one of the most impressive things I'd seen in the past at SEMA was that some guys had autographs on their SEMA pass... and I realized this year, that I'd take the opportunity too!

 Yup, Don Garlits was at the Chevado booth! And so was Kenny Youngblood! 

Yes, there are other legends and icons there at SEMA, such as Richard Petty, Mario Andretti, Jay Leno, Larry Chen, Chip Foose, Ron Capps, Jimmy Shine, Tony Stewart, Bob Larivee  etc https://www.semashow.com/celebrity-appearances  but I'm not going to spend all my time at SEMA standing in lines for autographs.

 The lines for Richard Petty and Mario Andretti were AROUND the booths. You'd be in line so long that the autograph session would be over by the time you got to the front

the 62000th post, is that Don "Big Daddy" Garlits was at Bakersfield talking to the students of the Bakersfield College Automotive Program

Don told stories from his legendary career and encouraged the students to find something they are willing to spend their whole life pursuing.

https://www.facebook.com/BAKERSFIELDCOLLEGEMOTORSPORTS/posts/pfbid026ahP1MsyvDE5UcojyhKsTgGq6zoaz6TQLvDinAXXuNtpP7EGZPTa2sekrGwSBry4l

built by Smokey Yunick, for A.J. Foyt, in Big Daddy's museum

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=9996507013705636&set=gm.1919596498775798&idorvanity=218971585504973

odd that someone took this photo, but hell, the truck that hauled the dragsters to the tracks, and was used to run for parts, is not bad to ponder, anyhow. I wonder what Don put in the engine bay?

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/traditional-images-that-need-no-explanation.1143737/page-16#post-13139244

Did "Body By Jocko" equate to looks incredible, but won't be competitive?

I didn't even know of this one, I only knew of the beautiful Mooneyes Moonliner

This Streamliner was no clinker, it set a record of 8.35 @ 178 in the spring of 1959 at Bakersfield

In 1964, Dean Moon (of MOON Equipment fame) purchased the V-12 Allison powered streamliner 

It doesn't get much more classic than this full chute beer advertisement... that was simply iconic 1974, when Budweiser simply hired it for a commercial, and Gray Baskerville was on hand for the photo shoot

In 1965, a Jocko streamliner was put on a top fueler... and there was inherent problems with cross winds, now that the front tires were partially enclosed. Plus, it was too much downforce on the front end, hampering steering

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2019/12/in-1974-moonliner-built-in-1959-was.html

https://www.nhra.com/news/2021/story-swamp-rat-17-don-garlits-most-misunderstood-top-fueler

https://garlits.com/swamp-rat-gallery-old/

https://www.facebook.com/qf200/posts/the-jungle-4-jocko-streamlinerits-freaky-friday-fuelers-from-qf200in-1965-the-ju/728378743948817/

loving the big Dodge push truck too

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=801127778690247&set=a.717965483673144

Happy 90th Birthday to Don Garlits!

 

https://www.nhra.com/news/2022/90-90-happy-birthday-don-garlits

awww mannnn, THIS IS AWESOME! Be even cooler if the owner makes it a garage conversation piece

 

https://dailytimewaster.blogspot.com/2021/09/looks-like-interesting-read.html

I guess I've never posted the advertisement for the Don Garlits Dixco tach

I have seen only one or two in the past couple decades, probably because there are so many aftermarket tachs to choose from, Stewart Warner, Sun, Fo Mo Co, Smiths, Rotunda, Air Guide, Autometer, Moon Eyes, VDO  etc

I never heard of this one, the "Baby Moon Eyes" rocket dragster built by Romeo Palamides

https://villages4sale.com/don-garlits-museum/

https://www.pinterest.at/pin/430938258065927338/

via https://www.thegentlemanracer.com/2021/01/don-garlits-museum-of-drag-racing.html

it took a lot of experimenting before all the problems were worked out, and the top fueler was perfected

https://kustomrama.com/wiki/File:Island-dragway-1960s-don-garlits-swamp-rat-v.jpg

Don Garlits’ Swamp Rat XXX cackling (prior to its induction) outside of the Smithsonian Institution

https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/remembering-raymond-godman

Finally, a Big Daddy Swamp Rat special edition 1995 Dodge truck showed up on the internet, besides the couple I've posted. When there's nothing on the internet about a specific vehicle, it makes you wonder why, I guess they are simply this damn rare

Very few got both the flames for the front, and the rat on the rear

https://autoweek.com/gallery/woodward-dream-cruise/1995-dodge-ram-big-daddy-don-garlits-limited-edition

Even Autoweek posted no information.

What I've learned so far is at https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2011/01/big-daddy-don-garlits-swamp-rat-special.html

Ever heard of the Polka Dart?

Tales from the Drag Strip: Memorable Stories from the Greatest Drag Racer of ... By Don Garlits

1001 Drag Racing Facts: The Golden Age of Top Fuel, Funny Cars, Door ... By Doug Boyce

Hard to believe that Huffy got Dan Garlits to endorse this bike

https://www.svtperformance.com/threads/random-picture-thread.1159350/page-396#post-16245987

I'm happy to say I've met Don Garlits and shaken his hand. Events like this are often forgotten, but WOW... when you realize you're talking WITH that guy who did this and other incredible things? Englishtown 1986

https://www.facebook.com/groups/stiffspeed/permalink/1382140688599210/

Don Garlits' 1st Swamp Rat... so sketchy and ugly, that Hot Rod wouldn't run a photo of it. Possibly the origin of the term Rat Rod

“I learned later that the guys in the California office of HOT ROD…took one look at my heap and laughed out loud,” Don Garlits asserted in his 1967 autobiography, “King Of The Dragsters” (coauthored by Brock Yates).

 “They decided it was just too ugly to deserve a picture.”

Then again, perhaps that improvised rollbar scared stiff a staff led by Wally Parks, the safety-obsessed HRM editor and NHRA president who’d renamed 1954’s initial Drag Safari as the Safety Safari this year.

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/unpublished-photos-capture-don-garlits-first-nhra-win-1955/

Hot Rod March 2018 issue

The Red River Timing Association invented the occupation of professional Full time drag racer

by hiring Don Garlits with $450 to unload in Wichita Falls Texas.

And that was the beginning of drag racers getting paid to match race where ever and who ever the money was good enough to travel for

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/fatal-indy-500-crash-mars-1958-american-auto-racing/#014-power-struggles-1958-two-dragsters-action-three-quarter-front

1st image I've seen to validate that there ever was a Don Garlits Speed Shop

Just 2 weeks ago I posted a Charger that had been upgraded at his speed shop, and that is the only time besides this photo that I've ever seen his speed shop mentioned  http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2017/04/they-only-offered-440-6-pack-in.html

 https://www.facebook.com/bobby.spedale/posts/1521660704513581

http://www.dragzine.com/news/don-garlits-drag-racings-golden-icon/

https://www.mopar-forum.eu/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=9064&sid=d89cec6cefffb97c6f63288d8cde6b50&start=3700#p949822

Garlits' Dart 2

http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/