As some of you may know I work for Herb McCandless. For those of you who dont know who that is.....here is a quick bio.
Herb started his racing career in 1965, when he became involved with Chrysler’s race program. In 1968, racing became so much a part of his life, that when his then full-time job at a printing company got in the way of racing, he quit—the job. He raced Hemi cars from 1965 until 1974. During the last four years of his career, he drove for venerable team of Sox & Martin, driving their Pro Stock car. In 1974, he started McCandless Performance, and did a lot of the W2 small block test work for Chrysler. He ran McCandless Performance for 22 years and was one of Chrysler’s largest Direct Connection and Mopar Performance dealers.
February 5, 2008 He was inducted into the NC Drag Racing hall of fame.
Enough of that. Todd Warner owns the 72 Demon now and has done an amazing job of restoring it. It is in and out of the shop alot for shows and stuff and this time it was here I decided to snap some pictures because it is going back to Florida for a while and I'm not sure when it will be back through.
There is a surprise at the end of these pictures so look at them all....
(photos removed by request)
And for the finale! Yes Herb McCandless drove a Mustang! He will not admit it in person but I have the proof. lol
Hope you guys enjoy the pictures. Never know when the car will be back so I figured I would snap as many as possible. You get goosebumps sitting in that car.
Here it is in action, one of the most famous pictures in drag racing history.
Wow , thanks for sharing ,that thing is awesome :)
Awesome !!! I grew up watching Ronnie Sox tear it up at the tracks,and Richard Petty win on the ovals. They just don't have those kind of racers anymore. ALL pretty boy stuff these days.
Sweet. Ever heard of Raymond Hauser. He raced for Oldsmobile back then. I beleave they know each other. He was inducted in the Drag Racing Hall of Fame this year. His son races the same car that he raced from 68 till the 90s. The Ram Rod II.
Too sweet!!
Is that a '61 300 I see in the background?
Sweet! As a reformed Mopar guy, I really appreciate those pics.
there's a sox and martin duster around here.. i forget what the guy's name is that owns it, but he's deathly afraid to stand it up.. he officially makes the car look bad the once or twice a year he actually runs it lol
gotta love etown lol
Your good! That car has a 5.7 Hemi in it. We finished that up last year
Snap a picture next time you see it. I think I know who it is.
I was wondering why it has sixteen sparkplugs.
"Hemi" Fred Ristagno! took me a while to remember his name.. he lives in sewell, which is only about 20 minutes from my front door
(http://www.allpar.com/racing/sox-martin/hemi-fred.jpg)
I'm guessing your talking about the demon?
Yes we know him, he is umm...different? lol Not really sure how to describe him haha
The car he has is one of Ronnie's old cars. When is the last time he run it up there?
yeah, he's a 'different' type of guy alright.. lol a friend of mine's dad used to be good friends with fred and would help him out at atco/etown/maple grove/us-13/etc
don't know when he ran it last around here, i was MIA at the track until last month and that was just on street night.. i missed an entire season of outlaw 10.5 quick 8's.. i'm still pissed lol
I also remember the Sox & Martin Superbird. My all time favorite of their cars.
never knew they did a superbird.. looks interesting, but still not a fan of them.. they're just a charger with a queer little nose piece and antique ricer wing :rollin:
(http://i393.photobucket.com/albums/pp17/Onebadsuperbird/1970_SUPERBIRD_RWB_60DJPG.jpg)
I see you're a little uneducated about the 'Birds. It's not even a Charger. They were Plymouth Road Runners converted for super speedway duty. Plymouth installed a plug in the back for a more convex rear window,and stainless panels on the a-pillars for aerodynamics.The first car to go over 200 mph on the big circle. The nose was designed specifically for down force, the wing kept the rear down. The wing could've been shorter,but it was designed to allow the trunk to open,although the trunk hinges have limiters on them so the lid won't tag the spoiler. Plymouth had to sell 2000 of them to the public in order to use them on the track. They made less than 2000, and counted some twice (cheated) so they could be used in racing. They weren't built for drag racing,but a few did use them for those purposes. With the 440-6 or Hemi,they were killer cars. The lowest engine on the option list was a 440-4 bbl. All Superbirds had a vinyl roof to cover the lead work around the rear window making them quicker to build with less down time doing rear window work,and,they had a hard time getting paint to stick right on the rear window body work. Awesome cars. My favorite car ever built...period. My Sport is my second favorite car built.
