Good News, Bad News

[57AGIN]

Last Sat & Sunday I had some good and bad news with my 57 AGIN.  I had to attend a wake for one of the 1960's Ford Drag Team out in the Desert near Palm Springs, CA.  Ed Terry, who raced for FORD starting in 1960 and through 1971 when FORD left racing, passed away a couple of weeks ago.  Ed's wife had asked me to come out to a celebration of his life and bring my 57.  I had met Ed at a car show out in the desert last February. We got to talking about our shared experiences with our Fords and racing.  My side of the conversation was pretty limited, but Ed's was fascinating.  He and Gaspar (Gas) Rhonda had raced together in the San Francisco area in late 1959 and the early 1960's before Ed and Gas got picked by FORD to race for the company.  Ed wound up racing for FORD even longer than Gas, but Gas was Ed's mentor and they became lifelong friends.  I suggested to Ed that may be he could get some of the old FORD Drag Team together to sign autographs at the Knott's Show to be held in April.  That did work out and even though Ed was in ill health, he was able to get Butch Leal and Larry Knapp (who brought his AF/X SOHC 1965 Mustang to the Knott's show.  It turned out to be Ed's last public appearance at a Ford event.

So I drove my 57 out to the desert on Saturday night (I left the LA area at 7:00 p.m. as 57 AGIN has no A/C).  The temp at night out there was slightly over 100 degrees, my 57 was running cool at 180 degrees, but with the windows down and the vents open for me it was kind of like driving in a blast furnace.  Guess I must have baked or burned out the diodes in my alternator and I wound up just barely getting there and had to be towed about 1 mile to my hotel.  I got a ride to the wake and met with Gas Rhonda, "Wild" Bill Schrewsberry and a number of other car guys from the desert area. Later after the wake I had 57 AGIN towed back to LA.  It was great to have known Ed Terry, a pleasure to have worked with him to put the Knott's Ford Drag Team autographing session together and to have been invited to share his life with his friends last Sunday.

The bad news was the burned out diodes in the alternator, but the good news with my 57 was the with the TKO 600's 5th gear my gas mileage was almost 17 mpg.   Yes, it was the alternator and it has been rebuilt and all is well again with 57 AGIN.



Bob
57AGIN

[rmk57]

Great story and having met with some of Fords racing legends makes even better. I remember as a youngster seeing the Ford drag team out at Mission raceway.

[RICH MUISE]

A great and a not so great experience. Thanks for the input and pics. LOL...Bob, you can't figure in the mileage with 57agin on the tow truck back home from Palm Springs when you're calculating your MPG's.
I'd not wanted to pay that tow bill.

[57AGIN]

Thanks guys.  Meeting and mingling with some of the Ford legends both at Knott's and at Ed's memorial was a great experience.  Ed discussed his early Ford racing days with Gas and the light weight Galaxies, his year of racing the Dragon Snake for Carroll Shelby and it was like it happened yesterday bot for him and for me.  I remember being a rabid Ford racing fan throughout the 60's, but he actually lived it and loved to talk about it.  Not in a bragging way, more in a nostalgic way.  Gas is 84 now, still slim & trim and also full of good memories of his racing days.  Check him out in his orange shirt, talking to several fellow car nuts and still having a full head of hair (it's just not fair the way hair is available for some, but not all. lol).

Rich, actually the cost for the tow was almost nonexistent.  It came, thanks to AAA and their 200 mile radius for their upgraded AutoClub insurance package.  But, I can tell you riding in the flatbed tow truck with broken A/C in 110 degree heat was an experience.  But, I was still very grateful for the tow, as working on the engine in that heat would have been much worse.
Bob
57 AGIN

[rmk57]

The Russ Davis 69 Mustang and the blue Mickey Thompson car are still my all time favorite funny cars. Both SOHC powered.

[Jeff Norwell]

Man... that's an awesome story!!!

[F570RD]

Thanks for sharing this!!!What Jeff said too.

[Ecode70D]

   That's a great story and Gas looks great for 84.  Seems like he's involved in  some sort of a violation for having that much hair at his age.   Some people have all the luck.

[57AGIN]

Thanks again guys:

I took a lot of photos of those in attendance.  I'm hoping Leslie, Ed's wife, will be able to identify most of the car guys.  I may be able to add some interesting additional stories from back in the day.  Maybe even some more up to date and relevant information.

Yes, and as for hair Gas was blessed and some of us were cursed.  Oh well less to comb.  lol

Bob
57 AGIN