Dragonsnake Cobra Pilot Breakfast?

[SCOBRAC]

Is there any interest in having a breakfast in the North Bay, Napa or Sonoma area in which we get an original Dragonsnake Team Pilot to tell all? Here's the story...

I was sitting in the grandstand on Sunday watching a cadre of over carburated Cobras try to run the quarter mile and feeling slightly ashamed and embarassed by a certain yellow Cobra posting a speed in the lights of between 50 an 64 mph when the announcer broadcast the return of an original Dragonsnake team driver would take the newly restored team car for a run down memory lane.

As it happens I spent 10 years living across the street from this guy. I knew he worked for Shelby before going to Vietnam building 289's for the Sunbeam Tiger and the early Cobras. I had no idea he was an original Vette killing Dragonsnake pilot. He was just the really interesting mechanic guy living across the street who helped me make my 289 GT Mustang go really fast... Who knew. Anyway, It isn't Ralph Falconer or Jere Kirkpatrick.

http://www.thecarsource.com/shelby/c...agonsnake.html

I'm not using his name because I haven't asked him if he will even talk about the old days. I thought I would see if there was any interest. Anyone?

I for one would pay to hear the stories but how does this work? He would probably do it for free if we do it near his home and buy his breakfast. If there is a significant interest I will go see him and ask him. No promises but I am sure he would be happy to do it.

Please send me an e-mail at the link below. If we get enough I will bring them to him in a few days or a week and see what we can do.

Regards,

[Bill Kesner]

Mike......

Absolutely! I walked out to the to see the car up close as he waited to do a drag run. I've never met Rich Mason, but I believe he was giving this driver some thoughts on his next run. The only part I regret is that my shots of this beautiful Dragonsnake did not come out. Go figure.....the camera did take a good pic of the engine only.

- Bill -

[jocflier]

Does this help...?

[Bill Kesner]

Jocflier......

Yes!! Thank you. Any chance you could email me the original size pic. That car is too good looking to be reduced.

- Bill -

[jpk]

Hi Mike,

Are you talking about this guy, wearing a gashole hat and standing with my lovely wife? I won't spill the name, but he's a hell of a nice guy. He stood there and talked to us like we were old friends, and he had all the time in the world.

What about inviting him to one of the regular saturday morning BACC breakfasts in Dublin?

joe kennedy

[jocflier]

Originally posted by Bill Kesner


Jocflier......

Yes!! Thank you. Any chance you could email me the original size pic. That car is too good looking to be reduced.

- Bill -

No problem Bill. Would be glad too..Here is the same car when it was parked outside..Would you like both? I sent you a PM

Rick

[Bill Kesner]

Rick

You have mail. Both pics would be great! I've got tons of photo's from last years Mini Nats, and the last 3 years of the Concorso and Historics on a digital disc. Let me know if I can return the favor for any particular pics you may want.

- Bill -

[SCOBRAC]

Indeed it is the same. I will give this another few days and go see him on Friday 9/5. I can only ask about Dublin. It's about 2 hours from where he lives and that means by the time he gets there, talks and eats and gets home it's a 6 hour gig. I'm sure he would love to do it. Whether it's practical or not will be the question.

[jpk]

Mike,

Two hours is a long haul, I didn't think it would be that much. I would certaintly go wherever to listen to this guy. I hope you can set something up, somewhere.

thanks,

joe kennedy

[RICK LAKE]

ScobraC Hi Mike. Is the letters to his name TS?? If you can get a breakfast with him, get someone to take some notes or video the meal. Explain that these legends are disappearing 1 or 2 every year and all that history goes with them. I tried to talk to bruce Larson at the Fords show in PA He was not very interested in talking. Got a plate of is car, he wanted 10 dollar for the signature. I think if you buy the plate you should get to ask a couple of questions about the car. This was not the case. Please try and get some info from him. Everybody in CC would like to hear about the good old days and the flying cobras. Write down or tape the info, this way it is kept for the future. I am trying to get Dick Smith to sit down and tape some of his stories of racing, like how he wiped out #6 connecting rod while racing in the historics and got the flip top bruised also when it went through his oil. Dick wants to win in his class and forgot what the rpm was limited to. He hates to let anyone pass his car, He was passing GT-40's. He's a wild man. Got to go Rick Lake thanks Mike

[SCOBRAC]

Indeed it is the same TS.

I was 12 when I moved in across the street from him and was like most kids probably a pain in the ass most of the time. I helped him in his garage at home moving engine blocks and lifting transmissions by age 13 or 14. By then I was at least a foot taller and had him by 75lbs. I gained some pretty useful experience picking his brain and getting advice on "how to".

I think having a master mechanic living across the street gave me a confidence at 15 or 16 to do things I had no business doing, tranny R&R, (he rebuilt my C-4 for a couple hundred and the needed parts) head jobs, the right way to rebuild a carb, etc.

The stories I heard from him then were pretty typical hot rod stories. One in particular was when Chevy released the 427 "mystery motor" in 1968 as a service item. He tells the story about getting the part number out of a trade publication and taking it down to the Chevy dealer and them not finding a reference to it yet, but they could order it and he would have to pay for it when it arrived. Indeed 12 weeks later a crate arrived. It was $934. including frieght. It was the first one sold over the counter on the west coast.

The engine was still in his barn in 1985. The heads were sold a few years before for more than he paid for the engine. I knew he built engines for SAI before he went to Vietnam but never knew about the Dragonsnake. I'm sure it isn't common knowledge in the hot rod community where he lives.

I bet if we can keep it simple and offer him free food he might tell all. It might take some prodding but I am sure he would be pretty complimented people still care. I know what you mean about the older guys not wanting to talk. It's really ashame.

