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A recent trip to Missouri and the need for a rental car had me standing at the Hertz Rental Car counter near the Kansas City Airport to pick up my mid-sized rent-a-ride. Rental car sizing seems interesting as it is questionable if the reference is to the vehicle or the driver.
The response from the person on the car lot back to the rental clerk was slow. It seemed as though the mid-sized cruisers were out of stock so she requested a standard version. Again the reply was at the same speed as Barbara Bush running a 100 meter sprint so the helpful counter clerk asked if I would like to rent a Prius.
She could see by my shrugging shoulders and gag reflex that I wasn´t particularly interested but stated it would be easy on fuel. Trying to do my part to help reduce emissions and save petrol for my 39 year old Pontiac gas hog I agreed to cinch my saddle on the back of the Prius.
First things first, what the heck does Prius mean? Dictionary.com says it is an adjective and means - (in prescriptions) before; former. Before what? Former as in previously? If this is cutting edge technology how does a label of "before" or "former" fit into anything? Before the car there was Prius? Wouldn´t that be a horse or a rickshaw?
The 2009 Prius is the most fuel efficient mass produced car for sale in the U.S. and has an image so pure that one expects all the demons living in the road to submit their resignations as their tritons go limp and their tails fall off when one approaches.
To begin the experience, there is no blade on the "key" as it plugs into a docking station. Once docked the brake pedal is pressed and a button is pushed, only to not hear an engine fire up. No Flowmasters on this contrivance. I pulled on my full face George Jetson mask and put the inadequate feeling mini-shifter in D ready to be whooshed into the atmosphere with hummingbirds, butterflies and fairy dust blasting from the soda straw that served as an exhaust pipe. It felt as though it may have been a little heavy on the fairy dust as acceleration was nearly catatonic. I fully expected to be passed by a Barcalounger and its occupant when entering the freeway.
The car shuddered as though it was about to incur an intestinal expulsion as the gasoline engine started when I headed for the exit. After a few miles I became curious about the intent of the "B" printed on the shift knob. Knowing that the Prius has electric motors (one as a powerplant and the other to recharge the battery pack) it seems logical that since I was in the mid-west where an insect manufacturing plant exists this must be for a built-in Bug Zapper. Imagining how cool it would be to watch a lightning bolt arc from the roof and microwave a big brown river bug in flight made me anxious for nightfall.
Handling is not a term that seems to translate into being ecologically responsible when minimal driving is the ultimate environmental cure. Competition events are obviously unnecessary travel, but a hybrid road racing series would be pretty cool, albeit perhaps viewed as an oxymoron. It would be awesome to see flames shooting from the exhaust as unburned gas ignites when entering a curve while sparks crackle the ozone when the electric propulsion system goes into generator mode as the Sparkymobile exits a turn. Laps would need to be limited to a few since the current gaggle of hybrids are synonymous with dawdling.
These little eco-wonderwagons are so emissions clean that I can envision tube-like tunnels of clean air as they drive about the polluted streets of Los Angeles, Mexico City and Linfen, China. A cape would one day replace the rear spoiler as hybrids all over the world make planet Earth so clean that mastodons, Tasmanian Tigers and Edward R. Murrow revive from extinction!
In summary, the experience of driving a Prius nearly 1400 miles is about as satisfying as a slice of bread and butter for dessert, although the rental clerk was correct about it being easy on fuel. The mileage varied from 47 to 51 boring miles per gallon of gas, but this was written for Rod News and revs on the funmeter define what we are about. So in support of local automotive events let´s all fire up our internal combustion dinosaurs, waste some fossil fuel and leave the hybrids for the daily drive to work.
| My Muscle Car | Eco Car | |
|---|---|---|
| Make | Pontiac | Toyota |
| Model | Formula 400 | Prius (Sparky) |
| Year | 1970 | 2009 |
| Engine | 400 CID V-8 Ram Air III | 91 CID I-4 |
| Horsepower | 345 gross | Minimal |
| Transmission | 4 speed manual | CVT Automatic |
| Miles Per Gallon | Who cares? | 50ish |
| 1/4 mile acceleration | 14 seconds or quicker | All day |
From the mean streets of Bagdad, Iraq to the glittering streets of Las Vegas, Staff Sergeant Kevon Condon has been around. This US Army Staff Sergeant and Las Vegas resident has spent time in the southeast, Texas, Germany, and the garden spots of the Middle East. When he has a free moment these days, I see him at Anthony Parker´s All American Rod and Custom in Henderson, NV. With his sleeves rolled up he and the staff are working on his ride, a rat rod so wild that it looks ready to knock you out for even looking at it. Enter the "Unexpected Surprise," a car that lives up to its name by challenging everything that you think about the automobile.
Driving a vehicle equipped with firepower and horsepower is nothing new to Kevon. His other ride has been a tank when on duty in the Middle East.
He has served as a tank commander in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom and saw time in Fallujah and Sadr City. The Mahdi militia may have done their best to dampen his spirits, but hope always persevered. During the first election that the Iraqis had experienced in 30 years, the festivities were interrupted by a suicide bomber. Kevon´s crew arrived only to see smiling Iraqis emerge from their poll, walk through the aftermath with smiles, a dyed finger raised and kind words of "U.S.A. number one. Thank you America." When recounting that, Kevon smiles and says, "At that moment, I knew that I was there doing the right thing."
Kevon started his project with just a cowl and block. He wanted to create something new. His vision encompassed the earliest roots of hot rodding, "The theme of the car has gone towards more of the World War 2 era. Guys used stuff that came back from the war, was found in a junkyard and used in a hot rod. I´ve gone with that theme with the bomber seats, and the custom painted nose art on the doors. Somebody who has no money, who´s just gone out and just scrounged up what they can out of the junkyard and put it together. You may not get a girl in it cruising downtown, but it's something to go out and race your buddy in." So far this sounds pretty familiar to me.
This project may appear to be another patina project with a healthy block on display, but I defy you to spend a moment with this hand-built car and you´ll see just how aptly named it is. Something is just not quite right. And then, wait a second, there´s more that´s not right, but it works so well. Let´s start at the cowl. Well that sure looks like a 1930 Chevrolet, and . . . well it stops there. What if a 1930 Chevy met a 1960 Impala and they were left alone for a while. You get the idea. That is a narrowed 1960 rear behind that cowl. Well then, it would only make sense to add a 1936 International pickup grill to top it off. Who needs to see where we´re going if we´re making good time? The windshield has been chopped to 5 inches. Headlights from a 1938 Cadillac light the way, after having been significantly relieved to accept a shiny 100-amp Powermaster alternator.
But I´m getting ahead of myself. These are only the modifications to the body. There is so much going on, and the real interest is in the details. The details keep coming like a set of stacking dolls; once you reveal one, you eye starts to pick out more and more. Kevon says, "I think of the car as an Easter egg hunt. It´s fun at shows to watch people as they find those little details on the car such as the brass knuckles on the grill, or the girls on the side, the V-8 logos, or old claw furniture feet ornaments. A lot of these pike nuts as well, usually seen on motorcycles, are now used throughout the car." Did I mention the two replica .30 caliber Browning machine guns? Get ready some road rage!
If you can get past all of this, you´ll notice one of the finer things in life. That mill is a late 60´s Corvette 350 with fuelie heads. It´s been recently rebuilt to run on today´s 91 premium. Finned valve covers add a sense of nostalgia and shine. For a unique touch Condon added an Offenhauser dual cross-ram intake. Two Holley 450 double-pumper carbs and Hillborn scoops top off the setup. In time, Condon would like to replace these with a fuel injection setup. But wait, what´s that under the carbs? Nitrous, naturally. Kevon explains, "eI wanted a little something extra, so I added the nitrous system. It's a 100-hp shot of nitrous." A demon´s head shaped gear shifter has found new life as a nitrous purge, venting though the nostrils. Road rage indeed. A second planned upgrade is to add a functional 10´ drag chute. Will it stop you in Las Vegas traffic? Maybe not. Will it get a second look? Oh ya.
