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Dick liked talking about the latest Corvettes and not the old. People only wanted to talk about his past which he was polite enough to indulge. Like Enzo Ferrari, he lived in the present and worked very hard on new developments for modern cars. Enzo had his old F1 cars destroyed. Yep, Phil Hill's F1 cars don't exist. Guldstrand came up with out-of-the-box mechanical improvements that helped Corvettes handle better at high speeds and many other mods that found their way into production cars. He wasn't into restoring vintage Vettes or even going to see them at Corvette events. He regretted not being the pit crew for his sons who were not interested in cars. One hell of a guy who made Corvettes better.
R.I.P. Dick.
Dick liked talking about the latest Corvettes and not the old. People only wanted to talk about his past which he was polite enough to indulge. Like Enzo Ferrari, he lived in the present and worked very hard on new developments for modern cars. Enzo had his old F1 cars destroyed. Yep, Phil Hill's F1 cars don't exist. Guldstrand came up with out-of-the-box mechanical improvements that helped Corvettes handle better at high speeds and many other mods that found their way into production cars. He wasn't into restoring vintage Vettes or even going to see them at Corvette events. He regretted not being the pit crew for his sons who were not interested in cars. One hell of a guy who made Corvettes better.
R.I.P. Dick.
Being a business man, he knew what clients he had and what was paying his bills. Naturally as time progresses, more customers with newer cars willing to buy and pay for services! It is more costly and harder to get modern day performance on the older cars, and explaining that can be tiresome. Trust me, he got a real kick and thrill over C1, C2, C3 cars, but sometimes wasn't thrilled with the guys that wandered in to just jaw about the old times! especially if it interfered with getting a paycheck earning job done.
Ps he still enjoyed the invites and being handed the starter button or keys to some of the historic rides or vintage Vettes in general-- if it was a cool car! If you ever went out in a car with him, he lit up literally and figuratively in all years of Corvettes. Therefore he was so good at his craft of giving you attention, that you appear to have walked away feeling like your car type and vintage was his passion. Interesting! good for business!
At Ferrari there was a defection of the designers of that model, we also had Von Trips death. A lot of anger about those guys walking to start up there own operations (Marques)! They also were obsolete. The first attempt to flip engine position, but the soul engine and transmission are in a faithful recreation and we have one that became a part of the foundation of the building! I have a few smaller Tipo shark 156's in my house!
Last edited by TCracingCA; 09-17-2015 at 10:18 PM.
Being a business man, he knew what clients he had and what was paying his bills. Naturally as time progresses, more customers with newer cars willing to buy and pay for services! It is more costly and harder to get modern day performance on the older cars, and explaining that can be tiresome. Trust me, he got a real kick and thrill over C1, C2, C3 cars, but sometimes wasn't thrilled with the guys that wandered in to just jaw about the old times! especially if it interfered with getting a paycheck earning job done.
Ps he still enjoyed the invites and being handed the starter button or keys to some of the historic rides or vintage Vettes in general-- if it was a cool car! If you ever went out in a car with him, he lit up literally and figuratively in all years of Corvettes. Therefore he was so good at his craft of giving you attention, that you appear to have walked away feeling like your car type and vintage was his passion. Interesting! good for business!
At Ferrari there was a defection of the designers of that model, we also had Von Trips death. A lot of anger about those guys walking to start up there own operations (Marques)! They also were obsolete. The first attempt to flip engine position, but the soul engine and transmission are in a faithful recreation and we have one that became a part of the foundation of the building!
I was quoting him. This is what he told me. I chatted to im at many NCCC events. Only losers dwell in the past. Most old guys get nostalgic and long for the good old days. Dick stayed young with his attitude of innovation. Trust me.
I was quoting him. This is what he told me. I chatted to im at many NCCC events. Only losers dwell in the past. Most old guys get nostalgic and long for the good old days. Dick stayed young with his attitude of innovation. Trust me.
I for some reason cannot find your For Sale ad for your current outdated model. I guess so you aren't a loser, shopping to customize with body kits and plug and play engine programs on your future C7 is frustrating along with the anticipation of the thrill of getting your hands on that rear toe adjust C7 capability!:
Dick cataloged parts for us losers, and freshened up his offerings with modern goodies available in his catalog for us Vintage car losers! But his Daily Drivers when not in one of the family cars, were his modern 427 or his Guldstrand creation. I asked if I could drive his cars, so he threw me the 427 keys, but on another occasion rode along in the Guldstrand over to a machinist to pick up some wares and they were very couch like with steering wheels. Very comfortable on the backside, I have to admit!
It's all good!
