67.5 racecar

[cole455]

Well, was trying to get my 67 2000 finished up, then this one followed me home. I’ve switched gears and hoped I’d have time to get it somewhat presentable to bring to the corral at the Mitty... looks like I just won’t have the time to get it where I wanted by late April, so I’ll start a build thread on it and update.

The car was built by Steve Shore and raced D production in the mid-late 70’s. It went to the run-offs in 77 and 78 (dnf due to broken shifter in 77).

Steve turned wrenches and helped Jim Fitzgerald a good bit with his cars, but unfortunately had a falling out of sorts. The story I was told by Keith, was that Steve said, “f*+k you, I’ll build my own car and beat you”... the #83 was presumably chosen as the complete opposite of 38!

As a result, Steve built a very neat car with panhard bar, removable trans tunnel, nicad airplane battery and other trick mods.

Steve passed away in the early 2000’s and Keith Hege (long time mechanic for Fitzy) purchased it from Steve’s widow. Keith had the best of intentions with it, but was unable to follow through with his goal... as a result, the car sat (unprotected) on an old Jim Fitzgerald open trailer for over 15 years.

I chatted with Keith a good bit during his final months and learned a lot. Keith was a very neat guy; if you look closely at many of the old Fitzy cars, you’ll see Keith’s name on them as “mechanic”. Anyways, while we were there, my dad recognized the car immediately (as he remembered helping Steve with the car a good bit back in the mid 70’s). Due to the intrinsic value, I decided to purchase the car and hope to bring it back to its former glory. It will take a lot of time, elbow grease, metal and argon gas!

[cole455]

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Its condition is extremely rough. The floors were completely gone from standing water. Surprisingly, the chassis and body panels are solid (presumably from
sitting elevated on a trailer)....

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[cole455]

Picture is credited to Linda Sharp’s website; I believe it’s the 78 runoffs...

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[cole455]

I was told by Keith that Fitzy leased the car at one point but didn’t have any idea when, where or why at the time. After a brief email with the Stoddards, it appears that Fitzy raced it once (more by chance than anything else) and outlined below:

Hello Cole. I am just now seeing this. Fitz drove Steve Shore's car ONE TIME at Charlotte I think. He only drove it once because Steve was on "probation" with SCCA for some rule infraction. LOL. They had welded the doors shut and finished off the body so there were no door seams. Supposedly that give it an aerodynamic advantage. So they wouldn't let him race that weekend. SO, he used a chisel and made fake door seams in the body. The next weekend he showed up and Tech showed him the door and a suspension for the next race. They opened the doors again. Fitzy's car was not running for some reason and so Steve let him drive. That's the story. Fitz did not win and was not so very happy about it. He accused Shore of putting a lesser motor in the car and then they yelled and hollered a bit and then the beer party started. LOL. That's all we remember. cheers.

[2mAn]

Chrome on the mirror is still shining haha

[cole455]

[quote="2mAn"]Chrome on the mirror is still shining haha[/quote]


Haha, you know, a lot of the chrome is fantastic on it still! Headlight scoops, door handles, and the grill was damn near perfect!! I never understood how it held up so well

[cole455]

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Vin on the frame is caked in epoxy and hard to read, although I believe it’s a very late 67.5 1600. Dad said this was not a 2000 model at the time; he remembered them pulling a 67.5 1600 from whites auto salvage out for this build. Found the stickie under a bunch of leaves, kinda cool

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[Gregs672000]

Wow, this is fun... keep em coming!

[notoptoy]

Cole:
Did this come from his farm in Advance? Is his wife liquidating? He had a LOT of cool stuff out there!

[cole455]

[quote="notoptoy"]Cole:
Did this come from his farm in Advance? Is his wife liquidating? He had a LOT of cool stuff out there![/quote]

Tom, it is. Keith started selling everything off quite heavily early last spring. At this point, there isn’t much left. An old partial s30 body, partial 2 door 510 body and maybe 8-9 parts car roadsters that were picked over years ago (although I’d scored a day/night mirror earlier in the spring out of a scavenged over hulk!).

