Ingenuity in Action (1959)

[Music] e [Music] Detroit the automotive capital of the world half a mile of asphalt a/4 mile to race on and a/4 mile to slow down [Music] in thousands of people but with one idea one dream to build a hot rod that is swifter than any other hot rod in its class the test of one car against another to determine the lowest elapse time that's drag racing and this is the king of all drag races the Nationals so here we are 500 horsepower ready to push me down that quarter of a mile in less than 10 seconds you don't drive you aim you aim and try to keep it straight it's like threading a needle at a quarter of a mile but it's really [Music] living so let's see how it all began I guess everybody has a shangra la for us it's drag racing I say us because it takes a team to build and race a top Contender the happy hours of a man's life are spent creating something some people paint others write some design a rocket to the moon but for us it's trying to build a machine that'll cover a quarter of a mile quicker than anything else on four [Music] wheels Lefty and Tom are hi priest in our Temple Lefty Works in electronics and Tom's a [Music] mechanic and there's the high Lama Jim Nelson he's the engineer in real life he's manager of a Speed Shop on Oceanside Tom and Jim are brothers there I am with a jacket supervising the job you got to keep an eye on these boys or someday you'll Mash down on the throttle and head right into outer space takes a lot of doing to make a record run these cars are more highly bred than a racehorse in fact this is probably the most specialized type of Machinery in the automotive [Music] world [Music] when we head out for a big race like the Nationals We Take Along enough spare parts to rebuild the engine as many times as we have to reliability is almost as important as speed takes a combination of both to win in fact I've known it to happen where the fastest car isn't necessarily the winner there's at least one child Hound in every group Nick was was ours Nick and Mike had farther to come than we did so we set up a Rendevous safer to travel by Caravan more fun [Music] too we hadn't been able to get together because of the hectic weeks of work that always pred a big meat so there was lots to talk about new ideas things that worked and things that didn't work a drag liner was our last year's winner Nick purchased it when we built the dragmaster Mike and Nick were running it this year it's a long Hall from California to Detroit so Lefty broke up to poo and we got [Music] underway you hear a lot about the beauty of the Southwest but unless you drive east you never really get a good look at [Music] it found a great barbecue place in Amarillo and of course Nick was the first one in and the last one out you wondered where he put it all until you looked down and saw those size 14 [Music] [Applause] [Music] shoes [Music] it's always good to see old friends again and we joined The Parkers in Oklahoma to catch a meet before pushing on give us a chance to work out the bugs and get the cars in top tune before arriving at the [Music] Nationals Oklahoma had a regional me that's a Texas job burning up the track my competition got off to a squirly start which put me in the next round there's Jamie Parker and his C Gasser there goes his brother Phil in his a Gasser affectionately called Grandma Here Comes Nick and the drag liner a little on the L side Lady Luck was riding on my shoulder all day there's the Allison against the twin Chevy you can't see it for the smoke with the Chevy one and so did we Jamie got first in his class and we won a savings bond for top elimination and could we use [Music] it all work and no play can make drag racing a very dull sport so after a hot day at the track it's all was pool time the time we left Oklahoma we had quite a caravan two cars a pickup a rig and five hot [Music] rods [Music] when we got to St Louis and cross the Mississippi the weather began to look a little on the threatening [Music] side [Music] and in Illinois the storm broke from there to Detroit it was [Music] solid following day the sun came out and everybody took a deep [Music] [Applause] [Music] breath even so we almost lost the whole day unpacking everything and getting it dried [Music] out and we had the car to clean up and get ready for technical inspection the next morning all cars must pass a thorough technical inspection by representatives of the National Hot Rod Association the association's rules have been responsible for setting and keeping the highest standards of safety so typical of modern hot rodding classes are divided according to body types and engine size and weight of car this affords a wide variety of Creations for Hot Rod enthusiasts to [Music] develop the check charge system is used and each contestant's car must pass all requirements before he is allowed on the drag strip this often creates some Lively discussions weighing in is always a critical moment rules call for a 30% front 70% rear weight ratio a few pounds light on the front end can disqualify a car and a few pounds too few can throw it into a higher [Music] class after technical inspection the crew transports the car to the pit area where a thorough tuneup is done before their first run [Applause] Barbara Livingston a Charming Secretary of NH is on hand to greet old friends and give newcomers a helping hand once satisfied the crew Wheels the car through the staging area and an amateur photographer gets her chance before the car gets to the starting line [Music] now it's time for the crew and the driver to test the car and the track the first days of the meet are strenuous and exhausting the track is in continuous use by contestants making test runs in time trials all classes participate and crews make run after run trying to get their cars in perfect tune [Music] for The Spectator it's an exciting time too because they have the opportunity to observe the many different classes in action and compare their elapsed times it is not at all unusual for the meats best elapsed time to be set during the time trials [Music] to the4 and through [Music] [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Music] the parking lots and stands were filled to capacity as enthusiasts turned out in droves hot rotting has really come of age in the last decade since 1950 the sport has grown from only two active strips to the present colossal number of