"Next Victim"
This is like playing "What's My Line". You should tell them who you used to work with Carl.
Hey everyone. I got to go to Don's Lenoir, NC shop a couple of times before he passed away. After that, I got to know Clyde Hodges and worked there at that same garage for a while. Clyde taught me how he made the Southern Style ProStock fiberglass parts. I learned a few other things during that time... lots of which I am now trying to remember.
My conversations with Old Man Mopar started after I commented on the picture at the bottom of his posts. That I think was the first resto of the wire car (cable car as we knew it).
Back in the mid 70s, I lived in Hickory, NC and I would drive by Don's dad's house where this car was parked in the grass between the house and a one stall garage building. I would take friends and drive 20 minutes just to look at that car. Don's new Lenoir garage had been built maybe a couple of hundred yards behind his dad's house. I would also look down that way to sneak a peak of any other pro stock activity. I was about 20 at that time, didn't know anyone there, and never dared turn down that drive.
Old Man Mopar's picture shows the car as I remember it... Don Carlton on the doors and Mechanic Clyde Hodges on the fender. Being friends with Clyde.. I was really disappointed to see the latest restoration with their names removed.
Through local drag racing, I became good friends with Bruce Walker (Barry Setzer pro stock) who still lives just outside of Lenoir, NC.
I also got to know Stuart McDade who lives in Hudson, NC. I haven't seen Stuart for years though. Last time I went to visit him, I met his wife outside their home. She really didn't seem too happy about the drag racing part of Stuart's life. She wouldn't tell me where he was. She just said she would tell him I stopped by.
During the time I was at Don's garage with Clyde, I met Ricky Smith, Roy Hill, and Ronnie Sox.
If you remember the 78 Dodge Challenger painted like Sox & Martin, Clyde told me that was Don's gold Rod Shop Colt rebodied. I watched Ronnie place the Chroma-Graphic lettering (stick on) on that Challenger.
I was also there some while Clyde built a pro stock Arrow for Canadian Alban Gauthier.
I wasn't there very long but I got to see some cool things, Carl
Back in the early 2000s, I was talking a lot with Clyde and was gathering parts to build a Duster similar to one they would have raced. Clyde offered to help some as his time permitted, but then he passed away. After that, I just gave up on that dream and sold my Duster and all the parts I had collected. Big mistake- never give up!