Most everything remaining is heavily guarded by poison ivy. Once it dies off, the plan is probably to haul everything else away

[cole455]

Actually dragged it home late August and work has already commenced. Main floors are complete, while the trunk floor is the current massive project. Also plan on taking the entire car in for soda blasting after thanksgiving.

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And to think the cockpit area floors looked like the worst area! Kinda figured the trunk would be a quick patch job; terribly mistaken...

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[cole455]

Also copied from Linda Sharp’s website. Kinda cool, as it references all involved (Steve, Keith, Fitz and the car):

Datsun Racing History from the recollections of EP National Champion Bob Studdard
Posted on October 24, 2016
by Linda

I hope you enjoy reading the recollection of my long time friend and DP competitor Bob Studdard.

Hey Linda,
It was a National race at PBIR and Keith Hege was the only guy I remember being with Fitzy. This race was run in 1973. To me, it was the most exciting race I had ever experienced at that time and as the years have past it still remains so. I honestly don’t remember how many times we passed each other and we never touched.

I really remember the extreme passes on entry of the left hander right as we approached the lake on the front straight. We were passing each other at that point every lap we raced. Bob Windage was a corner worker at the lake and after that race he told me he was going to drivers school, because he was so impressed by Fitzy and I extending the braking points on every lap until we were sliding all over the place entering the turn. He said, “from the beginning of the race until we were finished competing we had extended the braking point by 100 yds.”

Years later I saw Windage at one of the run offs and he told me he raced for a while and now he was a steward. We were racing hard and I know we had lapped a sportsracer twice. And I know Fitzy’s disdain for them being on the track with us. So far he had been totally out of the way, but we caught him just as we exited the left hander at the lake and I was waiting to see which side Fitz was going to pass on and I planned to pass on the opposite side. I figured since HE was in the middle of the track we would wrap him up and blow by. Fitz NAILED him in his rear end straight on. Fiberglass was raining all over me and I was so amazed that I made no other attempts to pass Fitz and we both passed this back marker. After going around the lake and heading onto the back straight Fitz’s 2000 faltered and he dove for the pits. I figured he had hurt his oil cooler or his radiator since watching how hard he pummeled that sportsracer. After the checkered fell, we were all lined up for the customary wait and I started walking back to the sportsracer to apologize for us hitting him and he ran toward the paddock. And that’s the story of Fitz giving me one of the best races of my life.
Years later, Fitz brought Steve Shores gorgeous 2000 to Road Atlanta with Fitz’s motor. We started the race and Robert Overby was never more than 2 car lengths behind whichever one of us was leading at that particular time. We passed each other at tun one, coming out of five, at the end of the back straight at the bridge. I don’t remember on which lap Fitz’s engine expired but I know I was leading going into five and when I exited the turn he wasn’t there. As I approached five on the next lap he was standing on the inside of the turn giving me the finger as I went by. After the checkered and after they had pulled his car in,he came walking over with a big smile on his face and we shook hands and complimented each other on what fun we had.
Then Overby walked up and said, ” that was one of the best exhibitions of driving he had seen in a long time.” And he had the best seat in the house. He said, “did either one of you keep up with the times you guys hit each other?”
We both replied NO in unison and Overby laughed and said.” that we had hit each other 9 times but I don’t remember who had 4 or who had 5. Overby took out a $10.00 bill and waved it in the air as he said, ” I don’t know who to give this to?” Well of course Fitz grabbed it and said,” I deserve it since my engine blew and I agreed.” This was the very best race he gave me and I will never forget it. I sincerely miss him.
Bob

[19692000survivor]

Cole,
Out of curiosity whats the Vin# on your new toy?
Rick

[cole455]

Cole,
Out of curiosity whats the Vin# on your new toy?
Rick

That’s a good question, I really don’t know right now. Frame stamp is almost non-existent, but is certainly an SPL car originally. Probably a very late 67.5 1600

[2mAn]

I love reading these old stories