I spent three hours with Lee Holman (President of HolmanMoody Inc and Holman Automotive Inc.) along with Jimmy Tucker (Master Engine Builder) and Larry Wallace (Master Cam Grinder)

To say the least...these people never cease to impress with their collective knowledge and inventory.

I noted a number of Boss 429's all preped and ready for delivery to the end user...along with a few 427's and Boss 351's in varying states of completion.

Lee and Jimmy are a friendly and un-assuming of people as you can ask for. Larry is a very mild manored guy...but he was eager to take on the grind of my Cam for my 351CJ project.

This is my third venture with HM on a project..and they have never let me down. The best part of it all is this...in one corner a GT40 is being built from scratch..in the engine area a piece of Ford magic like a Boss 429 is being assembled...but my $145.00 Cam is treated with the same importance and welcome as a car costing 500k or more.

Lee was also good enough to offer me a deal on an Aluminum Radiator that was made for a Ford Falcon Rallye car from vintage HolmanMoody Racing History...needless to say , this radiator will be part of my 1968 Torino project in short order.

If you ever get the itch for some Ford Racing history..check out www.holmanmoody.com

Thanks for letting me share a part of my day with you.

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2000 Crown Victoria (Performance and Handling Package.

1994 SVT Ford F-150 Lightning

1988 Turbo Coupe Thunderbird (5-Speed)

1988 Crown Victoria Police Package (Modified to the max)

Something else I found very interesting during our conversations. We got off on the subject of the Ford 427 "Cammer"...and Jimmy Tucker just happened to have a NOS 6' Timing Chain hanging from a parts cabinet for the Cammer. What a sight that piece of history was.

I commented about how GM and Mopar were both scared to death of this plant..and Nascar again had to slam the door on a Hybrid mill without actual civilian (Street variants) being available at the time. Nascar went as far as to refuse entry of a Ford Transport truck carrying a few Cammers on to the Speedway grounds at Daytona..and this was purely for Test and Research purposes...but "Big Bill"France of Nascar wasn't going to have any part of it for any reason.

I need to read that Holman Moody book.

The book is great. Lee Holman is the son of the late John Holman , so it could have possibly been him that you saw? He tends to do the majority of the traveling as it's his company.

I had the pleasure of getting to know Ralph Moody about 10 years prior to his death..and what an awesome , awe ispiring man he was to talk too. Ralph Moody's son still owns one of the Proto-type Talladega's that HM and Ford used for wind tunnel testing..and I was lucky enough to get the nickle tour of the car from Ralph Moody himself at the time. BTW...his wife makes a real good Ham Sandwich ,if that tells you what kind of "regular folks" these people were and still are.

Ralph Moody also autographed a print of David Perasons 1969 Championship Talladega for me..along with a collector card from his own driving days..this took place 3 days before is induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega Motor Speedway.

I told Lee Holman yesterday...that I only wished I had been granted the chance to meet his father too...but luck wasn't on my side as John Holman passed away before I was zipping around in my own wheels.

Lee also showed me an enlarged photo of him fueling one of the Daytona Coupes at Reames France back in the day. He said it was a great thing to be in that inter-sanctum of Ford History. A year in Europe of racing..with a Ford provided car and an expense account..along with a salary from HolmanMoody itself.

quote:

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Originally posted by Lightning Fast Fords:
The book is great. Lee Holman is the son of the late John Holman , so it could have possibly been him that you saw? He tends to do the majority of the traveling as it's his company.

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I wish I knew. I feel really dumb to not know, my reputation as a Ford fan is tarnished by that.

Did you happen to see the pictures we took at Dearborn on the M&M Conventions page?

Here's the page on classic stock cars: http://mustangsandmore.50megs.com/Ford100th/ClassicStockCars.html

Thanks for those Pics. Most of those cars I've seen in person , with the exception of the 427 powered 1969 Torino Cobra that David Pearson ran on the short tracks. Did you notice how the Talladega Variant with the Boss 429 retained the Torino Cobra signage? Purely a marketing move on Ford and East Tennesee Motors part , as they Cobra was widely marketed in print and TV...and the Talladega variant was a purpose built model for homologation purposes only. Ford Honestly couldn't have cared less if any of the street variants ever sold to the public...as they would have easily become Race cars after a crash course makeover which is what took place with all of them in those days.

Lee told me that they threw away hundreds of interiors for the cars that they raced...straight from Ford production as a family car...then straight to the old HM facility at the Charlotte airport to become Grand National racers as the series was called then.

In my chat with Ralph Moody ten years ago.. had to pose the question with all the big names that drove under the HM banner from the late 50's till Ford pulled the plug in the early 70's. Who was the best driver that ever drove for HM ? Without a moments hesitation...the awnser was "Fast Freddie" Fred Lorenzen. He was the driver that piloted the number 28 sponsored by Lafayette Ford of Fayetteville , N.C.

Consider..the drivers of their past.
(1) Gleen "Fireball" Roberts (died from burns sustained at the World 600 in Charlotte) Sponsored by Young Ford of Charlotte.

(2) David Pearson Champion in both 1968 and 1969 (Sponsored by East Tennesee Ford)

(3) Cale Yarborough

(4) Mario Andretti (Won Daytona 500 on his 1st try in Nascar

(5) Richard Petty (1969 Ford driver because Plymouth had yet to build a Superbird to match the Charger Daytona that Dodge had. Won his 1st Road Course at Riverside , Ca in his first attempt in a HM prepared Torino Cobra

(6) Bobby Allison..at one point or another he drove them all , including AMC products

(7)Junior Johnson...a legend going back to NASCARS roots in running Moonshine

(8) A.J. Foyt...won Daytona and drove for the Wood Brothers in HM prepared Mercury's and Fords

(9) Dick Hutcherson..so so as a racer...but a pioneer in chasis development. Note his company of Hutcherson and Pagen that still provides these services to other teams.

(10) Dan Gurney...Lemans and Trans Am God

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oddly obsessed with big scoops on little Mustangs

65 coupe 351w C4 Big Boss 429 hood scoop,8" 3.40 TracLoc.

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