Burkholder Brothers Fuel Altered article (1 Viewer)

[The Little Lizard]

The Folks at Vintage Fuel . com provide insight into the history of the Burkholder Brothers (Pete and Harry) Fuel Altereds in an interview with current owner Harry Burkholder. The Burkholder Fuel Altereds became famous and highly recognized with prominent NHRA fuel shoe, and my mentor Jim "The Lizard" Herbert at the wheel. Jim drove both the Tube-T and the Fiat Topolino bodied versions for Harry and Pete. During the time of the Fiat version, Legendary Speed Shop owner and promoter Don Tognotti (my former boss) not only sponsored the car, but commissioned the largerst known drag racing real-life painting of that vehicle. When not graciously on loan to the NHRA museum located at the Fairplex in Pomona, California buy its current owner the Tognotti family. It can be found hanging from the front wall of the Tognotti Families aftermarket retail business Tognotti's Auto World, located at 2509 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, Califonria. A link to the Vintage Fuel . Com article is provided below:

https://www.vintagefuel.com/readfeaturearticle.cfm?featurearticleID=1009

*****UPDATE-I BELIEVE THE LINK TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED ARTICLE IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE FROM VINTAGE FUEL.COM****

An Image of the Tognotti Commissioned Burkholder Brothers Fiat Topolino Real-Life Painting can be found at the web link provided below:

View All Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 90 of 102 by THE LITTLE LIZARD'S IN THE KNOW 1320 EZINE - MySpace Photos

Jim "The Lizard" Herbert at the wheel of the Tognotti Speed Shop sponsored Burkholder Brothers Tube-T, at the web link below:

View All Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 89 of 102 by THE LITTLE LIZARD'S IN THE KNOW 1320 EZINE - MySpace Photos

 

[None]

The Folks at Vintage Fuel . com provide insight into the history of the Burkholder Brothers (Pete and Harry) Fuel Altereds in an interview with current owner Harry Burkholder. The Burkholder Fuel Altereds became famous and highly recognized with prominent NHRA fuel shoe, and my mentor Jim "The Lizard" Herbert at the wheel. Jim drove both the Tube-T and the Fiat Topolino bodied versions for Harry and Pete. During the time of the Fiat version, Legendary Speed Shop owner and promoter Don Tognotti (my former boss) not only sponsored the car, but commissioned the largerst known drag racing real-life painting of that vehicle. When not graciously on loan to the NHRA museum located at the Fairplex in Pomona, California buy its current owner the Tognotti family. It can be found hanging from the front wall of the Tognotti Families aftermarket retail business Tognotti's Auto World, located at 2509 Fulton Avenue, Sacramento, Califonria. A link to the Vintage Fuel . Com article is provided below:

https://www.vintagefuel.com/readfeaturearticle.cfm?featurearticleID=1009

An Image of the Tognotti Commissioned Burkholder Brothers Fiat Topolino Real-Life Painting can be found at the web link provided below:

View All Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 90 of 102 by THE LITTLE LIZARD'S IN THE KNOW 1320 EZINE - MySpace Photos

Jim "The Lizard" Herbert at the wheel of the Tognotti Speed Shop sponsored Burkholder Brothers Tube-T, at the web link below:

View All Photos Photo Gallery - Photo 89 of 102 by THE LITTLE LIZARD'S IN THE KNOW 1320 EZINE - MySpace Photos

Some nice stuff but I wonder why they did not mention the earlier version of Big Don Argee, Fred Sorenson and the Burkholders when they were the world record holders. Argee, Sorenson and the Burkholder Bros. were the cream of the crop in their day and I don't believe they ever regained the lofty pinnacle in their later endeavors. At some races the roadster qualified to run in top fuel.

 

[The Little Lizard]

Excellent observations William! Their were a number of folks that drove for the Burkholders (that were not mentioned). Big Don Argee (R.I.P) drove a number of cars including a Top Fuel Dragster, I believe under the Capital Speed Shop banner. He was a good friend of Don Tognotti's and a fine gentlemen, I had a number of conversations with him prior to his passing-nice guy. Sorenson, Jim's father was a high profile player in the area at the time in the class. He went on to own and drive the Warlock AA/FA that ulitmately ended up in the hands of one of Jim "The Lizard" Herberts former partners Frank Pitt's ( who later went to be the first NHRA quadralphegic car owner and operated the Dodger Aspen Funny car named the "Warlock").

