Original hemi dart information

[mike koester 66 nova]

It has been fifteen to twenty years ago, I was at the US Nats at Indy, at the Adams Mark reunion show buying t - shirts from the late Dick Towers ( matchrace madness shirts ) when up walked Ted Spehar to greet the other fellows standing around, When I asked Mr. Spehar where the Butterfly had gone he told me that the Rod Shop got the car. Now I know that they had many cars and drivers, but I do believe that was the only 64 Dodge they owned. A lot of time has passed since then, thats what I remember, if I am wrong it is because the information was wrong.

[Mopar Steve]

Originally Posted by mike koester 66 nova

It has been fifteen to twenty years ago, I was at the US Nats at Indy, at the Adams Mark reunion show buying t - shirts from the late Dick Towers ( matchrace madness shirts ) when up walked Ted Spehar to greet the other fellows standing around, When I asked Mr. Spehar where the Butterfly had gone he told me that the Rod Shop got the car. Now I know that they had many cars and drivers, but I do believe that was the only 64 Dodge they owned. A lot of time has passed since then, thats what I remember, if I am wrong it is because the information was wrong.

Carroll Fink actually had owned the car. I'll have to get in touch with Ted and ask again.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Jason,
Do any photo's exist of your uncle's Dart at 9/69 at Indy.
Or, at the X/SS big meet at York, 8/24/69.
Daryl (Liteweight), Thanks for mentioning on helping. Hopefully, something will turn up. May search in another direction for you. Possibly, Staten Island, New York. Big Mopar race bed their. Have not been able to find any 68' Hemi Cars (originally owned) out of that area. Staten Island Speed was pretty big in that area.
Paul

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mark J,
Any information on a Hemi Dart (68' thru 70') sponsored by a
S & S (Auto Parts, or Speed Parts, or Engineering).
Or, lost info or whereabouts of the 'Manhattan Speed & Power", Dart, and whether it was an automatic or 4-speed. Other than that the motor
blew.
The "Deb's Automotive" SS/BA Dart out of Springfield, Mass. area
most likely competed in A/MP, after its brief run in S/S. Those guys were into tunnel-rams and Modified/Production classes before alot of other
northeastern racers.
On that first Charlie Castaldo Dart, (2) specific items. (1) The Cool-Can
was inserted into the fender-well (fabricated cut-out with rubber-ring).
(2) That car had utilized air-shocks (for a short period), and the air-filler inlet was located on the trunk floor, to the right side (passenger side) of the trunk.
Paul

[Jason Oldfield]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

Jason,
Do any photo's exist of your uncle's Dart at 9/69 at Indy.
Or, at the X/SS big meet at York, 8/24/69.
Daryl (Liteweight), Thanks for mentioning on helping. Hopefully, something will turn up. May search in another direction for you. Possibly, Staten Island, New York. Big Mopar race bed their. Have not been able to find any 68' Hemi Cars (originally owned) out of that area. Staten Island Speed was pretty big in that area.
Paul

Paul - Sorry for the lengthy delay in my response. I don't have many pictures of my uncle's cars prior to the Missile. I went through his scrapbook, and didn't find anything definite from Indy in '69, but most of the pictures / articles in the scrapbook aren't dated. For now, I just have to take my uncle's word for it that he was at Indy in '69 with his Dart, unless somebody can prove otherwise.

[Mopar Steve]

How is this? This is from a 1970 Dodge Scat Pack book. The background of the images ID them as Indy, except the Behemoth pic which looks like Pomona.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Mopar Steve,
Excellent photo sharing. Correct on the "Behemoth" G/SA car by
Bob Burkitt. Whenever a small white square with the letter "T"
appears on the front window, thats the NHRA Winternationals at
Pomona.
Sometimes the articles get the technical info scrambled. Do like the photo of Lee Sprague's 68' 340 Dart. F/S NHRA national record holder.
Jason,
Wonder if the 68' Hemi Dart was out-of-commision during the end of 69'?
PC

[Jason Oldfield]

Paul,

My uncle's Dart was definitely out of commission at the end of '69 due to a blown engine, like I mentioned earlier. But, according to my uncle, that was AFTER Indy, not before.

Steve,

I'm not saying those pictures AREN'T at Indy, but I personally can't identify them as being at Indy, nor can I positively identify that as my uncle behind the wheel. That said, if you'd like to do a high-resolution scan of that image and send it to me, I can tell you for sure whether it is my uncle driving (though unless there is some signage that definitively identifies the locale as Indy, I won't be able to help out in that department as I never saw Indy personally until about 2000).

PM me if you'd rather e-mail me a high resolution scan than post it here.

If nothing else, it will be fun to bust on my uncle about his memory failing!

[Frito]

Originally Posted by Mopar Steve

Carroll Fink actually had owned the car. I'll have to get in touch with Ted and ask again.

I just talked to Carrol a couple of days ago. He said he drove the 64 with a max wedge and steel front end. He told me he did not know where the car went as Gil Kirk owned it !!!!

[Barnstorm]

Talked to Rick Johnson about the missing history of the Butterfly. Does anyone know about the ownership between Rod Shop and DeFrank? Rick and Lynn Balek think it spent some time in Louisiana. They also remember the car running in Brainerd in 71 with a max wedge.