Absolutely I do. so was I.
Sutton
Nitromater
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Woody Gilmore - Pat Foster
- Thread starter Cliff
- Start date
Sutton
Didn't want to rush into it....Chase, almost 8 years to respond, time for a practice tree to work on those reactions!
We have cats, that will improve your reaction times.
Dragracer
Nitro Member
Dwayne Ogg's car was a 1 off Woody car. Built before the Foster car.
Terry: I don't have my reference books handy, but I don't think that is correct. I'm pretty sure the Pawnbroker was built based on the lessons learned from the Foster car, though the two cars were pretty similar. It was also an "engine very far back" (really close to the rear tires) car. Recall that the Pawnbroker was relatively successful considering Dwayne was a low-budget guy, and without the engine knowledge of a guy like Garlits.
Dragracer
Nitro Member
I was at Cerny's Paint at the time the Woody/Foster car was built. We were getting ready to paint the chassis and were putting it on sawhorses to paint and it was mentioned how flexible it was, side to side. You could hold the back steady and move the front back and forth. Didn't think that was good but it was built by Woody so it had to be good. Were in the stands on the tower side at Lions when they ran the car. About half way down the track you could see the car start to move and we looked at each other and said it's not going to straighten out and sure as heck is swung a little more and there was nothing Foster could do. It was a horrific crash and figured Patty was gone but he survived it. Once Woody started building back motor cars again the chassis was much stiffer and the rear end was a standard rear-end like the front motor cars and changed the steering.
Big also spent time checking out the Paul Shapiro driven rear-engined Top Gas car (Miami based) at the mid 1960's Division II events. Always handled great, winning local events. Yes, it's in his museum.
That is interesting to hear that this car was a "Flexy Flyer". I recall reading over the years that Woody was always a proponent of a very flexible front engine dragster, with very few uprights or cross members in the frame, ahead of the engine. Woody believed that was the best way to get ahold of the track. So it makes sense that he carried that philosophy to his early front driver cars. It sounds like the flexibility of that chassis may have been a partial contributor to the crash?
Gone Dead Train
Nitro Member
Does anyone know if the "Danekas Banks & Bowman" fuel dragster ran good. My Drag Racing USA magazine
doesn't give much information. I believe, one of the first modern day RED on the West Coast?
doesn't give much information. I believe, one of the first modern day RED on the West Coast?
Larry will live to be 100, so it might be me.
I think this car was built late 1971 or early 1972, especially cuz no rear wing. Garlits first back motor car had no wing. Am thinking rear wings started around mid 1971, which is when Garlits had his wing. Think I saw this car at Lions.
Dennis
Nitro Member
According to Phil Burgess, Garlits added the wing a month after the Bakersfield March Meet in 1971.
Swamp Rat Spotter's Guide, Part 2
OK, we're back on the hunt of the elusive Swamp Rat. … Well, I guess not really elusive, seeing as how I'm cribbing from Don Garlits’ book Don Garlits and His Cars and giving you my interpretation of his recount about the construction, life, demise, and sometimes resurrection of his famous line...
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