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History of my new purchase

chev1171

chev1171

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I have just purchased this Plymouth Satellite drag car from Florida.
From what I know now:
1- it was a factory 426 wedge with a 4 speed
2- it was in Elgin Ill for ???? years
3- it has a big block with an engine # "Teter 138" on the deck
4- the car was sponsored or built by Teter Automotive in Elgin Ill as seen on the front fender
5- Larry Teter was a 1962 & 63 NHRA champion according to several articles I found on the internet
6- He was renowned for his engine building business( both auto and marine)
7- Mr. Teter passed away in 2004
Does anybody have ANY knowledge of the:
1- car
2- surviving family members
3- former employees of the engineshop
It would be greatly appreciated as I am preparing to do work to the car BUT I don't want to destroy any history or patina of the car.
It's in very good shape considering it's age.
Any info would be GREATLY appreciated.
 

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That would be cool if its the same guy in the first link.. Good possibility.
 
Any luck with the shop I refered you to?

I did notice that the body was very nice and hadn't even been all hacked up in the wheel area.
 
I have talked to L. Teter's widow.
She is trying to get a few phone #'s for me.
You're right in that the car was never tubbed despite the fact that they had slicks on the car.
You could barely stick your fingers between the tire and the fender lip.
The car is complete except for a missing rear arm rest , original steering wheel and air breather.
Pretty remarkable considering its age.
Looks like my plan right now is to get it certified for the road and leave it the way it is.
 
chev1171 said:
I have talked to L. Teter's widow.
She is trying to get a few phone #'s for me.
You're right in that the car was never tubbed despite the fact that they had slicks on the car.You could barely stick your fingers between the tire and the fender lip.
The car is complete except for a missing rear arm rest , original steering wheel and air breather.
Pretty remarkable considering its age.
Looks like my plan right now is to get it certified for the road and leave it the way it is.
Click to expand...

If he was running NHRA stock eliminator class then the slick were 9" maximum width and of course fit a stock wheel well. My 66 has smaller wheel wells than a 65 and the 9" slick fit without modifications.

Was your car bought new by Teter or used for racing only or was it street driven first?

Often times race cars are better preserved than street cars. Especially in cases where it has stayed with the original owner. Many engine builders raced themselves and had a shop where they kept the car (inside) with their advertising slapped all over it.

My 66 has 36 HUNDRED miles on it and was bought new by an unknown individual (no big name racer) for racing only and was stored in a California garage until the 2nd owner got a hold of it. Unfortunately the 2nd owner let it sit in his back yard for 11 years in the California sun uncovered. So, of course the car needed to be "restored" for the most part.

Does your car have a title or does it have a MCO (manufacturers certificate of origin) from Chrysler? Often times when cars were bought new to race the buyer did not title the car and the dealer simply passed to MCO to the new buyer.
 
The car eventually came with a title in that the title was suppositly lost a while ago.
The car does have 9" slicks.
I am patiently waiting to hear back from L. Teter's widow with more info about the car.
Still trying to determine the history.
Everyones opinion is to leave the car alone.
I think that is exactly what I'm going to do. Just make it street legal to drive.
Will keep you informed.
 
Neat car - great find!
 
696pack said:
If he was running NHRA stock eliminator class then the slick were 9" maximum width and of course fit a stock wheel well. My 66 has smaller wheel wells than a 65 and the 9" slick fit without modifications.

Was your car bought new by Teter or used for racing only or was it street driven first?

Often times race cars are better preserved than street cars. Especially in cases where it has stayed with the original owner. Many engine builders raced themselves and had a shop where they kept the car (inside) with their advertising slapped all over it.

My 66 has 36 HUNDRED miles on it and was bought new by an unknown individual (no big name racer) for racing only and was stored in a California garage until the 2nd owner got a hold of it. Unfortunately the 2nd owner let it sit in his back yard for 11 years in the California sun uncovered. So, of course the car needed to be "restored" for the most part.

Does your car have a title or does it have a MCO (manufacturers certificate of origin) from Chrysler? Often times when cars were bought new to race the buyer did not title the car and the dealer simply passed to MCO to the new buyer.
Click to expand...

What rear wheels / tires are you using?
I'm about to replace mine but would sure like to know they fit before purchasing them, just to find out they don't!!!
 
I am happy to hear that you are leaving it "as is" and not molesting the car. With such a nice body, and history to boot, it would be a sin to do anything else.

When the muscle car world is filled with bad stories, its nice to see someone doing the 'right' thing.
 
The rear tire size is 9.00 X 15.
They are drag slicks.
I'm presently trying to find out an equivalent in todays sizing as I'm sure that the car can't be certified for street use with these slicks.
 
yellowdartdave said:
Try here......

http://www.mickeythompsontires.com/strip.php?item=ETStreetRadial
Click to expand...

Only trouble is that you never know if one company measures section width and if its referance from any particular rim width, or is it tread width wich opens a whole other can of worms trying to calculate actual section width!
You almost need to just find somewhere willing to work with you and try a couple different tire sizes on your car... Good luck finding that one!! Today all these kids working in auto supply or tire shops just want to look up the factory size listed on a computer! I hate the "help" you get these days!!!!
 
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