Car Craft again used these yellow vehicle credentials for
participants in the 1983 Nationals. My number this year was
lower -- because I used next-day mail to get it there ASAP.
Apparently lots of people did the same thing.
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This is the view of the Happy Hollow area of the Illinois
State Fairgrounds. If you think it looks crowded now, it was
still fairly early in the day. This is the view looking east
toward Peoria Road. Click here
for a map of the fairgrounds.
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This ticket stub was what I would need to win the new
1983 Buick Regal that was the grand prize at the Nationals.
Unfortunately they didn't call my number.
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My 55 Chevy
sits outside my father's garage in the Spring of 1983. I had
just washed it after dropping the four-bolt main 350 back
in after rebuilding it over the winter. The new motor ran
well.
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I installed
two Carter AFBs and an Offenhauser intake on the car after
getting it running. The carbs weren't adjusted right, and
it was dumping too much fuel into the intake. I removed the
setup with the intention of troubleshooting it later that
year.
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Here's
another shot of the motor with the AFBs. There was plenty
of room under the hood for the carbs and air cleaners. I have
Mickey Thompson valve covers on it now. I never liked them
and sold them later.
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This
green and white (and out-of-focus) 55 Chevy Bel Air two-door
sedan drives down the road that led to Gate 11 on Sangamon
Ave. The sidewalk here was a great spot to sit and watch cars
rumble past.
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These guys
wisely brought their own shade to the Nationals. The Olds
442 has a nice personalized plate.
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This two-tone 1956 Chevy Nomad was clean and straight. It
was parked near where my Chevy was parked, but I never saw
anyone near it.
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This
Hugger Orange 1969 Camaro SS was in the area of the fairgrounds
that now is a campgrounds. Shade was not plentiful, and drivers
claimed the best spots early.
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If you've seen my other photo galleries, you might recognize
this Camaro. I took a photo of it at the 1981 Nationals in
Indy.
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This 1979 Pontiac Trans Am is no run-of-the-mill T/A. It
is the 20th Anniversary Special Edition Trans Am, featuring
special paint, wheels and yes, a special hood bird.
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This (now
especially) rare 1971 Mustang convertible allegedly was equipped
with nitrous oxide injection. The car looked great as a factory
stocker.
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Another one of my favorite car is this 1970 Plymouth Road
Runner. Check out the wheels, they're the same style the General
Lee from the "Dukes of Hazzard" TV show wore.
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This black
& white 55 Chevy Bel Air sedan had the hood and trunk
shaved. I'm not sure what the personalized plate represented,
but it was a very clean car.
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Another favorite of mine was this jet black 1955 Mercury.
I can't remember the engine particulars, but it was owned
by a man about 20 years older than I who built it himself.
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Here's a rear 3/4 shot of the Merc. It had a big hood scoop
to cover the custom-built tunnel ram. Also note my girlfriend
at the time, seated at left, is watching me take photos. We
broke up about a week after this photo was shot.
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The owner of the car welded up his own homebrew tunnel ram
intake for this 55 Merc. The car was equipped with fenderwell
headers, and had quite a rumble when it was running. My car
is behind and to the right of this one.
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The Pro
Street movement was still in its infancy in 1983. The number
of Pro Street cars could be counted on one hand. I was surprised
to see this pro-streeted 1978 or 79 AMC Spirit hatchback.
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This factory-fresh black 1964 Corvette didn't need anything
-- it showed enough muscle in stock form!
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This 1970
Ford Torino Cobra featured a plastic cobra perched on the
hood scoop. I had never heard of a Torino Cobra, the only
place I can recall seeing them is at events like the Nats.
The plate reads "Z EATER."
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