Pinecrest, those were the days.

[fatboyroadking]

I'm new to the forum, and have read many posts. All of the members have numerous years of experience, and some of the stories and memories are a great read. I remember the days of Pinecrest, sneaking in, or sitting on top of the pile of gravel at the site next door. Had no money for a Shopsy back then. I always remember those simple days and how much fun Saturday nights were. Now those memories can hopefully return. I'm searching for the old Pine crest cars of the 60's. Particularly the '57 Chevys which were the choice of a lot of drivers back then. Looking to restore to the original race condition of the tracks of the 60's and put on display. The names of Bill Burrows, Jack Cook, Howie Scanal, Bernie Reddick, Norm Lelliot, and Lorne Tink have not been forgotten.
If relics of these cars exist, I'd like to find a decent one, as well as a copy of the old "rule book". You guys are the experts. Thanks...........         

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[Thayne]

This would be the coolest thing to see!

Go over to inside track and pm Tom Cook over there...he may be able to give yah a hand on both fronts

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[username]

that would be cool.  if u build it i would love to see it.  keep us updated...

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[burrows boyz]

this is dave burrows , bill burrows grandson if your interested i can post some old pics of his cars as he has lots i'll get some this weekend,when i'm over.

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[CanadianRacingOnline]

That would be great I would love to see them aswell.

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[fatboyroadking]

To Dave Burrows: That would be great. I'm sure you've heard all the old stories, those days must be fond memories for your grandfather. The old pics would be a real help. I know finding a car will be much more difficult. I've seen a few, and they're really bad. Elliots wreckers in Newtonville has a lot of old chassis and bodies. If I can't get an actual car, I may have to build a new relic. Luckily, some of the parts came from the wreckers back then, performance parts were too expensive and most guys made or modified their own. Repro body panels may the way to go. Driveline is a little easier, I just need to know what they ran back then. Maybe some chassis set-ups or alignment angles. I want the car to sit correctly. The old days are not gone just yet..............   

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[fatboyroadking]

To Thayne: Thanks for the tip. Always appreciate help from all the members.

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[raycer]

Nice to see someone that is really interested in that era. I also have a lot of pics somewhere but they too are from the Burrows since I helped Bill from the late 60's,I'll scan some of the old programs and maybe you will get an idea of setups. Good Luck!     Terry

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[fatboyroadking]

Thanks for the support. I know reviving those days will be a challenge, and all of the member's help is much appreciated. Old pics are great, and will really help. Members of that era are welcome to describe the car's appearance/what type of axles were used (Ford, Olds etc.)  All memories and comments are welcome. I do want this project to be a driver, maybe hot laps at the track during intermission. I believe powertrains were S/B Chev with the Powerglide transmission. 

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[B.A.R.]

Back in thoses days allot of the cars performance was based on balls and not so much horsepower. � Gears were gears and in 99% of the cases the spider gears were welded solid to gain a 'PosiTrack' deal. Wheels were custom built in shops and barns by taking the center out of 1 wheel and welding it onto the back side of another wheel, along with flatbar welded on the outside to work as a gusset.
Roll cages were very scary and basically were a bunch of field pipes welded together to protect the driver. Seats were designed by using an old Grease keg, cutting out the sides for fit and adding pillows off of your bed for comfort.
Headers were no more then pipes welded toghether to come straight off of the heads, and noise was not an issue... if you were throwing flames you were fast !!
Camber and Caster were set with tourches and sledge hammers, and weighing the car was done by using grain mill scales...funny enough they are still the most accurate !!

Seat Belts, Fire Extinguisers, Gauges, Brake Bias controls and Mirrors were in the DONT HAVE bin...didnt need them, at least thats what everyone thought !!
Motors were built based on Truck Blocks, and everything inside was home made.
Painting and Lettering was done with a Brush, Roller, or simply by throwing paint over the cars.
Fuel Cells were normally plain old gas tanks out of VW cars as they were low and wide.
Racers uniforms were as simple as a good pair of jeans and white tee shirt, or as fancy as a pair of coveralls that were died white with bleach in the bath tub, and as far as a driver keeping it clean at the track...forget it as most drivers were also part of the crew.

In short, the cars were scary on safety, as well were scary fast, and the men that drove those machines were some of the very best racers of all time.
They all became legends and hero's to every kid waiting for their autographs after the races were over and to the fans that followed those times in racing, we all got to see some of the best racing of all time.