Now I feel better.
i'm 20% educated on any and all chrysler products.. not a dodge guy by any means, unless it's a hemi or AAR cuda lol
like my dad always told me.. 'i'd rather have no car than own a mopar' hahah
Some of the Superbirds had Hemis. I also have always like the Daytona Chargers. The Superbird was one of those history making cars. They go for huge dollars,and even more huge equipped with a Hemi....as any Mopar goes,the Hemi will raise the price way up there. My uncle has a 1971 Hemi Road Runner. It's a white car with black and white interior. The Hemi always did get my full attention. He had it modified with a Rat Roaster intake,and other speed parts. It's back to stock appearing now. Internally,the engine is worked pretty well. My Uncle is a Ford and Mopar guy. My Dad is mostly a Ford guy (he has a 1970 Torino Cobra) and an '08 Mustang. My Mom has WS-6 2002 Trans Am. White with blue stripes and white and blue interior,and a King Ranch Ford truck. She's a little nutty,but I love her. The Mopars always have a soft spot with me. I had a '69 Dodge Superbee back in the mid 80's. Black fiberglass lift off hood (hood pin on each corner) ,black steel wheels with chrome lug nuts, ugly green with a white top,,and a 440-6 engine. Rode like a truck,cornering sucked,but it was a beast of a power house. Those things were built to go really fast in a straight line. Other than the tires and tune up parts,it was all factor,lift off hood and all. It was never my favorite car,and I used it as a trade in in '87 on my first brand new car...an '88 Thunderbird.
Vinnie, you make me so jealous.
Nothing to be jealous of .
my dad's buddy has a 440-6 pack in his 72 challenger.. definitely a nasty car, but like you said, doesn't turn worth a .. but they weren't built to take corners at 90, they were built for what 90% of the muscle cars were built for.. the 1/4 mile
I know a few of them. A gal who I dated 20+ years ago, her dad was into Hudsons and old Mopars. She had a 62 New Yorker with the 413, and he mom drove a 62 300L. I think to her Jr Prom we drove his 65 300M. I can still pick out a few of them.
Well your T-bird is bad a$$ and you had a '69 Dodge Superbee. I might not be jealous but..... well yea Im jealous. I just wish I could work on my cat. It just bums me out to see yalls birds and cats become sweet rides and not being able to do the same.
lack of skill or lack of cash flow?
Lack of cash flow. I love working on my car, I just dont have the funds.
i had a little trick when i was building my shortbed F150.. i had a coffee can that i would dump all my change in at the end of the day.. eventually got the idea to start putting 2 singles in on top of the change everyday and 10-20 bucks when i got paid every week.. fast forward 6 months and i had enough to buy my 39.5x15/15 TSL's($600 used), 4.56's, moser axles and an eaton locker for the rear.. it's a great way for a guy on a budget to get what he wants without putting a dent in the wallet and leaving yourself screwed for cash
I have no cash flow either. I sell parts,trade parts or find free parts on occasion. One piece at a time and patience. You have to be resourceful when the funds are low. Make a list of your wants and needs for the car,and check the classifieds a lot. There are really good deals there. I try to be very fair with my parts,as do others here. Also,if you can,save the money. Put it away where you're not tempted to spend it,and every dollar counts...every quarter counts. I have a bank bag I put every coin I get into. When it gets full,I cash it all in and it usually ends up around $125- $150 for a full bag of coins. There are a LOT of deals out there,you have to find them.It's like a treasure hunt. Get creative,and as I said,be patient. make a plan of attack for your car,a goal..Think before you buy that bottle of pop,or go out to eat a burger. All those dollars add up. I'll give up those snacks and pops for a Mass Air meter any day.
Surprising to know some one knows the "letter cars". The 300G broke the land speed record in 61. Surely we do not think of them as "fast" now but back then they were kind of like a "Sports" car. This car came with a 413 Cross Ram. We still have the original motor here at the shop. It was completely rebuilt and will be dropped in one day when Herb is done with the 5.7.
I can tell you that LIve Fast NEVER WORKED FOR Herb McCandless. I would like a moderator to delete this thread. These pictures were taken without permission and we would like them removed. Herb McCandless
Ouch.
I will say, though, out of all the Sox & Martin cars, the Superbird was my favorite.
I work there. I'm installing a cross ram intake on a 426 Hemi...........in my miiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnd !!!!!!!!
Thinking this whole thread ought to go bye bye before the drama mamas kick in.
Probably a good idea. I have no way of confirming who is legit, but I can try to prevent another online shouting match. Photos removed from post; thread closed.