Drag Race Tiger

H

Halligan21

Bronze forum user
Messages
5
Hi guys,
I bought this Tiger drag race car about 4 years ago in San Diego and it's been sitting in my garage since then.Original owner said it came with a 4 speed Borg Warner T-10 and was raced starting in 1968 in AHRA 2bbl class. With the 260 2bbl ran 12.8 then he put in a 289 with racing clutch and a 735cfm 2bbl and ran 11.7 @122mph. Last raced 1984.
I bought the car gutted. Has a narrowed 9 inch rear end with 28 spline axles.
Has had a lot of welding and cutting of panels back in it's racing days.
I know the picture shows the wrong hard top on it I don't have an explanation for that.
Finally starting to work on it and am bringing it to CAT event tomorrow to get it TAC'ed before I start any work and get advice from everybody.View attachment 6422

View attachment 6423
 
Wow what a piece of history,Tiger people don't seem to get a jazzed up about drag racing a TIGER but since I drag race mine I would like to see more updates on the car and back in those days running anything in the 11 was fast
Good luck with the project
 
Cool

I am glad you are coming and we get to see the car. It is almost funny how just responding to a Craigslist ad can bring things together. My .02 cents is worth about .50 most days but the decision to get the car TACed is maybe a $1.39 one.
It sounds like a really good meet coming up with lots of parts and other cars to see and several work in progress, plus the guys that have been down the Tiger resto road repeatedly.
Plus you get a free lunch:D
 
Love the old pics and it's funny as I had your car as a screen saver for a long time, found the pic online somewhere. I think it would be great to see the car restored as raced, nice piece of history you have there.
 
if we can get this car and the ex-NHRA car together grab jerry logan we can have a tiger drag club.... Duke can be an honoury member :D

the car sort of reminds me of the cobra dragonsnakes the off the shelf cobra drag cars.

689421426800158352.jpg
 
Drag Tiger

Had a great time at the club meeting/swap meet yesterday bought some stuff sold some stuff. Met a lot of nice folks and got some great ideas with the direction of my project. There was a question about my VIN # short story is the VIN plate is presently missing from this beast. Was removed for firewall mods for bigger motor and tucked away in the original owners garage loaded with 40 years of parts and pieces never to be seen since. Wasn't a big deal because this was never on the street or registered only raced. He's been looking for it and I'm hoping it will turn up soon it would make things so much easier.
 
Good Luck with Your Project!

Loved all of the photos. Was the car originally raced in the San Diego area? Maybe the previous owner can explain about the early Alpine hardtop. Hope he can find the VIN plate, but you don't really need that for getting the car back to its original racing state. Good luck with that project - it is always wonderful when someone returns a car to its operating condition! Especially one with such a prestigious history.

David
 
The car was from the San Diego area and raced at Carlsbad, Holtsville and Bakersfield.
I'll ask the original owner about the hardtop next time I talk to him. I'll post some more photos once I scan them.
 
HolyCat said:
Loved all of the photos. Was the car originally raced in the San Diego area? Maybe the previous owner can explain about the early Alpine hardtop. Hope he can find the VIN plate, but you don't really need that for getting the car back to its original racing state. Good luck with that project - it is always wonderful when someone returns a car to its operating condition! Especially one with such a prestigious history.

David
Click to expand...

IIRC there was some discussion about the early hardtops being used on the drag cars. The isuse from what i undedrstand was the rules required a closed car... and early tops were lighter and more aerodynamic.. though the lightness would have been the primary reason to use them... what people should have done was switch the screen as well.... but its notl iek the car was being driven to the shops :p
 
Hard path

Glad you could make it to the swap meet. I concur with the lighter alloy top as a better drag race alternative to the proper later model one.

Let's hope you can spend the time with the P.O. and find the tag and all the old and valuable bits, and some form of old paperwork on the car.

I really hope you do not give up and get it up to the S.T.O.A. "bay area" event in March or April. That event is listed as a training session for a concourse judging seminar but maybe they will be able to help you. I am going for sure so keep in touch.
 
michael-king said:
if we can get this car and the ex-NHRA car together grab jerry logan we can have a tiger drag club.... Duke can be an honoury member :D

the car sort of reminds me of the cobra dragonsnakes the off the shelf cobra drag cars.

689421426800158352.jpg
Click to expand...

Is this the car Jerry Logan has? He was telling me about it and trying to explain it over the phone. I drive by his house every day for work, and he's also only 2 miles from my grandparents' house, but has been busy so I haven't been over to check things out. Pretty cool old pics!
 
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Jerry has a mkia tiger with alloy stroker motor and turbos mounted under the rear floor ... But I did get my tiger owners confused .. Should have been jerry porche Porche
 
michael-king said:
Jerry has a mkia tiger with alloy stroker motor and turbos mounted under the rear floor ... But I did get my tiger owners confused .. Should have been jerry porche Porche
Click to expand...

I know my last name is a little had to spell Michael but it is PORSCH :)
And my motor is a World Products iron block that started as a 363 stroke but has been bored a couple of times and I'm not sure what the CI is now but will find out soon because I'm pulling the motor and rebuilding it and going with some bigger turbos and going to put a certified 8:50 NHRA cage in :)
 
Service Center

The early photo where the Tiger has "Service Center" on the front fender might offer a clue. Service Center is a hot rod shop, formerly in Torrance, CA and currently still in business in Lomita, CA and probably affiliated with the car in some way at the time. The owner is a real deal old time hot rod guy and might be able to provide some history.
 
I had two different Service Centers I frequented for Tiger go-fast parts in the 70's...one on Manchester in Inglewood and one in Culver City on Sepulveda. Before there was Summit, et al, Service Center was the way to go!
 
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