Old Memories. Good times with great Friends

[pittsburghracer]

A Racing Friend in his 20's was handed a pile of pictures from our old race days at Keystone Raceway Park in PA and it dug-up some good old memories. This may not be the right spot for this post but it was a small block car (340, 4 speed) so the question is. Were and when did your addiction to MOPARS begin. For me it started in 1975 while working at a gas station after high school graduation. At the rip old age of 19 I bought my 1972 (340) Duster from a customer. Being a busy station and my Duster sitting under the lights we had street races 6-7 nights a week. Changes were coming to the car rapidly to stay at or near the top. We raced at the track on Friday nights and Sundays so we lived a busy life during the Summer. Still at it today and I will be 62 in March so ya I got it BAD. The last day I took it off the street it ran a 11.82 which by today's standards is pretty slow but trust me I carried my own. Here's a few pictures I still have of it. If I posted this in the right spot tell use your start in the sport. I built my very first engine while owning this car and have done it ever since. My first tow vehicle

was a 1972 Cutlass Supreme Coupe.

 

[yellow rose]

You were way younger then!!!!!

 

[Dana]

Very awesome pics pal. Thank you for posting. My dad raced keystone and PID in those days also. He had a dark blue 68 gts. His towing partner and arch nemesis was Buck Bradley in his mustang the "iron horse". I'm gonna dig out his old pics, and see if I can find your duster.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Ya WAY younger. We sure had lots of fun growing up and I sure met some great Friends.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Very awesome pics pal. Thank you for posting. My dad raced keystone and PID in those days also. He had a dark blue 68 gts. His towing partner and arch nemesis was Buck Bradley in his mustang the "iron horse". I'm gonna dig out his old pics, and see if I can find your duster.

I loved that car a lot but shortly after going strip only I made the switch to a big block. I bought a 69 Dart and then a 1974 Duster from a Friend

 

[Dana]

Very nice!

 

[GTXperience]

You were way younger then!!!!!

Weren't we all? ;)

 

[MrJLR]

Very cool!

Jeff

 

[mrtruvalue]

Wow. I also started racing at Keystone with a 72 Duster. Started as a 6 cyl, 3-speed that morphed into a 426 Hemi with help from Akron Arlan Vanke. So sorry that I never thought to take Pic's. I appreciate your pic's and the memories they generated. Mike

 

[fratzog lover]

Tell us about the black Duster engine!

 

[Darter6]

I don't have many photos from Keystone, Just a few from 1976 when I raced and was 18 years old. 60-ish and still love the sport. Got one more build left in me.Hope to get it done.

 

[Darter6]

My hero that was the ''King of Keystone'' back then. At least in my eyes.

 

[Darter6]

My 63 today on the way back from the dead.

 

[qkcuda]

I'm 63 and spent most of my weekends at the track. I competed at the NED bracket finals for a number of years, may have seen you there. I'm still at it too, this is my old car and the current one.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Tell us about the black Duster engine!

We didn't have a lot of good parts back then so it was pretty simple. i used a set of Direct Connection 11.5-1 pistons and an old-school 590 solid lift cam. The heads were upgraded to 2.02 intake valves and I did some smoothing on the heads, stock rods (beems polished and upgraded bolts) stock crank, Port O Sonic intake manifold with an 850 holley carb.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Well the blue duster proved to be a great car but back then track prep was marginal at best. It had Super Stock spring on it and ran a best of 9.82 with a stock block, stock crank, cleaned up stock rods, TRW pistons, ported 906 heads, 750 lift roller cam, and a Weiand tunnelram with two 750 holley carbs. The car would hook on Friday night races but when the track got hot on Sundays traction went away so I moved into a 82 Dodge charger. It was an old pro-street car so we ripped the cage out and went chrome moly to lighten it up some. It was a deadly combo with our old engine running 10.0's all day.

 

[yellow rose]

Weren't we all? ;)

Yep. That's why I try and not look at old pictures.

I was young. A long time ago.

 

[Dfr360cuda]

Cool. I love the old photos of Keystone.
I was a regular starting in '78.
Never got past Trophy or Street E.T.
You will see me more often next year with my '68.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Cool. I love the old photos of Keystone.
I was a regular starting in '78.
Never got past Trophy or Street E.T.
You will see me more often next year with my '68.

Great. Look me up sometime. I rent space 58 (jack Lambert’s old number)

 

[Dfr360cuda]

Great. Look me up sometime. I rent space 58 (jack Lambert’s old number)

I raced my 74 Cuda at Keystone back then.
Won the Fall Championship in 79.
Got my 68 on Christmas Eve 2012 to get back involved.
Work and prostate cancer got in the way.
I'll definitely have it there in 2018.

 

[Darter6]

I really enjoyed the days at the Keystone track,after close to 30 years I got to go back to Pa and race there for about 3 or 4 years. Last was about 6 years ago and I sold my Dart to a guy that lives near Kennywood Park. Grew up there, I was 8 the first time going there with my Brothers.Of all things my oldest brother was racing a Nash Metropolitan,then a 67 Firebird.My other brother was the Mopar Man with a 68 Coronet R/T. I was hooked at a very young age.PID was the other track that we went to.But Keystone was closer. Good times.....

 

[bruceo2011]

Many "THANKS" to everyone for the great old photos. Weekend racing was so different back then. Many weekends at Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids and Northstar Dragways in Blaine. Still hang out with one of the tech inspectors who worked both tracks as needed. Minnesota Dragways is now a housing development and Northstar is a Medtronics campus. Closest track now is Brainerd International Raceway (BIR). Long trip from Minneapolis.

 

[GTXperience]

Yep. That's why I try and not look at old pictures.

I was young. A long time ago.

Age is just a state of mind. Crap, my mind is old too. Nevermind.

 

[pittsburghracer]

Well it was FINALLY time to buy a tube chassis car and go quicker. I took a trip to Michigan and bought a 91 Daytona. Talk about a FUN car to drive. I built a .055 over 440 with Indy 440-1 heads and ran low 9's for awhile. Then I finally bought a 440source stroker kit and built a 500 cubic inch engine and was instantly in the 8.60's-8.70's. About the middle of 2009 I bought a Keith Black block and built a 572 aimed at running a set of B1 original heads. Instead in order to get it together and make some passes during 2010 I assembled it with my tried and true Indy 440-1 heads and ran some high 8.40's. When I was putting it together I had the pistons cut so I could use both the B1 heads and Indy heads if needed. The Daytona started out looking like this when I bought it for several years.

002 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

004 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

Then my Son and Friend came up with a wrap design for a few years.

174 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

182 by John Cadamore, on Flickr

Then when the wrap was showing signs of wear I removed it and I painted it "hot Rod Black"

norwalk daytona by John Cadamore, on Flickr

norwalk d by John Cadamore, on Flickr

 

[pittsburghracer]

After a wreck in 2010 with the Daytona repairs almost done a Friend and I traded cars. My Daytona for his green 1974 Duster. Roller for roller so I am back to an A body guy FOREVER. My black 1970 Duster is my bracket car, the blue 1974 duster will be out in 2018 as a heads-up car, and plans for the green Duster include a 512 with my old 440-1 Indy heads. 42 plus years and not ready to quit yet.