Over the last few months the pace of the “Northwind” Top Fuel dragster rebuild has picked up so strongly that a place and time for the debut has been set. The fire-up will take place at the NHRA Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals at Pacific Raceways (formerly SIR) on July 20-22, 2007. It’s only fitting that the debut takes place in the Northwest, as that was where the Drag News #1 spot in the nation was collected. It was June 13th at Woodburn Drag Strip in 1965 when Ed “Ace” McCulloch beat “Sneaky” Pete Robinson for the coveted title in this beautiful gold car.

Progress being made faster and faster every week

 

 

 

Over the last few months the pace of the “Northwind” Top Fuel dragster rebuild has picked up so strongly that a place and time for the debut has been set. The fire-up will take place at the NHRA Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals at Pacific Raceways (formerly SIR) on July 20-22, 2007. It’s only fitting that the debut takes place in the Northwest, as that was where the Drag News #1 spot in the nation was collected. It was June 13th at Woodburn Drag Strip in 1965 when Ed “Ace” McCulloch beat “Sneaky” Pete Robinson for the coveted title in this beautiful gold car.

Before the reborn car could head to the paint shop, all the parts and pieces had to be assembled. The huge Chrysler motor had to be installed in the rolling chassis to be sure everything would fit back in once the paint had been applied. All the wiring, plumbing and other odds and ends, including the updating of the upholstery, also had to be finalized at this stage. That’s right, the original upholstery was found, but it needed some adjustment as it was changed around during one of the two chassis lengthening for the Chevy motor. A few stitches here and there, along with a change or two and the upholstery will be ready to go. The upholstery even has the original tag on it from way back when!!

After months of hard work, Dale Withers has completed the beautiful tail section. It’s a labor of love for Dale, a hot rod builder from a small town in Oregon. He jumped at the chance to take on the challenge of building the tail section for the Northwind. He only had a few photographs to go by, but his work is proof that there are still craftsmen around who are willing to put in the hours necessary to keep old memories alive.

Every time I look at this new tail section I remember the night at Puyallup Raceway Park when I crunched the original Northwind’s tail section. It was in 1965, and I was a 22-year-old member of the crew. I drove the push car, a mid-60s Ford station wagon. I pushed the car down the return road at PRP and at 50 mph the car’s engine would fire. Fuel from the “zoomie” headers would cover the front of the station wagon with nitro. I’d have to have the windshield wipers going full bore just to keep Ed in my vision as he lit the engine and then drove away. On this terrible occasion the wagon slipped off the push bar and I stuffed the heavy Ford into that beautiful tail section, right behind the left slick. I was devastated. Here was this beautiful race car with a huge dent, about the size of my head, (only softer) in the tail section where everyone could see it. It was not the best day I have ever had. Jack Coonrod was going to have Dale Withers put the big dent back in the new tail section so everything would be exactly like it was back then. I put a halt to that idea in a hurry!

 

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There is a lot of interest here in the Northwest as this legendary top fuel dragster comes back to life, looking exactly the same way it did in 1965.

Dave Jacobus and the CarStar crew from Vancouver, Washington, have stepped forward to sponsor the paint on the Northwind. Countless hours have been put in to insure that the car looks exactly like it did back in the ‘60s. The House of Color supplied the gold metal-flake paint, sorting through many paint products to get the right flake texture necessary to reproduce the 40-year-old paint job. Dave and his group have put in many hours detailing the bodywork and spraying the gold flake paint. Many pieces on the body needed lots of tender loving care after all the years in a shop in Canada. Applying the gold flake paint is a special skill. It has to be done so that the sun will reflect off the paint, allowing the special sparkle the car once had to show through again.

Tony Sicilia, owner of Northwest Plating in Vancouver, has donated the chrome work. From the rear end housing, front axle, steering parts, brackets and lots of little pieces, the Northwind will shine like it did back in the old days.

Now that the paint and final assembly are complete, a long lost friend, Don Pennington, will apply the lettering to the car. A friend we haven’t seen in 30 or more years will lay on the identical color and style seen on the car in the old days. Don has had a successful career as an artist, and he wanted to be involved in the project as he remembers the whole story from those early years. Back when, Don spent lots of time and money racing in the Northwest, and he was a customer of Columbia Racing Engines, the same shop the Northwind ran out of.

Back in the ‘60s an old box-type trailer was used to haul the Northwind up and down the West Coast. A different approach was needed for this renovated racer. Jack got a local guy, Gordon Young, to build a tilting, open trailer with an aluminum deck, which is perfect for this new car. To keep it in the nostalgia theme a pair of those always popular, back then, moon hubcaps were used. This open trailer is the perfect way to move the car around in style.

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During the last 17 months, those of us involved with refurbishing the Northwind have been amazed at how this car came together. It all started out to help a life-long friend with his cancer fight and there were lots of hurdles to get over. The focus always was to find the original car and bring it back to life just like it was in 1965. Where in the world are we going to find that item? Many, many times that statement was made, usually accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders. But always someone stepped up with the answer as more and more people heard about the project and felt the need to get involved.

In the next few months a special party will take place at Jack Coonrod’s house to thank all of those who participated so they can see the finished product. The party is sort of a preview prior to the debut of the car in Seattle for the NHRA Schuck’s Auto Supply Nationals at Pacific Raceways on July 20-22.

This project brought back many old memories for so many people. The exchanging of old stories has rekindled a new enthusiasm in a bunch of old timers who were pioneers to the sport of drag racing. There was never much credit given or taken for the struggles that took place back then. The financial struggles were obvious to me as I wrote these ongoing episodes. They were more than a 22-year-old kid could see or even understand back then. But those struggles forged relationships with a large group of people that are going strong over 50 years later.

What I have learned from this project is that things that seem impossible just take longer. It was pure determination that led to the discovery of the car, hidden away in an old garage for 30 years. The project was pushed forward thanks to the willingness of a group of people to help a friend in need. I have explained this whole project to many friends outside of our sport and they cannot understand how this car was found and that there is such a “ground swelling” of people interested in the completion. The best way I can explain it is that it is a project from the heart - a project with a purpose. The same determination that pioneered drag racing throughout the Northwest has resurfaced again in this time of need.
 

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NEXT: NORTHWIND PROJECT: Part #6

Final preparation takes place for the fire up of the Northwind in Seattle July 20-22. 

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