Last edited by TCracingCA; 09-18-2015 at 10:37 AM.
I had to go ck the biz cards I got from both he and his wife. It was '02, Laguna Seca. Had great conversations separately with both. Dick Guldstrand kept on working and over the years I heard about some of his work. I like the idea of a real "Guldstrand" package for the current Corvette. RIP
I was contacted by a person here asking if we will say anything about Dick when we have the Corvette night at Irwindale this Saturday, Sept 19. I will gladly do what we can if someone wants to put something together. I will see if we can put it on the PA during the parade lap or possibly a display in the show area.
Ironically I usually do not attend events like this but was there riding shotgun with my buddy Jon. You will recognize me from my piuctures below but none of you knew who I am nor did I bother really introducing myself. I am TC Racing's brother. Sonique, Jeff, and a few others know me well from over the years at the NASCAR track.
Here is something I wrote on another thread here (I'll just copy and paste it here to in light oof what you mentioned above.):
Dick was a family friend for the greater of 50 years. Our father and he first met back in the early 60's. I grew up spending a lot of weeknights and weekends heading with dad over to Thunder Alley. There are 5 of us " (insert last name) Boys" as Dick would oh so fondly refer to us not being able to keep us straight over the years.
Dick was a mentor for me at the age of 8. I think the sole thing he said to me that changed my life in the auto racing world was a quote from him to me at that age " Anyone can drive a car that is set up well, the real trick is not just driving, doing your own adjustments and understanding them so you can make yourself faster". From an early age I looked at both Mr Guldstrand and Mark Donahue as my idols- both driving engineers.
Just like Dick, I got involved in NASCAR and became a grassroots crew chief on a Supertruck team (with many wins and a championship podium under my belt). Back in the late 80's/early 90's I ran my Vette on Dicks club team with 63 SCCA wins and many top times of the day in a car with a 77.8" rear track width (lets see a Miata take that to the bank...lol) I still have two of my special issue GRA race driver windshield banners. Little known to the public these two color banners were only given to his team drivers, the public was only sold the solid one color banners). Dick knew I was hard at work and always from day one setup my own car at the ripe age of 19- I had a good mentor and he knew that
Sadly I did not keep in touch over the years that much because I dropped out of racing until 2007 to raise a daughter for two decades. Like my brother, we always did the occasional run up to his shop and say hi, but I mostly saw him at the occasional event in the last decade. My most fond memory was in 2007. I ran into Dick at the LA auto show (a normal gig for him) and as we sat chit chatting for awhile- people would come up and ask for autographs and picture ops. It dawned on me that in all the years I never took a pic with him. When I said that he jumped up and wrapped his arm around me with the biggest smile, my wife took the shot, and I told him it would be worth big bucks some day to my wife when we both die. Silly story, but I cherish that picture and glad I FINALLY thought to do it. He drove me at an early age to pursue chassis dynamics- A person that changed my vision on race cars and drivers.
4 days after Dick passed I got my hopes up so much I put tremendous unwarranted pressure on myself in my last race but went from 31st to 1st in 11 laps of a 30 lap race in front of 7000 fans. I was on a mission to make sure I won this race- why?- to dedicate it to Dick---which I did during the post race on track interview. I have never kept a trophy in my life, I toss them in the trash and worry about the next race/challenge...But this one will be kept on a visible shelf in my home for the rest of my life in honor of Mr Dick Guldstrand (Even though I won the race in a Mopar...forgive me Dick) This trophy will not remind me of the "How great I was" Al Bundy syndrome, no, it WILL remind me of the legend that influenced myself and many many others in the Corvette world and in the car enthusiast world in general.
To a great man (who lived a long life by pumping the brakes down the straight so as not to hit the wall going into the hard right in Palm Desert...lol He always made you laugh) I hope you are showing them what "God's Speed" really is suppose to look like.
Our family has a long history with Corvettes. I even built a truck I drive daily that is named "Vetruck" and is quite famous here locally. After building it, I had the pleasure of giving Guldstrand a ride in it (My concept to rival the Eddie Bauer, Harley Davidson, Ford Lightning, etc POS's.) This truck will also hold 4000 lbs in the bed and has a top speed of 154mph (don't ask me how I know). Dick was quite proud of me as I was also proud to show him what I was always up to in life. As stated, he was proud of all us boys. We built our family racing/enthusiest off our fathers first '63 splitwindow that would pull wheelies down the block when we were barely old enough to see out the front windshield
I was quoting him. This is what he told me. I chatted to im at many NCCC events. Only losers dwell in the past. Most old guys get nostalgic and long for the good old days. Dick stayed young with his attitude of innovation. Trust me.
