VINDICATOR FORDS …the almost complete record

[paul-ceasrine]

DRAKE,
I got up early again. Some guy in a black 66′ 427 Galaxie (with open headers) was doing burn-out on my road 🙄
He was looking for Lake Glenieda. Said something about trying to cross the lake without
getting his tires wet. 😆
Swears he could make it across from the West Road Amoco to Dain & Dills lumber yard 😯
1968 (January edition) Rodder & Super/Stock magazine. Falcon F/C front cover.
IS THAT ONE OF THEM? Also, Funny Car meet at Capitol Raceway, Maryland.
Probably from October 67′.
Thankfully you referred to me as “Paulie Walnuts” 😀
I’m glad you didn’t call me “FREDO”. Then ask me to go fishing. CLICK!! BOOM!! SPLASH!!
Cleveland Rocks 🙂
Were talking baseball. 1954 Indians. #1 Dissapointment in all of baseball. Didn’t win one game forom the Giants. Hero, no doubt DUSTY RHODES.
Willie Mays catch. Still believe he pulled a CADILLAC on the last 2-steps. I played centerfield for Lakeland High 74′ and 75′, and made a couple of catches better than that. Of course they weren’t Vic Wertz missles. 😯
Paul “Don’t Call Me Hyman Roth”

[vindicatorParticipant]

😀 😀 😀 HEY “PAULIE”…ALWAYS THINK/THOUGHT “WALNUTS” WUZ’ COOLEST GUY ON SOPRANOS’…U…HADDA’ LUV THE HAIR/HEAD 😆 😆 😆 ONLY PART OF CLEVELAND THAT “ROCKS”…AS I SEE IT..IS THE HALL OF FAME (ROCK N’ ROLL)…BEEN TO MANY, MANY BALL GAMES (OUT THERE & AROUND THE COUNTRY… FOLLOWIN’ CLEVELAND TEAMS OVER THE YEARS)…BASEBALL,FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL…NOT “REALLY” 😆 😆 😆 HAPPY ENDINGS’ (A LOTTA’ FAN “HEARTBREAK”…u…get the idea))…LEBRON @ THE PRESENT IS A “WONDER”…THOUGH…THAT 427 BLACK CAR…WORKED A LIL’ BETTER AS A FAIRLANE…A LIL’ SMALLER/LIGHTER 😀 😀 😀 …BEEN “READIN’ YOUR CHRYSLER “NEWS” ON CLASS RACER…REAL INTERESTING STUFF…REALLY ALWAYS LIKED THE WALTER P. CHRYSLER…CARS/ENGINES…BUT YA’ KNOW THE FOUR LETTER WORD/CAR…THAT BEGINS WITH…F… 😆 😆 😆 REALLY IS WHERE WE HAD/HAVE OUR LOYALTIES…DID TELL YA’…NEVER CLAIMED TO BE THE “SMARTEST” GUY…DRAKE…PS…STEVIE VAN ZANT’S…”BUSTER POINDEXTER”…HAIR/LOOK AS OWNER OF THE BADA’ BING…WUZ’ KINDA’ “REAL” TOO 😆 😆 😆 P.S.S….”INQUIRING MINDS’…WANNA’ “KNOW”….WERE THOSE CATCHES…U… MADE @ LAKELAND…IN PRACTICE???!!!*** 😆 😆 :lol:…JUST “SQUEEZIN’ THE TOMATOES!!! 😆 😆 😆

[paul-ceasrine]

Drake,
Don’t forget about BIG PUSSY. Didn’t he get WHACKED?
Cleveland, I spent the coldest winter there, in the summer of 1977.
Actually it was Cincinnati, right off the Ohio River. My old girlfriend lived in
Loveland, Ohio.
One thing about Ohio, a ton of drag strips to choose from.
Best right arm in all of baseball, Rocky Colavito (Right field; What a Cannon!!)
Best left-handed pitcher. Herb Score, until Gil McDougal’s line drive caught him in the
head/eye. Could have been called a Pre-Koufax…..
Let’s see, 1975 Senior in Lakeland. That makes me…………Junior Old 😆 😆
Why am I laughing. I should be crying 😥 😥
You never saw right-center field at Lakeland. If you did, you would understand about my catches. At 290 feet from home-plate, right-center had a sloped-hill that went down about 100 feet, at a 60-degree angle.
Now there I could have used one of your F/C parachutes…
ACINI PEPE’.,,,,,,,,Paulie 😛

[anonymous]

I found these pictures of Drake Viscome’s Vindicator Mustang funny car and Altered on the very cool website’ The Acceleration Archive’
The Mustang was purchased by a Norwegian drag racer named Steinar Stolen who ran it at Santa Pod Raceway and in Norway in Pro Comp and later as a BB/FC. The funny car was sold to Norwegian drag racer Tom Andersen Where abouts of the car at present are unknown.
Thanks to Allan Currans of The Acceleration Archive http://theaccelerationarchive.co.uk/site_map.html also JW last’s 70’s Funny cars http://www.70sfunnycars.com/index.html for their help.

