Jake Dykstra's 1962 409/409 Impala!

**Xplantdad** · #1 10-26-2009, 04:46 AM

Here is a video that I hosted on Youtube for Jake...with his dad's car in it!

It seems that Photobucket recognized the Beach Boys song as a copyright infringment....

Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXpL5S8H4UU

**mockingbird812** · #2 10-26-2009, 05:41 AM

Wow Jake! Congratulations on getting back the one that got away. Just terrific to see it come full circle. I have a '62 Plymouth that was a regular at Union Grove, Oswego, and US30 (Cordova too). Maybe you remember it. It was a medium blue Savoy with a 413 Max Wedge package. The fellow that owned it in '62 was Gordy Carlson (He and his son still run Biel Upholstery @ 6200 block of North Clark St.) and the link to its story is here! Jerry Zielinski was the second owner from '63 to '70. They both still live in Chicago.

Terrific story - thanks for sharing!

**CC Rider** · #3 10-26-2009, 05:55 AM

Great story and a great feature!

**Tenney** · #4 10-26-2009, 06:31 AM

Great history and great car, Jake. Recall it well when it was with Carl - no dog, for sure!

Congrats to you and family!

**olredalert** · #5 10-26-2009, 05:45 PM

------Boy!!! Does this bring back good memories. Jake (seniors) trip to the Car Craft Nationals was alongside my white 69 454 re-powered El Camino (definitly a day 2 car). What a great time we all had that weekend. Especially Jake as the car had just recently been finished and there were so many great memories for him.........Bill S

**RPOLS3** · #6 10-26-2009, 06:20 PM

Thank you Bruce for posting this, great job as usual.

As I look at some of the pictures again I have to laugh - anyone diggin' the period correct Farrah Fawcett poster in the back wall of the garage in the picture of the car being painted?

That's Bob Zimmerman "Stretch" who painted the car in our attached 2 stall garage with the big door open and a old Craftsman compressor back in 1980. It turned out amazingly well for the conditions back then. I am the one at the very right edge of the picture looking on - I was 10 years old at the time.

Funny thing about the tire/hubcap picture. My dad installed those Sears tires in 1980 as part of his restoration back then and they were still on the car when we picked it up in LA - almost 30 years later. They were the first thing to be replaced when he got it back.

Jake

**RPOLS3** · #7 10-26-2009, 06:08 PM

Sam-

I forwarded your response to my dad and this is how he replied:

I don't remember that particular car, but as I remember, the Mopars were lighter, and consequently in a different class. When we ran the 409, I think we were in the C/S class. Most of the Mopars we raced on the street were automatics. Eddy raced on the street, and he always chose to race weird cars, like a '55 Chevy with a 401 Buick, and an early 4 sp. Hydramatic. He knew the combination he had worked, and could figure out in his head the power to weight ratio of the cars he raced against. Sometimes it was very close, but he always won. I do remember the Pie Pan restaurant. We raced a 421 Pontiac on Eden's expressway one foggy night, and Eddy had the 409 sideways at about 100 mph. It seemed perfectly natural, and he never lifted! Later when we returned to the restaurant, we saw the Pontiac driver, and he said Eddy was crazy! There were many "Hot" cars there, and they would test their tune-ups on the Eden's Expressway on Friday and Saturday nights, prior to going up to the Drag Strip on Sunday. After being beaten on the Eden's, they would ask Eddy where he was going to race on Sunday, and they would go to another strip! Usually on Fridays, we would go to Skips in Melrose Park, and race on North Ave. When the Police stopped the racing on North Ave, we would go to a side street next to Amlings, and race there. Saturday's were usually spent preparing the car for Sunday at the drag strip. If the car felt really strong, we would go to the Pie Pan, and embarrass the "Big Boys" on Saturday night.

Ah, the memories! I feel like I'm 20 again!

Thanks -

Jake

**mockingbird812** · #8 10-26-2009, 08:40 PM

Good stuff Jake - thanks for relaying my comments to your Dad! In 1962 when the Max Wedges were released, my Plymouth was in the Super Super Stock (SS/S, one year only) class due, as you stated, to its power to weight ratio. My Plymouth is a 3 speed HD T85 BW manual trans. Second owner, Jerry Zielinski, lived closer to the Pie Pan and made a habit of hangin out there too. He has some good Eden's Expressway stories to. Little doubt these two cars probably crossed paths at one time. Thanks!

**markjohnson** · #9 10-27-2009, 12:38 AM

Great stuff here! I've been following this story and photos(old & new!) here and on the 348-409 site. Thanks for taking the time to share everything with us. I've been around these '62-'63 409 cars for my entire life and they'll always hold a special place in my heart! It seems like EVERYONE has a great 409 story about a particularly fast one in Anytown, USA. It's mind-boggling to see a list of the famous racers that started out with a 409. They have become legends, tearing up dragstrips from coast-to-coast, but this use and abuse has made them scarce and REAL ONES have become VERY few and far between. You have a great one there and it's neat to see it with somebody that has known the car for its' entire life. Take care of that beast!

**dykstra** · #10 10-27-2009, 03:32 AM

A great story indeed!!

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RPOLS3 (02-12-2025)

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