looking for bio on Don Grotheer

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str12-340 said:
well isn't that special - he's what 90 years old and not here to defend himself
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No problem , the friend is gone too . I saw the engine in question, grotheer had ground the block so much to lighten it he had pipe strap screwed to the block on each side of the plugs to hold them in , had tent rood /unmachined pistons in it and wasnt balanced for crap, stock rods too.
The dam thing wasnt as fast as the one he pulled out , they found what a piece of trash it was when trying to find the water leaks .
The guy paid good $$ for it too , He should have sent his sons up to okc to kick some *** !
If the truth hurts --------
 
69 Cuda 440 said:
1965

Don Grotheer held the 'AA/S' NHRA National Record with
his 1963 Belvedere 426/425 HP Max-Wedge 4-Speed.

11.92 @ 120.64 MPH

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_141969324764114&key=508e022f256315a50e8e5af8c001704f&libId=668a0c03-525b-458d-befe-024f68adb260&loc=http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=300559&v=1&out=https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2445/3634160149_cda3d3cc8b_z.jpg?zz=1&ref=http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/forumdisplay.php?f=35&title=looking for bio on Don Grotheer - Mopar General Discussions - Mopar Forum&txt=https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2445/3...c8b_z.jpg?zz=1
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He started racing chevy's & then a 63 belve 3 speed at age 17 from oct 62 to about Jan 64 & then a ford in 64 didn't race this car until 65 & I'm pretty sure it was a automatic then he got his 66 hemi sedan & the 67 car was a 6 cylinder with all the goodies from the 66 sedan transplanted. His duster was supposed to be a very trick state of the art car that got sold to irv bearinghaus which I think wrecked it & maybe even died.
 
Stick car. AA/S. Not AA/SA.
1st pic is while Don owned it.
Wreck is after it was passed on...I understand.
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Ok...this is really weird. Sitting beside me open to THIS article is the December 2008 issue of Mopar Action. It's a multi page spread about Don Grotheer. Pictures of Black 63 S/S 426 3 speed stick. White 63 AA/S. 66 A/S street hemi. White 67 SS/B. 1970 P/S Cuda. 71 B/MP Road Runner driven by Butch Leal in picture single thermo quad on 64 Nascar intake running 10.46. 73 P/S Duster Don Hardy tube chassis ran 9.40s. 69-1/2 RR Clinic car that never went down the strip. He did 75 clinics a year. I saw both him and Ronnie at Clinics back in the day. (I had a 67 cuda)
I met and talked to Don and his wife maybe 8-10 yrs ago and got his autograph. Yep, still had the covers his wife made. His favorite car was the 68 Cuda and he recreated it. Saw it at the show. I can probably scan this if interested.
@str12-340

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Here's the 73 Duster. Really surprised Wally Parks and NHRA let this car run but it was after the "illegal" Grumpy Vega. Soon as Mopars started getting close they factored the cars right out of competition.

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In 1970 my mom took 11-year-old me to the Don Grotheer Plymouth Performance Clinic at a St. Louis-area dealer. They had a raffle for a Stewart Warner tach. Guess who won it? I walked sheepishly up to the podium while all the guys in the audience laughed. One of them bought the tach off me for like 30 bucks. I thought I had won the lottery! I still have the clinic booklet.

KosmicKuda if you can scan and post that article, it would be much appreciated.
 
KosmicKuda said:
Here's the 73 Duster. Really surprised Wally Parks and NHRA let this car run but it was after the "illegal" Grumpy Vega. Soon as Mopars started getting close they factored the cars right out of competition.

View attachment 1715717230
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KINDA WEIRED , JENKINS WAS THE FIRST TO INTRODUCE A TUBE CHASSIS PROSTOCKER , AFTER NHRA let him run it , everybody jumped on the bandwagon.
Who brought this old thread up ?
 
Thanks to Rat Patrol for the added info
from STR12-340, OP for this thread
 
famous bob said:
No problem , the friend is gone too . I saw the engine in question, grotheer had ground the block so much to lighten it he had pipe strap screwed to the block on each side of the plugs to hold them in , had tent rood /unmachined pistons in it and wasnt balanced for crap, stock rods too.
The dam thing wasnt as fast as the one he pulled out , they found what a piece of trash it was when trying to find the water leaks .
The guy paid good $$ for it too , He should have sent his sons up to okc to kick some *** !
If the truth hurts --------
Click to expand...
I used to hang out with Clyde Hodges at the late Don Carlton garage right after Don passed away. They had a pretty big Bridgeport milling machine they used to mill the sides and oil pan rails of the Hemi blocks. Clyde said they could remove 50 lbs. Pretty sure I remember seeing those straps over freeze plugs. Clyde said sometimes they would get into the water jackets and use epoxy to close up the holes.
 
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