A 1930´s ford pickup front axle keeps things moving along, but receives direction from a rack and pinion unit. The push out back is from an 80´s Impala 10-bolt rear. An aluminum radiator from Speedway Motors keeps the car cool in traffic.
Kevon has been removed from his tank for the last three years serving as an US Army recruiter here in the Las Vegas area. This is the most recent job that he has had in the army, and he is currently hoping to become a retention specialist. The Army is always looking for a few good men, and soon it will be his job to hang on to the good ones that it has.
The theme of blood, sweat and gears pervades this car. Kevon and the staff at All American have spent endless hours to build the only car that needs a shoehorn to get in and a can opener to get out of. Not talking things too seriously Kevon says, "The car has been built to completely have fun and to make people smile. I remember this one show that I was at where these two older guys walked by and one turned to the other, shook his head and said, ´You know if we put our minds together we could build something like this too.´ I thought it was great."
You´ll see Kevon out at area Las Vegas shows or on the road in his automotive expression. I guarantee that you´ll recognize it immediately and that you will never see another vehicle like it. Spectators cruising the car show may comment, "Well they don´t make them like this anymore." If so, they must be talking about another car, because nothing has been made like this home brew. Ride on Road Warrior.
Romeo Furio: owner, mechanic, collector, racer, creator, promoter . . . enthusiast. There aren´t many things that he hasn´t done when it comes to all things automotive. I first met this Boulder City, NV resident almost ten years ago while I was working for his wife, Lynn. I had started to catch the car bug, and she let me know that he would always be available to speak car to me. So far, Romeo has never let me down. At the time I assumed that he was like me, into the glory days of the American auto when muscle madness was all the rage. What I didn´t know was that beneath his unassuming nature and easy-going demeanor beats the heart of a serious car nut that bumps in time to high-lift cams and roaring exhaust.
Sure, we all know car nuts. But how about one who can pass off a magazine cover car, and Hot Rod magazine Top 10 Car of the Year with as much nonchalance as if to say, "Oh, this old thing?quot Romeo seems to do this with ease. He has been a partner in a handful of stunning Steve Strope of Pure Vision Designs of Simi Valley, CA creations (see more of Steve´s work at www.purevisiondesign.com). The two met during the 1996 Hot Rod Magazine Power Tour. Strope owned the Skully Charger at the time. Furio would later purchase the car in 1999. It was during the purchase of the Charger when Strope asked Furio if he would be interested in doing another car. This was around the time that I met him (2000), and the project car that he is talking about is a ´ 71 Duster named DustYa. You may remember that this little "project" became another Hot Rod Top 10 car, modeled for companies such as YearOne, did Hot Rod Power Tour duty, and was created as a Johnnie Lightning toy. Some miles and some fun later it was sold to Reggie Jackson at auction.
DustYa was amazingly popular in print, at events, and in the media. It defined a new millennia for aftermarket and reproduction Mopar parts. Furio was approached by Chrysler to do another build with Strope. This was the super-rad GTX-R a ´ 72 Plymouth Satellite that was transformed into a TransAm racer. This was an arrest-me red demon that hit big during the ProTour scene. Like all of his cars, it was driven and saw Power Tour miles. Ultimately this was sold at the Barrett-Jackson automobile auction. After this was a ´ 71 Chrysler Newport called "BIG." The goal was to rope things in at this point, and do magazine level style, but on a lower budget. The duo transformed a $190 Boulder City junkyard car into $8K - $9K of show car. The two drove it on the Power Tour from Los Angeles, CA to Nashville, TN and back again. Mission accomplished.
Romeo continues to work with Strope in support of Phil Painter´s astounding Mopars at the Strip event. They are cornerstone figures in the annual Charity Giveaway car (see the ´ 67 Coronet featured in this month´s Rod News). They complete and given away a number of cars over the years, but perhaps the most deserving winner was a young woman from Utah. The auctioned car in question was an ´ 80 Plymouth Volare station wagon "because wagons are cool. Everybody likes a wagon. The girl who won it is from Utah, and every year she says that she is going to come back with it for Mopars at the Strip and every year she´s pregnant and ready to give birth. So for the three years after she has won that car, she hasn´t been able to make the event." Thankfully she won the wagon and not a Plymouth Horizon.
His favorite car however is a super clean little ´ 65 Belvedere that has served as an excellent cruiser. This car is a two time Power Tour veteran. It featured a big block and a Keisler 5 speed transmission. That was fine, but not willing to leave things alone, it was torn apart and transformed into a drag car in 2006. It now is torn down completely awaiting a full restoration where it will become a boulevard bruiser with a nod to traditional 60´s street rod treatment. "Oh and here´s the motor for it," says Romeo gesturing to a tarp covered monolith larger than Oprah´s checkbook. Pulling the cover back revealed an ecologist´s nightmare of gargantuan proportions. "That´s a Hemi, second generation, it´s a 472, got Indy aluminum heads on it, and a Mopar performance cross ram." Always understated Furio adds, " . . . probably in the 600 horsepower range. It´s very mild because it´s going to be a street driven car." He stressed that point, all his rides are driven, with the exception of his strip-dedicated rides.
This Belvedere is not his only racer. You´ll see Romeo racing at the Strip in a 13-second red Dodge Dart Slant Six that he´s owned since 1992. He races under the moniker of Relic Racing. (Relic Racing was created one night by his stepdaughter and integrates the family names: Romeo, Emily, Lynn Including Corey). He knows that he can get more out of it, but he´d like to keep it around a while. That Dart is pure joy to him, and there´s nothing like showing off 2/3 of a block to the guy that you just smoked.
So where does the car passion come from? "That´s easy," says Furio, "My oldest brother180s first car whenever I was eight years old was a Nash Metropolitan. He bought two of them, one to keep the other car running, and that was the first car that he ever took to the dragstrip." This lead to the older boys and dad getting into the racing scene.
Eight may have been early to start but that assured that Romeo had a hand in lots of other projects. One brother seemed to change cars more often than socks, having 48 cars by the age of 18 (including a ´ 62 Sport Fury convertible with a 361 and 2 four barrels purchased from a school teacher) Romeo started his own tally sheet early. "My first car, I was only 14. I bought a ´ 66 Valiant for $16 because that was all the money that I had in my pocket." It was purchased from a classmate´s mother. It had overheating issues and was wrecked in the front, and had sat a while in the back yard. Romeo inquired and was met with a "come and get it" response. The classmate was the title holder however, and didn´t like the sound of "free." A bargain was struck with the contents of his pockets, and Romeo was able to bring it home a few miles after a new battery with no serious heat issues. At the time Romeo was making a dollar an hour at the local gas station. This went to a new $10 junkyard fender, bumper, ball joints and other required parts. About this time, Romeo´s older brother was in the Navy and was to be stationed. He took the car and drove it for three years between Florida and Virginia. A careless driver helped to re-align the front end one night at an intersection, removing it from the rest of the car. The insurance payout was $1500. That´s a better return than the stock market!
Cars just always seemed to be around for this Pittsburgh area family. The Mopar fascination comes from a family affair. "My dad always had Chrysler products. His first car was a 1936 Plymouth, and from there he moved up to a 1953 Chrysler, a 1957 Chrysler, 1963 Chrysler and then from there he bought his first high performance car, a 1968 Coronet RT 440. I couldn´t believe that this is what he brought home, it was so much smaller than his other cars. A ´ 70 Dodge Dart with a Slant Six was his next car, and that´s where my fascination with Slant Sixes came from."
I asked Romeo about his fascination with cars. He told me that, "Well, I wish that I knew something else. This is all I know. Nothing has consumed me as much as this hobby.&#quot Well he certainly does it well and with class. Under his guidance I have found something for myself and been drawn to the Pontiac flame, but for Romeo, make his a Mopar.
A Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction is to car people what a Death-By-Chocolate Brownie is to Kirsty Alley, a Droolfest. Marquee attractions include the latest offerings from auto manufacturers, vendors featuring a variety of products and, naturally, some of the most desirable vehicles in the world take a turn traversing the dreamland auction block.
A surprising addition to the second Las Vegas edition of Barrett- Jackson allowed hands on driving experiences. Cone courses were provided to sample the latest wares from Ford, General Motors and Porsche. Since foreign makes don´t personify the time-honored fabric woven into traditional American hot rods, classics and muscle cars, the focus was drinking from the american automotive fountain.
The cone courses were tight to keep wanna-be Formula One drivers from becoming Michael Schumacher on crack and smashing into other objects, but open enough to experience the essence of the performance orientation. Pro Formance Group, Inc. was contracted by Ford to maintain order and make certain one of the Mustangs isn´t suddenly adopted.
Pro Formance´s Vice-President Randy Bliecher, is a former instructor at the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Knowing his skills to be far above average I asked him to take me for a ride in a Mustang GT convertible so I could concentrate on the car´s behavior. Randy nailed it and while the V-8 exhaust bark may not be loud enough for a hot rod with Flowmasters hanging under the chassis the language indicated the 4.6 had personality. There was a sampling of cowl flex but better than expected for a car missing its roof. As the pony-car entered the turns well above granny speed a bit of NASCAR "push" was evident. Randy said this is a normal factory suspension setup as most drivers get into less trouble than when aggressively driving a tail-wagger.
Later I saddled up the Mustang then worked my way through the GM offerings and was enamored by the new Camaro. The Ford felt more nimble on the mini-course but the Chevy seemed to be toying with the tight little playground. The star on the Christmas Tree was a ride with one of the drivers in a Corvette from the Bob Bondurant School. When I mentioned that I had taken some of their courses the pilot drove as though he had stolen the car. Even he was excited which validated I got the E-ticket ride.
Rod News celebrates the personalization of earlier vehicles and the adaptation or creation of parts that exemplify individual tastes. North American manufacturers continue the same exercises on new vehicles with the application of forward thinking technology. 21st century knowledge dramatically improves on the efforts from Ford´s 1934 engineers in every manner.
While 2010 cars aren´t what this magazine is about they won180t always be new and perhaps 30 years from now Rod News will be writing about how far technology has advanced in 2040. After all, Chevrolet´s first overhead valve V-8 in 1917 was state of the art at the time.
Sellers´ spirits fell along with the gavel at the second annual Barrett-Jackson auction in Las Vegas, Nevada. Recession-level pricing was evident as some highly unique, and desirable, vehicles cleared the auction block at prices lower than previously seen. Rod News was there to follow the fever pitch of the four day event held October 7 - 10, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Much more than a regular auction, the Barrett-Jackson automobile auction is an event with activities including: a fashion show, a locals´ car show hosted by The Las Vegas Cruisin´ Association, automobilia galleries, test tracks to drive the latest Ford, GM and Porsche products, and drift exhibitions presented by Ford; all crowned by the auction. If you have the means, this was the time to make a move on that special vehicle. We were there to see what was offered, and for how dearly.
The auction vehicles were available for preview before and after auction in the Mandalay Bay Convention Center space. The massive concrete and iron girder hanger-sized room, was transformed from a spartan appearance into a regal showcase filled with more glittering automotive treasures than Ali Baba´s cave replete with miles of red carpet driveways which allowed vehicles to parade in style from static display to auction block. Scouring the room looking eagerly at the offerings, our eye came to focus on the two examples featured here. These have been selected from the many fine vehicles sold at the auction because they are representative of the kind of ride that you may be dreaming of, or are working on at home.
Both vehicles are new projects, not surviving hot rods, and this should be considered when viewing the auction results. Both projects feature a popular and affordable approach to rodding, fabricated Ford bodies, Chevy 350 power and Ford 9" rears. Read on to see what a difference details make.
This ´ 34 was built by Doug Porter in five months of nights and weekends and features a fiberglass body by Redneck Street Rods of Lamar, Missouri. A Chevy 350 is backed by a Turbo 350 trans and Ford 9" rear. Like most classic coupes, the mill is on display and sports the classic Offenhauser intake topped off by three Stromberg deuces. Cal Custom valve covers and Speedway Ram Horn manifolds complete a period feel. The interior is finished in tuck and roll seats and door panels, and a ´ 40 steering wheel. The suspension features some shine from chrome shocks, hairpins and a shiny drilled front axle. Steelie wheels and white bias ply tires top off this classic treatment.
Sale Price: $48,400.00
This second coupe had all of the features that you could want, and taken them one step beyond. This is a beautiful example of the talents found in car crazy California (finally assembled in Arizona). It is a stunning car, and has a pedigree that you would expect of the Barrett-Jackson event. This gold vision was christened, "Screamin´ Kat", by its builder Rick Dore (Rick Dore Kustoms, Phoenix, Arizona). It has been featured on the cover and pages of Street Rodder magazine. The cosmic paint is a House of Kolor custom mix using Spanish gold with flake. It has a pearl that refuses to be ignored and was offset by a white pearl block and matching smooth firewall. This beautiful body was created by Rat´s Glass of Friendsville, Tennessee and is mounted to a TCI chassis. Tasteful pinstripes are thoughtfully added along the firewall and front of the frame.
The exposed Chevy 350 features every piece of engine jewelry that Mooneyes makes, down to its chrome knife-handle dipstick. To keep things on the straight and narrow, TCI hairpins and Super Bell I-beam axle make up the front. If you can make it past the period whitewall drag slicks mounted on Radir wheels, you´ll see a polished Ford 9" nestled in a TCI 4-link out back. The coupe is ready for cruising with a Hughes Racing Transmission 700R4 overdrive tranny.
Sale Price: $82,500.00
The details represent a healthy difference in the bottom line, almost doubling the final sale price. Could you build this rod yourself? Maybe, maybe not. The finest components, over-the-top body work, magazine notoriety, and a known builder have pushed this rod well out of the reach of many mere mortals. However, a gentler treatment also shown here has created a well built, dependable and reliable rod. Doug Porter was able to produce his in 5 months, but you may not have to wait that long. Scottsdale is just down the road, and the 39th annual Barrett-Jackson automobile auction will be held January 18-24, 2010. See additional photos and more Barrett-Jackson in our online gallery.
Discovering a 1958 Dodge pickup on the streets of anywhere USA is about as likely as finding a striped Panda sporting a Mohawk and a Britney Spears tattoo, but Las Vegas has one of Mother MoPar´s finest examples within the city limits. When Chrysler was screaming uncle as the 21st century settled into recession perhaps a phone call to Don Kerns could have dulled the fangs of the bankruptcy beast. Fortunately, the Cash for Clunkers program was non-existent at the time Don was looking beneath unturned stones as he discovered the D-100 sulking on the grounds of Vegas Valley Auto Wrecking. Deemed unusable, the cast-off old truck would have been a prime candidate for becoming a two ton metal cube sculpture if the crusher had been prowling the rows of discarded vehicles.
As delivered from the factory, Dodge trucks seemed to be more workhorse inspired while prissy show ponies were a secondary priority. The factory attempt at a beauty queen was the D-100 Sweptside with its over the top fins created by the addition of the rear fenders from the two door station wagon. The less flamboyant regular variety is often overlooked by collectors and hot rodders for versions manufactured by competitors. It took a pair of Kern´s magic glasses to visualize the supermodel hidden within the plain vanilla wrapper.
