55 Chevy !!!!
- Thread starter BSL409
- Start date
Phil
I was at hands shop one night visiting with him
he was a cleaning up the place, and a sbc block was sitting in the floor
he stuck his hand inside a cylinder and lifted it up with just the one hand, and swept underneath it
he would go down the track with his left hand covering the steering wheel on the 56
like Wayne said, he was a big man
always wore a white t shirt ( although sometimes it was greasy)
and he did have an aroma to him
he came over to my house one night to look at a drag boat I had
scared my ex wife so bad , she went into the house and locked all the doors until he left
I was at hands shop one night visiting with him
he was a cleaning up the place, and a sbc block was sitting in the floor
he stuck his hand inside a cylinder and lifted it up with just the one hand, and swept underneath it
he would go down the track with his left hand covering the steering wheel on the 56
like Wayne said, he was a big man
always wore a white t shirt ( although sometimes it was greasy)
and he did have an aroma to him
he came over to my house one night to look at a drag boat I had
scared my ex wife so bad , she went into the house and locked all the doors until he left
Wayne, I may have dreamed this but i also remember him having his hair in a ponytale. Also, can someone with more computer savey find some pictures of Bill Alexanders 55 Chevy, Blue Goose. This car had several drivers from the Dallas area and was a fast M/P or Gas class car. Thanks, Barry
http://www.dallasclassicchevy.com/FeatureCar1209Leinart.htm found this article, probably more.
Read the link, it starts by saying this:
This ’55 Chevy has a tremendous racing history. It was bought new by Bill Alexander who lived in Sherman. I lived in Leonard so I did not know him, however I saw the car race countless times at area drag strips. If there was a race anywhere Bill was there.
It was born as a Glacier Blue/Skyline Blue ’55 Chevy. He started racing it immediately and took it off the streets to make it a full race car in 1956. I understand he bought an older Olds to tow it with. It became the ‘Blue Goose’ and of course was raced with a 265/283/301/327 and a four speed over the years.
Read the link, it starts by saying this:
This ’55 Chevy has a tremendous racing history. It was bought new by Bill Alexander who lived in Sherman. I lived in Leonard so I did not know him, however I saw the car race countless times at area drag strips. If there was a race anywhere Bill was there.
It was born as a Glacier Blue/Skyline Blue ’55 Chevy. He started racing it immediately and took it off the streets to make it a full race car in 1956. I understand he bought an older Olds to tow it with. It became the ‘Blue Goose’ and of course was raced with a 265/283/301/327 and a four speed over the years.
Here is one of the car while Bill Alexander owned the 55 plus an article.
Wayne, it was Rodd Field Dragway and I was there a lot. Probably was there the same day as you. I remember Hands well. That little 56 engine screamed.Barry, Most likely it was Corpus Christi track, There was no tracks below New Braunfels or San Antonio and Corpus. Christi was the far south one. Also there was the Freeway Strip between Houston and Galveston which is above Corpus. I don't remember a one arm guy. I remember Snow putting a Hemi in a red Dodge Dart after he fliped the big car. As far as Hands having girls with him, don't think so. (I never saw him with any) He only took a bath about once a week and was always pretty "ripe". He brought a car to a shop in north Austin one summer and I took him back to his shop in south Austin and had to air my car out for a while. He was a funny guy and had some funny ways. I remember he went to the 1st NHRA Nationals at Indy and only took a case of army "C" rations and a case of "K" rations to eat. To get into E/Gas, he added weight by putting about 3 inches of under coat under the car. He was a great hot roder, machanic and race car driver.
W Head
59 Impala 409-2,4s
There were a few tracks south of CC as we used to flat tow down to Harlingen to run there in 62....don't remember the tracks name but it might have been at Pharr which is close to Harlingen.
One story going around at the time was that Hands was protested once and they pulled the other head instead of the one they usually pulled . They found that bank bored oversize and the bank that was usually pulled on a protest was standard bore.
I always had a hard time believing that would work with such a balance issue .
Barry
yep Hands had a pony tail
story was he got beat at the nationals, and said he wasn't cutting his hair until he won
He won the next year, but never cut his hair
don't want to step on Wayne's toes sorry if I did
yep Hands had a pony tail
story was he got beat at the nationals, and said he wasn't cutting his hair until he won
He won the next year, but never cut his hair
don't want to step on Wayne's toes sorry if I did
Yes that is a true story, his half brother was protested and got caught doing the same.. If I remember right (been a long time) Houston Balancing did his work (Willis Ragsdale) We ran many a race against Willis in B/Roadster. I have a picture of Willis and Hands at Green Valley, it is pretty dark, don't know how it would come out scaned.. Cecil, Just donot remember any of thoes tracks that far down south. Corpus is about as far as we went. This post really bring back some great old times.
W Head
59 Impala 409-2,4s
Brian , This the only shot I have of a 55 drag racing !
