The “Russo & Santo’s Willys
Jack & John Olcott
The Car “Today’ After much hard work
History of the Car
-Car built in 1963 by Frank Bovino, Tony Russo, Bob Allen and Tony Donadio. It ran out of Pal Automotive Service in Brooklyn, NY.
-Car was found in a scrap yard.
-First engine was a 352 cu. in. Chevy small block (bored and stroked 283) with six Rochester two-barrels on an Edelbrock manifold, a Crankshaft Co. crank, a Racer Brown roller cam, Crane Heads and a Weber clutch and flywheel. This was hooked to a Corvette 4-speed trans and a 63 Olds rear with 5.57 gears.
-Front suspension was raised 4 inches to aid in weight transfer. 21 inch long traction bars were also made to induce front end lift.
-Steering was relocated to clear the engine which was set back 10 inches.
-A 125 pound marine battery in the trunk and a steel tube push bar filled with 85 pounds of lead shot aided traction.
-Front tires were 5.00 x 15’s on stock Willys wheel which were drilled to reduce weight. Rears were M & H 9.00 x 15 slicks on polished Halibrand kidney bean wheels.
-Total cost to build the car in 1963 was $2500.00
-It made it’s 1st runs in the Spring of 1964 at Westhampton, L.I., NY and ran in B/Gas at the time.
-In 1964 Tony Russo had also campaigned a 55 Chevy in D/Gas and at the end of the ‘64 season he wanted to go faster. He and Bob Allen purchased the car from Bovino. They painted it gold metalflake and it became the Russo & Allen C/Gasser.
-The car was named “Sandy II” after Tony’s Mom.
-In 1965 and 1966 it ran as the Russo & Allen C/Gasser with a 288 cu. in. Jack Merkel prepped and tuned Chevy small block with Hilborn injectors and the same 4-speed. It ran 11.52 in May, 1965 at NY International in Leicester, NY.
-Ran 11.30 at 120.03 mph on 10-65 at Madison Twp. Raceway Park (Englishtown) to win the C/Gas class.
-Won the C/Gas class at the UDRA Gasser meet at Island Dragway in 1966.
-In 1967 the car was repainted metalflake bronze and Russo partnered with his cousin, Bob Santapaul (aka Santo since his last name would not fit on the side of the car). The rear suspension was re-engineered by 1320 Automotive, owned by another Merkel,Eddie Sanzo. The team of Russo & Santo raced most East Coast major events in ‘67 and at the Nationals at Indy, where it won the C/Gas class over the Mr. Gasket ‘48 Anglia owned by Joe & Tom Hrudka and driven by Ron Hassel. I am in possession of the engraved
Valvoline Cup awarded to the car for it’s Nationals class win, given to me by Bob Santo.
-Winning time was 11.20 at 119.68 mph over Hassel’s losing 11.24 at 122.11 mph on a huge holeshot.
-Set the NHRA National C/Gas ET Record on 5/28/67 at Madison Twp. Raceway Park at 11.08. I have the record certificates given to me by Tony Russo.
-Was the 1st C/Gasser at 9 pounds per cu. in. to ever run in the 10’s (10.91) at the UDRA Invitational meet in 9/67 to win the C/Gas class over the factory backed “Hairy Canary” 1965 Mercury Comet on the trophy run. The factory boys were very upset by
it and protested the car which was torn down and found to be 100% legal.
-In 1968 the car campaigned as a D/Gas car due to the NHRA change in weight breaks over the winter.
-Set the NHRA MPH record in D/Gas at 120.64 mph at Capitol Raceway in MD. on 5/25/68. I also have this record certificate.
-Was named the UDRA “Car of the Week” on 9/6/68 with a 70% win average for the year.
-On 9/27/68 it won the D/Gas class and went on to win Street Eliminator at the Madison Twp. Fall Championship race.
-On 5/9/69 it won Competition Eliminator running in D/Altered at the Competition Racing Association’s meet over a large feild of dragsters and altereds.
-Won D/Gas and Street Eliminator at Englishtown on 6/22/69 and again on 7/4/69.
-Car was featured in the NHRA Division One Yearbooks in ‘68, ‘69 and’70.
-Running out of gasser guru Jack Merkel’s shop, the car was featured in many Jack Merkel Automotive advertisements in the speed magazines of the day.
-At the Englishtown Fall Championship Race in 9/69, Tony Russo sold the car right at the track and never raced again. The new owners were Phil DeJohn and Bob Davidge from Long Island, NY.
-Car was repainted metalflake green and named “Philly’s Willys” and ran locally on Long Island until 1973 in D/Gas with a Clutchflite trans.
-Car was purchased in 1995 by it’s current owners, Jack & John Olcott, and underwent a complete restoration to it’s 1967 National Championship paint and lettering scheme.
-Made it’s restored race debut on 5/26/02 at the East Coast Gassers race at Atco NJ and won the Nostalgia Gasser class over a feild of 8 cars in it’s first outing.
-Tony Russo & Bob Santo were re-united with their old car on 9/21/02 at the East Coast Gassers “Gas Coupe and Sedan Nationals” at Atco Raceway.
-Best time to date is 11.06 at 120,16 mph with a big bog off the line. Should run mid 10’s with more fine tuning.
The car in 1964 from an article in “Cars Magazine”
CONTINUE to Photo Album of the Restoration
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