[Chud Barbaria]

Just would like to know if any old rodders have any info on Bert Melody's 1940 Ford?

[willys36@aol.com]

Welcome. Being new to the site, you need to be sure to read the "Read Me' posts at the beginning of each forum. The ones here for example recommend that you just post a general introduction here and post tech questions in the appropriate tech forum, "General Rodding Tech" possibly in this case. This will give you the best chance for a good answer.

[poncho62]

moving it..............Who's Bert Melody?

[Max Keith]

Good question Ponch.

I would sure like to have that 40 Ford Whiskey hauler, Junior Johnson has parked out in his garage though.

[RUSTYRODDER]

I Believe The 40 Ford You Speek Of Was On The Cover Of Hot Rod Magazine. The Bert Melody You Speak Of Owned Melody Auto Body In Yonkers,ny Years Ago. He Had Assembled A Coalition Of Real Good Rod Builders That Were His Friends And Brought Them From The Early Rod Building Days And Into His Business Which Sponsored Alot Of Racing. The Ford You Speak Of Had Solenoids Under The Fender To Open The Doors And Many Other Trick Outs Of The Time. Bert Melody The Ii Died After A Drag Boat Crash Many Years Ago. I Was Best Friends With His Son Bert Melody The Third Who Died In A Motorcycle Crash. My Friend Had Shown Me Pictures Of The Ford His Father Owned And The Willys Coup. Bert Was A Master Body Man With Great Tallent As Was His Son And A Love For Speed. He Was Known To Have One Of The Early Rear Engine Dragsters That Appeared On The New York Drag Strips. I Hope You Are Lucky Enough To Have Had The 40 Ford Land In Your Collection. Over The Years When I Googled Their Name Old Racing Flyers Would Show Up And Even Some Items On Ebay. Any Ways I Hope I Answered The Responce Of Who The Heck Was Bert Melody. Best Wishes,rusty

[poncho62]

Thanks Rusty...Good to know....and it only took 4 1/2 years....LOL

And....welcome to the site....

[Olwillie]

Glad to see some others knew Bert. When I got out of the Navy in '57. he was still The Man in the Bronx-Westchester area. His daily driver was the most beautiful car I had ever seen- a 40 Ford convert, channeled, with a fully functional chopped and lined top. The hood was sectioned and with the Cad wire wheels, it was long and low. The hood had an offset "bubble" to clear the two sidedraft carbs atop the SCOT blower-which was on a full-race 53 Cad.
A similar engine (or the same one, possibly) was used with Nitro in his 32 Ford 3-window coupe race car ( I never knew of a Willys). I was told, that was the same engine that he stuck in a short-wheelbase rear-engined dragster. It was a hairy ride-since if it started to swap ends, he was the last to know. I saw him race Garlits in swamp Rat I when he came through the NY area on an early tour.
Finally- I don't know if the coupe made the cover of Hot Rod, but both it and the 3-window are on the cover of Rodding and Restyling, Sept 1957.

[Maso]

Interesting, about Bert Melody. He was a real legend back in the day. I am from Yonkers and I am old enough to remember.

We have been discussing Bert Melody and also the old drag srtip at Montgomery, N.Y. over at: http://www.doverdragstrip.com/phpBB3...7&p=7763#p7763

Question: Do any of you have any old digitized pictures of Bert's cars and also any of the drag strip action at Montgomery that you could share with us. We love to see stuff like that. We are doing a lot of historic research on it over at www.DoverDragStrip.com and I hope you'll drop by and see.

I remember Chud Barbieria... He did a lot of engine work for my brother's cars at B&L Automotive in the Bronx. I met him once... he was ballancing a crank shaft for my brother.

[Olwillie]

Wow- Thanks for the input. I'll check out your links ASAP. I don't think Chud Barberia was the B&L guy. B&L was Barbera and LoSecco if memory serves. I hung out there frequently during 1962-and possibly a bit earlier. I had known Joe and his brother John for several years-probably through times spent at the old Raceway Diner . I first met Dennis Barbera when Joe introduced me to him at their new business. As to any digitized pics,I have none of any kind. I didn't have a camera then-nor do I remember any of my friends hauling one around. I don't even have any pix of of own my cars. I still bang my head against the wall for that stupidity.