Original engines choices began with a 3.77 liter inline 6 cylinder wheezing 120 gross horsepower through its inhaler. Topping off the option list was a 315 cube V-8 boasting 204 ponies in its corral. No self respecting hot rodder could be satisfied with these low output factory choices and Don has a lot of self respect. Plenty of space was available under the big louvered hood so it was a natural habitat for eight cylinders of 5.7 liter hemi. The 2007 powerplant exceeds the output of both factory engines combined and the 2 inch ceramic coated headers make exhaling less laborious, thus further enhancing the thrust factor.
Reinforcing and boxing the front of the stock frame added strength and allowed for merging a 1987 Jaguar suspension with rack and pinion steering system. Front disc brakes aided by a power booster upgraded the old D-100´s stopping inability to modern standards. A 9" Ford rear axle converts the driveshaft´s rotation 90 degrees once it has transferred the power from the massaged Chrysler 727 automatic transmission.
Locating parts for such a unique vehicle is challenging and even finding the rear window was as difficult as having correct change for a pay toilet during a bout of Norovirus. " That back glass, they don´t make that any more ", said Don, " that piece of glass came out of New York. " Internet searches identified two of the over 50 year old windows and this example was the superior choice.
In spite of problems locating parts it only took two years for this former junkyard inhabitant to undergo its transformation and become a candidate for Belle of the Automotive Ball. The bodywork, paint and interior were farmed out with results far more successful than any operation performed by Joan River´s plastic surgeon. The remaining work was completed by the owner.
Dodges are not new to the Kerns garage as before the D-100 it housed a 1964 440 with a 383 featuring two four barrel carburetors. The B-Body street prowler was an award winner at previous MoPars at the Strip events further illustrating Don´s talent at building high caliber machines.
When the Dodge D-100 RT was in its terrible twos a different automotive twist was part of Don´s life while living in San Diego. He was the pilot of a fuel injected Chevy powered 1941 Willys running as a B/Gas classified drag racer throughout southern California. Don´s partner in the race car was Carl Schiefer, better known as the son of Paul Schiefer, the founder of Schiefer and Sons. The company was famous in the 1960´s and 70´s for production of Rev-Loc clutches and explosion proof flywheels.
The car hobby runs in the family DNA as a daughter and brother, who both reside in Southern California, proudly display their respective interpretations of automotive expression. Don makes a point of attending area car shows with them whenever possible.
In an automotive era labeled by many to be mundane with cookie cutter repetition this bright red Dodge D-100 RT is a testament to individuality and making a personal statement.
So two guys walk into a bar and the bartender says, " What is this, some kind of a joke?" Ok, so stop me if you´ve heard this one; One day these two guys decide to start their own car club. . . was this a joke? Well, sort of. The Two Guys Car Club may have been formed on a whim one day, but the one thing (and this may be the only thing) that Jim Amburn and Mike Gail of Boulder City, Nevada take seriously, is cars. Certainly not trailer queens or trophy-crazy prima donnas, these two keep the car scene real in Henderson and Boulder City. They maintain, drive and cruise their cars with reckless abandon. Cars that are too nice to drive? These guys have never heard of it.
Why a club with only two guys? This all started as an off-hand comment. Jim and Mike were attending the Golden Memories show in Jean and when filling out their show cards one completed the card as being members of the " Two Guys Car Club." Jim recounts, " Later that day a woman walked by and commented, ´ Two Guys Car Club? Who are they? Who´s in charge? ´ We laughed and pointed at each other. " This cavalier attitude is brought into all of their activities.
So what´s it like in a car club with only two members? For part-time club president Jim and part-time club president Mike, it appears that they have all that they need. Neither of the members will accept responsibility for leadership. The position of club president is shared by both members. This role changes daily and is decided by wardrobe. Their unstated policy is that the member that shows up wearing the club t-shirt is president for a day. Mike claims that there was once a club treasury, " One day somebody gave one of us a quarter, and I can´t remember who, and we lost it. We were going to start a bank account, but couldn´t find it, and forgot who gave us the quarter. Until we get another quarter, it looks like the position is still open."
The Two Guys Car Club may not have the biggest roll call, but there is great diversity in the club. Their rides represent two of the great traditions in car culture; traditional hot rods and custom machines. Jim´s tastes lean towards traditional hot rods while Mike´s ´ 55 Ford truck is a lesson in customs. The day that I caught up with them, Jim was sporting his hot rod Ford truck. Just over three years ago, this project started as a flathead block born to a 1953 Mercury.
It was treated to a full rebuild by Denny Williams of Skull Marine Performance Engines in Boulder City. Now bored over about +0.030, it provides 276 c.i.d. of fun. The engine was completed and sat for two years at Amburn´s house while he envisioned a steel wrapper fit for it. His searching led him to a slick set up from Last Refuge Hot Rods in Dolores, CO. They hooked Jim up with a 1932 chassis and 1929 body and bed. The finished truck took just over a year to build and is tailor fit for the flathead, right up to its Mexican blanket interior. The treatment is simple and classic. Like all traditional rods, it sports only what you need to get around. The block is the most expensive piece of the truck, and is prominently on display, topped by Offy heads and 3 singles. Crowning all of this, as if to add a punch line, are simple wood rails on the bed emblazoned with " TWO GUYS CAR CLUB " .
Jim retired from the Clark County School District after teaching high school for 40 years, 22 years of which were spent in the auto shop at Valley High School. He recounted how he and the students built numerous seasonal projects including an 11-second 1967 Camaro for the SEMA show. His policy was to write letters to all vendors and speed manufacturers that he could meet describing the students´ work. He said that, " surprisingly three quarters of the companies that I contacted would send a product or item in return. The best thing that we ever got was a set of aluminum Trick Flow heads. " That sounds pretty good, and this must have been in the days before the junk mail that I get. It seems that he did get his share of "stuff" as well. He recounts, " Once I received cases of shaving cream. I don´t know why, they would just send you this stuff. So I gave it out to the students. Later in the afternoon I needed to go down to the office and there was shaving lotion all over the walls, they must have had fights with it. I don´t think that they were shaving yet. " That time it looks like the joke was on Mr. Amburn, the shop teacher.
Mike Gail makes up the other half of the Two Guys Car Club and has been a Boulder City resident since 1955, growing up there. He is currently retired from the UA Local 525 Plumbing, Pipefitting, and Refrigeration union after 37 and a half years of service. He´s had a hand in building much of the Las Vegas Valley through projects big, small, and now demolished.
His labor of love these days is a fantastic 1955 Ford F-100. This is painted in a unique hue dubbed, " Mastercraft Blue " and turns heads wherever Mike and his wife, Karen go. (This turns heads as well as their ever present matching Hawaiian shirts.)
Mike Schartrel of Hesperia, California striped flames on the snout of this Ford in 2003. They delicately wrap the front in green and silver and complete this cruiser´s image. A Chevy 327 topped
with an Edelbrock Performer 600 carb, manifold and small RV cam make this 300 horse mill, " plenty good " according to Mike. This custom machine rolls right on a set of 17" American Racing wheels wrapped in sticky Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber (225/45/ZR17, 315/35/ZR17; front and rear).
AirRide bags give the truck its low-brow stance and a pairing of Wilwood and Stainless Steel disc brakes make sure that progress comes to a halt. Mike´s easy-going nature disguises the attention to detail featured in his truck. The list of
custom features goes on and on.
A polished sill meets your eye in his door jams, and is matched by polished covers that wrap his frame rail between cab and bed. Years ago there was a radio in the tweed headliner. Once that was removed, Mike was faced with a hole. He turned to Jim of Jim´s Custom Upholstery in Boulder City to help with this. It just semed right to make a
smiley face out of foam and create a cover. It´s there, so look for it next time you see Mike´s truck around town. He pointed out, " It´s about having fun and having fun with your vehicle. "
Though tradition may rule their style, they have acclimated to the new millennia. Their men´s only club was recently challenged by suffragette and Boulder City resident, Nancy Colyar. It seems that Nancy saw all of the fun that the boys were having and invited herself into the club. Their ranks had been broken! Now things were going to change with a female who held the position of part time 1/3 president of the club. A vote was taken to see if this was legal according to club by-laws. Nancy was able to promptly produce a ballcap featuring the logo " Two Guys and a Gal Car Club. " Jim and Mike felt that was unorthodox enough to be normal, and her membership has never been contested since.
