One Last Hoorah
At the end of the 1964 racing season I had a decision to make. ‘Lakewood' Scattershield/Bell-Housing sales were taking off faster than I ever dreamed they would and it was becoming more and more apparent that the business needed more of my 'hands-on' attention. Running the business from the seat of an AA/Fuel dragster, out on the road, was’t exactly 'hands-on.
My friend Jack Harris, who now owned several performance parts warehouses in the Mid-West and who helped start me out on my drag racing career ten years earlier, was now criticizing my lack of action toward expanding production to meet the huge market potential that he saw for the new Lakewood Housings.
My partner Bill Steiskal, still devoted to producing dragster chassis, was doing a great job, but overloaded. However our focus was not where it should have been. So I decided to give up my life as a professional drag racer and take the reins as full time President. I had many second thoughts about the change, but I vowed, that if I had to pay the price of giving up my racing career, I was going to make something of this company.
One of the first things I did was change the name of the company to Lakewood Industries. This I saw as necessary to reflect the diversification and growth of the company and to show that we were not just a dragster chassis producing company like the old name, Lakewood Chassis Co. signified.
There was also the decision I had to make about what to do with Robert “Red” Lathrum who, two years earlier had a pleasant life in Sunny San Diego, California, until I convinced him to give all that up and come with me as my crew chief. He knew this meant a life on the road, chasing the main events from city to city and living out of a suit case, but this wasn't anything new to Red and he was ready to travel.
'Red' (1963) getting ready for another round of 'Top Fuel' -- A new look for 1964-''Zoomie Headers'
Red and I became best of friends and I trusted him like a brother. His preparation of the car I raced at speeds well beyond 200 MPH, was without my supervision at all. From preparing the engine, mixing the fuel and packing the parachute, my life was in his capable hands.
When it came time to hang it up, I offered Red the position of foreman of the new Lakewood Industries, overseeing bell-housing production. I honestly didn't’t think he would adjust to the task, but he did and, in fact, became a key man in the growth of the company.
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Enter George Hurst and the “Hurst Hairy Olds”
All was going well at the new ‘Lakewood’. The demand for Bell Housings was beyond our expectations and the re-organization was taking shape to produce these housings six days a week and sometimes three shifts. Then one day in the Fall of 65, I got a call from George Hurst’s right hand man, Jack Watson. He told me that he, Jack Duffy and George Hurst were coming to Cleveland and wanted to meet with me at the Hopkins Airport. I couldn't’t imagine what they had in mind, but I knew that with all three heavy hitters involved, it was more than just to say hello.
As I drove to the airport, I thought about the friends I had made with the people in the Hurst organization. George was a super promoter and a great guy. He had a fantastic product line with devoted people around him. Just a few months earlier, I attended the Grand Opening of his brand new facility in Warminster Pa. and I was very impressed with how fast his company was growing. Our product lines were closely related and I often thought that there could be a merger of our two companies somewhere in the future.
Our meeting at the airport was a happy one. George opened with, “Gentleman Joe”, Jack has an idea for the most sensational exhibition Funny car ever built. It will be a sister car to our Hemi Under Glass and we want you to campaign it on the drag circuit. Lets let Jack tell you what its all about. With that, Jack whipped out some sketches.
I knew that whatever this was, it had to be sensational and I wasn't’t about to quench their thoughts of my involvement, without first hearing the whole story. So I listened while Jack Watson laid out the plans for the wildest and hairiest exhibition car ever attempted for a production automobile. He started out by telling me that I will be at the controls of, not one, but two blown fuel engines, “Something that your used to”, he said and they will drive, not two, but four drag slicks, through a four wheel drive train. Although the chassis will be built like a racecar, from the grandstands it will appear as a stock production Olds 442.
As I listened, I thought of how it was sitting behind the the ground pounding thunder of the blown fuel Chrysler Hemi in my dragster,producing 3500 horsepower and I tried to visualize that experience, times two.
“Go on Jack, how do I control all this? Whose’ the other driver sitting in the passenger seat? Tommy Ivo? He laughed, “No, he said, we’ve got it all worked out with dual controls. You’ll be able to do everything from the drivers seat, just you.
