[Keith Seymore]

Not sure that's a real word, but that's the first thing that came to mind....

I was looking for something else when I saw this pic of Milt Schornack under a GTO. He's pretty comfortable in that environment.

Then I read the accompanying text: Holy cow! That's the fire that I associate with Jim Wangers from my growing up years!

[Keith Seymore]

I wasn't familiar with this story, that I can recall....

[Keith Seymore]

Turns out Fitch was a "cheater", too.

(lol)

Link goes to the the whole story, for your entertainment.

K

http://www.velocetoday.com/john-fitc...he-oldsmobile/

[Scarebird]

I had a 66 442 for years - the handling was superb compared to cars of the same vintage; my 71 Sport has 71 442 spec. springs and sway bars. Too bad Olds didn't sneak in a 425 in lieu of the stock 400 - mean ass motor.

[rtanner]

hey thanks ive never seen that story ever, i have lots of old mags, any way you could post the whole story? what mag was it in? thanks

[Keith Seymore]

Complete article is attached via the link; were you looking for something beyond that?

Car & Driver, March 1966.

K

[Tenney]

Cool article, Keith! Fitch was a resourceful fellow - among other achievements, conceiving of the "roller-box", that would help enable Moss to win the Mille Miglia ...

http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/ar...fitchcamefirst

[1969GTO]

that's some cool sh$t

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Tenney

Cool article, Keith! Fitch was a resourceful fellow - among other achievements, conceiving of the "roller-box", that would help enable Moss to win the Mille Miglia ...

Thanks, Tenney.

I am reminded he also invented the "Fitch Highway Barrier system", by crashing his car into the barrels in his own driveway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_attenuator

K

[rohrt]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.

[Tenney]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Thanks, Tenney.

I am reminded he also invented the "Fitch Highway Barrier system", by crashing his car into the barrels in his own driveway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_attenuator

K

Legend.

[LiL Jack]

Nice read, thanks for sharing.

[Tenney]

Should've mentioned, Keith, that thanks to Mr. Fitch I was able to make some excellent overtime pay filling those barrels with sand (we did that and set concrete barriers at night) - good fellow keeping folks working!

[SD421]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Turns out Fitch was a "cheater", too.

(lol)

Link goes to the the whole story, for your entertainment.

K

http://www.velocetoday.com/john-fitc...he-oldsmobile/

Keith,
That was an interesting read to say the least! Pontiac didnt start baffling the oil pan till 1973?

[rexs73gto]

Great stories , but all the brands cheated when they had to. Pontiac put a 421 in the GTO for the story of the GTO vs the F GTO. I personally raced the 64 421 GTO at the GTO nats in 85 when owned by Padgett Peterson. I beat him by about 8 car lengths with my 73 GTO. Before we took off when we were in the staging lanes he told me not to be to upset when he beat me but ,, he said you know which car this is don't you. I told him I'd see him at the end. We had a long talk after that race. He was impressed with the car but was also upset he got beat. My car was almost completely stock at that time . Well Almost LOL...

[Ron Landis]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

Great stories , but all the brands cheated when they had to. Pontiac put a 421 in the GTO for the story of the GTO vs the F GTO. I personally raced the 64 421 GTO at the GTO nats in 85 when owned by Padgett Peterson. I beat him by about 8 car lengths with my 73 GTO. Before we took off when we were in the staging lanes he told me not to be to upset when he beat me but ,, he said you know which car this is don't you. I told him I'd see him at the end. We had a long talk after that race. He was impressed with the car but was also upset he got beat. My car was almost completely stock at that time . Well Almost LOL...

last time I saw the red '64 run it yanked the wheels. Don't recall a time though. What kind of times did you guys lay down that day? What track? Just curious.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by rexs73gto

Great stories , but all the brands cheated when they had to. Pontiac put a 421 in the GTO for the story of the GTO vs the F GTO. I personally raced the 64 421 GTO at the GTO nats in 85 when owned by Padgett Peterson. I beat him by about 8 car lengths with my 73 GTO. Before we took off when we were in the staging lanes he told me not to be to upset when he beat me but ,, he said you know which car this is don't you. I told him I'd see him at the end. We had a long talk after that race. He was impressed with the car but was also upset he got beat. My car was almost completely stock at that time . Well Almost LOL...

...

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

How We Met Jim Wangers

as told by Van Seymore:
[my comments are in brackets - K]


"My first encounter with Royal was by accident. They came to Central Michigan Dragway [now Mid Michigan Motorplex, in Stanton Michigan] on the second or third Sunday in September of 1960. Wangers was fresh off his Stock Eliminator win at Detroit Dragway. On this Sunday they had the Maroon car 'Hot Chief 1' (the car that took Stock Eliminator), [Dick] Jesse's white automatic 'Hot Chief #2', and a blue car.



"At this time I was racing a Ford; it was the first 360 HP delivered in Michigan and at this time it had the three Holley two barrel set up on it and was running as a 375 HP (with a letter from Ford).







"Steve French was the Tech Director and flag man at Central and I knew how to read him. As time trials opened Jim brought the Hot Chief #1 to the line and I came up in the left lane in my car. Steve would look at the right lane and then the left, and when the person in the left lane nodded the flag came up. By knowing this I was gone and I don't think I beat Wangers as much as I startled him so bad he couldn't catch me, but he sure sailed by me at the end of the quarter.

"When we returned to the pits Frank [Rediker] and Jesse were laughing so hard they were almost rolling on the ground. Wangers sure didn't see any humor in it and he came over to where I was parked and said 'I bet you can't do that again!' I was feeling kind of cocky so I said 'Sure I can'. We lined up again, in the same lanes, and although I didn't beat him by as much I still got to the end of the quarter first.

"By now Frank and Dick were laughing so hard they could hardly stand it. Jim came back over to where we were parked and said 'You can't beat the blue car!'. He sure was right, it didn't matter if I knew the flagman or not, he beat me that run.

"Later, I asked Frank about the engine in the Blue car and his comment was 'it's not quite stock'. I never did find out what 'not quite stock' meant."