16 replies to this topic

[mickd]

This is the car I was champion for two seasons in the Tuesday night Late Model Stocker series between about 30 competitors in 1975 at Beloit Raceway in Milwaukee. I was 20 years old.

The cars had to be between 1972 and 1976 hard body stock cars. Interiors were required. Could cut wheel wells to clear 1/8" larger than tires. Could lower body to doorline, Doorline had to be visible. Bumper and window pegs could be eliminated, front and rear bumpers were required. No other lightening allowed. Any chassis, gears, pickups, and braid allowed. Tire size: 3/4" front, 7/8" rear. Had to use box stock 26D, most of us used the Champion 603. Wheelbase 4-1/2" and 3" width, 1/16" track clearance. I scratchbuilt this anglewinder chassis.

Please be kind, the body shows some battle scars that I am proud of. I was pushed into the wall one time which tore the entire front clip from the car. I set the spring on the outside front wheel at a greater tension, and offset the balance of the car with lead to slide through the carousel on the blue King track we raced. These cars would slide so beautifully, no goop was used, only lighter fluid to clean the tires. I installed a new Champion 617 that has seen zero track time when I quit racing this car competitively. I built a beautiful red, white, and blue 1972 George Follmer Trans-Am champion Javelin for this chassis, which has seen zero track time.

I took these pictures a while back and planned on posting some better ones. The last four pictures show the 1972 Follmer Javelin Trans-Am champion on the chassis. Here you go.

[Gator Bob]

Cool car Mike!

 

607 then now 617 power?

[mickd]

Thanks so much Bob! The rules were a box stock 26D when I raced the car competitively in '75. Everyone that I can remember used the Champion "Buster" 603 legal group 12 motor. My '75 Champion catalog shows it cost $6.99. After I quit racing the Penske Matador competitively I built the 1972 George Follmer Trans-Am champion Javelin body for that chassis and installed a new 617. Wow, that 617 was only $9.95 in '75. The Javelin body and 617 have seen no track time at all.

[SlotStox#53]

Very cool looking car! Love the look of the battle scars ,really adds the "raced" feel to it

Nice original scratch built chassis

[Bill from NH]

Mike, thanks for posting those great photos. In the mid-70s, while living in MA, I had a friend Bob Hopkins who worked in the Boston AMC Zone Office. Bob used to get his hands on some hot factory cars. I recall one was a red, white, & blue Matador with a 390 engine, 4-speed, & loud side pipes. Another was a gold Javelin with a 390 power. His son Randy always had his slot car painted red, white, & blue. In the late 90's another slot racing friend, Paul Fischer was an AMC nut. He always had his slot box packed with 8 or 10 cars, all red, white, & blue, regardless of their class or shape. Thanks for the memories.

[mickd]

Bill, Thanks so much! You know, there weren't a lot of guys back in those days that liked AMC's. I think the AMX and Javelin were some of the greatest cars in the late 60's - early 70's. A 390 AMX would run with anything, and you know it's intentions - it was a 2-seater. I had a friend who had a '72 Javelin with a smaller V8, and that car was real nice. Not many people like the Matador, but the looks grew on me racing that slot car. I would love to own a Matador X. It's suprising how many AMC enthusiasts paint their hot AMC cars in that red, white and blue color scheme. I just really liked that look, that's why I built the '72 champion trans-am car to go on that chassis when I quit racing the car in competition. I really am glad I could bring back a few memories, and if you still are in touch with any of those friends, direct them to this page. They might get a kick out of the cars. Thanks again Bill!

[mickd]

Very cool looking car! Love the look of the battle scars ,really adds the "raced" feel to it

Nice original scratch built chassis

Thanks for the compliments Paul, and someone who appreciates the scars from battle! That Matador was through a war.

[Gator Bob]

The 603/Gr-12 was a good choice for that class.

 

The SC/Rambler, the Rebel Machine, AMX, and 390 SC Javelin and 360 Hornet were great street machines from AMC. Off the showroom floor performance.  When the AMX name was put on the Javelin the street performance was gone due to emission standards but they made great race cars.  

 

The Marlin was a style leader that the public was not ready for.

 

I could not believe how competitive this car was against the Big 3 in Pro/Stock.

 

 

[mickd]

Wow Bob, you really know your AMC special editions. I searched for those cars and remember clearly the SC/Rambler and the Rebel Machine. I was big into drag racing in elementary school and my folks always took me to the National event  at Great Lakes Dragway on Memorial day, and sometimes to the other National on 4th of July at Great Lakes Dragway. Great Lakes Dragway was located in Union Grove Wisconsin, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. I remember seeing those AMC specials. I almost forgot about the Hornet, and don't remember that Hornet Pro Stock either, probably because I didn't follow drag racing as closely in the mid 70's as I did in grade school. My biggest interests in grade school were Champ cars and drag racing, went to the Rex Mays 150, the next race after Indy for many years, and the Bettenhausen 200 in August, from '63 to the early 70's,  at the Milwaukee Mile. My folks would take me to the Riverside Theater in Downtown Milwaukee to see the closed circuit live broadcast of the Indy 500. My main racing interest since college has been road racing, I go to Road America in Elkhart Lake regularly for bike and car races. I was the pit crew for a friend in college that raced a Showroom Stock Opel Manta, and I had owned many German Opels over the years. Back to the AMC's. You're absolutely correct in saying the public wasn't ready for the Marlin, it was way ahead of it's time. American Motors had plants here in Wisconsin. Some friends of mine were welders at the plant in Milwaukee, that one closed in 1987. There was another large plant in Kenosha. I know it was never a great performer, I liked the Gremlin X when it came out, I was a sophomore in high school. I thought this Gremlin Pro Stock was pretty great. This was the Richard Maskin car before the Hornet Pro Stock. Here is the article about the car: http://www.hemmings...._feature14.html

[mickd]

The old Lennie Pond Chevelle. It's seen better days, many hard-fought races for this one too.

