It’s been just about 16 months since the Northwind dragster was found in Canada, a deal made, and the car brought back to the USA. After that, things got a lot tougher than anyone could ever have imagined at the time. There were lots of missing items, the chassis was extended longer with a completely different roll cage, body parts needed working over, there was no front axle and no steering wheel, and the biggest problem of all was that there was no tail section for the full body. There wasn’t even a way to figure out where and how it all had to be mounted.

Now, after all these months the car is complete, and what an exciting journey it has been. The support from those who wanted to see this car come alive again was downright overwhelming. Most of them had heard about the reasons the car was being rebuilt, and that’s what pushed them into helping however they could.

The terrible cancer scare that Ed McCulloch endured in 2005 was a rallying point for everyone as the project got wings and flew over all the hurdles in its way. There were many, many memories relived during the reconstruction of the car; memories of “Ace” McCulloch and his impact on drag racing in the Northwest. The farmer from Forest Grove, Oregon, has undoubtedly touched a lot of lives.

The car is together, still more work to do …

It’s been just about 16 months since the Northwind dragster was found in Canada, a deal made, and the car brought back to the USA. After that, things got a lot tougher than anyone could ever have imagined at the time. There were lots of missing items, the chassis was extended longer with a completely different roll cage, body parts needed working over, there was no front axle and no steering wheel, and the biggest problem of all was that there was no tail section for the full body. There wasn’t even a way to figure out where and how it all had to be mounted.

Now, after all these months the car is complete, and what an exciting journey it has been. The support from those who wanted to see this car come alive again was downright overwhelming. Most of them had heard about the reasons the car was being rebuilt, and that’s what pushed them into helping however they could.

The terrible cancer scare that Ed McCulloch endured in 2005 was a rallying point for everyone as the project got wings and flew over all the hurdles in its way. There were many, many memories relived during the reconstruction of the car; memories of “Ace” McCulloch and his impact on drag racing in the Northwest. The farmer from Forest Grove, Oregon, has undoubtedly touched a lot of lives.

Ed was one of those hands-on guys who would just disappear in the pits just as the car was ready to run. I’d run around the pits looking for him, and he could usually be found helping some guy pack his parachute, or fixing the clutch pedal or steering gear on a competitors. ‘Ace - we gotta go.’ He’d always say, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”  He was always the guy giving others a hand in the pits. It just felt like it was our turn to do something for him.

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Catered by the Teen Challenge organization that Dawn Coonrod, Jack’s wife, donates her time to, there was lots of food for one and all. The stories of old were flowing hot and heavy as the memory banks were unloaded throughout the day. The Northwind, of course, was the center of attention as it sat glistening in the sunshine, back to being the car that won that No.1 spot in the nation in 1965. It has returned to its greatness and was up on all four wheels. Later, the Jim Albrich Chrysler came to life with a deep-throated cackle that brought goose bumps to the arms of many in the group.

As a “dry run” before the planned fire-up on July 22 at Pacific Raceways, the car will be on display on Sunday, July 1, at Issaquah Christian Church’s Freedom Day Celebration. ICC annually has a fireworks stand (safe and sane fireworks only) for 7 days during the run-up to the Fourth of July that raises funds for a group of teens and adults that travel to Mexico each year to build homes. The homes, once completed, are given to locals in need at no cost to them. In 2007, 38 adults and teens are making the trip to Mexico. This trip has had deep inspirational results for all of those who have taken this trip before. It truly has been life changing for both those receiving the homes and for those giving the homes.

The Freedom Day Celebration includes food, inflatables for the kids, endless music with the Beach Boys, old hot rod tunes, and some classic car displays on the lawn area of the church. This world of racing and car displaying, along with the freedom to worship, are just some great examples of the freedoms we enjoy here in the USA. We certainly thank all of those who help secure our freedom throughout the world everyday.

The Northwind is scheduled at ICC from noon to 4 pm that day and a little fire-up could take place just to entertain the folks a bit.  A local Christian car club from Kent, the Solid Rock Cruisers, will also be supporting the day at ICC with a huge display of some of their Classic Cars. www.solidrockcruisers.com. ICC is located about 20 minutes north of Pacific Raceways at 10328 Issaquah-Hobart Rd S.E., one and a half miles south of the booming city of Issaquah. Not only will the trip be positive for the church event, it will also allow a check-up to see how the trailer works and tows for a long distance. After that event, and a few sponsor commitment displays around the Portland area, it’ll be time for the July 22 fire-up and display at Pacific Raceways, east of Kent.

When we get to Pacific Raceways, I just have to be there when the Ace walks up and sees this car for this first time. It will blow his mind as he sees this gorgeous, sparkling gold-flaked racer. Undoubtedly many memories will spring forth once he sees this great car again. It was just over 42 years ago when Ed wheeled this very hot rod to a best two-out-of-three match race whipping of “Sneaky” Pete Robinson at Woodburn Drag Strip to win the coveted Drag News No.1 spot in the nation. I’ll have a copy of the Drag News edition that covered that June 13, 1965 event with me for him to see. I can’t help but think that there will be some tears shed as we help him turn back the years. It’ll be one special moment for all of us connected with this car.

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It might be a little tough to have him sit in the car, though. Years ago, I was the guy back who used to help him get in the car before each run and I’d tighten up the seat belts. Things were, shall we say, just a little tight then.  Somebody suggested it might take the “Jaws of Life” to get him into this car, or if not, to get him back out of the car!

The car will be displayed along with some other Northwest fuel dragsters in the pit area during the entire weekend. Steve Gibbs, formerly with the NHRA for many years and a former track operator, organizes these fire-ups as a salute to those who pioneered the sport. It is a special tribute and certainly a special credit for a group of old hot rodders. The NHRA program of allowing old racers to display at these large events has generated an upsurge in the building of these old cars. They certainly are an important part of history in the sport and need to be recognized for their efforts in those early years.

The fire up will be on Sunday, July 22, just before the final rounds of the program, late in the afternoon. The cars will roll out and then the fire-up takes place in front of the huge crowd. As a 22-year-old back in 1965 I watched and pushed this car firing up dozens of times at race tracks on the West Coast. This one will be the most special of them all. The cancer is in remission and this fire-up is a salute to our great friend Ed “Ace” McCulloch and the battle that he had.

It was nearly impossible to find this car, rebuild it with original parts, and have it looking so incredibly beautiful in just 16 months. It took a leader who was inspired, determined, and creative; a committed individual willing to give it everything he had, and Jack Coonrod filled the bill perfectly. This massive project took 16 months of total focus along with a huge group of supporters to pull it off. Between Jack and me it has been at least “one email a day” for the entire time. And it all comes down to this moment here as the Jim Albrich Chrysler comes to life. It’ll be a guaranteed tearjerker for a lot of us who have been encouraging this car along for nearly the last year and a half. The interesting and exciting part of this whole story is not the car and the whole long story there but that Ed is doing fine these days. That is the wonderful news in the big picture.