Well, I just saw this. I hope you're still looking for info... I knew Racer Don.
Racer Don used to race a '55 or '56 Ford with a 312. Then he got the Barracuda.
Racer Don knew my Dad pretty well, and the two of them hung out with a bunch of guys around the 35th and Lincoln area. As I recall, one of the doors had a dent in it, but otherwise the body was fantastic. My dad fixed the dent in the door. I think Don owned the car since the early 70's. It took Don until the mid 80's to get the car together. He was pretty meticulous.
Marinoff is where the machine work was done on the 318. I think Don worked there for a while.
It was a four speed car. Don could always turn good times with four speeds. He blew the gears in the 8-3/4 twice, I think. Then he went to an automatic. He ran in the 11's with the fourspeed. Not sure about the auto.
The last I saw the car, it was red. He was not a small guy, so he had the swing-out bar to get in the cage.
If you ever run that car, send me an email. I would love to see it again. Don was a good guy. My dad might even want to come see it.
EDIT: I just noticed where you live!! Did you travel all that way to buy the car, or did you move out there? I suppose it's worth the trip - it's a pretty sweet car. We probably WON'T be seeing you race the car, but please send me some pics if you can. And NEVER ditch the 318! It may be small but it snorts - and it cost a small fortune to build. Don used to love the look on guys faces when he told them it's a 318.
Mark
