Sometimes writing an article is not as easy as just jotting down notes from a conversation. On some occasions a cars story is more than just one mans involvement it evolves over decades and owners. Such is the case of James Nawrocki's 1964 T-Bolt clone, though he did not build it initially he is part of it history . Before we get into the story of this amazing car a little back story on the man who owns it now. His dad worked at Ford for 40 years, so needless to say James grew up a Ford man. After working a Mclaren Designs of Mustang fame for many years, his dream was realized when he followed in his fathers footsteps and is now employed by Ford . James love for the FE began with the purchase of a '64 Monterey convertible powered by a 390 in 1988 and while short lived it left an impression . In 2015 James got word of a collection that was up for sale after the untimely passing of the owner. This car was part of thatcollection, when James saw the T-Bolt he knew he had to have it . The racing pedigree of this car dates back to 1996 when Brian and Bambi Merrick purchased the car from an individual who had found it in a barn in New York. Brian and Bambi had been racing a 64 427 Galaxie for ten years and this build propelled them into the forefront of the NMCA N/SS. Brian did all the work except the paint which was applied by Lew Erickson and lettering by Wild Wes Atkins. Brian handled the rest from chassis set up to the assembly of the 427 built with Dove Mfg parts . Highriser heads draw air from a set of 715 Holleys pushing that power through a C6 to a narrowed 9 inch. From the start the car was a winning combination placing runner up at the 1996 Supercar Showdown and won it in 1997. The car began running NMCA in 1998 winning their first championship in 2000 with follow up championships in 2002 and 2003 . In 2006 it was decided that they were going sell to car to pursue Running Nostalgia Superstock in another Thunderbolt that they owned. Brian and Bambi started racing in 1982 and still do today and always FE power.
James took ownership in 2014 and shortly did what only some one with guts and a good insurance history would dare.... he put this beast on the street. Yes you read that right , harking to an earlier spirit when former SuperStock and Prostock cars found their way onto the street he headed her back on main street. James added mirrors , turn signals and tossed on some mufflers though he does still run the slicks out back. Now when he goes to the local cruise-in he uncaps the headers and lets the big FE sing, intimidating the bow tie boys in the process. James and the T-bolt are regulars on the street machine scene around his home town , where he enjoys the smiles per gallon .His best memory to date is when he displayed the car at the 2015 Detroit Autorama . He and his son took the car down and were blown away by the response from people and the numerous attendees that remember it racing. Though there are no plans for any visits to the track right now , many miles of street driving are the standing order and that sounds like a perfect recipe.
Thanks to James , Brian , and Bambi for sharing their parts of this story.
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