Mel Morris and The Motor

Doc Colberg shares a cute story from the early 60's.

If you look closely at the door on Mel's coupe you can see part of "Smitty's" and then a Ford sticker just below. Note how the paint lines look the same as Bill Jarrard's coupe. Both were painted the same and were kept at the Ford garage in West Liberty. My Dad (Buck Colberg motor builder at Mills Auto Parts in Muscatine) had been helping Bill Jarrard for a number of years and they were very close. As it was, however, Bill wasn't the best driver in the world. Bear in mind there was a somewhat "regulated" set of rules as far as bore, stroke, cylinder head flycutting etc. that they were held to. That being said- Dad wanted Bill to have a little "edge' over the rest to help him run up front. So- the engine in Bill's car was big time illegal while of course the one in Mel's car was by the book. One night in Columbus Junction, Mel went out and just about lapped the field and of course somebody protested and wanted the engine torn down. They pushed the car under the grandstands ( the only light available) and Dad took me by the hand and walked me over there because naturally he and I were joined at the hip. I guess I was 5 or 6 years old at the most - maybe younger. There was a swarm of people around the old coupe so dad picked me up and put me in the seat of the car and told me "This won't take long- nothing for them to see." One hour turned to two to three and by the time I woke up in the seat of that old racecar there was engine parts everywhere and Dad standing there with a very disgruntled look on his face. It turns out that during the week Mel had swapped engines in the cars without telling anyone! Dad asked him why he did it ( after the commotion died down) and Mel just grinned and said "I wanted to see what one of your REAL ones run like! " The sun was coming up as we headed back home in a very quiet 49 Plymouth. I never did ask Dad if he was mad about getting caught bending the rules or impressed as to how fast that flathead really was. I'm guessing a little of both.