maple Grove is the place, during one of the West Coast Stan Rosen and John Schumacher's Altered Ego at the Gators...ran a best of 6.605, with a top MPH of 218.97 by 1973. Keith Black powered. Based out of Detroit.
Denison-Arlasky-Knox and Quality Auto Hot Roadsters at Bakersfield, 1964. Of course, only the Denison-Arlasky-Knox car was a Midwest ride. They were based out of Chicago, and Dave Arlasky built motors for a lot of hot rides in the Midwest. The Quality Auto roadster was run by Fred Cerruti, and he was based in Northern California.
These guys were hard runners, out of Chicago. Driver, none other than Ron "Snag" O'Donnell, who went on to greater fame as a Funny Car pilot.
This has to be an even earlier picture, as the tonneau cover isn't even here yet. Or they just forgot to put it on for this run? What I'd like to know, is who's in the other lane?
Flag starter here, what track? Could be Bakersfield, and again, who's racing the D-A-K boys?
It's none other than Lonny Denison (much slimmer and with a little more hair) and Pat Knox, the wife of one of the other owners, Willy Knox. (thanks to Eric Rosson for the info!)
Nice color shot of the D-A-K car at Cordova, Illinois. Dennis Friend photo
The Red version of the D-A-K car, with the taller 12 spokes, racing the ex-Mooneyham and Sharp, now K & G Speed Associates, Ford at the World Series of Drag Racing at Cordova, 1965.
Finally!
A color shot of the later version of the Denison-Arlasky-Knox roadster.
It's actually Dave Arlasky hisself! Dennis Friend photo
Nice static shot of the Denison-Arlasky-Knox roadster No idea who took this photo
Ron "Snag" O'Donnell gets some "hang time" in in the DAK roadster...
Well, not your usual Fuel Altered. Corwin and Johnson, out of Lakewood, CO (yeah I know it's not midwest, but it's not California, either), take a chance on the fuel altered by building a 1940 Studebaker AA/FA. Full bodied Fuel Altereds were very rare, but they're the actual true Fuel Coupes, which evolved from the dry lakes guys. And don't believe it when they call a modern day funny car a "fuel coupe". Just ain't true.
"Pete" Garramone photos And yes, it ran. Not terribly quick, but I'm sure there weren't a lot of Fuel Altereds in Colorado, so they probably had the class pretty much to themselves. They actually ran this car earlier as a B/Gas Supercharged. They ran a 354 cu. inch Chrysler in this, with all the trick (for the time) stuff in it, and ran, according to the DRL, a 9.49 at 167 mph, best times as of 1972. Not competitive, but it had to be a blast!
Darryl Dentler from Illinois, in the "Godfather" AA/FA 1972-3. RCE Chassis, 100" wb, 392, direct drive, Darryl ran a best of 6.90 at 207.5 mph in this ride.
"Whitey" Dentler in the Godfather at Tucson Raceway.
The date is 1964, the place, Green Valley Raceway, the event, the AHRA Nationals. Ernie Lentz, of San Antonio, TX, wins A/FR with a 10.18 at 161 miles per hour.
Green Valley still, but a calmer atmosphere... "I know this car well...as I write this, I'm looking at several pictures of her mounted in my office. This baby was owned by The Johnson Bros. (Hap..my dad, Reyne and Craig..my uncles) and Nicholson (Mike Nicholson), all from Amarillo, Texas. Shot is probably in 1968. Driver was Craig Johnson. This was their first altered following several AA/FD (used to be called A/FD) in the early 60's. Car went through several paint designs, a couple of nasty crashes - one at Green Valley, the other at the now defunct Dallas International. Car was sold in 72'..by this time was lower slung and running low 7's at 200+. Johnson Bros. Pre-War Funny Car. Also, won best appearing car award at 69' Geen Valley AHRA Nationals (picture of car in Drag Illustrated if I remember the title correctly)." Commentary by Kirk Johnson Photo by larry g smith
Gabby Bleeker and John Forska (in the Fiat), at Minnesota Dragway... Ron Johnson photo
Gabby smokin' it at Union Grove... Ron Johnson photo
Pretty much the man of the Midwest, Gabby Bleeker Dennis Friend photo
Gabby's Bantam, a little more refined than the above shot, at Indy, 1967
At the 1998 Midwest Hot Rod Reunion, Gabby Bleeker's updated, kinda restored Bantam AA/FA Leo Sullivan photo
Seems a tad long to be a Fuel Altered...but some people seem to think stability is a virtue. Leo Sullivan photo
Gary Decker at Minnesota Dragway, 1960... Ron Johnson photo
Run!!! It's the Bomb Squad!!!
Bobby Lagana Sr. tucks in Tony DeFeo before he climbs into the Bomb Squad AA/FA
Bob
Lagana's Twilight Zone AA/FA Art Cimilluca photos
Click this button to go to PAGE 2 of the Everywhere BUT the West Coast Altereds! Jim Sorenson
Awful
Awful Fuel Altereds © 1999-2007 Jim Sorenson All text is either copyright 1999-2007, Jim Sorenson or used by permission. |
