Jack Chrisman's Sidewinder Mustang Funny Car (1 Viewer)

[Randy]

We are trying to locate Jack Chrisman's original Sidewinder Mustang Funny Car. Jack never actually raced the car. It was sold it to John and Louie Force and was Force’s first funny car, "The Night Stalker". The car later became the "Cop Patrol."

If you have any information or additional ownership history on this car that might help in a follow up please email me at [email protected] and I will pass it on.

Thanks!

 

[DrRocket]

Didn't HOT ROD magazine do a "ghost body" photo shot of this car before Jack sold it to John??

 

[qtermile14]

We are trying to locate Jack Chrisman's original Sidewinder Mustang Funny Car. Jack never actually raced the car. It was sold it to John and Louie Force and was Force’s first funny car, "The Night Stalker". The car later became the "Cop Patrol."

If you have any information or additional ownership history on this car that might help in a follow up please email me at [email protected] and I will pass it on.

Thanks!

Actually, Roy Mehus, a high school friend of John's owned it first. It originally had the same paint and lettering, with Jack's name changed to Roy Mehus. Somebody else was the driver, but I do not remember his name. After they had to either replace or repair the body, that was when it became the dragway patrol car. After this was when it was sold to John.

 

[Treeshaker]

While I was living in Glendora, CA John sold the car to a friend of my neighbor Stan Stilwell and it was immediately offered to me and I bought it as a roller for $600.00.

I had seen the futility of running the car as a sidewinder, so I sold the back section of the car consisting of aluminum plates (motor mounts), transaxle, gears, etc and got my $600.00 back. I modified the chassis to make it a standard funny car and installed my econo dragster motor (carbureted sbc), with an 8 3/4 rear, and powerglide. I made 5 runs in the car at Irwindale and received an offer to buy the car complete from a dealer from the midwest. I sold the car for a healthy profit.

The body came up for sale last summer for $2,000.00 and it still had the Nightstalker paint job. It was in Kansas or Missouri or thereabouts.

The short version, the chassis and running gear are separated, modified and gone, the body is available.

 

[Larry]

That's a great looking Mustang Body ! I likes !

 

[Nunz]

I do remember being a kid and seeing the car on the cover of Hot Rod, while it was Chrisman's.

 

[TooTall999]

I remember seeing the car in magazines and thinking it was a cool idea. It may have been a total failure due to the chain drive exploding, but at least it represented original thinking and innovation, something that is sorely lacking in the fuel ranks today.

 

[Fabrizio T.]

There are news about where is this car?

 

[qtermile14]

There are news about where is this car?

According to a post by Virgil Hartman back in 2011, the chassis was converted to a front motor car, so the sidewinder chassis is gone.

 

[TooTall999]

Holy thread resurrection! Way to wake up an 8 year old thread!

 

[Cliff]

Looking at the 2 photos, the Night Stalker body was different than Chrisman's original body. Yes, there was a centerspread in Hot Rod with a "cutaway" drawing of the engine & chassis. Was a Ford engine. I also heard that the car had been a sand drag car. Any truth to that? Just FYI, Garlits built a sidewinder dragster in 1980's. He used gears instead of a chain, but the gears couldn't take the HP & broke. Garlits did say that the car had no torque "reaction", and that it planted both slicks evenly when it left the line. Always wondered what would happen with a design like that today, with modern technology.

 

[Cliff]

Found article on Google. www.hotrod.com Crazy World of Sideways Sidewinder Dragsters. Apr 13, 2017. Has photos of Chrisman's funny car and also Garlits sidewinder, not to mention a ton of historic photos.

 

[TooTall999]

Looking at the 2 photos, the Night Stalker body was different than Chrisman's original body. Yes, there was a centerspread in Hot Rod with a "cutaway" drawing of the engine & chassis. Was a Ford engine. I also heard that the car had been a sand drag car. Any truth to that? Just FYI, Garlits built a sidewinder dragster in 1980's. He used gears instead of a chain, but the gears couldn't take the HP & broke. Garlits did say that the car had no torque "reaction", and that it planted both slicks evenly when it left the line. Always wondered what would happen with a design like that today, with modern technology.

Virgil explained exactly what happened to the car in his post!

 

[Fabrizio T.]

Does anyone have a picture of this car when he was racing in the sand races or when was the front engine converted? Thanks.

 

[TooTall999]

Does anyone have a picture of this car when he was racing in the sand races or when was the front engine converted? Thanks.

According to Virgil, the car was never raced on the sand. He converted the chassis to conventional front engine configuration and sold the rear engine motorplates, etc. He might have pics after he converted it.

 

[Cliff]

Found an article from Phil Burgess, Dragster Insider, Dec 9, 2011, called "Stalking the Night Stalker". Went to Google & typed in Dragster Insider Stalking the Night Stalker and that brings it up. Sorry I can't do a link to it. Does tell about Force driving the car & that the car made a few laps at Irwindale, and at OCIR w/ another driver. Interesting story.

 

[stitcherbob]

Virgil answered the mystery....I had thought anything owned by Force would have burned up long ago

 

[Fabrizio T.]

Rear view of Force's Night Stalker sidewinder rear engine funny car