Um No, Trust ME when I tell you he liked driving the old stuff far better then the new stuff Shaka, you heard what you wanted to hear, not what Dick said- typical new vette owner thinking they have the fastest slice of history. It takes skill to drive the old cars, anyone can drive a sofa on wheels (new stuff)- it takes real skill to build and re-engineer an old vette to hang or beat he new stuff. Ill put my money where my mouth is any day of the week Shaka. Im tat guy Dick talks of being like- Im not the guy to mess with. I only open my mouth to shut up "other so called experts".
In light of Jason posting here from Katech (we've never met but have common friends- Andy, Jim P, and Tommy M) Those new Katech Vettes are impressively fast, but they are also easy to drive. I have tracked Tommy's Zo6 a few times working on his driving skills with him. (Tommy wore one of Jim's diapers...lol, inside joke). For the record, My 68 will beat it. Matter of fact, I beat Tommy in my Vetruck- him in the Katech. Albeit, when I drove the Katech I was 4.5 seconds faster then myself in the truck on about a 60sec lap time
You have your perception of the loser quote wrong. It is not about the new Vettes compared to old vettes, it is about still doing things today even if its reinventing the old cars. This is exactly how he taught me to live my life. Best thing anyone can ever do is take this advice. The only trophy I will ever keep in memory of someone who changed my life for the better at a young age. I owe my drive and passion for racing to him....and always living for today and tomorrow, never yesterday. You should see what I am building currently (But i'll never tell ) See you all at the track, and bring some bettin' money.
This is the only thing you would ever see inside my house car/racing related. It is a first for me, and probably the last.
hey our car was a 1964 Coupe, not a 63 split, but you were too young back then!
Originally Posted by Vetruck
Our family has a long history with Corvettes. I even built a truck I drive daily that is named "Vetruck" and is quite famous here locally. After building it, I had the pleasure of giving Guldstrand a ride in it (My concept to rival the Eddie Bauer, Harley Davidson, Ford Lightning, etc POS's.) This truck will also hold 4000 lbs in the bed and has a top speed of 154mph (don't ask me how I know). Dick was quite proud of me as I was also proud to show him what I was always up to in life. As stated, he was proud of all us boys. We built our family racing/enthusiest off our fathers first '63 splitwindow that would pull wheelies down the block when we were barely old enough to see out the front windshield
Yes some of the neighbors thought it was a 1963 and not a 64, but it was a 64! So this evil 64 we had was a wheelie capable purple car that our father ran mostly at Lion's Drag Strip near our house in Torrance back then!
Last edited by TCracingCA; 10-02-2015 at 08:18 PM.
The evil 64 we had was a wheelie capable purple car that our father ran mostly at Lion's Drag Strip near our house in Torrance back then!
Yeah well I was like 3 when he got rid of the split window. The other was before my time. I was more refering to you three older than me and the stories the old neighborhood kids like Greg have told me in recent years reminiscing about Dad and Dain. I was busy sabotaging the teeth brushing stool at that age.
Family history complex, I bet Dick's fine memory would recall all of our cars!
Originally Posted by Vetruck
Yeah well I was like 3 when he got rid of the split window. The other was before my time. I was more refering to you three older than me and the stories the old neighborhood kids like Greg have told me in recent years reminiscing about Dad and Dain. I was busy sabotaging the teeth brushing stool at that age.
Cool history, so I will share it!
But there was a 63 split in our family life in the mid to later 1960's! Yes Buckingham Dad's good friend let Dad drive his beautiful newly bought 1963 split a lot, because he wanted to check out Dad's modified Corvette for potentially modifying his car, and then they seemed to trade rides a lot lust for the hell of it, and Dad swapped in most of the mods for or would fix things on Buck's car. So it was over at our house a lot. And if Dad had a problem with his Corvette because the thing was highly tempermental, Buck would let him leave it at his house near their work or at the Company (leaving it in the lot). His friend would drive them both to his house and our Father used, was given the 63 to get home and back in the next day picking up Buck on the way, or Buck would ride in using his big boat Caddy.
Previous to Buck owning a Vette, Dad kicked the crap out of Buckingham's hot Mopar drag car, so Buck sold the Mopar and got his Vette. They had matched raced (Vette against Mopar) early in the morning in Exposition Park just south of his work (their own Beach Boy song type match race). Buckingham bought the car his 63 Fuelie Vette from Harry Mann Chevrolet, just to the south of Exposition park on their lunch break one afternoon.