I was thinking about this the other day. I wonder if he gets hit up every few years or if this is a recent thing with the popularity of the kit and component car market taking off.

I will go see him Friday and see what we can do.

[RICK LAKE]

ScobraC Mike I will send a private E-mail Rick Lake

[Hal Heindel]

It's days like these that make me wonder whether I should move to California! Then again, maybe I ought to wait until this recall thing has played out.

I've never met the man, but knew rightaway it had to be Tony when I saw joe kennedy's photo. Tony was the 'aimer' of CSX2019 and I've been trying to find him for years.

Mike, the next time you talk to your neighbor, please let him know that his former mount is alive and well and living in Rochester, NY. I would love for him to see his Dragonsnake if he should ever get a chance to visit upstate New York. I've got a summer house on the lake he could stay in, and if he hasn't seen Niagara Falls, that's only a one-hour drive.

Breakfast in California, that's more of a hike. Wouldn't mind taking a break from our winter weather up here and swap stories with the man, though. Tony is bound to have a lot more than I have, but I do have some.

Like the time when I put plates on the car to take it for a ride on the street and pulled into a gas station for the first ever fill-up. Didn't know that drag racers only put in a gallon or so to save weight and that they don't really care what the top of the gas tank looks like. Looked like a sieve! By the time I saw the puddle forming under the car and spreading out like a small lake, the tank was full and I had to push the car out onto the street to let it empty there. Wanna see a gas station owner unhappy? Not like this guy!

Or the time I got stuck in our 'can of worms,' an infamous local interchange, because the fluid in the master cylinder had expanded from being only an inch away from the red hot Ballanger headers (which is another thing drag racers don't concern themselves with because, hey, we're only driving a quarter mile). The car came to a halt in the center lane with all four wheels locked solid, with rush-hour traffic blowing by on both sides. When I figured out what had happened and rushed to open the release valve on the master, I got to watch the car roll downhill and backwards into that same traffic with me chasing it because I had forgotten to set the hand brake!

There's more, but for now, thanks for the info, Mike. I'll keep an eye on this thread to see what it leads to.

Hal

[RICK LAKE]

Hal Hein OK Hal come clean. Your hiding in N.Y. in a beautiful part of the state and you have all these stories that have happed to you and friend with a cobra involved and have not said anything. You have a legends car hiding out in the garage. It must be nice. Come on and give us some more storys. I have done the gas one. Boy was I a putz. Had gas all over the side of the car in autocrossing and the right rear tire was not happy. ERA now has a dual cap set up for the cobras. A tennis ball works in a pinch. OK Hal your Turn. Rick Lake ps I don't know what the car is worth but Dick Smith said he would not sell his 198 for a million dollars. I hope that you are the same way. I hate seeing these great cars go into collection and parked for life. Thats no way to be put into retirement. Take it out and blow the carbon out of it, but carefully. Quiet Sunday morning is the best time. Watch out for wet roads and deer. Have a good day Rick Lake

[Bill Kesner]

Hal........

Welcome...and thanks for the stories! Would you have a picture of the car you could download for us to drool over?? You have a rare car my friend.

- Bill -

[Hal Heindel]

Bill,

Cal Metal put up a photo on a previous thread ("CSX2019," when you do a search on dragonsnake). There's also good info on dragonsnakes in general in the thread "Dragonsnakes now." Cal's a big fan of the drag racing cobras and really knows his snakes.

BTW, thanks for the compliment. A lot of people tell me how lucky I am to have bought that car back in 1967. Wasn't luck. I knew Ed Hedrick back then and decided I wanted a Dragonsnake after seeing his "Fuchsia One" (the former Costilow and Larson car, now owned again by Bruce Larson).

What's lucky is that I never messed with the car and left it in its original, unrestored condition; still has the racing graphics put there by Shelby American. Ever run into people who at one time owned a car they really liked and now keep kicking themselves for having traded it? The real lucky part is that, despite some very tempting offers through 36 years, I never sold it!

Hal

[PDHse]

Hi Hal, i noticed in your postings from a while ago you,re going to set a website up,hows that going? Paul

[Hal Heindel]

Hi Paul,

Glad you asked. Not well. I'm about six months behind on new software I'm writing (200,000 lines and growing - more at elegra.com). Heylittlecobra.com will have to wait until that project is out the door. The site shouldn't take more than 2-3 weeks to put together with Dreamweaver; I'll let you know here when it's up.

Hal

[SCOBRAC]

Tony Stoer the first Dragonsnake Pilot or "amier" as it was called back in the early days has agreed to meet any and all interested for breakfast in Napa, CA at a date yet to be determined.

I can only imagine a Saturday morning would be best. Sooner is better as the weather will begin to get a little colder soon. I am really just the messenger and will leave any and all decisions to the group. The Saturdays left in Sept. are the 13th, 20th, 27th and lets throw in Oct. 1. Any ideas? Are there any wine valley events official or unofficial which occur on these dates that will get you to the Napa Valley.

Meeting space will depend a good deal on the number of people planning on being there. I am sure the food will be secondary but it helps. Most of the best places are pretty busy on Saturday in the valley and all the best places are small. Where ever we end up we will need to plan ahead.

Regards,

[RICK LAKE]

ScobraC Hi Mike. Did you go do the breakfast run yet? I saw that Lynn Parks is in the hospital and going to be OK. I hope you have had time to talk to TS. Like I said getting the stories and any info from the early days is so important. Pester him a little, but do it with a smile . I watched the 03 Historic races and no coverage on Dick Smith, all on the Morton coupe that broke or ran out of gas, gald the roadster won. Very poor coverage. Going to send a e-mail to Speed vision about it. They showed alot about the GT-40s, Got to go finish the car for Run&Gun, have a good one. Rick Lake.