You may see the membership of the Two Guys Car Club out in the southeast portion of the valley. Chances are they are on their way to one of the donut runs that they host or a gathering at the A&W in Boulder City on Nevada Highway. If so, follow them over because good times are sure to happen. As Mike told me, the point of a two member (plus one) car club was to, ". . .get together and do stuff. It´s just to get you out of the house and go do something that you enjoy doing." It´s really that simple isn´t it?
Lightning cracks the sky, thousands of bats circle the air and shouts of "It´s alive, it´s alive!" are reportedly heard from the Las Vegas house of Keith and Betsy Comella. How could such a seemingly laid-back couple earn such mythological rumors? The lightning fable may be true as it might be the "Mad Fabricator" and his welder altering the ozone with the fusion of some type of metallic alloy. Keith´s rather soft spoken demeanor belies a mind that sees twisted potential in all that surrounds him as his vehicular creations make Dr. No become Dr. Yes.
Early in conversation one can envision a youthful Keith laughing hysterically as the Jr. High School math teacher pokes a number 2 Eberhard-Faber in the electric pencil sharpener just converted from 110 volts to 220. Listening to a description of the next Comella automotive expression conjures visions of a 16 year old making his manual Remington typewriter the first gasoline powered version in school history. Adapting the 312 y-block V8 out of Grandma´s old Mercury Turnpike Cruiser doesn´t seem to be such a stretch from this creative mind. Okay, so he didn´t do either of these pranks, but the possibility is certainly realistic as descriptions of past projects are shared by this master of alteration.
Before Betsy and Keith were married she was aware of his purple Ford hot rod pickup, which is nonconforming in its own right, whose most bizarre feature was the trailer. Not just any trailer, but a converted coffin. Peering into the coffin one might have expected to see a napping Grandpa Munster snuggled with a stuffed javelina. What could be more attractive to a woman than a man with a purple pickup and a coffin trailer? A Comella designed ground-pounder is a pure no-nonsense expression totally devoid of oversized, overstyled dominating wheels du jour distracting from the overall design. There won´t be a stack of shelves from a Home Depot workbench mounted on the trunk posing as a spoiler and just forget about finding a chromeplated Maxwell House coffee can exhaust tip poking out the back.
Although there is an appreciation for all things automotive, his most enjoyable are the unusual and unique. "I just love anything different," said Keith as we peered at the current ride, a California Raisin inspired 1963 Nova Street Gasser. Not wanting to take credit for being cutting edge with the current automotive fashion of old school drag racing,
"I love the old racers," he stated. "This one should be a wheels-up car. It´s got enough motor for it."
The automotive version of the latest Rosetta Stone program for a Mad Scientist sounds like, "It´s a 355 inch small block Chevy, 6-inch rod motor, 12 and a half to 1 compression, aluminum heads, dual quads, tunnel ram and fenderwell headers." To get the power to the ground instead of a stick shift there is a Powerglide transmission that is "more dependable." In the Comella vernacular, more dependable translates into "It´s a little easier to drive them lazy", although that doesn´t mean there is a cupholder, DVD screen and moisture sensitive windshield wipers. The car definitely doesn´t have a navigation system as it shouldn´t be necessary to program a journey that is in a straight line one quarter of a mile away. True to old school tradition there is even a 1957 Olds rear-axle that is definitely not connected to an independent-rear suspension. The front of the Nova is aggressively perched on a straight axle that allows for easy oil changes without a visit to Jiffy Lube. Keith did express some trepidation about excessive speeds at the finish line that sounded as though he may want to wear a fresh diaper if surplus air should get under the waist-high front.
As is traditional for a Comellamobile, color is important to the finished product. Keith´s automotive paint rainbow has the full spectrum of colors and they are all purple. "I´m secure enough in my manhood. It´s my favorite color." Purple also lends itself to expressing the California Raisin theme that features a likeness on the trunk lid. It would not surprise even the most casual observer if the exhaust had a scent of grape as it idles out a rumbling version of ´I Heard It Through the Grapevine´.
A fabricator by trade and formerly trained in this specialty occupation by the U.S. Navy as a metalsmith there seems to be nothing that can´t be bent, welded or formed in the detached
shop at the Comella residence.
The local citizenry has even been stung by the automotive tsetse fly as some custom paintwork was done by a neighbor in addition to contributions from others that
exemplify highly skilled friends. Not all things automotive have gone according to plan as Keith shared a tale of cheap pistons and an overdose of nitrous discharging a carburetor through an instantly ventilated hood. Then there was the admitance of mistakenly creating two left aluminum door panels. With the typical Comella spin it would not be surprising to learn that a car somewhere has a suicide opening door on the right side just for the creative touch.
For fun the Comellas volunteer for the Best in the Desert Racing Association by working the checkpoints and pits. A major event they will take part in is the "Vegas to Reno the Long Way" race. In the garage is a dune buggy as well as a sand rail on the property that fit into the camper for a romp in the Mojave Desert during idle time. In the workshop is a pickup truck going through mutations that Chevrolet engineers could not have envisioned even on an upset stomach.
Perhaps the most over-the-top vehicle in its gestation period is the Opel GT that will be fitted with over 1100 dyno verified horsepower. Certainly GT must stand for Genetic Transformation as there could be nothing but pure hallucinations eliciting from images of the original design.
I was even a bit skeptical about the carpet cleaner stored in the garage. Listening to Betsy´s enthusiastic accounts of their altered mechanical reality it would not have been startling to learn that the sudser had been turbocharged, the motor was rewound and there was some type of electrical afterburner. After all, the machine was purple.
Much like a game for pre-schoolers it is time for a "Who am I?"e introduction to the readers of Kevin´s excellent Rod News. While I won´t offer personal hints that suggest antlers, foul odors or unmatched shoes to describe myself there are some details to share for an introduction. My writing history goes back a few years to Arizona where I was an editor of the Cactus GTO Club newsletter. Always looking out for my well-being and minimal couch patrol, my lovely wife volunteered me for word processor duty. Banging away at the e-Machine, I had the opportunity to serve the high-performance Pontiac crowd in Phoenix metro. During this time in the early 21st century, the editor of now defunct Muscle Car Motion magazine contacted me to write an article about Bob Riggle. Riggle is best known for owning and piloting the famous Hurst Hemi Under Glass wheelstander while equally talented as a raconteur. Other articles included asking some drag racing greats what is their famous muscle car. This story gave me access to the racing camps of John Force, Don Schumacher, Kenny Bernstein, Don Prudhomme and other notable quarter mile warriors. Heading down the journalistic trail of automotive storytelling we thought Muscle Car Motion could be the next big thing until the founder/editor sold it to Argus Publications. At least our parting gift was a free subscription for a couple of years to Muscle Car Enthusiast. To understand the fibers that make up my automotive fabric it seems appropriate to share bits of an autobiographical story I wrote for the Cactus GTO publication.
