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Bill Wright Archives - Woodward Garage - #88, NEW INFO ADDED

 
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odcics2



Joined: 09 Feb 2018
Posts: 283

PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 8:00 am    Post subject: Bill Wright Archives - Woodward Garage - #88, NEW INFO ADDED Reply with quote

Bill was the manager at the Huntsville based Woodward Garage, where the #88 was based, along with the Engineering SuperBird.

LOTS of material to read. Interesting if you like the history of the cars.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,134185.0.html

Enjoy!


Last edited by odcics2 on Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Dennis O
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I went through several of the documents and for it's time that was some hi-tech research. Wind tunnels were scarce and the comparison of the Coronet to the RoadRunner to the Charger was interesting. Thanks for posting the link.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



Joined: 19 Oct 2018
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:45 am    Post subject: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

I've been involved with a lot more drag racing then Circle Track stuff and been around quite a few very serious high-end vintage drag cars. Now there was a special off site Chrysler drag racing R&D shop in Detroit where the Motown Missile cars were built and raced out of as well as the infamous Silver Bullet 67 GTX street race car. It was called the Woodward garage. Now, Huntsville Alabama is where Chrysler built a different kind of missile, that's where their Aerospace Labs were! I'm somewhat confused because in 40 years of messing with Mopars, I've never heard Huntsville being location of the Woodward garage. But I do know there was a lot of R&D for the wing cars done at Huntsville.
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Woodward Garage South, as it was known....
Pratt Avenue, Huntsville, AL. Next to the Ford Dealership.
88 was repainted from B5 Blue to Corporate Blue in the Ford dealer paint booth!



The Detroit location was actually ON Woodward Avenue.

Cool
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2018 2:45 pm    Post subject: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

That makes perfect sense. Isn't it cool that the wing cars were developed at the same location as the Chrysler NASA and weapons programs! A few years ago, Carrera came out with a 32nd scale slot car, I can't remember if it was a Daytona or Superbird, done up in NASA markings. Who says the Germans don't have a great sense of humor?
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

Bobby The Cabdriver wrote:
That makes perfect sense. Isn't it cool that the wing cars were developed at the same location as the Chrysler NASA and weapons programs! A few years ago, Carrera came out with a 32nd scale slot car, I can't remember if it was a Daytona or Superbird, done up in NASA markings. Who says the Germans don't have a great sense of humor?


If you read the Wright Archives, he WAS a rocket scientist... Cool
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Tom M.
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 7:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

odcics2 wrote:

If you read the Wright Archives, he WAS a rocket scientist... Cool


It appears from his bio that he was outstanding at many different engineering and leadership disciplines.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 8:07 pm    Post subject: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

I wonder if he ever spent the night in the infield at Darlington on Labor Day weekend.....
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 9:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

Bobby The Cabdriver wrote:
I wonder if he ever spent the night in the infield at Darlington on Labor Day weekend.....


I did. 1974.

WILD.......
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George Andrews



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PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2018 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I recall reading elsewhere ( maybe one of the Winged Warriors books ??? ) that Chrysler chose Huntsville, AL., for several reasons :
1) Lots of in - house engineering talent available
2) Close to NASCAR home in Daytona Beach & many MOPAR team shops in the Charlotte area
3) Close to the Lockheed Wind Tunnel in Marietta, GA.
4) Far - FAR Away from the Automotive Spy network in Detroit
5) It would become close to Talladega Motor Speedway, though that was not known until later.
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2018 8:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

6 - Close to the Madison County airport, where they did drag coast down studies and auto trans testing in race cars!
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Aero426



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PostPosted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 12:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

George Andrews wrote:
I recall reading elsewhere ( maybe one of the Winged Warriors books ??? ) that Chrysler chose Huntsville, AL., for several reasons :
1) Lots of in - house engineering talent available
2) Close to NASCAR home in Daytona Beach & many MOPAR team shops in the Charlotte area
3) Close to the Lockheed Wind Tunnel in Marietta, GA.
4) Far - FAR Away from the Automotive Spy network in Detroit
5) It would become close to Talladega Motor Speedway, though that was not known until later.


All of these things are true. I think what really drove it was the fact that the Huntsville space contracts were coming to an end. Bill Wright was looking for things to do and the need for race car instrumentation and aerodynamics came along at exactly the right time for Bill and his people in Huntsville. The availability to test eliminating having to transport the car back and forth from Detroit was the other main driver.
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Sun Dec 09, 2018 7:00 pm    Post subject: Bill Wright Reply with quote

I think it's time for a serious Mopar Aero Wars sticky, and a breakdown of what still survives as well as who had what. The streetcars are all very well documented and the race cars should be as well.
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That may be a good idea for what isn't answered here;

http://www.aerowarriors.com
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Bobby The Cabdriver



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PostPosted: Mon Dec 10, 2018 9:14 pm    Post subject: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

Here is something of Interest regarding finding good clear color photography and graphics for Aero Wars cars. Phil at Road Race replicas, who used to make resin Aero Wars bodies for Aurora t-jet slot cars, still markets some very detailed, but HO scale, decal sheets with very clear color photography paint and decal guide for about $35. To this day, it is still the one of best, all-in-one reference I have seen yet for these cars. I think his Mopar Sheets have like 25 cars on them and if any of you guys have the skills, you could scan them and clean them up and..... don't tell Mike or Ronnie I told you this!!!
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still more!

Ken Noffsinger added a LOT more info - here's the new link.

http://www.billwrightdocumentarchive.com/TableOfContents.htm

Nice pic of the Woodward Garage SuperBird testing a 727 trans at the Huntsville Airport! Guess who is driving?

Previously, DC-93, #88, was testing the new "wing" design for the Daytona.
It's a hand fabricated piece. More info on that at aerowarriors.com.

Thanks to Ken for all his hard work on this project!
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odcics2



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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 5:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bump up...
Getting lots of hits from around the world.

I guess good technical info is in demand!
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Mack



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PostPosted: Sun Sep 06, 2020 6:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Bill Wright archives Reply with quote

Tom M. wrote:
odcics2 wrote:

If you read the Wright Archives, he WAS a rocket scientist... Cool


It appears from his bio that he was outstanding at many different engineering and leadership disciplines.


I was born and raised in Huntsville Alabama. Still live about twenty miles north of H'ville. Dr. Wernher Von Braun called Huntsville home for many years. He is a giant in NASA history. Huntsville to this day is loaded with engineers of all stripes. I've been told by more than one Huntsville has the highest Phd's per capita than anywhere else in the USA. I have never tried to verify that because it's really not that important to me. Huntsville is chock full of defense contractors, space support contractors, a huge military installation (Redstone Arsenal). Lots of educated folks here. In my line of work I have the the opportunity to meet lots of people who transfer here. I always ask them how they like Alabama, most love it. I tell them we don't actually marry our sisters, maybe our cousins, but never our sisters.
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