Thanks a lot for sharing this list. You learned a lot watching these cars run and seeing the evolution of this class out here and back then. Stroppe has his hands on 3 of these cars and I saw the Comet run at 3 local tracks and met Dyno just before this car campaigned. he liked my dad who was kind of in charge of our local strip for the City and state. Mickey Thompson managed this track. Lion's or 'The Beach'.
This post was cool and I was reading it to Tommy Grove as we kind of remembered a lot. I can share a little if you like.
This is a nice list but I voted for Tommy Grove too. These cars were picked by a vote, but if you go through the statistics from then, Grove's 'The Going Thing' Mustangs were really pretty dominant and legend around here.
He did after all win 223 rounds in a row match racing and running a FORD backed blown SOHC. Ford had Detroit engineers helping that car, our old shop, pre Holman Moody was quite involved, and Grove revolutionized many things.
For example, his cars had the side stripe at an angle that FORD adopted for the BOSS Mustangs.
I just read this list to him on the phone because we are friends and he and I discuss tuning and the past set ups when we can. We were also trying to get him out here for this cammer show.
The first car and second raced out of Stroppes before the merger with Holman. Stroppe through Fran Hernandez helped many MERC teams because we also were a factory Merc race shop. 2 of the crew guys here and me were all in that old shop and there are many cool stories. Bruce for example, crewed and fabbed for the COMET and also was on Kalitta's rail. Kalitta's SOHC rail used our shop as home base for about 3 years. We dynoed his engine too.
So both cars could come and go and get sponsored free parts from the parts dept. I kept some of the parts from both cars when that big shop moved including some of the build sheet, tune up data. We had archives for certain cars.
One thing you have to know is this. The hard parts flowed and flowed to the local FORD nitro cars like water. Butch Leal for example? He got his deal then they handed him 50 complete FE"s ,,,high risers, carb to pan. Some cars might get a free block or two a month, or as needed. One per race in some cases.
My brothers and I grew up a few blocks away from Chrismans shop which was a nice garage shop behind the home of Jack. Jack and Art are cousins. He had the sidewinder there, and other famous cars of his. We had common friends and I got to help Jack a few years later at FORD. This house Hot Rod shop was so succesful and cool this is why I always say, you can really do a lot from a nice home shop if you have the right help. This garage shop had a lot of real skilled helpers who came and went, and a bunch of factory hard parts to run the car. Both men were extremely talented is the bottom line. Just like so many of the current FE gang,,,you guys.
So this Comet had about 100 spare SOHC heads under a bench next to it and I often wish more had been saved. Crisman and Stroppe were real close. I got to do work for Jack when he came up to the shop, and Art ran the Autolite Dyno as an employee of Stroppe and Autolite.
Here is a fact. Since the Comet had a Ford deal, it then sponsored my friends injected Nitro Comet with the used parts. So Ford helped not only the main car, but it soft sponsored a related car too. One was Keatons Comet. It's Crew Chief let me go to the races as a kid, but learn, years later, I was a Crew Chief and got Mike to help me, and, we ired him for 30 years.
Point is, So Cal had dozens of SOHC cars running blown fuel, injected fuel, blown and injected gas, and of course, Pro Stock style, like DYNO later.
Many pals here remember many key aspects of the Chrisman Comet and it was awesome. Jack was a fine man, great driver and true innovator.
Next. Nicholson's Flip Top.
Dyno's car, well, it was legend at the tracks around here and we met him before. This car did great all across America. Some pals have emailed us their recollections and that makes this real fun.
Don gave me the duplicate back up car in later years. He wanted me to drive and we had about 1/2 the parts. I really regret not pushing that harder. He remmmembered me helping him do the old school stuff. Roll the car to the line ever so slowly, lol, change oil from quart cans with a church key, real fun old stuff we'd laugh about. I just loved to be around that car, I was young but big, and loved to build engines from a very young age. Thats why I say, get around older guys who teach, like you, and let you work on any part of any real fast car. It can steer you to some fast times.
