So true. I did not own one of those but I had a washing cars site provided by a station owner where my costs were just water. The guy liked me and I got away cheap. I had customers with Pontiacs and really liked those cars.
In Germany I bought 1 of those small Mercedes and also a Studebaker Golden Hawk with a powerful engine. My Army pay was not high enough but I loaned troops money and had plenty of customers. The interest allowed me to travel all around Germany. The Army would only give me a card to get 50?? gallons of Ethyl and more Regular at a super low price. Even then fuel costs at German stations was very high. I think regular at the time cost me about .10 cents a gallon and Premium was around double that with no taxes included. Cheap at Army on post stations.
My first car was a 63 galaxy 4 door. Paid $200 for it. I didn't realize how cool it was back then, but I loved that car.I had a 63 Chevy PO at one time. It had a hydraulic lift gate on the back which was very useful at my machine shop. It was the 3/4 ton model with the 6 cylinder engine. I never tried to drive it as fast as you drove yours. I changed from owning the machine shop to getting licensed to sell Real Estate and my wife's car was the Chevy Corvair and not good to carry customers, so I traded in my PU for a late model Ford luxury model and it was fine for selling Real estate in. It was this car only painted gold color.
I have a Caddy that to change the starter you have to remove the intake manifold since inside that is where the starter is. It has fuel injection as well.
Those cars were very comfortable to be in. Gas back then was cheap so the economy was no problem at all. I forget the mpg it got.
It must cost a fortune now to drag race. I recall those Fords at the drag strips at that time.
It must be Canadian. The "Bonneville" was Pontiac in the States. American and Canadian GM models were often switched around. Also Ford where some models were called Mercury in Canada.
This makes me recall some of those guys with those who really were fast at that time.
I wasn't a professional racer so it wasn't so expensive. Fords? Yeah! The pro Thunderbolts were beating the crap out of everyone back then.
My hero! So, if you had a shop in 1961 you remember the Ford 352, 406, and 427 plus the Chevy W-block 348 and 409.
Where I lived at the time, The dragstrips I raced at were the Fremont, Dragstrip, the Half Moon Bay track, the Vacaville, Strip and the Stockton strip which was converted from a former Army runway.
My shop was short lived thanks to being drafted into the Army in February 1962. After that I got home in 1964 upon being discharged and got married and did not race again. I have a daughter that raced Motocross for a few years so I was busy with her racing her motorcycles.
When I returned from Vietnam I still had a year plus left on active duty and I was stationed in Albuquerque and the photos I attached of my Ford at the strip are from there.
I recall Mickey Thompson before he got murdered at his home. I noticed your valve covers are his product.
When I got discharged from the Army and eventually left the states I never drag raced again but I did build some mild customs.
I didn't know he was murdered.