[dinoKeymaster]

WOW….Far out “Farout! Hey Drake …Another two “found”

[dinoKeymaster]

Thanks…never saw that one either.

[vindicatorParticipant]

HEY GUYS…THAT CAR WUZ’ ORIGINALLY SAM AUXIER’S (REAL GOOD) ULTRA/STOCK CAR…WE PUT A WAYNE GAPP/ BOSS 429 MOTOR IN IT…PLAN ( 😉 😉 ;)) WAS TO RUN NEW NAAR HEADS UP PRO/STOCK STYLE CIRCUIT..RAN TWO OF THEIR “RACES”…JACKSON,SOUTH CAROLINA (LAST)…THE FINISH LINE WIN LIGHTS WENT OUT…THEY HAD A “SPOTTER”…CALLIN’ THE WIN/LOSS DEAL…WHAT A “REVOLTIN’ DEVELOPEMENT” 😆 😆 😆 THE MILITARY BOYZ…WERE BETTIN’ PRETTY HEAVY…AND DRINKIN’ ALL DAY…IN THE HEAT TOO…THEY WEREN’T TOO HAPPY WITH SOME OF THE “RESULTS”…A MAJOR-LEAGUE RIOT…BROKE OUT 😆 😆 😆 …MY DAD WENT UP TO THE TOWER…TO GET THE MONEY DUE (FIGURIN’…WE WUZ’ GETTIN’ OUT..AS FAST AS WE COULD)…A GUY (IN THE TOWER) SHOVED A GUN/”SIX-SHOOTER IN HIS FACE/”BEAK” ❗ ❗ ❗ …SAID SOMETHIN’ LIKE…”BOY…U…AIN’T GETTIN’ NO MONEY…NOW …GET OUTTA’ HERE”…AND THAT’S JUST…WHAT WE DID (ONLY SAW AMBULANCES & POLICE CARS ALL THE WAY OUT THE GATE/ROAD’) 😆 😆 😆 …GOT “HOME”…KNEW WE WANTED TO RACE ON SOME LEVEL THAT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE IN SOME $$$…SOLD IT (THE CAR) PRONTO ( A GUY WHO HAD WANTED IT FROM SAM BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT)… MADE A “DEAL WITH WAYNE GAPP FOR THE LOGGHE STAMPING/ FLIP-TOP MUSTANG MACH1…AND AWAY…WE WENT 😎 😎 😎 …MY DAD…A WORLD WAR II VET…NEVER GOT “OVER” THE JACKSON, S.C. FIASCO…LITTLE DID HE KNOW…OF WHAT WAS TO “COME” IN THE NEXT 10-12 YEARS…GOIN’ UP & DOWN THE ROAD 😉 😉 😉 DRAKE

[bobby-s]

Drake
looks like another lettering job
from Al Sanuta, he usto do all
of Ortiz’s tow trucks that left the shop,
he usto have the trick of 2 or 3 colors on the brush
when he started his outline anf borders different.

I still talk to Barry & Grandson Phill
at the shop in Hopewell Jctn
they do work for some of my trucks on campus.

Bobby S.

[vindicatorParticipant]

