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Spooky
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A Permanent Place in Drag Racing History For The Grey Ghost
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By Jim Samuels, Photos by Bryan Epps |
When Tom Gould set the IHRA low-ET record for the X, Y and Z stock classes in 2000, it was only a matter of time before other racers took the marks away from him. But after resetting the records in all three classes during the 2002 racing season, Tom Gould now knows that he has a long-lasting place in drag racing history. That's because after the 2002 season, the IHRA eliminated the X, Y and Z stock classes and with no more competition, no one can ever break Gould's records. That means that for as long as the IHRA maintains its records for those classes, the 67-year old drag racer from Buford , South Carolina has a place in the books. While three records that will never expire in three classes is quite an achievement, what makes it more interesting is that Gould set all three records in a car most racers and fans would never expect to see on a dragstrip: a 1966 Chevrolet Corvair that he calls “The Grey Ghost.” Gould bought the car, which still appears to be in almost showroom condition, in the fall of 1965 and used it as a family car until he took it off the street in 1976 with 60,000 miles on the odometer. “I ordered it in September of 1965,” says Gould, adding that The Grey Ghost is the third Corvair he's owned, following 1962 and 1965 editions of the infamous rear-engine car that Chevrolet intended to serve as a domestic sports sedan. Early handling problems and a campaign against the car by consumer-advocate Ralph Nader led to the Corvair's demise after the 1969 model year.
“That was our family car,” he says. “I raced it from the day I got it. “When they came out with this body style in 1965, I got another Corvair,” says Gould, adding a short time later, he bought the 1966 model he races today. Though he doesn't race every weekend and doesn't usually travel far from his South Carolina home, Gould and The Grey Ghost are competitive wherever they race. In fact, in addition to the three IHRA records he holds, Gould also set the NHRA V/STK record at Darlington in February of this year.
In its current configuration with its 95-horsepower, opposed six-cylinder, 164 cubic inch aluminum block engine, The Grey Ghost runs in the 14.90-second range at about 88 miles per hour. The car originally came with a 110-horsepower engine that Gould removed and replaced in 1976 with the current engine that he built from parts he had on hand. Unlike other racers who can buy performance parts for their Camaros, Mustangs, Firebirds or more common cars, just about every part that Gould puts on his Corvair has to be adapted or hand made. For example, a look inside the engine compartment shows that the original Corvair fan belt arrangement – which had a belt turning two corners – has been scrapped in favor of an alternator bracket and electric fan that looks like a factory installation. For years, Gould had to run stock pistons and camshafts in his Corvair's engine. “In 1972, I was in staging lanes at Englishtown when Joe Lunati came by and told me I could get a competition camshaft for the car,” he says. Then, in 1976, Lunati introduced performance pistons for the car. “When I got 60-over pistons from TRW, I got bored heads. I still have them on the car,” Gould says.
Getting the engine's power to the ground has also been a challenge for Gould. He's limited in his gear ration selection because “ 4:11 is the lowest gear ratio available and the lowest that will fit inside the transmission housing,” he explains. “I only have 30 thousands (of an inch) clearance between the gears and the case.” Gould was forced to race his car on street tires because slicks were not available for the Corvair's small wheel wells. “When slicks became available, I started breaking rear ends,” he says. Now, he uses M&H DOT tires with two grooves on 13-inch wheels. He uses 15-inch wheels on the front end.
The car's original Saginaw four-speed transmission is still installed in the car. “If you want to go rounds, don't build a stick shift car,” he laughs, adding that it is easier to win rounds in a car equipped with an automatic transmission. “I've been racing one of these (manual transmission) for 41 years,” he says. “At this point in my life, I'm just having fun.” The most visible modification to Gould's Corvair is its missing rear seat that was removed to lighten the car. When IHRA eliminated the X, Y and Z classes, it decided to allow drivers who competed in those classes to remove weight and compete in V Stock. All Gould needs to do to take the car back on the street is to put the muffler and windshield wipers back on the car.
Though the Corvair appears stock, a close look shows it has paint that far exceeds anything that Chevrolet applied to production cars. Bruce Mullins, who drives an NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car, applied three coats of 1998 Chevy Corvette silver paint, followed by five coats of clear. Gould says that the Corvair has an undeserved reputation as a poor handling automobile that was based solely on the car's first year of production. “Like many rear-engine cars, if the car got out of shape there was a point of no return,” Gould says. But, he explains, Chevrolet engineers made changes the following year that solved the problem. He races in about 10 events a year, including the IHRA's spring and fall races at Rockingham Dragway. At the fall 2002 Rockingham race, “whenever I was in the staging lanes, there were always eight to 10 people gathered around the car,” he says, explaining that he enjoys the attention the Corvair brings him. “I tow on an open trailer and see people pointing as I drive by,” he says. “I look over and get a big thumbs up. It makes this old guy feel good.”
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Gould's introduction to the Corvair came in 1961 when he was in the Air Force and was stationed in Arizona . “One of the guys came on the base and he had a 1961 Corvair with a four-speed,” says Gould. Gould was hooked after a test drive and bought a new 1962 Corvair later that year. 