We were going to restore it for nostalgia use. He had a hiiden spare Logghe chassis and new body. We had been good friends a long time and we had a huge Street Rod place that he loved. We were doing projects for Ford, Chevy, Olds, Hot Rod mag, and many vendors, Comp cams, BF Goodrich, Erson Mallory, Mr Gasket, and on and on....High End deal...Don was so happy about the place that we hatched a plan. This place sponsored several winning Nitro cars I was tuning in the 80s, early 90s... Free anything basically.
We spent a few years trying to make it happen and the rub was the cost of SOHC parts by the 80s. Nobody was making heads, like now. Blocks were hard to find. For about 2 years we tried to find the right parts that we could put the hurt on and that was a big problem. We would find some very nice blocks and heads, but then say, it would be a shame to break all of this over and over.
The project stalled and he went on to do match racing with his bubble top, and also to restore FE and other Ford cars. I helped him a few replica T Bolts later
Now this is what bugs me. Had it been just 10 years later? We could use pairs of aluminum heads from the sources, and the blocks got very strong and fairly priced !! So I wish I would have kept my hands on it often !!
The good news on the COMET back up is, some real good guys got the body and chassis after we lost DON. I made no claim on it and was just so happy Don's dream will come true. Don LOVED his cammer cars.
It is being patiently restored last I heard. That is great. Don would be very happy. I was supposed to drive the car if me and Don could get her back together but the cost was too high and I was very busy with Dragsters, a big shop doing Street rods and other business that paid better. I have some rare stuff from this car for when it gets finished.
Don loved that COMET and iit won so much. He made good money with this car too. We discussed' the fire' many times, and how he got hurt when he went to blown, then back to injected. The fire was not his fault.
I am very happy that 3 of these cars have FE's in them.
The Mickey Mustang. I sat in that car a few times after it got retired and loved this one a lot. Saw it run many many times too.
The Mickey Ongais Mustang was always at our local track or in Mickeys skunk works shop for special parts. Now I did an essay on that cool place where Fritz Voight did his R and D and special parts for MT
That car was so fast and so loud for the day. It flat flew and if you ask Ongais, he was the best shoe for that job and fearless. Ongais walks fine now and still looks strong as a bull. He has a special shop here too, a few minutes from our big place. All I can say is this, that car was just awesome to watch and see
The genius to me behind it's dominance is a friend who still builds and tunes. He is close by
That Mustang had the name, Amos Saterlee on it and he is legend to many of us. We were talking about that bad Mustang a while back and he has some funny stories. He laughs and tells you,,,,I had to fight and fight with Mickey to quit messing with my tune up !! I'd get the car just right but Mickey always wanted to tweak this, change that a little, tinker here, and there, and it could mess us up ! But he says it affectionately as if it all worked out fine. His point is something we learned along the way. You need to know when to 'leave it alone' and also how to tune it to the edge of the cliff but not one step beyond. If you do, everything gets ruined fast. HAHA
It was also a blast to see the early test runs with the BOSS 429. I had been in the FORD shop part time for a while and was told to go over and watch. Wednesday night, the BOSS ( is in there, they light it and it was so loud it kind of shocked some people,
When it did a burn out the guys in the stands went nuts. And people flocked to watch it but it rarely made a full pass. They had a lot to sort out and it had a lot of teething problems, the BOSS 9 on fuel. So with about 4 months, they went back to the SOHC and then could go race and win a lot easier, to end the season and match race, make money.
Some of the original Boss 9 parts are still around here.
An exact replica of that gorgeous blue Mustang runs the Heritage circuit and Amos helps it. Sadly, they just went with a Late model Chrysler for economy and ease of field stripping between rounds.
Now I want to ask you guys a favor. There are persistent rumors that this original car is owned by a private collector who has 3 old cars he just loved and stored a long time ago. I want to find it, buy it, get several of the old crew all working on it and bring it back.
The Big Boss will help it happen just right and I have a spare nitro SOHC and a lot more for this Ongais Mickey Mustang. If any of you guys have any leads on who has it, where it is, or how we can see it and try to buy it, please help us do that. I will pay whoever sets the deal up, upon conclusion and purchase, a nice fat finders fee in cash. Please help us find it if this story is true
Whoever helps find it, and if we get it, I will hereby promise in writing, that when we fire it up again, you, will get to sit in the car 1 time cackling. Take a video, invite your chick and pals. Real deal. You, will get watery eyes and never forget it. I rpomise you will be pretty deaf for a few days too.
