California may have had a lot of
fuel altereds, but they didn't have a lock on 'em.
On these pages, they come from everywhere!
From
Colorado to New England!
Okay, it's a gas altered...but probably one
of the most famous ones in the world, Walt Knoch's "Walt's Puffer"
Fiat. Any of you ever have the old AMT "Double Dragster" kit? Well,
this is the Fiat in that kit.
The Knoch's built this car in 1959, and it was the first A/A to 150
MPH, a world record, on Thanksgiving Day, 1959. The Fiat received
a chopped top in 1961, and continued to set NHRA National records
on almost every run. The success of the Fiat prompted Walt Knoch Sr.
to build a A/R (NHRA ran the roadsters and the coupes/sedans in separate
classes back then) called Walt's Puffer Too.
The NRHA liked to match up the Walt's car during time trials, as they
were both fan favorites. The tough part came when both cars won their
respective classes, and had to run for real against each other for
the Eliminator title...which was always a tossup as to who would win.
The Fiat had a bit of advantage, though, as at the time it was hitting
165 MPH on a regular basis, due to the fact that it was running a
454 cubic inch Chrysler, while the roadster had the former record-holding
392 Chrysler.
The interior of Walt's Car and Truck Parts store
in Dearborn, MI. Sitting right out front for the customers to see,
are the restored 1962 Walt's Puffer, and the last Walt's Puffer altered,
circa 1974...
Here's Walt's Car and Truck Parts,
Walt's Puffer, and Walt Jr himself...
Walt's last Fiat...
Walt's Puffer III
Mike Faser's "Chicago
Fire" AA/FA, out of where else? Chicago!
Mike is both the owner and driver of this beast...125" wheelbase,
built to NHRA Funny Car specs,
so the tracks and tech guys don't hassle 'em too much, with a KB Whale
motor under the hood...
The car has run 6.0's, sounds like
they need to come to Boise for the Nightfire Nationals next August!
Photo by Mark Bruederle
Rob Potter Photo
The Chicago Fire AA/FA at London
Motorsports Park.
"Fazer's best is 5.87/251 run
at the largest gathering of real AA/FAs in 2000, the FEDA Slingshot
Nationals at Cordova (which had eleven of them on the grounds and running!)."
Bret Kepner comments...
Rob Potter Photo
Drastic Plastic at London
Motorsports Park, with Ricky Krafft at the wheel.
These guys have run a best of 5.67, making them the 2nd quickest Fuel
Altered in the world.
(note: as of this revision, 1/23/03,
that 5.67 is kinda down the list, between 4th and 7th quickest now.)
I received an e-mail from
Bob Myers, who's associated with the Chicago Fire car...
he had some comments about the above three pictures...and I quote...
"These were shot over the Fourth of July
holiday, 1998, at London Motorsports Park,
St. Thomas, Ontario. John Force and Tony Pedregon match raced that weekend
and we got hired
thanks to Austin Coil...he's a good friend of Tom Motry (Drastic Plastic)
so he tells the track that
if they want Force, they need to bring in the Fuel Altereds!"
Thanks, Bob!
Rob Potter photo
"Pete" Garramone photo
Fred Hahn in the Satan's Revenge
altered.
Rob Potter photo
Les Jackson's "High Heaven"
AA/FA out of Colorado
Dave Hough Collection
"High Heaven " here again,
at Tucson 197?
Photo by John Shanks,
Dave Hough Collection
Bob Plumer photo
Stone Crude A/FA, owned by Martha
and Phil Lippard, driven by Pudgy Tarbett.
BBC powered, on nitro!
Bob Plumer photo
Dick Kurtzeborn, my notes
say St. Louis, I've also seen Maryland?
"Dick Kurtzeborn is from St. Louis, MO, (as
am I). Every one of us in town got our start wiping tires or chasing
cokes for Dick. His best run in the maroon car you have pictured was
his first eight-second pass, an 8.01/199 (!) at Wentzville, MO, in
1971. His later yellow car dipped into the 7.70s at 195."
Hey, Bret Kepner say St. Louis,
so, St. Louis it is!
Dave Hough Collection
Pacers Automotive altered, out of
Long Island, NY,
ran AA/A, AA/FA, CC/FD, basically any class they could!
Roadster Jack, out of Maryland.
Bob Plumer photo
Roadster Jack
Bob Plumer photo
Carl Stone's Rollin' Stone AA/FA,
Tink Fauklner at the wheel
Dave Hough Collection
"A guy who used to run
one of these Lynwood roadsters, Pete Van Kirk, from Brooklyn, NY, used
to come down to Miami to race and vacation during the winter. His car
had a blown small-block Chevy and carried the name "S&S Speed Shop,
Brooklyn NY" on the "door" panel of the 'glass body. Very fast A/Roadster.
352" small-block, 6-71 with two-hole Hilborn, motor mounted with the
crank snout tipped up, old style. Driven by John Levins, also from NYC,
and one of the all-time nice guys of drag racing."
"The S&S Speed Shop roadster-may have been called
"The Razor"- with Levins on board, and of course the Lincoln push car.
These chassis were all over this part of the country as you said. This
photo was taken at a Divisional Meet at Atco. The roadsters were tearing
them up that afternoon. The Van Kirk roadster is being pushed down the
return road after just having set a new National record."
First quote by Jim Hill, second quote by Bill Ott.
Bob Monitzor photo, Rob Potter collection
Bob Bohannen in the Ford Hemi, that's
right, I said Ford Hemi powered All American Bantam bodied AA/FA,
at the Fuel Altered Nationals at Tucson Raceway.
Bob's running a set of the "rarer
than hen's teeth" Mickey Thompson hemi-heads which M/T developed
back in the early sixties
to fit on the Ford 427 engine, before Ford came out with their SOHC
set-up.
Photo by John Shanks,
Dave Hough Collection
Dallas Schneider, out of Everywhere,
USA, at Tucson Raceway
Photo by John Shanks,
Dave Hough Collection
Peek Brothers, from Englewood ,
CO, 1970
Photo by John Shanks,
Dave Hough Collection
Al Carter, from Oklahoma City,
OK, came out to California and showed those Cal boys a thing or two,
winning the AA/FAR (Fuel Altered Roadster) class at the the U.S. Fuel
and Gas Championship (March Meet)
at Bakersfield in 1964. Then, for good measure,
he did it AGAIN in 1965.
This car eventually ended up being
sold to Keith Drum, who brought it out to California in 1967, where
it
became the Blue Blazer, later being sold to Bob Hankins.
Glenn Miller-Trackside Photo
Jim Sorenson
alteredinfo@mysterion.net
this way
(Midwest 1) or that way (Midwest 3)
