The "S & H Red Stamp
Special"
Owner : Dennis Prater
Restored by: John Shoemaker & Kent Fuller
The beautiful finished car in the "Grove" at CHRR 13
A Couple Photos of the Original Car
Photographer Unknown
The History of the "S & H Red Stamp Special"
The info I have at this time on the owner's and hands that have had a hold
on the car as I know at this time.
1.Larry Stellings and Jeep Hampshire
2.Larry Stellings and Bobby Tapia.
3.Jim Busby and Dwight Salisbury (SP)
4.Fred Blanchard.
5.Greg Daebelliehn.
6.Coleman Bros.
7.Prater
When Jeep stopped driving the car, Tapia got in the seat. Then the car was
painted a tangerine orange with a dark scallop. There is a photo in High
Performance Book by Robert Post on page 111. I talked to Tapia at the CHRR
and he seem to think that when he drove the car it was a different car. That
made me think the car was painted when he started driving it. Stellings and
Tapia then went on to their next Fuller car that was also right hand steer and
looks close to this car but longer wheel base. It was last seen in Oregon. The
S& H went from Stellings to Busby, Their shops were in the same complex and
actually just on the other side of a wall in Laguna Beach. Busby said he had
the front clip redone by RCS because the front had been bent. He had a body
man put on new nose paneling in Costa Mesa. Now the first 16 inches of the
nose on the car now is from the second nose that was put on the car, as they
had bent the first one. I don't have any of the particulars on that one
yet Busby wasn't happy with the car so they moved the rear end back 6 inches
and they still had trouble with the car wheel standing or smoking the
tires. He took the engine out and put it in another RCS car and they picked up
right away, so the car sat. He said he didn't know who had it next as he put it
in some deal he had with someone to sweeten the deal. That turned out to be
Fred Blanchard .He told me he got it from Busby, but didn't do anything
with the car and sold it to Daebelliehn. Greg had the car from 69 or 70
until 1974. He raced the car with a 460 in Hemi .060 over and a 5/8's arm in
it. The NHRA tech would not pass the cage so back to RCS for a back
half. DRAT......the last of the Fuller was cut out of the car. I tried to find the part
that was cut out on the chance it was still around. NO luck there. At this
time the car is 169 inch wheel base. Greg then sold it to the Coleman
Bros. They ran the car with an injected rat in it until I got the car in 82.
Now to clarify some of the pieces that help put this together. Greg said he
removed the orange metal flake paint and the S&H was still on the cowl. So
there is not a question as to it having been the car that Tapia drove until
they got their next Fuller car. The car was called Tangera(sp), Like the gin, when the S&H was painted over.
Now the fun begins. The trailer that I got with the car is Freight Trains
trailer. The first one that Peters and Frank had. I asked Bob Muravez (sp)to
look at the trailer to see if it was and he said it was the trailer he
hauled over the country when he was driving the Train. I have not been able
to find out when the trailer got hooked up with the car. Still searching for
that piece of history. Peters told me he had the trailer when they had the
first Train and when he went to the next Train they had a longer car and he
put a box on the front of the trailer so the car would fit. When I was able
to find Busby in the search for the owners he was at his shop and I was in
my garage and he described the car that was in front of me in detail. I did
meet him at one of the CHRR's and his smile said everything.
Dennis
The "S & H" car at CHRR 2002 before the all-out restoration began
This was pretty much it from the original car so
John
Shoemaker with the help of
Kent Fuller
set abouut
to bring this beauty back to life.
Using magazine articles and all the old photos they
could find, John and crew has the chassis
taking shape pretty quickly.
They discuss the chassis and the new Kent Fuller axle lying on the table
The "Fuller" axle is installed along with the torsion arm supension.
The "Bat Wings" by Fuller
CONTINUE with More StampCar Restoration
