RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

[msc66]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

insisting on keeping the straight-and-narrow path does wear thin at times.

But these days the straight and narrow path is to stick a chevy in everything. To be different is to run an AMC mill in your AMC or an Olds in your Olds.

[msc66]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

I can't wait until everyone runs an LS1 and they're deemed unacceptable

Seems like that has already happened although I'm still hoping for the unacceptable part.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

The year is 1970. Ardmore Dragway is under new management,
Lonnie Sears and Johnnie Laird have taking over the facility from the Ardmore Timing Association. The Vietnam war is coming to a close, and drag racing is on its second expansion boom. The new
generation returning from the war, is similar to the early hot rodders returning from Korea conflict of the 1950's, They had a new look and new ideas for the sport of drag racing.. Larry Zunk from Gainesville Texas, was one of the many young Texans to cross Red River, and challenge the Okie's back in the early years. He also sported a different look and definitely a different idea on race cars. Larry was a young auto technician., (back in those day's we called them mechanics) that worked at Brown motor company in Gainesville Texas. Larry had that 70's look,really long hair, drove in cut off shorts, and wore Roman sandal shoes, but that car.....well that is were our story begins.

Larry's choice of race cars was a 1955. No not a Chevrolet or even a Ford, but a Pontiac. A big ol heavy ugly tin Indian. It was Painted Military tan,with 60's acid rock lace swirls and whatever else you want to call that paint scheme. Although Larry looked different than all the other clean cut racers of that time. He was way ahead of the game in racing ideas and mechanical ability. Larry called his hot rod Double Ugly, and sometimes, I think his appearance and automobile was just a diversion to fool the competition of his true racing abilities,
The Pontiac was powered by a big 455 Oldsmobile that made a big top end charge, and hard for the little 327 dragsters to play catch up. It had a automatic transmission, that gave it more consistent E.T.'s . Most cars including the dragsters still ran a manually shifted transmissions. The car had a 3 inch staggered front axle and really low slung headers. Back in the early days He could leave the line and not start the clocks until the back wheels
would clear the early scratched built staging beams. Larry was runner up at Ardmore"s first Cow Pasture Nationals, when he red lighted in the final to Jim Ragland. Larry went on to win many Sunday races before leaving the sport. Double Ugly has gone through many more owners and won a ton of races before being retired to pasture back in Texas today. As far as Larry, no one knows for sure where he is, but he sure left a ugly legacy at Ardmore Dragway.
The photo above is of Double Ugly at Green Valley Race City during the 1977 bracket finals were it competed for team Ardmore.

I love that one with 70's party paint job. You and your friends party and when one pukes on the paint job, no one will be able to see it. I have a shirt for that purpose.

[mrocketscience]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

Wow... I absolutely LOVE that car!!......

[okieracer]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

Thanks! Credit to Rob Ragland Ardmore (OK) Dragway historian. Ardmore Dragway "The oldest continuously operated drag strip in the country"

In the 1950's an epidemic was sweeping Americia...The nations number one growing sport was Drag Racing. Led by a
young Oklahoma native transplanted to southern California. Wally Parks led a crusade in the pages of Hot Rod magazine to organize the new sport of drag racing...

On Aug.. 8 1955 Billy Smith the superintendent of Lake Murray state park announced, the state planning and resources
board had approved construction of a drag strip to be built by the Slow Poke car club at the downtown airstrip.

September 11 1955 Ardmore Oklahoma's first legal drag race is held. The strip was all dirt at first but a few weeks later a small concrete starting line was added and oil was packed on the remainder of the strip. It is a far away time for some to imagine today at 300 mph, but this is how drag racing began.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

Okie,

That was freaking AWESOME.

