Knafel Tempest 400 Magnum pics?

[duffy]

Man, what a tough car to find pictures for. Only 2 pics on the egaad (who's name i recognize from the old stage 1 diecast board) site. Thats it.

[Steve_Hoog]

If you don't already know about John from Goatfinder, he has some of the Knafel stuff on the Magnum. Might try with him: [email protected]

[Chevy454]

Where's a Glasgo when you need one?? http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I'm not sure if there blue car is an original Magnum 400 and/or Knaefel, but I'd darn sure bet they could tell you all you needed to know about Knaefel.

[Steve_Hoog]

You've probably already seen these if you've spent anytime looking, but I'll post them just in case not.

[Steve_Hoog]

Another

[NCGuy68]

Correct me if I'am wrong please....

There was a Pontiac dealer based in Akron, Ohio in the 1960s that ran drag race cars called "
Tin Indians". It was Knafel Pontiac although I'am not sure of the spelling.

Is this the Pontiac dealership discuissed in this thread?

[Belair62]

Yes it is NC....

[Steve_Hoog]

http://www.egaad.com/tinind_history.html

I'm not sure who runs this sight, but it's got some kool Knafel stuff.

[JLP]

Either HPP or PE ran an article a couple of years ago on the Magnum 400. It was a Tempest 2 dr post, 400, 4 speed or auto(may have been 3 speed) , 3:90's, Ralley II's w/o trim ring (I think), G70 X 14's, Magnum 400 sticker with Judge type stripe, Dual Exh and that was it. No carpet and standard interior. Kind of a prediscor to the GT-37. Have to find it. When I do I will let you know and post it here. (May have even been in Muscle Car Review).

I have an article on a '70 GTO that they raced. Will e-mail or post as those here would like. Don't want to take up a lot of space for 1 or 2 unless moderators don't care.

[camarojoe]

It was MCR, and if i recall correctly, the car was a clone.

[Chevy454]

If I'm not mistaken, weren't the Magnum 400s manual tranny cars only? For some reason that sticks in my mind, but that doesn't mean it's correct!

[JLP]

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif IF I REMEMBER. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif STICKS IN MY MIND. LOL. Join the club. As I get older the ONLY thing that works better is my forgetterer. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif The Glasco car is an automatic. Arrrggggg!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

Camarojoe, the article I am refering to is not the clone car. It was one that was done with old b&w pics and information. Tried to find it but couldn't. The one you are talking about is a Glasco clone car. They have both a '70 Magnum 400 and a '71 GT-37, 455HO/T-400 car. Both are very well done. I get a chance I will look for them Friday.

[Steve_Hoog]

If my memory is correct, I was told the Knafel's only know the whereabouts of 1 Magnums today.

[JLP]

Talk about a find!!! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif That sure would be one. Will make inquiries to see what I can find out. Still looking for the article. Saw the one about the GT-37 yesterday but haven't looked in MCR yet.

[NCGuy68]

A little story Gents.....

Early on, my family would visit Kinfolks in Akron, OH. As a young teenager, I had to go along. Older cousin Bob, a drag racer himself, took me to Dragway 42, Quaker City, and Norwalk, all dragstrips in Northern OH.

Cousin Bob worked at a auto repair shop in Copley, OH.(a suburb of Akron) which was just up the road from Arlen Vanke's garage. Vanke often brought his drag cars to Bob for front end alignments. One day in 1968, Vanke brought 2 Tin Indian Pontiacs in for alignments. I think one was a Tempest and the other a GTO.

A few days later, he sent in a 68 Hemi Barricuda in full race trim. Unknown to me at the time, it was one of the rare factory Hemi cars. Vanke had hooked up Chrysler and the sun was setting on his association with Knafel.

As a pimple-faced teenager, that Hemi car left a lasting impression on me....One I'll never forget!,

[Steve_Hoog]

Craig

That is one tight story!!!

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[gtoguru]

A pic of the Glasgo's car

[Steve_Hoog]

Very nice!!! Do you have a full size pic of that?

[gtoguru]

Yeah I downsized it for attachment purposes.

[gtoguru]

Another pic. Taken at Quaker City Dragstrip in Salem, Ohio.

[Steve_Hoog]

Would a full size in the email to me be cool?

[Steve_Hoog]

Jim... thanks and that is one SWEET looking ride!!!!

[gtoguru]

No problem Steve. I think I have a few more shots from my 35mm camera but cant find those. These pics I had on CD from my digital camera.

[JLP]

I finally found the pics I was looking for. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I think they are from an old "Thunder AM" (predicessor to "High Performance Pontiac" as they say TA with page number at the bottom. Unfortunately it is a 2 page picture with text. I'm not great at reducing the size of the pic and still have it show up half way decient. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif If someone would do this for me I will e-mail them to you. Picture is lh side 3/4 shot. Black & white only though. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif Anyone????

[Steve_Hoog]

Send them to me full size and I'll load them on my server.

[email protected]

[JLP]

Steved,

On their way. Thank you and enjoy.

