Punky Manor - Vintage Stock Car - Tribute Build

The Driving Force...

There is usually an underlying reason or set of circumstances that fuels the passion that drives our creative endeavours. In the case of this Vintage Stock Car - Tribute project, it is years of fond memories from my childhood.

My Dad's side of the family (his Nephew, Neil Manor specifically) was involved with cars and racing since I was very young. I remember as a young kid visiting Neil's Auto Body in Altoona, WI and looking over the cars he was fixing and the Stock Car that they were building or already racing each week. It was the early 70's and Neil was running Chevrolet Monte Carlo's in the Late Model Class in the Eau Claire, WI area. 

Neil Manor was the owner of these cars and he had some pretty recognizable names who drove his cars. Phil Prusak and Red Steffen were the two that I remember pretty well.

But it was Neil's son Punky (Neil Jr.) Manor that really inspired me to love stock car racing and cars in general. As close as I can figure it, Punky started racing in 1972 when I was 11 years old. 

He started out his career building and driving Ford race cars. His first car was a 1959 Ford Galaxie using the number 9. By the photo below, it looks like he was off to a good start. 

In Punky's second year he moved into the Hobby Stock Class and built a 1963 1/2 Ford Galaxie Fastback. He had originally picked out an older model year Ford, but it was suggested that if he were to get a car no older than 10 years, he could race it in the big Late Model championship race at the end of the year, so he went with the '63. 

He ended up winning the Best Looking Stock Car at the Eau Claire, WI Mall race car show that year even before he started racing it.

I've alway really wanted to find a 1963 1/2 Ford Galaxie and build a tribute of his Hobby Stock, but haven't been able to find one yet. I was still pretty young when he was running this car, so I don't remember working on this car very much at all. Below is a picture of the two number 57's in battle at one of those end of the year races...

But it's the next year, Punky's first year in the Late Model season, that I remember best of all. The year was 1974 and Punky built a 1973 Ford Gran Torino Fastback to run on the dirt tracks of Northwest Wisconsin as well as other tracks in the area. 

I have several great memories from the Torino and that particular season of racing. I will shares some of those stories as I progress through the build of this Tribute Car Project. 

It is my objective to recreate the Torino Late Model pictured above. I may include some of the graphic elements of the 1963 Galaxie when I do the paint job, but I'll figure that out as I move forward.

After the 1973 season, Punky switched over to drive Chevrolet Camaro's. Most people would probably remember him driving these cars, but I have special memories from when he was driving in the Fords!

There was a certain charm back in that era that seems to get lost a bit on the modern dirt track cars. We used to sit in the grandstands closest to the pit entrance road, at the first race of the season, and wait to see what showed up to race. Corvettes, Mustangs, Challengers, what were they bringing to race with this year?

Unfortunately Punky's racing career was cut short by a highway accident November 13, 1979. At only 26 years old, it was a devastating loss for the Manor Family and his many race fans and friends. Personally, it left a very large void in my life that could not be filled. 

As I grew up, I never seemed to be in a position to build my own race car and go racing, as much as I wanted to. So I guess this Tribute race car build will give me the opportunity to build a stock car from that era, and to keep the memories of Punky alive. 

I also have a Grandson who will turn 6 soon and I wanted him to see first-hand what these cars were all about. I'm hoping It will give me the opportunity to share old stories with him while we work together.

So, this is what is driving my passion for this project, I hope you will follow along to see how it all turns out. Hopefully I can create a few fond memories for my Grandson along the way.

Thanks and take care...