Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Old T-bucket shines at Summerfest

Nat Holland El Defensor Chieftain Reporter

NHOLLAND nholland@dchieftain.com

It was a sizzling weekend at the Route 66 Summerfest in Los Lunas, and two Socorroans found out their vehicles were the cream of the crop.

Buck Elliot, with the help of his driver Chris Castagnetto, won first place in the Competition Race Car Class with his 1923 T-bucket roadster and Jim and Pat Castagnetto, the owners of Jim's Paint and Body, took third in the Motorcycle Class with their handbuilt custom motorcycle.

"For 45 years I've been racing these things. It was the first time I took one to a car show — and the damn thing wins. I was shocked," Buck said. "Jim did all the body work and Chris painted it. It's not a show car — it's a race car."

The roadster, which was originally built by racing legend Mickey Thompson in 1971, recently has been racing every two weeks in Albuquerque.

"We're still working on it. Every race we run is a little faster," said Buck, who is the car's third owner.

Buck's current best time is 9.28 seconds with a top speed of 160 mph (on a quarter-mile drag strip). When he is done with the fine-tuning Buck plans to tour with the car.

"If we run low nines at 5,000 feet in Albuquerque, we can run low eights in Tucson (Ariz.)," Buck said.

Buck's racing career goes back to his teenage days in southern California when he started competing with friends on the streets. One of his uncles encouraged him to build a real dragster and take it to the strip, and Buck did.

Forty years later, Buck is still down at the track, but he is not behind the wheel anymore. Medical conditions and regulations at the track have forced him out of the driver's seat, and Chris does the racing for him now.

"As much as it hurts me not to drive, I've gotten used to the fact that its fun to watch someone else drive your car," Buck said.

Buck also races a1971 Dodge Colt, which is street-legal, and reaches speeds up to 180 mph; as well as well as a classic front engine, alcohol-fueled drag racer that packs more than 1,000 horses and reaches speeds more than 200 mph. All of his cars have a parachute in the back.

"You can't count on your brakes to slow you down," Buck said.

The Summerfest had, "every kind of car you could think of," according to the Castagnettos, not to mention about 30 motorcycles.

So why do the vehicles Jim works on look so good compared to some of the other custom jobs around?

"It takes experience and time, but mostly experience," said Jim, who has been doing body work for more than 40 years.

Jim has worked on everything from Model A's to brand new pickups.

"I do a lot of restoration of old cars as well as insurance work," Jim said.

Jim described the bike he showed at Summerfest as a town bike. His next project, which is nearing completion after four years, is more of a highway bike. He is waiting for the current bike to sell to get the money to finish it out.

"Building custom bikes is more less my hobby," Jim said. "The bike thing seems to be working pretty good — especially with the price of gas."

Jim fabricates most of his own parts, such as the tanks and fenders. Once everything is built and put together and running — he takes everything apart again, paints it and then puts it back together for a finished product.

"What inspires me is just thinking what I want my bike to look like when I'm done," Jim said.

Jim and Pat visit six to eight car shows a year, and show both cars and bikes they have customized.

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