Footnote: Frank Pitts was partner in the "Herbert-Bishop-Pitts" Top Fuel Car "The Lizard"

 

[None]

Excellent observations William! Their were a number of folks that drove for the Burkholders (that were not mentioned). Big Don Argee (R.I.P) drove a number of cars including a Top Fuel Dragster, I believe under the Capital Speed Shop banner. He was a good friend of Don Tognotti's and a fine gentlemen, I had a number of conversations with him prior to his passing-nice guy. Sorenson, Jim's father was a high profile player in the area at the time in the class. He went on to own and drive the Warlock AA/FA that ulitmately ended up in the hands of one of Jim "The Lizard" Herberts former partners Frank Pitt's ( who later went to be the first NHRA quadralphegic car owner and operated the Dodger Aspen Funny car named the "Warlock").

Footnote: Frank Pitts was partner in the "Herbert-Bishop-Pitts" Top Fuel Car "The Lizard"

Great memories during those days when I lived in Sacto/Orangevale areas. I think if I could clean out the cobwebs, I'd remember a lot of them. I was partners with Tom and Jack Willis in an unblown Chevy nitro car and later jr. fueler for several years. Henry Walther used to write for Drag News and Al Caldwell had a weekly column. Good times in those days. Jim Herbert was a teenie bopper, Shorty was well, Shorty. Jim Guy had a good running top gas car and Shoemaker was just getting his chassis business going.

 

[Burk]

Mark,
Friends steered me to this site. If you don't mind I would like to solve the mystery of the drivers of the Burkholder AA/FA. We teamed up with Don Argee and Lawrence Brochinni when they were elected to a match race challenge list in the late 60's. They had sold their car and I put their 392 Hemi into our Bantam bodied gas Altered, Pete mounted a 27T Ford body on it to "look like" their fuel car. Don Argee, a friend of our older cousins and ours drove the car, version 1 was painted gold with #195 AA/FR on it. I was told this was the first fuel Altered to run 170MPH. We ran the car for one season. Dave Sorenson joined the team when Lawrence "retired" around 1962, Pete repainted it green, same #195. lettered Agree Sorenson & Burkholder Brothers.
Then later, Jim Herbert who worked with Pete at Tog's drove the Chrysler powered 23T, the one with the touring length body. All of us were into dirt bikes and I was T-boned by a guy who drove through my left foot breaking all of the bones. We were signed up for several big events and Jim Herbert drove three of them while I tuned from a wheelchair. Jim did a great job, his first run comment was, " where the hell did all of my wheelbase go" Jim never did drive the Fiat AA/FA as I got back behind the wheel when healed up.
Hairy Burkholder
BTW, I, and my younger cousin Robert Reel have the restored Fiat car and

 

[Burk]

Re: Burkholder Painting's

A bit of trivia re: the Burkholder Brothers paintings (2 each). Pete was the second employee of Don Tognitti's, starting after he finished his Army commitment in 1963 at the 16th. street store. Don then opened the 19th. & T street shop and had a painting done by a college art student (I think). This was a take off of a poster from the early 70's with our Fiat (foreground) and the Nanook Altered behind (as in, we won The painting showed just the Fiat. When Don opened the Fulton Ave store the painting would not fit the space above the windows. I purchased the painting gave it to Pete for his birthday. When Pete passed away eleven years ago I donated this painting to the NHRA museum where it currently hangs. Don had another, 2nd painting done and it hung in the new store for a long time. Terry Cox driver of the Cheetah nostalgia Top Fuel car has this painting, after finding it in the rafters of Dons shop. We are negotiating terms of my Will to see if I can have it back, in this lifetime
Hairy Burkholder

 

[willy]

A very warm and honored welcome to the Mater Hairy!

 

[The Little Lizard]

A very warm and honored welcome to the Mater Hairy!

Ditto-Dave Williams! Harry thanks for acknowledging Jim "The Lizard" Herbert's efforts driving for you. As an employee of his he shared his experience a time or two about his experiences driving the cars. Pictures of Jim "the Lizard" Herbert driving for the Burholder brothers Fuel Altered cab be found at the web link provided below:

The Jim Herbert Story

Yep, that painting is big and packing it to head down to the museum is a little work. It always was a prominent highlight of the historical interior ombiance of Tognotti's Auto World while I worked for Don Tognotti. I have a number of personal pictures of it hanging from inside the store which the family was nice enough to let me to take while I worked there.
Nice to hear you stay in contact with Terry, he would stop by the shop once and a while to talk to Cheryl Starr in the back office, Dean Tognotti, pick up a few things, etc.. His father (johnnie) goes along way back with Cheryl's late husband Dywane. Their family (Cox's) have a little party every year during the holidays and invite folks over for holiday cheer, food, etc. Terry's a nice guy and seems to be having doing at what he's doing.

Harry drop by the mater more often and share, we would really appreciate that.

The Little Lizard
Former Assistant Manager Tognotti's Auto World &
Warehouse Manager Jim Herberts Performance World
Pictures of me Mark Clayton at the time of I worked for Jim Herbert can be found at the web link provided below:
The Jim Herbert Story - Part Two

(here's some history-who's the only living person to work for Jim Herbert and Don Tognotti-probably me. Their were was one other John Steele, but I imagine based on his age he may no longer be with us).

