Green & Mean

[crazyjim]

Back in the mid '60s we had quite a street racing program at Ogden & Kostner Avenues that was semi-sanctioned by the City of Chicago. Semi-sanctioned because 2 Chicago squad cars would show up every Saturday night for the races - and they issued no tickets. Cars had to pass tech inspection before a run.

There was a guy who had a dark green Dodge. He twisted up the torsion bars and did something to raise the rear end. Would he came off the line, the whole car rose higher in the air. He won quite a few races.

I would see the car sometimes when I was walking to school. The guy drove relatively slow and always in 2nd gear occasionally putting in the clutch and goosing the throttle. Obviously the car made an impression on me because I still remember it 45 years later.

Here's my version.

Edited May 8, 2010 by crazyjim

[Foxer]

Cool story. Obviously. it kept this guy from terrorizing the streets to show the car off!

Car looks good.. even more as a memory.

[crazyjim]

Thanks Foxer. Back then we didn't need to prove anything during the week because we had our runs on Saturday night. Run the car pretty empty during the week and make sure the tank was full of Sunoco fuel for Saturday night.

[Harry P.]

Back in the mid '60s we had quite a street racing program at Ogden & Kostner Avenues...

So you're from Chicago! Didn't know that...

BTW... that neighborhood is definitely NOT as you remember it anymore...

[crazyjim]

Actually, Harry, I'm from Berwyn but we did our racing out at Ogden & Kostner. There was a little hot dog stand on a corner and we used to set up in there. Going west on Ogden you' hit the interchange at Cicero Avenue and it was uphill. Great for slowing the cars down. Some big names got started on the street - Gary Dyer who ran some big funny car later. The guy from Stepul's Dyno (Lyons, IL) did some big stuff. I believe the people who put Chi-Town Hustler were there.

I have another fond memory from there. Some kid came in with his brandy new '66 SS 396 Chevelle in Marina Blue, black vinyl top, redline tires. He set up a title for title race against a guy who said he had a '65 Goat. Nobody had seen the Goat. Next week the Goat shows up - the altered wheelbase '64 Goat with a Hilborn injected (I don't remember which engine). The Goat was black lacquer with "The John" in gold leaf letters across the doors with various sponsor stickers along the bottom. Needless to say, the dumb kid lost his Chevelle that night.

So yeah, grew up in Berwyn and after the military kept going west - Westmont, Downers Grove, Warrenville, Wheaton, Winfield, West Chicago, and left Aurora for Citrus Springs, FLA. (Sounds like I had a "W" thing going for a few years, huh?).

[Harry P.]

It's always nice to hear from a "home town" guy!

I did sort of the same as you...gradually got further and further away from the city... started out on West Cornelia, then to North Springfield Avenue, then to West Nelson Street, then to the Lincoln Square area (Wilson and Leavitt)... then to the 'burbs, which is where I still am.

[jedimastergary]

Looks good nice color and the stance looks like it is

ready to race someone good detail on it

[crazyjim]

The paint is HOK Organic Green Kandy over HOK Orion Silver. No clear, just rubbed it with Novus #2 and then Model Wax.

I reveresed the axle on the leaf springs for the rear. Cut off the springs and relocate the axle under the springs.

On the front I just cranked up the torsion bars. Really, I cut the kit wheel spindles and reglued in a lower position (lower as in towards the ground).

[whale392]

Nice Jim. Being I used to run a 65 Dodge, I would screw the torsion bars up and set my pinion snubber right up against the bumpstop on the floor. my leafs were already clamped ahead of the axle, and that thing would LAUNCH when I hit the business pedal. When I got through, I would screw the bars back down and set the snubber back to stock and drive home like nothing ever happened and with an 'It wasn't me, officer' look to the car.