First off – yeah, I know it’s a self-stroke. But give me a break – it was 50 years ago . . .
That I took my two cars to Riverside Raceway’s 1/4-mile. And raced them against each other. I’d ordered the ‘66 Olds 442 when I’d got back from Viet Nam. Tour courtesy of the 1st Infantry Division. I’d been there only 90 days as I was short when we took the beach (another story).
The Olds was a F85 cheapy hardtop with the 442 package. I loaded it up with the quick steering ratio (no power, no cost), 3.90 Posi, AM radio and the luxury of a $3-and-change red light that told you you’d left the emergency brake on (standard on the ‘67s). I’d already had the chrome reverse Buick wheels and knock-offs from Scotty’s Muffler Service when the car arrived and drove it to work the first day with them on.
The roadster was the same as I’d left it when I was drafted. It’d been my daily driver for 3 or 4 years with Enderle injectors, 4-speed Hydro, Cyclone quick change. It had a stock 365 H.P. ‘63 Corvette engine and was pretty quick on the street (depending on time and temperature and humidity, etc.).
My old drag racing partner Jim Mackey drove the Olds, I drove the roadster. He got me outta the gate by a mile (as usual), but I wheeled by him by the finish. The Olds had low E.T. in C/Pure Stock and lost the second round to a well-prepared 442 that had sand-bagged the qualifying. The roadster won C/SR (the only one there), but didn’t trophy because it didn’t have any front shocks. I later fixed that with a pair of Chassis Research leather-lined ones – which made no difference as the front spring was so stiff nothing moved any way.
The Olds is long gone. The roadster holds the El Mirage C/StR record and set five Bonneville records in C an D StR. Once in a while I think about putting it back on the street as it’s currently licensed and insured. Time will tell.
Stan Back