*****HARRY-As a side note I wanted to pass on this encounter regarding the original Top. On or around 1982 during the course of my travels I ran to a guy who claimed he had the original Burkholder Brothers Fiat Top (can't recall if just body, or chassis as well). I actually saw the car and looked it over, it was at a small gas station on Fruitridge Rd. (located I think between 65th & Stockton Blvd), and they kept it in one of the service bays. If this was your old car they changed it around, and indicated to me they did so. It had been painted yellow, they changed the front end suspension, put a carburated chevy in it. What struck me as odd was the addition of a radiator. It may have even had a different front clip on it-longer-may have lengthened the car. I recall they had been do some welding on it. Based on my impression of the owners of this car, Hmmm.., Hmmm...I wouldn't be optomistic regarding its fate.***********

 

[Burk]

Mark,
Saw your note and would like to add one other to the list of Tognott's "surviving employees," Henry Walther, I see him at most Nostalgia events. He worked at Tog's and did all of the lettering on our cars. Later he went to Crane Cams (one of our sponsers) then Holly and last at Race-Pak the drag racing computer place, he is retired now and just finished restoring Gary Becks Top Fueler. More trivia, Gary Beck has my old street rod 40 Ford pickup, I built at least 25 years ago.... small world this drag racing stuff
We try to get to most of John Cox's Christmas parties, great to see the old timers. John and I graduated in the same Sacramento High School class. I've been working with Steven Justice, he is doing a 2 part Bio on our cars that will be posted on the WDIFL site just ahead of the Bakersfield Hot Rod Reunion. I will keep checking in on this site
Hairy

 

[The Little Lizard]

Yes, I am aware Henry is around and worked for Don Tognotti in the 60's and 70's, but he didn't work for Jim Herbert at Jim Herbert's Performance World! I bought a few things from him at Racepack. When I worked at Herbert's Terry Thomas talked to him allot. As a historical footnote: The last motor Chris Raynor (R.I.P) built was a blown 392 was for Henry's neighbors boat. Henry also lettered and did graphic on Jim Herbert's and Chris Raynor's last front engine dragster (I heard it was short notice and Henry did it late night), Raynor-Bishop-Herbert is now owned by Alan Janes in Marysville (davey U. fixed it for him). I was the last person to touch that car with Jim before he turned it over to Alan to partially repay a debt of Alan driving his trailer back to Indy. Then Alan stopped helping Jim, he got a honey named "Cathy" (I believe that was her name, and well I'm sure that speaks for itself). In closing Alan is a cool guy, he had to be or Jim wouldn't have had him help him, that speaks for its self.


O.K., more Burkholder Brothers AA/FA history!

I did some more reflection on my last encounter of what may have been the "Bukholder Brothers" AA/FA, and maybe one of the last sightings of it.

This is how I came to stumble on to it in 1982. I was working for a Auto Parts firm located on Fruitridge Road in Sacramento called "Auto Parts Center", also known as "APC". I was doing allot of parts sales at that time, and I worked with a guy name Tom. Tom had as one of his clients a small gas station on Fruitridge that he was selling allot of parts to. Tom knew I had worked for Jim Herbert in the past, and had mentioned it to his client at the gas station that had what the client claimed was the former "Burkholder Brothers" AA/FA. So, Tom mentioned me to his client, and the client indicated to Tom that the car he had was the one Jim Herbert had driven, and client became excited and wanted to meet me. Thus, Tom came up with the idea I go meet with the his client as a sales/store promotional visit to keeps his client happy. What, I didn't know until I got their was the client had cooked up an idea for me to drive the car after is was in shape to do so. I went with Tom to visit the client and the car, they did have the tops original metal noise piece, crumpled up, chipped paint with the Tognotti name logo across the front. They had indicated that, Hmm..., Hmm.. the last owner of the car had a down track incident and the front of the body got crumpled up, that's one of the reason they replaced the front end. They intended to run the car as a bracket car, and drive it back to the lanes or pits after each run. That's why the carburated chevy, and radiator addition. The owner wanted to do a deal to have me drive the car, and Auto Parts Center Sponsor it. I believe the thinking was I was connected to Jim Herbert who drove the car, and the sponsorship would help eliminate some of clients untimely bill with Auto Parts Center-LOL. Well, after reviewing the car and what the new owner had done to it, Hmm....,Hmmm... I wasn't interested, but left them feeling good with our encounter, as I waived good by to them and what may have been the last sighting of the Burkholder Brothers AA/FA.

 

[big al]

Great shot Harry I wish I would of been there that is the kind of shot I'm looking for with my car ,perfect pic

Burkholder Bros.AA-FF at Kingdon Raceway | Flickr - Photo Sharing!