Even though the cars were a little on the tuff side they still managed to keep lap times alive in the record books for years and that is why we still are lucky enough to remember them because ther records are still active at some tracks.
It was balls to the walls racing back then, no sponsor deals, no flashy uniforms and no snotty drivers.
The big race teams could be linked to their haulers.... If they drove the car to the track they were considered low budget...If they were pulled to the track with a chain they were considered good...but if they showed up on the back of their own tow truck they were considered big time..and the ultimate hauler was a pick up truck with an open car trailer...big time if you had a tire rack !!!

I kind of miss those day's ..... �  �  �
 

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[Dusty]

B.A.R, you forgot, NO Power Steering or rack and pinon. Some cars had the exhaust pipes going threw the passanger side firewall, inside the car, to gain clearance. They were true tough guy's. No window net's, and open face helmets. Hi dollar guys had pluming wrap on the door bars. God I miss those day's..

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[B.A.R.]

One more thing I would like to add....
Even though the cars were tuff, there were always plenty of them and feilds of 30 cars were the norm at most tracks.
I also remember that if you went to the races, and they started at 7:PM, you better get there by 5:PM in order to get a seat.

Who remembers doing this....
When they had the intermission time and you wanted to go for a hotdog, you had to get someone to watch your seat for you in order to save it...if you didnt, you were shit out of luck when you came back to the grand stands !!

In thoses days, everyone knew the Drivers, and when they won a race regardless if it was a Heat, Trophy Dash or the Feature, every Driver would come to the start finish line, get out of their cars and wave to the cheering fans who were always on their feet.

I miss the days of watching the Super Modifieds, Hobby Cars and Late Models at places like Flamboro and Delaware, as well I miss watching the Modified Sportsman's at Cayuga on Friday nights, but most of all I miss the days when Racers went racing with what ever they had, and put on a great show.
The fights between Bruce VanDyke and Andy Brown, the Roof Jumping from Rich Grady on Beidermans car, the days when guys like Scooter Scannel, The Wild Mouse Earl Ross, The " I cant race on Sunday's" Kenny Reimer, The Always Late Ronny Smith, and guys like Jack Cook, Bill Daniels, Chucky Booze, Ralph Book, Terry Kitchen, and so on...

They were the guys that made Stock Car Racing what it is in our part of the world !!
Back then NASCAR was just another series, and the likes of Ross and Beiderman even took them on, but always came back to their home tracks.
Today that would never happen as we dont have any tracks big enough for ego's and Motor Coaches.... Racing was good back in the day...and we need to get back there !! �

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[Dusty]

100+ B.A.R. I sat with the peanut gallery at pinecrest, The clown with the horn. I lived in weston. Before I was old enough to drive, I had to mooch a ride, or Thumb. I never missed a race.

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[fatboyroadking]

B.A.R:

Thanks for the great memories. You paint a great picture of just how it was back then. Remember the days of the C.N.E. the old hobby division and the "late models" I too was one of those kids waiting for an autograph from Jack Cook, Scanall, and Burrows (when we could afford the price of admission). Later years took us to Pinecrest. When I was there I remember the home-made wheels with the reinforcing gussets, triangle shaped welded to the wheels, the cobbled roll bars, and the vintage M&H Racemaster slicks. Just need some pictures (detailed) to copy from. I'll build the car as it was back in the day, but safer, sturdier and able to be driven as well as shown. I do want to retain the original appearance. Just need a frame with front suspension (for appearance), a body shell and a lot of pics. I feel it would be a tribute to those who have paved the way to more modern racing, and memories not lost. How many of these cars actually still exist? Those were easier more carefree days...........Saturday night at the races............  Thanks again to all who have an interest. All comments and old memories are welcome.

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[bakstreethero]

I'm heavly into kustom 50's cars as well as racing so I get out with my friends to all the good wrecking yards. I can tell you Elliots has been crushed out, there are still alot of NOS parts from the garage and a couple of dozen cars but no race cars. Roblins has a few old stockcars including atleast one 55 chevy (I looked at it for the body to put on my thundercar) they have a website with tons of pics but act fast the crusher is working it's way threw there too.

Build a thundercar and stick the body on there than it is more than just a show car,( have you seen the pics of mine?)



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