[olredalert]

------Is that the new tower at Quaker? Wow,pretty nice compared to the old. Spent a lot of time at that track. Way more at "42". Always felt I was running uphill but the old owner assured me I wasnt. Still dont know for sure though.
------As a point of interest,I knew Arlen all the way back in 1965. He worked for Russ Ciefert at RC Industries in my home town of Medina OH. Arlen raced Mopars as well as Pontiacs all the way back in 63. He had a Max-Wedge Plymouth in 63. It was wrecked early and he went and got a six-cylinder version and moved all the drivetrain out of the wreck into the six car. It was a hideous tan color and rapidly gained the name "Ol Brownie". That car exists today but is painted black. Matter of fact the owners live somewhere in northern Illinois. There is a tan clone of "Ol Brownie"out there as well. Its because of these facts that I know Arlens connection with Mopars was earlier than 68. He also was given a 67 black notchback Cuda and a 440 new by Chrysler and told to mate the two and give the factory his assesment. Thats how close Arlen had gotten to the guys at Chrysler. I had a chance to buy that early Mopar supercar and waited a few days too long. It was sold to another snot-nosed kid and he popped the 440 his first time at the strip. Who knows,if I had bought it I might have done the same thing!.........Bill S

[gtoguru]

I believe Craig Dawson owns the original Old Brownie car. My buddy bought that car from Vanke and raced it for probably 15 years before selling it to Craig. I have never heard the story about wrecking the car. My buddy got the car sans aluminum front end and put a steel front end on it. He has another 63 Max Wedge Savoy at present. Small world. Yes that is the new tower at Quaker City. And yes I think it is uphill also.

[olredalert]

-----Thanks for the pics,Guru. Do you remember a guy from Seville area that used to call himself Mr.Mopower? Im betting you do. His name was Dick Molnar. How about a guy named Jerry Ferrell? Ran Corvettes at 42 and Quaker. I cant think of the guys name who built the clone,but Im pretty sure he was from right around Barberton. Wait,I do remember,I think it was Paul Suloff(SP). I remember him being pretty well known in Mopar circles...........Bill S

[gtoguru]

Yeah Suloff is a high roller and I last saw him give up the old Mopars in favor of a Viper. Vanke had already given permission to do the Old Brownie car so when Craig did the real car he painted it black. I am only familiar with the well known Mopar guys. We raced mainly at Norwalk and occaisonally went to 42 and Quaker City. I mostly just show my 69 GTO now but will race it every once in a while. Jim

[NCGuy68]

I attended the Mopar Nationals at Natinoal Trials (Newark, OH) back in the late 1990s. Vanke was there running nostalgic 413 and 440 wedge cars. Suloff was there and broke a axle in a Viper he was running.

Its my understanding that Paul Suloff is/was a engineer at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Akron.

As a side note..during Vankes' glory days with Chrysler his main helper/wrench was a guy by the name of Bob Hiner. Hiner was also associated with some pretty stout Camaros running with sponsorship from a local Chevy dealer. It may have been Marhoffer (sp) but I'am not certain.

Can anyone shed light on this?

[gtoguru]

Last time I saw Vanke he was running a 68 Hemi Dart. I have not been to any Mopar events for 2 years though.

[olredalert]

----Arlen was always a nice guy to me. He used to come up to my dads hardware store during the summer of 65 to pick up various stuff for the speed shop he and Russ spent their days at while trying to keep RC Industries going. They made a damn good bellhousing once the bugs were worked out. Arlen always had a good word. I was the punk 18 year old with the 64 Chevelle 283 powerpack. Russ was driving a brand new 65 Shelby Mustang. Dont know what Arlen drove every day at that time. He also must have done alot of his racing work elsewhere as I only infrequently saw his race cars.
----Saw Arlen and his Hemi-Dart at a show a couple of years ago and shot the breeze for about a half hour.Looked pretty good for someone older than me!......Bill S

[Steve_Hoog]

Jack

Sorry this took so long, not only was I out most of the weekend but I have to do it from work.

These are courtesy of JLP:

Magnum Page 1 (http://www.empgmc.com/race/magnuma.jpg)

Magnum Page 2 (http://www.empgmc.com/race/magnumb.jpg)

I wanted to get them up ASAP after walking in the door and haven't even read them yet, they looked interesting working with the files.

[copo9566aa]

Thanks JLP and Steved
Very cool http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/worship.gif

[Steve_Hoog]

I'm not sure where this came from, but it's cool. Some award for Bill.

[Steve_Hoog]

Page 2

[Steve_Hoog]

Something else on Bill, again not sure of the origin.

[Steve_Hoog]

Jack... two things from the net:

The 1-of-12 KNAFEL '69 Ram Air V TUNNEL-PORT "Golden Sabre" GTOs, and their (50) '70 400ci "Magnum 400" Tempest sedans (w/GTO engines & tricks)

Bill KNAFEL PONTIAC of Akron built (12) '69 Golden Sabre RA V 400" GTOs & sold them to the public

[JLP]

Steved,

What is the link???? I see the last post was from Smoke Signals the official publication of POCI.

BTW, Thanks for posting the pics for me. http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif

[Steve_Hoog]

I just did a google search on ("golden sabre" knafel)

Google (http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q="golden+sabre"+knafel)

I do have something somewhere, I'll look at home tonight. I also emailed the Goatfinder on it. For some reason the code on the url isn't coming up right?

[Steve_Hoog]

Jack

I got in a big hurry and didn't see the Smoke Signal down at the bottom, and now I also realize that is the first part of the article I posted last part of in the original RAV thread.

Some kind of accomplishments Bill made!

[copo9566aa]

http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gifI'am never view a photo of one of those " Golden Sabre GTO "
Golden Sabre (http://ultimategto.com/scripts/showcar.cgi?type=show&pic=/1969jud/69j_00046_1)

[Steve_Hoog]

Roger

That is the very post on Sean's sight that started this hole RAV debate. I wrote John after seeing that, telling him there is a possibility a RAV came in a car and that he might be open to that idea before saying more like that.

I had not one clue at the time he ran the Goatfinder, much less that he would print my email to him. I don't really mind, I would have just worded it all little different had I known.

He thinks he has one pic of a Golden Sabre, and may share it with us.