HEY…FOR SURE…THAT WUZ’ THE ONE & ONLY AL SANUTA (DON’T REMEMBER…COULDN’T “FIND” DINO…MEEBE HE WUZ’ IN HIS PURPLE HAZE ‘ERA??? 😆 😆 😆 BUT WE HADDA’ GET DONE…LIKE…NOW…U…GET THE IDEA)… MORE THAN A LIL’ OVERKILL WITH THE SCROLL STUFF AROUND EVERYTHING… 😆 😆 😆 AL HAD ACTUALLY PAINTED AND LETTERED OUR ORTIZ TOW TRUCK (S) @ HIS ORIGINAL SHOP IN KEARNY,NEW JERSEY …BEFORE HE RE-LOCATED TO NEW YORK…AND ULTIMATELY…MASS.-NEW HAMPSHIRE…QUITE A GUY (A CHARACTER…BUT AIN’T ALL “AR-TISTS” A LIL’ WEIRD…HEY I GOT IT…DINO…THE WEIRDO 😆 😆 😆 )…NOT REALLY A “AWESOME” DRAG CAR LETTER-ER…BUT A TRUE TALENT 😀 😀 😀 HE OFTEN DID TRUCK/COMMERCIAL WORK FOR US (A VERY RELIABLE “CAT”) …FOR YEARS…KNOW THE ORTIZ FAMILY…QUITE WELL…ACTUALLY WENT TO GRAMMER SCHOOL WITH BARRY…MY DAD KNEW/DID BUSINESS WITH PHIL FOR YEARS…WE LIVED JUST UP THE HILL FROM ORTIZ (SHOP) ON COMMERCE STREET IN THORNWOOD FOR YEARS…WHICH WAS ALSO DOWN THE ROAD JUST A LIL’ WAYS FROM DAD’S GAS STATION @ THE 4-CORNERS RIGHT AFTER WWII… 😆 😆 😆 I DID A LOT OF “BUSINESS” WITH THE CURRENT ORTIZ (MARK) IN THORNWOOD…WHO FABRICATED A BUNCH OF STUFF FOR THE PARKWAY POLICE CARS/VEHICLES (WESTCHESTER COUNTY)… WE WON THE ANNUAL “BID” A BUNCH OF YEARS FOR PLEASANTVILLE FORD…I HAVEN’T TALKED TO BARRY IN YEARS..THEY “MOVED” TO HOPEWELL JCT. AS I RECALL…AND I BELEIVE…MARK HAD TOLD ME FATHER-PHIL PASSED AWAY YEARS AGO… 😥 😥 😥 ‘DEMS WUZ DA’ DAZE…MY FRIEND…WE THOUGHT THEY’D NEVER END 😀 😀 :D…IF…LIFE’S ALL ABOUT THE MEMORIES…WHOA’ WILBUR…I…GOT ‘EM 😀 😀 😀 SO MANY…GOOD ONES/GOOD PEOPLE… 😎 😎 😎 DRAKE… JUST HADDA’ ADD A LIL’ SUMPTIN’ 😆 😆 😆 …AL WAS A REAL GOOD FAMILY MAN…BUT HE ALSO WAS QUITE A MUSICIAN…PLAYING WITH A BAND IN THE NORTHERN NJ AREA FOR MANY YEARS…MY RE-CALL WUZ’/IS SOME SORT OF POLKA BAND 😀 😀 😀 HIS HERITAGE WAS POLISH/YUGOSLAVIAN..AND PHIL ORTIZ…SUGGESTED HE SHORTEN IS PROFESSIONAL “NAME”TO SANUTA…SO PEOPLE COULD REMEMBER HIM…HE TOOK PHIL’S “ADVICE” 😀 😀 😀 …RAY “RONSKI”…ALSO ONE COOL/ VERY GOOD GUY 😀 😀 😀 THE “UN-CROWNED”GOLD LEAF “KING” OF WESTCHESTER COUNTY… (LONGTIME THORNWOOD/HAWTHORNE “HOMEY”)AND BEYOND…”REAL” FAMILY NAME AIN’T RONSKI (FOR “SAME” REASON)…BUT HEY…THAT’S ANOTHER “STORY”…FOR ANOTHER TIME 😆 😆 😆

[don-kauer]

Outstanding, Drakester………….You are 100% THE MAN…………No one has a resume’ like yours….Luv ya Bud………Don…

[bossguy]

I didn’t know the guy who lettered the 69 Drake, but as soon as you tied him into Ortiz wreckers I could see the connection in the “frills”. Phil welded in a patch floorpan on my sons Ranchero about 7 years ago. He did a great job and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone. He also gave us a tour of his shop lotsa neat “stuff” there!

[vindicatorParticipant]

HEY DON…THAT “RESUME”…U…SPEAK OF…SOMEBODY (I THINK IT WUZ’ JACK REDD/DRAGTIMES) TOLD ME ONCE…THAT ONLY ME AND CHARLES MANSON (CAN YA’ BELIEVE IT ???!!!***) HAVE AS MUCH “X-POSURE” IN THEIR LIFE “STORY”…’CEPT OL’ CHARLIE’S BEEN ON THE “INSIDE” FOR A LONG TIME NOW…I BEEN ON THE “OUTSIDE”…LOOKING IN 😆 😆 :lol:…MISS YA’ DON…LIFE’S LIL’ LONELY…700 MILES FROM “HOME”…U…GET THE IDEA 😀 😀 😀 HOPE ALL IS WELL FOR U & FAMILY…DRAKE

[john-sachs-srParticipant]

Al S. did leaf on 2 of our cars.Second time around on the Anglia in silver leaf.Ronnie found him,and If Al worked any cheaper, 😉 it would have been for free.Good scroll work on the Ortiz trucks.
Another great,and friend,was commercial artist Richie Adolphson.No leaf work,but lettering and pictures spot on. 😀
John

[tomatoheadParticipant]

….I luv that car ❗ ……………………………….. tomato ❗

[don-kauer]

Every car Drake had was hot..We all loved his fleet………..Even the tow vehicles were cool………………Don……..

[Author]

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