He went on: We see you doing a long burn out, first with just the front engine and just the front wheels, using your left foot to hold the brake on the starting line and then with your right foot, you mash down on the accelerator pedal on the right (pointing to the two accelerator pedals nestled together where a drivers right foot would normally be). When you come to a stop down around the thousand foot mark and the smoke clears, you put the Hurst shifter, mounted on the right side of the consol, into reverse and back the car up to the starting line. On your way back to the line, you start the rear engine, as he pointed to the switches on the left side of the consol, so it gets warmed up by the time your ready to do a burn out with the rear engine and the rear drive wheel.
“Ok, I think I got it. The gear shifter and all these other levers, buttons and switches on the right side of the consol, are for the front engine and the identical looking shifter, levers, buttons and switches on the left side of the consol are for the rear engine. You’re a quick study Joe.
“ I see by your sketches that there are a whole bunch of gages here on the instrument panel. “Yes all the gages for the front engine, which are fuel pressure, oil pressure, water temp. and tachometer, are of course, on the right and… “I got it. on the left, ... the rear engine.
“Yes, but don’t be two concerned with reading the gages while your driving.
"Whys that Jack"?
"Because you probably won’t be able to see them, there’ll be so much tire smoke in the driver’s compartment.
“Wait, there is one more lever here at the rear of the consol, what’s’ that I asked. “ Yes, that’s the lever for the parachutes. “Two chutes I take it? Yes everything comes in twos. OK, but why only one lever. Jack smiled and said, we’re trying to keep it simple. Notice there is only one steering wheel?
Now your ready to do a rear wheels burn out. Before you come to the starting line, you put the right shifter in neutral and shut off the front engine to save fuel and to keep it cool, After you stage with the rear engine engaged, your left foot on the brake (the brake pedal was in its normal position, by the way) you again mash the pedal for the rear engine and fill the area with tire smoke till you reach about the half way point. When the smoke clears, shift to reverse and back up to the starting line and get ready for the big event. A full out, both engines, all four wheels blazing smoke to the finish line, the crowd will go wild.
“Hold on a minute Jack, unless I’m missing something, I coming up a few limbs short to make all these things happen with two engines running?
“Yes, there's more, when you come to the line with both engines running, you’l need both feet on the brake to hold the car. This is where our new product, called the, 'Line Loc', comes into play. With all four brakes locked with both feet, you reach down with your right hand and push and hold the Line Loc button with one finger. Keeping the button pressed, you can now take your feet off the brake pedal and the car won't move till you release it. Now you place both feet on their respective accelerator pedals for the front and rear engines. The strap around the pedals is so your feet don't slide off during acceleration.
Now that your staged and the brakes are locked with your right finger holding the Line Loc, shift both engines into neutral with your left hand, so you can rap the engines a few times to make a lot of noise and to make sure both engines are running clean and are ready to go. When your ready, reach back to the shift levers with your left hand and drop both engines into gear. Your ready to launch. Hold the wheel with your left hand as you mash down on both pedals, leaving go of the 'Line Loc' at the same time and hang on. With 5000 horsepower under your toes, your going for a Hairy ride.
"When the smoke clears so you can see, or even if you can't, pull the chutes 8 seconds after launch and you should be going about 190 mph through the traps". He laughed, with that unmistakable Jack Watson laugh that had the rest of us busting up. "Back in the pits we’ll be ready to hang a fresh set of tires".
"Jack,
I’m wore out from just listening to you. Your 're right, what a Hairy
ride that ought to be. And I’m honored that you should think of me for
the driver, ...but, I made a commitment to my partner and my company, that,
starting this year, I will retire from racing and devote full time to my business.
I’m sorry, but I just won’t have time for another full time job.
At which time Jack said quietly, Joe, you won’t need to do anything but meet
us
at the track on race day.
We’ll take care of everything.
And then George spoke and said, ”That’s right Gentleman Joe, we want you to show up with your new tuxedo fire suit, wearing your top hat and white gloves, step into the car and blast off.
I knew what I had to say, but the words weren't coming out. Saying no to a proposition as attractive as this wasn't easy.
And then George said, “Hey, by the way, what do you think of the new girl I am about to hire for the position of Golden Shifter Girl."
He then placed a photo of the most gorgeous girl I had ever seen on the table in front of me and said, "Her name is Linda Vaughn and she will be on hand to take your top hat and cane when your ready to step into the car to make a run.
The rest is history. Red and I were back, smoking the tires with the Hurst Hairy Olds, for the next two years".
