West Coast Altereds!

Updated 2/18/03

Updated 9/21/01

Updated 11/25/06

Updated 2/06/03

Updated 4/10/03

Updated 4/18/06

Updated 11/28/06

Updated 11/25/06
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Updated 11/23/06

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The Stinger

The Akins and Hardcastle Stinger II, driven by Gary Southern, was a Chrysler powered, direct drive, tube framed Kellison Astra kit car,
neither fish nor fowl, ran in the funny car classes, the sports car classes, and the fuel altered classes.
This car was one of the reasons that NHRA, when they instituted the Funny Car classes, specified "Production Bodies only"

Fantasia Willys

The Fantasia Willys

Bill Henderson's "looks like a gasser, smells like a fueler" 1940 Willys.

Fantasia launch

Driven by John "Tinkerbell" Lee, these guys were never a threat to take low ET in the Fuel Altered shows, but they sure had some fun!

Fantasia Smoker

They were trying a number of diiferent things with this car, basically subframing it so that the drivetrain was attached to a separate frame that pivoted off of the main frame.

Fantasia Chute

By 1969, they had managed an 8.35 ET , and a top speed of 180 MPH.

Thomas Pritchard

Thomas and Pritchard smokin' em in at Irwindale.

Between Heaven And Hell

You've got a car named Pure Hell. There's another one named Pure Heaven.

So, here's one named "Between Heaven and Hell". Lee LeBaron, a long time fuel altered guy, put together this Bantam, with a Rat motor for power to try and edge in between those two big names...

Bob Plumer photo

Heaven and Hell

Here's Lee LeBaron under power in the "Between Heaven and Hell"

Bob Thompson photo

~~the Boudakian Bros. get a little "altered"~~

Upon further examination, we here at Awful Awful Central have determined that this is NOT the Boudakian Bros. The concensus would now go to either Wilson and Topping's 'Bad Actor', but that doesn't look like Howard Haight in the seat, or Lee LeBaron's 'Savage Jr.'

What say you?

and a little color...the Boudakian Bros. with a Rat motor now...1970

Lyle Greenberg Collection

Boudakian Bros.

The Boudakian Brothers '23 T ...not a lot known about these guys...ran pretty exclusively in Southern California.

Bob Plumer photo

CHJ Boudakian

The Boudakian Brothers in a later incarnation...now a Rat motor between the rails...this old shot was found folded in half behind a filing cabinet, no matter, it's the feeling that counts, not the quality of the photo.

Quality Auto

Fred Cerruti's Quality Auto Bantam. Fred was originally a partner with Rich Guasco in the Pure Hell Bantam...note the similarities in the frame and front suspension...

no idea who's photo this is...

Quality Auto

Here's Fred's roadster in color...again, not the similarites between this car and the Pure Hell Bantam...could it be the same car?

Well, I ran into Rich Guasco at Sears Point, and asked him about this car. This is NOT the Pure Hell in green paint. But, the same NorCal chassis builder who constructed Pure Hell, Pete Ogden, was responsible for this car. He took some lessons learned from Rich and Dale's experience, and changed a few things. Note that the motor sits lower in the frame than Pure Hell. Clutch and tire development made the high mounted engines (for weight transfer) sorta obsolete.

Bob Plumer photo

the Scrounger

The Scrounger, Stan Lucas, and Tom Koulan's AA/FA

Bob Plumer photo

the Scrounger at speed

The Scrounger, at speed.

Dunn Merritt Velasco

Big Jim Dunn started out early with nitro...witness this, the Dunn/Merritt/Velasco Fiat. They ran this both as a legal AA/A in NHRA events, and as a AA/FA or Fuel Coupe at So Cal strips.

Cross and Sons

Howard Cross at OCIR...this had to be very early, as the only entry I show in the DRL, ia a 9.33 at 163.04 in 1964! So the time and speed predate the photo a bit, as OCIR wasn't even a blip at that time.

Instant T

Dennis Geisler's Instant T, not to be confused with Andy Brizio's Instant T, for all you street rod fans out there.

Dennis's T was MUCH faster than anything out of Brizio's shop.

Red Paris' Fiat AA/FA

Red Paris in COLOR!!!

Dave Bowman's Mental Cruelty...again, not a major player, but made the field at quite a few AA/FA blowouts. Dave later got a little more notoriety with his rear-engine Vega panel, the California Stud.

Bob Plumer photo

Mondello Matsubara

Can't believe it's taken this long to get to this car. Joe Mondello and Sush Matsubara's awesome Rat motored Fiat.One of the prettiest cars on the AA/FA circuit, it was also one of the fastest.

Sush

Sush, running the valves on that 480 inch Rat motor

Randy Bradford Collection

snodgrass mahnken

Another of the Odd Rods...this used to be a Fiat AA/FA with 427 Ford power. Now, as you see
it's a funny car with 427 Ford power!

poster

1978, kinda says it all, huh? Could this ever happen again?

Hyder Brothers

The Hyder Bros 1927 T AA/FA. Run out of Hyder's Garage, this car had a multitude of drivers; the driver pictured is Damon Fudge
(yep, I said Fudge), also Gary Southern, Tom Koulan, Chuck Birch, and Randy Bradford all took a turn at the wheel at least once.

Gorilla

Moving up about a decade, here's Mack McCord's Gorilla at the 1976 Fuel Altered Nationals in Tucson. Mack is still running Fuel Altereds today, they're just a little longer than this...and with wings.

Bad Actor

Don Wilson and Tom Topping's Bad Actor, at Tucson, Fuel Altered Nats, 1976.
Don Wilson was one of the original Panic partners,
along with Dave Sorenson in 1967. Possibly Denny Savage driving here

Wild Wild West

Johnny West's brother Jimmy West, in the Wild, Wild West AA/FA, again at the 1976 Fuel Altered Nationals.

Plan A

And here's Johnny! The Plan A car, still at the 1976 FA Nats.

this way (West Coast 2) or that way (West Coast 4)