Rolling Thunder

WORDS: Roger Meiners

Neon signs and shiny floors in Hap Gooder’s garage?

Not so much.

The garage in Fort Erie, Ontario, isn’t known for all that. It’s known for Thunder II, the very special 1965 Lightweight Dodge Coronet HEMI® that has lived there for 38 years. The car was famous in western New York State.

Gooder bought the Coronet, an original “A990” factory drag racing package car, in 1973. He called it a “rolling shell,” because it was devoid of an engine and transmission. He immediately filled the vacancy with a 426 HEMI engine and transmission and went racing on the local Super Stock circuit until 1977. Gooder has been a Mopar® drag racer for years, running C/Modified Production and other classes in his area—and he ran his B/Stock Automatic ’64 Dodge at the U.S. Nationals in 1965. Ironically, Thunder II was there, too, but Gooder did not know that until much later.

The Coronet HEMI was originally ordered by Jim Almeter, his brother-in-law, Neil Marzolf, and his friend Don Townsend, all of Attica, N.Y., from Funke and Hawley Dodge of Batavia, N.Y. Gooder’s research unearthed the fact that the car was the 48th built of the original 101 Dodge versions. Another 101 Plymouth A990 cars were built at the same time. They won everything in sight in 1965 and beyond.

Almeter and his partners raced the car for two years and then sold it. It was later re-lettered 1/4 Mile HUSTLER and raced by Jerry Vanek, its third owner.

After Gooder retired the car in 1977, it sat until 1994, when restoration was started to bring it back to the original look of Thunder II. “I’m not a show car guy,” said Gooder, so he built the car to race. He nevertheless wanted it to be absolutely correct—done the way it was when it was new. Restoration took 13 years and many hours of work. “I was lucky to be involved for the last five years of the work,” said Al Murphy, his friend and neighbor. “It was a fantastic learning experience working with Hap. He’s a stickler for detail. No corners were cut. Photos do nothing to tell you how good the car is, you have to touch it.”

That last phrase says something—you aren’t supposed to touch show cars. But race cars? Maybe, though we’re not speaking for Hap on that subject. When finished, “The car was lettered up as Thunder II after Almeter’s 1964 426 [Wedge] Plymouth called Thunder,” wrote Gooder to Mopar Magazine.

Gooder found Almeter’s name in a phone book and called him to announce that he had Thunder II. Almeter was speechless when he heard that the car was alive and now lived just across the river from his home. He was present when the restored car made its first run at the Lancaster, N.Y. drag strip, the place where Almeter debuted it in 1965. Almeter passed away recently, but he left a legacy. Just before he died he sent Neil Marzolf to Gooder, who was with the car at a recent car show in Buffalo. Marzolf presented him with a large envelope containing all the car’s historical papers.

Gooder worked with and thanks Jason Albano of Wild Rides and Fabrication, Jim and Cindy Kramer, Sikkens Paints of Canada and painter Bill Gooder. Thunder II’s engine was built by Tim Banning and the transmission by S.M.R. Jack Bleil did the graphics. Gooder is also grateful to Don Miller, Al Murphy and many others involved in the restoration.

“Hap built the car to race,” said Murphy, who is a street rodder interested in car shows. He put a lot of pressure on Gooder to display the car. “He did not want to show the car, and I practically forced him to enter the 2008 Performance World car show in Toronto.” The car won six trophies there, including a prestigious Top Ten Award, which is similar to the Great 8 at Detroit’s Autorama show. Speaking of which, Gooder put the car into this year’s Autorama and won two awards. That’s when we first saw and photographed Thunder II and met Gooder.

He says he and his wife, Jean, are “Overwhelmed by the attention and awards the car has received.” But, even though the Dodge has been wildly successful at shows—it has trophied at every event—it’s still a track car. He recently made a 10.50 lap at Norwalk, Ohio with it—HEMI fire and Thunder II.

Roger Meiners is a veteran automotive historian, writer and photographer with 35-years experience in the automotive industry.