Brian

[okieracer]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

The year is 1970. Ardmore Dragway is under new management,
Lonnie Sears and Johnnie Laird have taking over the facility from the Ardmore Timing Association. The Vietnam war is coming to a close, and drag racing is on its second expansion boom. The new
generation returning from the war, is similar to the early hot rodders returning from Korea conflict of the 1950's, They had a new look and new ideas for the sport of drag racing.. Larry Zunk from Gainesville Texas, was one of the many young Texans to cross Red River, and challenge the Okie's back in the early years. He also sported a different look and definitely a different idea on race cars. Larry was a young auto technician., (back in those day's we called them mechanics) that worked at Brown motor company in Gainesville Texas. Larry had that 70's look,really long hair, drove in cut off shorts, and wore Roman sandal shoes, but that car.....well that is were our story begins.

Larry's choice of race cars was a 1955. No not a Chevrolet or even a Ford, but a Pontiac. A big ol heavy ugly tin Indian. It was Painted Military tan,with 60's acid rock lace swirls and whatever else you want to call that paint scheme. Although Larry looked different than all the other clean cut racers of that time. He was way ahead of the game in racing ideas and mechanical ability. Larry called his hot rod Double Ugly, and sometimes, I think his appearance and automobile was just a diversion to fool the competition of his true racing abilities,
The Pontiac was powered by a big 455 Oldsmobile that made a big top end charge, and hard for the little 327 dragsters to play catch up. It had a automatic transmission, that gave it more consistent E.T.'s . Most cars including the dragsters still ran a manually shifted transmissions. The car had a 3 inch staggered front axle and really low slung headers. Back in the early days He could leave the line and not start the clocks until the back wheels
would clear the early scratched built staging beams. Larry was runner up at Ardmore"s first Cow Pasture Nationals, when he red lighted in the final to Jim Ragland. Larry went on to win many Sunday races before leaving the sport. Double Ugly has gone through many more owners and won a ton of races before being retired to pasture back in Texas today. As far as Larry, no one knows for sure where he is, but he sure left a ugly legacy at Ardmore Dragway.
The photo above is of Double Ugly at Green Valley Race City during the 1977 bracket finals were it competed for team Ardmore.

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

I'd install a pontiac sprinter ohc inline 6..
with a few updates.. a turbo and m/s

[Scott Liggett]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

An old school blown poncho mill would be fun in that car. I wouldn't touch the body. Leave it. Maybe find rusty steelies to go with it. Just spend money on it going and stopping.

[12GO]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

What size Pontiac you want? I can make a quick Pontiac engine! I'd love to have this car!

[STINEY]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

My buddy has a all-original barn-stored 4-door version of this..... with a v-8. Hmmm... merge the two maybe....

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

Yeah - gotta agree with the others here. There is a reason so many people go with the belly button motor. Fact is, small block chevys provide folks with the most cost - effective alternative that allows them to go fast on a budget. (Or even just get their ride on the road.)

For other people, it's just a brand preference thing and for still others, I suppose it's lack of creativity...but I gotta think it's just a budget decision for most.

[oldrustycars]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

I, too, am a purist. I'd love to see a proper Poncho under the hood. BUT...I'd be glad to just see the car running with whatever someone puts in it. The president of the AMC club I was in got the national meets to accept Chevy powered AMC's. Yeah, it's still considered poor taste, but at least it was an AMC still out there.
A car like this Pontiac need not be fast. If you want fast, you wouldn't start with a 56 Pontiac. If it helped got the car back on the road, stick a $100 305 in it.
Brian, this does NOT mean you can put a V8 in Goliath. You have the 292 already, thats what it should have.

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

You guys are making sense. I like to live in fantasy world sometimes. :D

Hell, make it fast and I'd love it.

[dougg01]

Re: RacingJunk Find: A '56 Pontiac Chieftain Drag Car

Brian,
I have to agree here. Purity is nice, but since this is largely a community of bucks-down wrench-heads....insisting on keeping the straight-and-narrow path does wear thin at times. Anyone resurrecting this thing without aluminum paneling, bags, and 20" wheels on p-zero rubber has my vote. Oh...and get that wing off the trunk.... :