Getting older is not necessarily a negative. The short term memory may be intermittent and in need of an Energizer Bunny implant (I have a fear of the Die-Hard) while long term recollection becomes nearly infallible. For some men from the muscle car era, it is remembering when hair grew down to the shoulders and not out of them. It was a time when you wondered why a comb had wide-toothed spacing on one end that now seems too close together. It was a time when a bench seat meant room for a couple to snuggle while cruising, but today it may be an oversized bucket seat with room for 1.5. During the formative years when my brain was malleable and could have been injected with information that would be beneficial in my adult years I got interested in cars. Wasted energy that I submerged into a galaxy of cars. These vehicles were drag racers, hot rods, customs, NASCAR, road racers, go-carts, Indy cars and would likely have included motorized beer coolers if a circuit existed. While this information won´t serve me when my retirement years dawn, I will be knowledgeable about cars from the 70s, 60s, 50s or even earlier. The highlight of that time was the muscle car era and that calling remains one of the identifiable voices in my head. These were temperamental machines posturing with aggressive stances and buffed shapes that were striking even as they rolled down the assembly lines. Compared to today´s computer controlled, variable timed, fuel injected, multi-valved conveyances these represented Jurassic Park. The land of the Velociraptor, carnivores with factory warranties. Muscle bound machines that could and would take a bite out of the most careful driver.
I grew up in a small Missouri town of approximately 3,000 people with a county population of perhaps 6,000. An agricultural and industrial based economy positioned beside the Mississippi river. Small
towns often have unusual combinations of businesses and we had a
drug store that sold fishing licenses. Today there is an antique bazaar/gun store/florist for one stop shopping. Fortunately there were no feed
store/dress shops or crematorium/BBQ restaurants to tip the balance to the weird side of the scale. The nearest mini-metropolitan city of about 45,000 was Quincy, Illinois, about 20 miles away. In spite of this
limited population there were some very cool cars prowling the streets and highways. The primary
difference between this rural area and a major city is there was a good chance you knew the owners. It was also likely one would know their families, where they worked and what kinds of cars were traded in for the current rides. One of my strongest, although most shocking, muscle car memories involved a 1966 navy blue GTO convertible featuring a contrasting white vinyl interior. This beauty was motivated by a tri-power 389 and backed with a 4-speed transmission. The owner found his occupational treasure
chest as an employee on a Pontiac assembly line and he brought his Mona Lisa back to show the good ole Missouri stiffs what the good life had provided. I was riding with a friend in an International- Harvester pickup to go camping for the night when we saw the GTO. The Pontiac´s owner was certain our
lives would be enriched if we observed a lengthy burnout. Admittedly, I was very impressed by the car´s ability to alter rubber into both liquid and near gaseous forms. Maybe he was right and my very
existence was enlightened by witnessing this feat of brute power.
The same evening our paths crossed again and the righteous GTO driver was feeling pious as he decided he would personally deliver us to the Promised Land by performing the mother of all burnouts! John Force would have been proud of the amount of smoke billowing from the rear wheelwells, but Force also is wise enough to know when to let off the loud pedal. This goat-whipping maniac had the rear tires freewheeling and there was no lifting in his vocabulary or right foot. This nearly out of control smokefest continued across some homeowner´s front yard then back onto the street with the rear of the car desperately trying to pass the front. By now there was the unique combination of burned rubber and scorched lawn hanging in the air. Stevie Wonder could have posed as an Army Scout and tracked down this tortured muscle car with the marks that were left behind.
This once magnificent automotive statement was subjected to additional abuse through the years and finally met its demise when a passing train euthanized the tormented beast as it dissected the front from the back. Virtually separating the Pontiac like Moses divided the Red Sea, the GTO finally entered a vehicular
graveyard as the only means to escape its abusive owner. PETA should have stepped in to save this poor
goat but they were never notified. The owner escaped relatively unhurt only to crack his sadistic automotive whip on the flanks of even more internal combustion vehicles.
Now that I shared a bit about me and a singular automotive experience that could be a reversal of a Christine sequel, what about my car, a 1970 Pontiac Formula 400 Firebird? Although the car is a driver quality vehicle it is one of 189 M-21 4-speed factory Ram-Air III Formulas produced in 1970. Today the numbers are non-matching as it was flogged by previous ownership but spared the final curtain call in the nick of time.
Like its owner, it needs some cosmetic enhancements, can be reluctant to get started, and suffers from occasional embarrassing leaks, but the Firebird is still my magic carpet ride. At the last western swing of Hot Rod Magazine´s Power Tour the old F-Bird was selected by GM Performance Parts as one of 7 power picks in San Bernardino. It also pulled out a win over a former NASCAR Grand American Series Firebird at a Pontiac Heaven event in Arizona. I personally cannot lay claim to any trophies so the car wins again and, in fact, I am not even driver quality. While the Pontiac bulb on my automotive string of lights burns a little brighter than the rest I still have 10W40 coursing through my veins. That 10W40 works in all vehicles so the next time you see a white 1970 Firebird Formula 400 parked at a local event please come over and introduce yourself. I would like to hear stories from your personal automotive archives.
Sugar, spice and all things fast. . . that´s what these girls are made of. They text, they blog and they know what High School Musical is (I really don´t). They have sweet smiles, and by all appearances are two charming young ladies. But beware brother, because if you give them an inch, they will run you down in under nine seconds. Brooke and Kylie Wakenhut are speed demons, yet are years away from obtaining a drivers license.
Meet the Wakenhut Racing Team, a Las Vegas family-based racing team with the serious need for speed. 
Jon Wakenhut is the founder of the team who has shared his passion for racing with his daughters, Brooke (age 12) and Kylie (age 9). Theirs, like many other NHRA Jr. Drag Racing teams, is a family affair. Jon´s wife Sara, and son Kade (age 4) along with the girls´ mom Tracey, her husband Rob, and son TJ support the team. Sara is also a member of the pit crew and helps with safety checks and staging the girls. I recently spent a Saturday morning with them at the STRIP at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to explore the pursuit of NHRA Jr. Drags.
I was skeptical when I arrived at the STRIP at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and motored into the pits to meet the Wakenhuts. I thought that if anything, this will be cute, but was eager to see the "real" cars race. Could good things come in small packages? That was when I did not know anything about Jr. Drag Racing, and the Wakenhut girls were about to give me a schooling. We took a seat in the team´s motorhome as Jon looked over the cars in the pit. There was no pull-cord or key to wind them up, so things were looking up. So far it was like the drags I know, only a lot smaller.
The girls started racing competitively in 2006. Their interest in a relatively new sport evolved after Jon and Brooke watched a 2002 Disney movie called Right On Track about Erica Enders, who is now an NHRA Pro Stock Driver. Jon´s interest was piqued and he asked Brooke if she would like to go see the Jr. Drags. After seeing this in person, the interest grew. Jon found himself buying a used car for Brooke, and this is the rail that Kylie now drives (wrapped in Gatorwraps motif from their sponsor).
The sport of Jr. Drag Racing is comparatively young, developed by NHRA in 1996 and defining the league open to those ages 8 to 17, with permission from a parent or guardian. Competitions are held at one of NHRA´s 140 tracks across America and races are over a distance of no more than an eighth-mile (660 feet).
I arrived just before the girls were to check in for their technical inspection prior to qualifying. Again, this was all standard NHRA behavior. It was the girls´ responsibility to check in with the technical inspectors and to discuss the mod´s that they have received, and upcoming changes that they will need this season. They also need to demonstrate their knowledge of the safety features of the car. On their return, we spent some time in the pits going over each of their cars. The cars themselves appeared to be just like their big-brother, the top fuel rail, when the Wakenhut girls were around them, but this illusion was lost when Jon stepped into the picture. These small rails are sized for the kids, but Jon looms over them like Godzilla approaching Tokyo´s skyline. I still had my reservations; Could this pint-sized package contain all of the excitement of a top fuel rail? Let´s take a closer look.
