Al Swindahl chassis photos... (1 Viewer)

[Coop]

Hey there guys and gals,

I am embarking on a "little" personal project that has been beating around in my skull for some time.

Al Swindahl and my father were best friends; many Saturdays growing up were spent listening to them bench race in his shop or at a local "dive" during lunch.

I would like to build a realistic SCALE replica of a Swindahl dragster chassis. Unfortunately, it is next to impossible to find a quality, detailed image or illustration to work from.

I've been given a few leads, but so far, none of them have panned out.

If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to PM me.

Thanks,

Mitch

 

[Just Paul]

From what era???

Revell made a model of Joe Amatos car from 90/91 that was made by Swindahl. They ended up making a bunch of kits from that same mold, but the reference photos for making the parts were from Joes car.

 

[sparky]

His shop built a lot of cars. There are still some in service. Pictures should be plentiful out there on the web.

If I recall correctly, the last car he built was for sale on racingjunk.com last year from a guy that was from the Tacoma area.

 

[Al smith]

Do you mean the classic Swindahl cars of the 1980's ? Take a close look at Jerry Ruths car

Drag Racing List - Jerry “The King” Ruth, Part II

They were typically 250" wheelbase, Had a big boxy roll cage as per Ruth's request so he could wear his crown I suppose. (actually tire shake beat him up once if i recall) The bodies had a crease in the center of the cowl. The distance between the motor and cage was sufficient for Jerry's funny car starter. The nose was not not smooth hand formed and rounded but more or less fabricated out of flat aluminum stock. with "winglets" if you will left and right. The front wire wheels were widely spaced as was the trend of that era. The body panels front of the foot box were many and short to allow the car to arch without blowing out the Dzus buttons. Its not evident in the Ruth photos but i saw many a Swindahl car back in the day. Others who had almost identical Swindahl cars of the era include, Gary Beck/Larry Minor, Shirley Muldowney, Terry Capp,