more than 250 this group from Washington represents the best in cooperation father drives and the whole family acts as [Music] [Applause] crew whether it's an airplane engine or a V8 there's always work to be done and a cool drink hits the spot on a hot [Music] day for us the big day was here we were ready for the flat out run to see if we really had it or not we checked with champion and make sure we had the right heat [Music] range The Parkers were all at it too making their last minute [Music] adjustments a word with one of the toughest competitors Chuck Jones of The Sidewinder crew from Long Beach California and then we were ready to take her down to the [Music] line from otion Side California it's the Martin Nelson Machine the Master's track master they'll be running down for a record [Music] run counter tap with top forap time on our Kon de clocks a 9.12 9.12 seconds the Nelson Martin ma machine the Master's dragmaster with the lowest ET of the meat so far on a possible record they had to check the gas to make sure we weren't on Rocket Fuel I felt mighty good on the trip back to the [Music] pits you never want to count your chickens or however the saying goes was the day of eliminations we heard those expensive noises when we fired her [Applause] [Music] up Nick was a big help he ate as [Music] usual there was nothing to do but tear her all down and see what the trouble [Music] was [Music] it turned out to be a twisted cam lifter so we dropped the pan pulled out the cam and got at it from the lower [Music] end fortunately the cam was okay the eliminations were starting and time was working against us the 1959 National Championship drag races has seen the Detroit Dragway Detroit Michigan we have competition coming from as far south as the Panama Canal Zone and as far north as the Canadian area from the east coast to the West Coast two cars in the sea gas class Jamie Parker on the tower side make it looked like everybody in Detroit was in the stands Bill Parker in his a gas Coupe against Bill wadil two four bangers with Ray Huckaby of Houston Texas on The Spectator side taking an early lead a Thunderbird and a Corvette in the sports car class [Music] two Chevy sedans buying for class honors the original hot RS two Street [Music] roadsters an Austin against a Fiat in the altered coup class the cotton figing special from from Arizona taking the lead in the modified Roadster class in the competition Coupe class Nike and velas last year's class winner blows up and loses to Robert Andrews of Ohio Bernie partridge in Misfortune from California gets a good start in the modified Roadster class with only minutes left we got her buttoned up and down to the staging area [Music] Jack Moss's twin Chevy taking a good lead over Aron's green monster T ishimaru taking an early lead in his a dragster and the very beautiful misfire II a blown Chrysler dragster from California on The Spectator side two blown a Dragsters getting off to a good [Music] start two Texans Jack Moss and his twin Chevy being taken by Rob singer on the tower side [Music] do Martin in the drag Master losing to TS ishimaru the drag Master with a lower ET but TS getting off the line better well that's drag racing Herman Moser in his ramrod getting off to a slow start two beautiful altars the red Coupe from Texas dusting off the bronze entry from Ohio Charles Johnson from Michigan trailing John Klein from Massachusetts in the modified Roadster class the very fast hollish Brothers competition coup with jigs shamblin from Ohio taking a terrific lead Rod singer from Texas eliminates Bill tibles of Ohio and takes another step up the ladder the crowd Waits anxiously for the runoff of the little Eliminator to get underway and there goes George Montgomery of Dayton Ohio the winner with hook flying Otis Smith of Ohio A Roadster class Winner Takes on Gabby Bleecker of Illinois a altered winner to win middle [Music] Eliminator Wally Parts president of NHRA talking to Mr Ed Cole general manager of Chevrolet and Robert Peterson publisher of Hot Rod Magazine with Mr Tex Colbert president of Chrysler Corporation the grand prize the da lubricants Chevrolet El Camino Rod singer on the way up to the line to run against jig shamblin for Mr top Eliminator Rick gets a shot for Hot Rod as the crowd [Applause] watches and they're off up to the halfway mark they're neck and neck and coming into the traps is Rod singer way out in front bad luck for jig shandin who dropped the clutch in the hollish brother's beautiful competition Coupe [Music] on the starting line the green monster 1945 Allison power dragster with much much go and there's the flag it's Bill Smith giving him the big green sign he approaches the quar mark in the strip going wild up to the halfway he's on it into the three quarter he's really coming on and in the traps with a top time a top contct time of 17045 mph 17045 mph with the top time of the meat and then the awards the trophy for traveling the greatest distance to the Nationals accepted by Mike Bamber the award for the best appearing car and crew goes to Daryl Zimmerman of [Music] Colorado and the trophy for the best engineered car to Mr and Mrs lindley's Miss fire I thir from California Wally Parks presents the eliminators trophy in the sports car class to Jack horley Jr of Miami Florida who won in his Lincoln power Devin George Montgomery of Dayton Ohio receiving his trophy for winning as the little Eliminator to the beautiful o Automotive special of akan Ohio goes the trophy for Middle [Music] Eliminator [Music] [Applause] the Martin Nelson dragmaster was considered in the judge's opinion the safest constructed car of the meat they also won the trophy for the lowest ET Wally Parks beckons to the crew of the green monster to share honors with art arons for establishing a new top speed record on gas of 17045 5 mph and here comes the singer Miller car being pushed back to the winner circle the car that won the meat and Mr top Eliminator himself Rod singer of Houston Texas and to the winner the beautiful Champion spark plug trophy the da lubricant Camino and the [Music] kiss and so another Nationals draws to a close records have been set and broken ideas have been exchanged enthusiasts will return to garages and workshops to create new machines that will go a little faster and get from here to there in a little less time for this is the story of Ingenuity in [Music] [Applause] action