The entry level Jr. Dragster is a half scale replica of a Top Fuel dragster. The basic car of their class will be powered by a five-horsepower, single cylinder engine and will cost around $5,000,
but start modifying this package and the numbers can easily approach $12,000. The Wakenhut team races competitively and is comprised of two rails that feature customized Briggs & Stratton based powerplants that after a sip of methanol will pump out 30 to 50 horsepower via a high performance piston, rod, cam and cylinder head. Why, that´s more potent than sugary-sour movie theatre candy! I started to think, "What would 50 horsepower do in a 225 lb (without 60 lb driver) car?" The girls were proud to tell me that they run 8.90 seconds at 75 miles an hour in the eighth-mile. Come again? These are speeds that most race-prepped muscle cars (including their Dad´s go fast 1967 Camaro, which is raced at night in the STRIP´s Pro Class) can´t touch. In order to compete in the Junior Novice Class (age 8-9 years old), Kyle is required to slow her car and races with added weights and a throttle stop. Gone were my thoughts of pedal cars and child´s play-I was ready to see them run.
As we approached staging, I thought about how concerned my parents were when I was young; where I was, what I was doing, and when I was going to be home. Here were parents that are about to let their nine year old rocket down the track in something with more guts than your first Ford Falcon. Fictitious hot rod hero, John Milner, reminded us all, "Hey, drivin´ is a serious business." All concerns were pacified as I experienced another aspect of Jr. Dragsters shared with the Top Fuel cars: safety.
Both Jon and Sara are involved with the pre-race safety checks of the girls. As seen in photos here, all of the familiar equipment is required, helmet, racing suit, shoes, and neck support. The cars are outfitted with full cages, dual shutoff switches, and harnesses for arms and torso. I asked Jon if he had concerns for their safety even with all of these measures. It was then that he relayed the story of the moment that race spectators, and parents, hope never to see; this was the day of Brooke´s accident last season.
The girls were coming off of their break in the season and were warming up at the STRIP, dialing the cars in. Brooke finished a run at her pace of 75 miles an hour. As she passed the 1/4 mile mark, something went terribly wrong. Jon told me of looking up the track to see Brooke´s car suddenly turn to the left, and at that speed, it was on its right side in the track center, in a fraction of a second. Jon would see the nose of the car, then it would vanish, then the nose, then nothing as it spun on its side. Thankfully the only flames that wrap the nose of this tiny rail are a carefully applied Gatorwrap decal. No one but Brooke knew what was happening, or could control it. Track officials ran to her aid, while Brooke killed the car´s engine. By the time Jon covered the 1/4 mile, car 733 had come to a stop, and Brooke was being helped out by the track safety crew. She was literally untouched, but the scuff in the powder coat reminders her of this ordeal. Jon is extremely proud of his daughter´s presence of mind under stress. Jon said, "What I´m proud of is how she said, ´Dad, the whole time I thought about shutting the car off. I tried and tried.´ " Happily the only bruise was felt on the car, and Brooke walked away with a healthy respect for speed and her race car. The best part to this story is that rather than be defeated, Brooke took the track that weekend, and came home with the NHRA Winner´s Trophy.
Success in drag racing is in the details and Jon Wakenhut is a detail-oriented individual. Jon´s experience racing has benefited the team, from dialing cars in, reading the weather and track conditions
are all elements of success for the girls. Repetition is key to success in bracket racing and the Wakenhuts pull runs that I´d give my second carb to have. Brooke consistently pulled 0.004 to 0.007 reaction times that morning. I later found out that she had achieved the remarkable 0.000 reaction time last season. That´s quite a feather for the cap of a ten year old (at that time). Dedication and drive has resulted in numerous awards and respectable standings in their series.
Brooke is a seasoned racer at 12 years old, already having competed for 3 seasons now. She currently runs in the Junior Thunder Class, open to 10 to 12 year olds. Her 2007 rookie season had her finishing third in points. In 2008 she was the NHRA Pacific Division Champion at the STRIP at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. She has brought home the number one qualifier award 4 times and has a record of four wins in nine final rounds.
Kylie, age 9, can certainly keep up with her older sister. Kyle is racing in the Junior Novice class. She is in her second season this year after an outstanding rookie year that garnered her second place in overall season points championship, and the 2008 Rookie of the Year at the STRIP award. She has three number one qualifier wins to her record with three wins in her nine times in the final rounds.
Unlike the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series for Professional drivers, there is not a national series of Jr. Dragster races. You´ll see these girls at the STRIP at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway racing in the Short Line Express/Chevron Jr. Drag Racing Series. In a league of 4,500 members, about 35% are girls. The Wakenhuts are currently earning points toward track championships in their age groups. The point leader of the STRIP at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would then represent the track in the Western Conference Finals in Denver, Colorado.
The Short Line Express/Chevron Jr. Drag Racing Series is currently due to come off of a break (every season in July and August) and will be reappearing at the STRIP the weekend of September 5th in the season´s race # 10 and the NHRA Pacific Division Race. You may also see them around town. Off of the track they slow down long enough to show their rails at local Las Vegas car shows and love to answer questions about their class of racing. If you have the chance, drop by and meet the future of NHRA drag racing. Someday you´ll be able to say, "I met her when ... " For now, you go girl.
A/GS=A Gas/Supercharged, what does that lettering mean as painted on Jim and Nancy Bleil´s 1941
Willys? Although one may think it is in reference to eating refried, pinto and black beans as side dishes with a grande burrito dinner (that may be
more akin to being turbocharged) it is actually a drag racing designation going back to the sport´s early days.
To decipher the code, the first letter being A, B, C or D is a weight to cubic inch classification with Gas denoting the type of fuel. Supercharged indicates a power adder in the form of a device that compresses the fuel and air mixture to increase horsepower. The 1941 Willys Americar was never intended as a racing vehicle when it was introduced at the time the United States entered World War II. The U.S. was slowly emerging from a long depression and the meager little Willys was intended as a gas miserly econo-car. Who could ever had the foresight to envision a mondo-cubic inch V-8 stuffed into a skeleton devised to handle a 63 horsepower 4 cylinder engine? That is analogous to Calista Flockhart munching down a meal intended for Rosie O´Donnell, but maintaining her figure while gaining the strength of Hellboy. Of course that may be attributable to the beans, which this blown MoPar powered street bruiser has plenty of under its hood.
What makes a responsible grown man want to own and drive a steroid enhanced machine that seemingly has the ability to rotate the earth? Drag racing. But why a replica of an A/Gas Supercharged race car? "I was back in Pennsylvania, that´s where I grew up at, and involved in drag racing in the late 50´s and early 60´s." said Jim. The gasser flu infected Jim, starting with a neighbor´s 1958 Pontiac. As the fever progressed, Jim rebuilt and raced a 1948 Plymouth propelled by Hemi thrust for competition in F/Gas.
The 1960 NHRA Nationals in Detroit was a natural place for a drag racing fan to spend a weekend that attracted the nation´s best drivers. Jim´s red blood corpuscles were even more crimson as he saw so many examples of John North Willys namesakes that were transformed into race cars. As totally converted as a zombie after a vampire´s bite, Jim said, "That was a car that I wanted to have someday."
In the game of life, Jim began at the career trailhead in the diesel engine business as a mechanic. The
Bleil token soon moved to the management side of the board, eventually finishing with the last 18 years running a division for his employer.
After 42 years in the diesel engine business,
Jim retired two years ago and Nancy decided the Willys should be his retirement gift.
Retiring from the rat race does not necessarily mean slowing down. The Big John Mazmanian and Stone, Woods and Cook 1941 Willys
were considered by many to be the most famous drag racing cars in the 1960´s and, no doubt, cast
its influential shadow on Jim and Nancy´s beautiful, deep red hot rod. With a background in clatter power,
one might not be totally surprised to find a Detroit Diesel engine for motivation. Realistically though, what true to the breed gasser would be
without a 1958 392 Chrysler providing the horse pressure? So yeah, it´s got a Hemi in it!
What is it like to drive a car that is nose high, supported with a straight front axle and punctuated by a blown Chrysler? Jim said,
"It´s a short wheelbase car and so you have to be kind of careful when you get on it because it has a tendency
to want to get out from underneath of you." Not possessing a heritage to Formula One Racing, "It doesn´t
do real well if you are going fast around corners. You´ve got to be careful because it´s got those big fat tires
on the back (31 x 16.5 x 15´s) and little skinny ones on the front (165 x 15´s). It´s a little hard to
see over the blower." Other than that? "It runs good, drives good, and rides decent for what it is,"
Jim stated.
