Old Drag Car Pictures.........

[olredalert]

----Keep up the good work, Jim!!! Cant wait to see this awsome Olds finally done. It has that "rest of the story" part all wrapped up in spades.....Bill S

[Nova Jed]

I have to say that it's always a fun time at the Maple Grove swap meet come springtime. I always seem to find some awsome photographs by Carl Rubrecht. He has so many awsome photos, that I could be at his stand all day long. I tried to scan his card, but it didn't come out for some reason?
These photos were taken by him.

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[Xplantdad]

Great vintage pics....wow!

[RichSchmidt]

Richie Zul nworking on the Grumpy's old 70 Camaro when he first bought it in about 1972.

[Ben M]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: John Brown</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Jerry Marquart, New Paris Indiana. D/Altered 55 Chevy with a 288 incher.



He won Comp eliminator, first ever Popular Hot Rod meet, Martin Michigan, 1969 </div></div>

Jerry Marquart was my Uncle. I used to sit on his workbench and drink Orange Crush from his soda machines. Anyone have any more shots of him in action?

I was also told that he started Competition Engineering..was wondering if this was true?

I dont remember much of him besides the soda, not even when he died in a car accident....

[John Brown]

Sorry that I don't have more Ben, those two pictures are all I have found on the internet, one of the 55 and another where he is bent over the fender of his 63 Corvette. True, he did start Competition Engineering, but it wasn't the one that is now famous for selling chassis parts and such. It was on North Main Street in New Paris, Indiana, right next to the church parking lot. Jerrys claim to fame was his really high horsepower small block engines and very clean cars. I have some friends that ran his engines. I'll see if they have any other pictures. Oh, I understand Carol had a scrap book made up for all of his grandchildren to see. Have you seen the scrapbook yet?

[Ben M]

Thanks John, I just recently (past 5 years) reconnected with Carol and will have to send her a Facebook message. I knew I got the blood for hearing/feeling the pulse of an open header from someone in my family, lol

Sadly, I wish many times I would have had more time with him, learning cars, engines and screaming HP.

My father got into the resto of Ford Falcons, but wasnt much for power and umph...

Thanks for the info on the Comp Eng aspect, I always had an idea of them being different companies.

[Carleen]

Found a Picture at HAMB

[Mr. Chevy]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Carleen</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Found a Picture at HAMB

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Now this is a cool picture!! Check out the front fender engine displacement marker on the Camino....

Thanks for posting

Rich

[Keith Seymore]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Jerry@CHP</div><div class="ubbcode-body">One of the truly legendary sportsman race teams of the '60s that is still racing today. Dave and Ben Wenzel. Bought the car new, won Indy in 1967, set multiple national records and still race the car 41 years later. Not many can say that today?? Many don't know that Ben bought a new COPO car from Berger in June 1969. There were 23 of them on the lot at that time. He wanted the cheapest one!

This photo was taken in Vegas in 2005. Both Ben and I won class at this race! The Z28s beat up on the big block Novas that weekend. Ben had Jim Hughes in the final and I had Gary Waldo. We also changed the ring &amp; pinion at the track in my car for the altitude change.

Jerry </div></div>

A &quot;Dave and Ben Wenzel&quot; story and a couple pics:

Some of you know my Dad was a diemaker at Chevrolet Flint Manufacturing (Pressed Metal Division), which is where they would make oil pans, rocker arms, valve covers, radiator supports, air cleaners, etc. As a result, one of the things Dad used to do was make special parts for Duntov. If Zora had something unique, like an air cleaner or special oil pan or something, he would call up to Flint (since that was where the base part was made) and ask for the die room to whip it up. He would ask for Dad, specifically, to make the parts for him (&quot;...I van da skeeny diemaker to make deese..&quot.

One time Zora was doing a study on valvetrain geometry on small block Chevies, for wear vs lift, so he requested (via a sketch on a napkin) a batch of rocker arms to be made in various ratios: I think they started as low as 1.2:1, then incrementing up through 1.50, maybe 1.55, 1.60 and finishing up with a 1.65:1 ratio. He asked for 100 pcs of each, so Dad would run 100 for Zora (to ship to the Tech Center) , and then 100 for himself (and stick them in his locker).

Our paths would cross with Dave and Ben on occasion. Dad happened to see them up at Tri City one time, so he handed them a bag of these 1.65 ratio rocker arms and said &quot;here, try these&quot;.

They looked at him like &quot;...who are you and what are these and why should I try them?&quot;.

Dad said &quot;...just try them&quot;.

They did, and then they were REALLY flying. They got protested, torn down and the cam checked but were declared legal. Nobody ever did notice these special, production looking rocker arms that they were running.