For our car, I had the colors of that 1964 coupe backwards, because it was initially black new, then purple when he was racing it at Lions (both colors), and we would sing the purple people eater song riding to the track following him in the new bought 427 green Country Squire wagon. Dad wanted a commuter car, because the Vette was a beast and popped wheelies at every stoplight, hard on gas, etc., so Dad borrowed Corky's 1965 911 Targa a lot also in trade (Corky wanted a new hot S coupe, so Dad got to borrow it to go up skiing a few times, up to Big Bear) with thoughts of buying it, but Dad couldn't afford that car from his other friend, so he tamed down the 64 Vette somewhat (took off the dual quad manifold, reinstalled a hood, and removed the wheelie bars and might have changed the cam?), also because Mom didn't want him to get killed leaving her with five boys (two newly born- you and your twin). He had to fix the paint, so he repainted the 1964 with that Porsche custom lime green color that was on Corky's 911, but with a lot more metal flake! The car was still too much to drive daily to work, so he tried the coworkers Jag, and then bought the 1968 Corvette getting rid of the radical Vette.
So the 1964 was purple and then a hot rod lime metallic flaked lighter tone green very similar to the Hot Wheels Lime color. Our house was green, the 427 Ford of ours was green, our older brothers Schwinn was metallic green, and mine was Coppertone (how did that happen!). So they were liking green a lot and kind of matched the Corvette to the theme!
Initially when the 63 got modified, Buck joined Dad where they both were doing the new bracket racing classes together at the racetracks! Remember dad got arrested running from the cops/car impounded after racing at the Los Angeles Airport (LAX) Sepulveda tunnel and Mom was all upset at him, and made him stop racing at that time (you guys newly born!). He was probably the first enthusiast in Socal to mount a set of side piped headers and did his trick flanged thing to them, just because of that long under the airport tunnel. He always talked about how loud it was thru that darn tunnel. If you think about it, it was the perfect place to stage a street race, but apparently the cops knew that! They had damaged his paint job during the impound, which is what led to repainting it! Also because of our older brother being sick, the commuter car idea was put on hold because of medical bills was why the 64 got detuned somewhat (couldn;t commute with it), and he got the Porsche 356 later!
Buckingham knew Dick really well also. Harry Mann Chevrolet was closest to their job and on the way home for Dad. Felix Chevrolet was actually closer to their work, but Felix wasn't a performance minded dealership and was more for those large cars (Impalas, Bel Airs and stuff). And then Dana Chevrolet later was where Dick went to work and where Dad bought the 1968 new car, but Dana modified off of their performance lot side. I was with him when he shopped them, but Uncle Monty went with him for the deal and to get it home (Monty had the drag race 64 T-bolt car and that was part of why we had big block Ford wagons, because Mom liked the Fords that her Sister and her sister's husband Monty had). Dana Chevrolet was also the closest Hot Rod Dealership to our house, so he went there a lot, but bought the car after Guldstrand had left, getting it from Dale Armstrong. Cormier Chevrolet and Glenhill Chevrolet weren't really known for high performance work, but did sell some great cars. Dale Armstrong lived by us and worked at the 10,000 RPM Speed Shop in Torrance. Dad had his friend Dale set up the tune on the new dual quad, dual new holleys! Dale left them and went to work at Dana Chevrolet.
So 1964- Dad's Company helped him get the house, and he got the 1964 Corvette when he was promoted to Plant Manager. Dad immediately started racing it. Mom still used the family Blue 58 Impala.
By 1965- he had it modified and candy painted it the purple, continued to race it, but started doing more street racing.
Mid 65- Buckingham got the 63 Vette
Mid 1966- he installed the dual quad Holley side by side ram manifold and wheelie bars, and got more serious with it. Buck's Vette was also modified by then. They were both racing!
Late 1966, he was driving other cars like the Porsche 911, Jag and we traded in the Impala for the custom ordered Ford Station Wagon because Twins were born.
Early 1967- busted racing (arrest/impound). Mom was driving him to work. But he got a ride home from who?? I know Buck brought him home a lot, but i remember Mom being pi$$ed at him too!
Early to Mid 1967- car detuned, and repainted more of a car show type color (the Green)!
??? Our Brother Dain got sick!
Latter 1968- traded in the 1964, getting the 1968.
1970- Buck got the new white LT-1
Last edited by TCracingCA; 10-13-2015 at 12:47 AM.
Dick IS a legend and a true sportsman. I will never forget his story of the "mounting of the roller-skate on roof of his car" story. Those who know him, knows that story. He was a great ambassador to the sport. God bless.
09-16-2015, 10:04 AM
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) See you all at the track, and bring some bettin' money.