So....
This is a really nice list and seeing every one of these cars compete was a golden era and real nice. We all had the pleasure to work at these huge Funny Car races we had like the 64 car Cavalcade of Funny cars shows
Imagine 64 of these early 70s AAFC's running for days and one long elimination race day?
We got to see 64 cars run, half got sent to the trailer, then 32, down to 16, down to 8,4,then the Finals. Some shows ran 2 or 3 Final rounds under the lights too....So these cars bring back many memories for many friends. Nice list
Setzer Vega on its way back.....Steve Davis, Larry W,,,,we do projects together to this day
That Vega was fierce,,,Buttera was legend...too. Saturday niight last me and 2 of the car builders were all over at Don Longs for a function. We are all helping re do a VEGA just like this right now. Quietly.
One of our guys in this place, who we've been with, 35 plus years is Larry W. We just talked about this list too. He was the Crew Chief on the Setzer Vega. He campaigned with that car for years, and he also was the Crew Chief for the Jungle Jim car you see. I was around those 2 a lot and they were real real fast and reliable. It is fun to get help then return it 30-40 years later, and around and around she goes. That VEGA was fierce, no doubt. We lost Buttera too soon, but, Harley Davidson was so wonderful, they threw a big lovely funeral for John. It was fit for a King and said thanks for Buttera designing and making a long line of trick billet Harley parts.
What a guy. My neighbor too, cool guy. Had a big 3 axis CNC in his home garage running all the time, like JAY !! But also a big bitchin shop that few could go inside...very stealth place.
Kudos to Steve Davis on this resto and the original team's fine work. Staurday night, me, and 3 guys did a lot of research and calls to find this car a very special, new, stretched Funny Car body. The original one is so delaminated, and rough, 2 months of work are not going to be cost efficient or slick enough , so lets find a new one, then modify it to be correct, is the thinking.
There is a lot to share there but it is Dodge stuff and I don't think you want or need that here.
If you have a line on any of this cars stuff, or ideas, thought, questions, please drop us an email....HMStroppeVet@Gmail.com Attn Tom
Very nice list......
Snakes cars seen
Prudhommes cars are all on display in his shop, that is in Northern San Diego County, maybe an hour from us, South. He sure had dominant equipment and Kieth Black was my all time favorite engine builder. He was a good friend of our place and wonderful person who was always real good t me and our friends. I wear his shirt, he gave me, at certain races for good luck. If I can get a photographer to follow me more often, I can share most of these things if you like...
he gave us crew shirts a few weeks ago celebrating his 60th Anniversary and that is real nice. If I can get shots of it getting test fired I will try for the guys. Just a Bitchin deal man, just Bitchin'...to us.
McEwen is local and we see him at events. One of my crew was on his crew then and there are many cool things to share some day. He is fine. Has a boy who is very very ill and that is sad.
Tommy Grove's Mustang beat McEwen a lot so I think The Going Thing deserves more ink, soon...many do...
Ed The Ace raced for Larry Minor, before that era, we at Stroppe built Minor's personal race cars. Ed was in the pit next to us at Bakersfield and I always suggest to him, and he smiles. I say, many do, let's get you back in to a Heritage car? He has a lot to say there, for later, but the coolest thing is, when you sit him down, and pitch the idea in length, his eyes catch fire. He starts to stare, and look intense like when he was The King. He focuses and smiles, and thinks it through and looks ready. I hope somebody with a fat budget brings back one of his cars, like the one on this list,,,,,and gives him some seat time. That would be just awesome !!
Loved the list but I would ad Tommy Grove and The Going Thing....
Nice share, thanks
I bet 3 or 4 of the members here could do a nostalgia version of many fast Fords and have a great time running 7s and 6s with an FE. I bet a handful of guys here could do a super fast FE based Dragster too. We'd love to see it or help if we could.
Thanks
PS......Any of you guys can do a blown FE just as cool or cooler than the above