[Maso]

How many "Chuds" could there be...?

Chud is Dennis' brother.

[Olwillie]

You must be right- in fact, I seem to remember him-or at least his name being mentioned. Which means I have been misspelling Barberia all these years.
I wonder if he was the guy I was talking to there once who was driving a 61 Chevvy and drove trucks for a living?? Or maybe it was two other guys. My memory ain't too swift these days- like it was 1963 (not 62) when I spent a lot of time at B&L. Sheesh.

[Olwillie]

Maso- Just followed your links to Montgomery and then Dover. Looking at he Dover History section, I was blown away to find (3rd pic down in the center row) our very own Joe and Dennis posing with a trophy!! I went to the Southwest (AZ) permanently in the fall of 63, so I have no memories ( or other false info) to share for anything after that date.I too was at Montgomery for Garlits' visit-and he blew away both Melody in his short-wheelbase rear engined blown Cad and Jack Sutherland from Long Island in his Olds powered slingshot. Both those guys were slowed by the need to shift gears.
I think I watched the Stone-Woods-Cook gasser (or was it KC Pittman???) at Dover early on and Connie Kallitta ran at one of the them (B&L put his dragster up overnight since he had nowhere to put it). But that's it for now, I guess

[Maso]

Originally Posted by Olwillie

Maso- Just followed your links to Montgomery and then Dover. Looking at he Dover History section, I was blown away to find (3rd pic down in the center row) our very own Joe and Dennis posing with a trophy!! ...

That photo is from the "Bob Swanson Collection". That and fifteen other old Dover photo collections are available to paid members or "Old Dover Farts" as we are known there. Each collection has dozens of scanned digitized shots, some just snap shots and many of high quality. You might want to sign up and spot some of your old friends that way. There will continue to be more photo collections as they are discovered and digitized. There is also a serious CD-ROM of digitized old 8mm footage in the works and I mean lots of it...!

I guess that old photographic material of the Montgomery drag site is a little hard to find. We consider it important to our research effort because of many of the Montgomery racers carried over to Dover after it's closing.

I would especially like to see a picture of the rear engine dragster of Bert Melody who was from my home town at the time. An action shot at the track would be especially interesting. Think of the historic signifigance of that event considering that way that top fuel racing has panned out...eh...?!

[madamerkf]

I was Bert's girlfriend when he died, and lived with him a year prior to his death. I do not recall him mentioning you. How then can you call him your best friend?

Originally Posted by RUSTYRODDER

I Believe The 40 Ford You Speek Of Was On The Cover Of Hot Rod Magazine. The Bert Melody You Speak Of Owned Melody Auto Body In Yonkers,ny Years Ago. He Had Assembled A Coalition Of Real Good Rod Builders That Were His Friends And Brought Them From The Early Rod Building Days And Into His Business Which Sponsored Alot Of Racing. The Ford You Speak Of Had Solenoids Under The Fender To Open The Doors And Many Other Trick Outs Of The Time. Bert Melody The Ii Died After A Drag Boat Crash Many Years Ago. I Was Best Friends With His Son Bert Melody The Third Who Died In A Motorcycle Crash. My Friend Had Shown Me Pictures Of The Ford His Father Owned And The Willys Coup. Bert Was A Master Body Man With Great Tallent As Was His Son And A Love For Speed. He Was Known To Have One Of The Early Rear Engine Dragsters That Appeared On The New York Drag Strips. I Hope You Are Lucky Enough To Have Had The 40 Ford Land In Your Collection. Over The Years When I Googled Their Name Old Racing Flyers Would Show Up And Even Some Items On Ebay. Any Ways I Hope I Answered The Responce Of Who The Heck Was Bert Melody. Best Wishes,rusty

[malc]

See the mag on E Bay.