Finding that perfect Willys street gasser became a rather daunting task for one person, so the effort was doubled. Jim´s brother, Jack,
poked around on the east coast, while on the west coast Jim did an interpretation of Ponce de Leon as he searched for his individual
fountain of youth. Several examples were seen with disappointment in them all, but when Jim took delivery of his personal A/GS tribute he was
totally overwhelmed.
Obviously this is no garden variety street vehicle and with a Cajun pedigree from Hillside Street Rods in Covington, Louisiana it is as unique as
crawfish pie. Hillside owner, Ronnie Sandifer, reached into his hot rod kitchen cabinet and didn´t spare the spices. Liberally sprinkling
cayenne pepper into the gasser recipe, this candy apple red Willys draws crowds wherever it goes. Peering through the hood like a polished
alligator snout is a menacing scoop that inhales all nearby oxygen, and probably Tabasco sauce. The propellant mixture is force fed through the
GMC blower into the big valve hemispherical heads. The 392 is stretched to 400 cubic inches and sparked by a Hunt Pro Racing magneto that
probably has even the best flat panel TVs buzzing and screeching within a half mile. As if to prove its mettle, the Bleil´s street machine
even survived Hurricane Katrina during its construction. Although not necessarily in harm´s way, the car´s rebirth was delayed for approximately
one year. Hot rod parts were not a priority when shipping goods and materials into Louisiana as food, water, building materials and medical
supplies were. On the Scoville Heat Unit Scale, the finished product matches the rating of Habanero peppers and is a great addition to the Las
Vegas hot rod culture. A regular at all the major car show events in the area, it is worth a visit to meet Jim and Nancy when peering over their
tribute to drag racing´s formative years. You might also notice a stunning 1965 Chevelle convertible parked nearby. That´s another story.
Harken back to a time when dinosaurs roamed drive-in theater feature flicks devouring time traveling people as though they were screaming two-legged Cheetos. Were these sushi-humans fuel to the giant reptiles that later became fuel themselves for mankind´s transportation devices? Ok, so humans and dinosaurs never actually overlapped, but what if all those sci-fi movies become factual? In the late 1950´s and early 1960´s the space race was on, Elvis spent two years of his life in the Army and hips gyrated to hula hoops. Ford seemed to have lost some street cred as the Thunderbird increased in girth and the Edsel was clicking its heels at the entrance of the Automotive Hall of Shame, but the Ford Crown Victoria was a cool daddy-o on America´s streets. The mid-50´s Ford Crown Victoria sporting two tone paint and a proud tiara of stainless steel that defined its high style was already a classic.
Over 50 years of calendar pages have been turned and Las Vegas is not to be denied as one of these stylistic gems featuring the personalized touches of Greaser and Patty Bashaw graces southern Nevada thoroughfares. This time period wasn´t simply just years grouped in a century, but a definitive decade in American history. As Patty stated, "That´s the era we grew up in." "We never let go if it. Greaser and I are the epitome of you may have to get old but you don´t have to grow up" and the Crown Vic is a part of that time. "She´s a Grafitti car" said Patty. "She has a soul. Greaser has created and raised her. We´ve done, probably, 70% of that together."
As fixtures of the Las Vegas Car Show circuit there is far more substance to Greaser and Patty than just proud owners of this award winning custom. Dedicated to enhancing the lives of people they encounter, Greaser and Patty devote their non-automotive energies to each other, their family, friends, local VFW post and the Basic High School Marine JROTC program. 2009 was the 10th Anniversary of Greaser´s Car Show serving as a fund raiser to benefit the cadets.
In a year of crushing budget cuts that restricted or eliminated many extra-curriculum programs the injection of cash from this overly generous event keeps Basic´s JROTC alive. Patty stated this benefit began because, "Danny (their son) was in ROTC in his freshman year" (and wanted to be a cadet). Greaser, being a Vietnam veteran, was all for Danny joining the program. "So in his freshman year he brought home these friggin´ candy bars. I carried candy bars for weeks!" said Patty. "So at the end of the year when they had the awards ceremony I went to Colonel Montgomery , this tall Marine in full uniform, and said, ´Excuse me , sir.´ I´m Danny´s mom." "Danny´s dad and I have a car and we do car shows. All the time, we go to car shows. I will make you a deal. Greaser and I will do a car show for ROTC if I don´t have to sell any more of these candy bars. That was 2000 and 10 years later, here we are!"
Greaser said, "What started me off with that car was my dad. When I was 14 years old he bought a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria. Gorgeous car, it ran great. He had it for about three weeks and going to work one morning he lost the brakes and wrecked the car. I wanted that car real bad and I thought maybe one of these days I´ll find one."
After Greaser completed his military service in Vietnam he moved to Oregon. On the way home from work, "I see this old Ford sitting up in this guy´s driveway. Old rusted out ´ 55 Crown Vic and I stopped and asked the guy, ´What are you going to do with that old Ford up there?´ He said, ´Well I´ll keep the car, my son died in Vietnam."
After waiting about a month or so Greaser revisited and asked, "Are you sure you don´t want to sell that old Ford up there?" The man quizzed, "What are you going to do with it?" Greaser replied, "I´m going to rebuild it. When it´s done I will bring it back and show it to you and I´ll make you proud."
After working on it for 6 months it turned out beautiful. "I took it back and showed it to him and he cried. He said that would make my son so proud to see that car." Unfortunately, after three years pennies were pinched paper thin so with three children under roof, the car was sold. The dream to own a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria was realized, but ended prematurely.
Time passed, finances improved and Greaser was now the owner of a freshly customized ´ 51 Ford sporting Bradenton blue paint with flames. While attending a car show in in Flagstaff Arizona, Greaser reencountered a friend from Phoenix displaying his restored 1955 Crown Victoria featuring a shiny black basecoat festooned with blue flames.
When the owner of the Crown Vic saw Greaser´s car he said, "I´ve got to have that car!" Greaser was not interested in parting with his newly customized machine, but his friend was smitten and said "We´re going to the Golden Memories car show next week in Vegas so let´s talk."
After a week and dismissing the conversation as little more than chatter, Greaser was startled when the friend said, "Here are the keys to the Crown, drive it." So after a cruise in the ´ 55, Greaser handed over the keys to his car to reciprocate the offer. Upon his return in Greaser´s car the friend exclaimed, "I love the car!"
While Greaser attended the awards presentation on Sunday morning it was a surprise to find, "He had transferred (the items) from his trunk to my trunk and from my trunk to his trunk. He said, ´We´re trading´ and I replied, ´Cool!´"
Always one to express his tastes in paint and sheet metal Greaser made many changes as the ´ 55 evolved to its one of a kind status. Powered by a 1969 Mach 1 351 Windsor engine, backed by a T5 5-speed manual transmission and modernized with disc brakes it is built to travel long distances. Greaser said he may have driven it 300,000 miles!
Although the car has its own special "room" and three sessions of painting, Patty said, "The car has never been on a trailer but has been to car shows in Michigan and Wisconsin. Greaser and I will drive 2,000 miles to a 3 day car show. We are ´custom people!´ "He´s had the car 20 years and he´s had me 16." I knew the car before I knew him. I knew the man who originally pulled it out of the junkyard in Buckeye Arizona." Patty said, "And now I have the best of both worlds!"
With that kind of history and commitment, a sign that was formerly a car show display item stated, ´Please do not touch. My wife is out of estrogen and she has a gun!´ says it all. So the next time you see this Las Vegas custom at a car show give Greaser and Patty a hug or shake their hands, but don´t touch the car. After all, Patty´s got a gun!