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[Bill from NH]

Mike, is the chassis for this Lennie Pond car similar to that of the Matador? If not, can you post photos of it? What other old cars do you have to show us?

[mickd]

Bill, This was just one chassis that had several bodies on it in 1975. The car started with a Donnie Allison Chevelle, the blue/gold #36. Then the chassis had the Lennie Pond Chevelle, the yellow #54. The Penske Matador driven by Bobbie Allison was the last body I raced in competition. I have since used the 1972 Trans-Am champion George Follmer Javelin body and also put the Champion 617 in it. Have close to zero track time on the motor. It is now a fun car.

[Bill from NH]

To be able to run that chassis under various different bodies, is an indication how well you built that chassis in the first place.   The local club/home track doesn't currently run this class of cars, but I might have to build one anyway. A hard body hot rod/jalopy is my current build.

[mickd]

Bill, that chassis was great to accommodate many hard body models. I have an earlier design anglewinder chassis with the same 4 1/2" wheelbase with a 612 Champion. It has an MPC '75 Camaro late model dirt car body on it. It was always easy changing bodies on these chassis because the original designer for the late-model chassis used a vertical strip on the outrigger to fasten the stick-on Velcro. In addition to the Velcro we would tape the sides of the body to the chassis with strapping tape. I have to say, racing these old NASCAR stockers peaked my interest in these cars in '75. The realism for a dedicated racer was excellent, with a lot of contact sliding through the turns. No goop, only lighter fluid. It was a great series, thought it had great potential for maybe a national series. I think it is probably a midwest thing. Any one else have/had a 1/24 - 1/25 series with hard-body NASCAR stockers and scratch built chassis? I would really like to hear about it! Keep me posted on the hard body hot rod/ jalopy build, sounds cool.

[Bill from NH]

Mike, there are hard body groups in both California & Oregon that run one or more NASCAR classes with scratchbuilt chassis. D3 at BPR & OSCAR come to mind. Then there's a Chicago area hard body group that runs stretched womp & modified FCR chassis.

[Gator Bob]

Wow Bob, you really know your AMC special editions. I searched for those cars and remember clearly the SC/Rambler and the Rebel Machine. I was big into drag racing in elementary school and my folks always took me to the National event  at Great Lakes Dragway on Memorial day, and sometimes to the other National on 4th of July at Great Lakes Dragway. Great Lakes Dragway was located in Union Grove Wisconsin, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee. I remember seeing those AMC specials. I almost forgot about the Hornet, and don't remember that Hornet Pro Stock either, probably because I didn't follow drag racing as closely in the mid 70's as I did in grade school. My biggest interests in grade school were Champ cars and drag racing, went to the Rex Mays 150, the next race after Indy for many years, and the Bettenhausen 200 in August, from '63 to the early 70's,  at the Milwaukee Mile. My folks would take me to the Riverside Theater in Downtown Milwaukee to see the closed circuit live broadcast of the Indy 500. My main racing interest since college has been road racing, I go to Road America in Elkhart Lake regularly for bike and car races. I was the pit crew for a friend in college that raced a Showroom Stock Opel Manta, and I had owned many German Opels over the years. Back to the AMC's. You're absolutely correct in saying the public wasn't ready for the Marlin, it was way ahead of it's time. American Motors had plants here in Wisconsin. Some friends of mine were welders at the plant in Milwaukee, that one closed in 1987. There was another large plant in Kenosha. I know it was never a great performer, I liked the Gremlin X when it came out, I was a sophomore in high school. I thought this Gremlin Pro Stock was pretty great. This was the Richard Maskin car before the Hornet Pro Stock. Here is the article about the car: http://www.hemmings...._feature14.html 197721-1000-0.jpg

IIRC that article said the Hornet wasn't competitive ... LOL

[idare2bdul]

Nice to see a different type of slot car. I used to go to Riverside with a friend who was in an AMC club. We got great seats, a box lunch and a lap around the track.

 I don't have warm fuzzy memories of the Matador.When I went to work at Breck our fleet of company cars was switching over from Matadors to Fords. I got one of the Matadors we had until the car I ordered was delivered. After several weeks of headaches I mentioned them to a coworker and he asked me if my car had gone in for the recall. I checked it out and found out it hadn't. The cars had been recalled for an exhaust leak, which explained the headaches. When I got my brand new Ford Granada I actually wished I had the Matador back(with the fixed exhaust) because the 6 cylinder Granada was unbelievably gutless. Have you ever been passed by a Volkswagen bus going uphill?