whats this??

[68TopStock]

SuperCars,

This is a real special car you have found, it will be fun to see it shine in all it's glory when you have it finished.
What have you found regarding the history of the Dana shop? Here is some information that may fill in some gaps, although it is only speculation on my part.

Bill Hielscher raced a 1967 Camaro 427 SuperStocker, I believe he got from Bill Thomas, which may have been the first Nickey car. It was wrecked in a 1968 race. As most are aware, Bill raced under the name "Mr. Bardahl". Read somewhere that he actually raced it one more time after the accident, after they pushed out some body panels, but never raced the car again. I have an early 1967 Dragworld article announcing that Bill would drive the new Nickey 427 Camaro in CA, built by Bill Thomas and Dick Harrell. Maybe all these early cars came out of the same spot, some dark corners of a race shop in Anaheim, CA? I believe Bill Thomas "wrote the book" for the L88 engine, and can't help but think he was behind both the Nickey and Dana efforts.

Not to discount the Dana operation's abilities, but didn't the main operatives, Peyton Cramer and Don McCain just over from a Ford operation (Shelby)? I wonder where they got the engine, headers etc. The car life magazine article about the Dana built Bardahl car mentions a test drive over to a famous engine builder. "Because all involved are prominent in the sport and supposed to be old enough to know better, names won't be recorded", as they took the car out to go for "pink slips", with no takers. Might have been the aforementinoed duo, or trio?

If I am not wrong, Bill Hielscher owned all of his cars, was sponsored by Bardahl, mostly in name, not $$$ (from reading between the lines of his interviews). He ran a successful machine shop in Irving, Texas. At one time owned the Green Valley racetrack. Recently passed away last November.

[JoeC]

Maybe Dick Guldstrand will know somthing about it? He worked/raced for Dana and was involved in the 67 Z/28 Dana raced. One article said DG drove the Z/28 for it's first ever race win.

[Stefano]

There has also been some speculation in the past that Dana offered Don Yenko/Yenko Sports Cars,Inc.,to be a retailer for the Dana Camaros, prior to Yenko building their own Conversions.

[scuncio]

Kevin,

Been really busy over here this past week... but I am still on the lookout for that phone number.

"although I wish I'd bought that car when I had the chance" [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[SuperCars]

Hi 68topstock Ken. That is some good info and insight on your part. I think you are basically correct that the 427 Camaro was initiated on the West coast here, i.e. Bill Thomas. Then with DANA close by, they marketed it first. Nickey could've been next, as they were small block conversions to start as well. Yenko may have come into production of his 427 Camaros after the fact and most likely explains why there were no early small block conversions built by Yenko.

I would have to think for a race car to have "MR BARDAHL" in big letters on the side and Bill Hielscher in smaller letters on the front fender was because Bardahl owned the cars as he had some deep pockets. I suppose it's possible that since the initial car purchase was the minor cost; Hielscher purchased them, and then Bardahl provided the serious sponsorship money to campaign/race the cars. But if Hielscher owned the cars, you'd think it would be "MR HIELSCHER" as the namesake of the race cars.

[hvychev]

Guys I hope that I am following this thread right. I am going to post a page from the 1970 AHRA Drag Racing Rules & Tech Manual that I have where Bill Hielscher's name is on the side of the door and Mr. Bardahl is on the front fender. Could this mean by this time he bought the cars and owned them himself and just had Bardhal oil sponser him? See attachment.

[hvychev]

Here is an add for Holley spark plugs from Hot Rod June 1970 showing the Bill Hielscher cars and showing the same thing with his name on the doors.

[hvychev]

Here is a really cool add from the 1971 AHRA Drag Racing Rules and Tech Manual that I have advertising Bill Hielscher speed shop in Irving, Texas. Have any cars been found that he converted?

[whitetop]

Kevin
Bill H. owned all his cars. The Mr. Bardahl name came from Bill H. selling the Bardahl oil products and additives. Of course Bardahl Oil also gave him money in form as a sponsorship abeit small as it may have been. I'm taking this from a SS&DI mag that said Bill was one of the larger dealers for the Bardahl products back in the day-hence the nickname-I'm thinking he received the name out of reverance or people could not pronounce or remember his last name.(kinda like how Joe Hrudka was nicknamed "Mr. Gasket" when he was selling his home made gaskets from the tailgate of his station wagon at the drag strips way way before the business was born) The article said this was how Bill received his sponsorship from Bardahl- by his connections as being one of the top dealers. Remember these were the days when the car owners name/nickname on the door was bigger then the sponsors (Grumpy's Toy, Ronnie Sox etc). Most sponsors were lucky to have small decal on the front fender in those days.

Bill still owned some of his old cars well into the early '80's and had them displayed in a special room at GV raceway along with all his trophies/memorabilia etc.

[copo9566aa]

Mr. Bardahl II [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif[/img]