What Happened to Mondello's VO Twister?

Рет қаралды 7,830

Күн бұрын

If you've been a fan of Oldsmobile Drag Racing and street performance, you're probably familiar with the name Joe Mondello, or his business he ran Mondello Performance Products. This video highlights the famous "V.O. Twister II" test vehicle and race car that Joe himslef owned, modified, and raced over several decades. As you'll see in the video, this is the Mondello's actual car, not a replica.
I personally remember meeting Joe several times in the late 1990s, as well as talking to him personally over the phone. There was a period of time where he had hours reserved for answering technical questions. He was always direct, charming, and knowledgeable and created some inovative products for Olds V8s.
Note, Dave and Gregg are in no way affiliated with the Mondello Performance Products business in Paso Robles, CA.

Пікірлер: 35

@shaneworkman9342 8 ай бұрын

Cool to see the car is still around. My grandfather drove the car for Joe for years and was the reason the car was painted purple. Ive got stacks of pics of the car in both color schemes. Best the car ran when he had his engine in it was 9.53.

@johnfloyd838 9 ай бұрын

I absolutely love Oldsmobile , I owned at least 25 cutlasses when I was younger from 68 to 73 and I loved all of them they were very powerful and reliable and had a great body style 💪😎👍

@vinnyz4365 10 ай бұрын

Hard to believe it’s been 40 years since seeing this car in the Shea’s garage along with all the other Olds cars they had. Became an Olds fan and owned a 70 442 convertible. Great seeing this car restored and well taken care of

@dandorris8531 9 ай бұрын

WOW JUST WOW what a story, Thanks to those two fine gentlemen for preserving that car. Also thanks for bringing us this story. I have multiple classics but my favorite is my 70 supreme. It was my sister's first car at 16 and mine at 19. Bucket seats rocket 350 th350 a/c car. LOts of history as I use to ride to High school in it with my sister then after taking ownership commuted to college in it. Met my wife and ran all over in it. Just got it up and running last year after sitting for 22 year and she runs just like I parked it yesterday.

@88cutty 6 ай бұрын

As a pittsburgher, im in awe that this historical machine had residence in my city for a big part of its life! Would love to find out more info about that part of its life.

@DirtySouthRider 9 ай бұрын

I have a 1970 cutlass and have been looking all over around me here in Columbus trying to find a decent restoration shop that have reasonable prices but they are hard to find these days. I do not have time to do it myself. Nice Video.

@wesburghaus7373 7 ай бұрын

I heard directly from Joe during a phone conversation with him that the car had run a 9:32 with one four barrel. This was back in about 1996 when I had started building my current ram rod 350 that I have in a 1971 Chevy C-10 stepside. I did the swap because at the time Holley built a 442 and put a chevy motor in it. This was in protest to all the people that ruin Oldsmobiles by putting cheap chevy's in instead of spending the money on an olds engine. Joe really helped me a lot with picking components to use and tech advice. At the time I had a junk yard at my disposal that had all the parts to build a strong W-31 clone engine, correct number block, heads, and 330 olds crank. A few years back the whole yard was sold and crushed, sad because there were lots of good sought after big block parts out in the yard, tornado engines and good head cores.

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

Yes, there was a yard near me that had a 68 Toronado with a STEEL crank 455 in it. I was always planning on getting out there and pulling that engine, but you know how life gets in the way. The day I made it out there to pull it, the car was gone. I asked a yard employee where it had gone, and he told me that it was finally crushed a few days ago. I was BUMMED! I could have had a steel crank Toronado Big valve "C" headed 4bbl 455 for a couple hundred bucks. 😟 Today I run a Billet crank in all my big power Olds motors, but 2 decades ago a steel 455 crank was a BIG piece to come across, ESPECIALLY to get the entire unmolested Toro engine that it was in for a couple hundred bucks. The big valve "C" heads were a sweet bonus that would have came along with it also. If I had only got my ass moving a few days sooner. 😒

@Mike-Olds-1 3 ай бұрын

The car is absolutely stunning. Beautiful 👍🇺🇸 I met Joe many years ago and my 1967 442 had many of his performance parts incorporated in the build.

@johnplato4976 Ай бұрын

I met Joe in the early 1980's on a road trip down to So Cal. He left a lasting impression on me. He was slammed in the machine shop at that time, but I talked to his wife Mary who was in the office at that particular time. As a side note, also met Mike Thermos of NOS fame.

@rfpowerdude 10 ай бұрын

I'm sad that we weren't able to make it for this event so close to y'all's house. Bob, so glad you did this interview, great job on it. Gregg did my silver car and did great on a shoestring budget. I've spent many a great time in the Oldsranch barn and with Dave and Tilda (and Gregg) and I miss those mofos. We are def coming up there next year for the H/O Nats event with my car. Maybe we can all hook just like ROP old times!

@jalopyjustin 10 ай бұрын

Fantastic to see, great to see it finally complete.

@beanssomers7930 10 ай бұрын

Great interview. Thanks guys.

@CobblerBob 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!!

@davelowets 5 ай бұрын

I still have a set of Edelbrock Olds heads that Joe did his full-out "Competition prep and port" job on way back in the day. The ports are hogged out as far as possible. The head bolt holes needed to be sleeved because there isn't much wall left between the ports and the holes. 2.125 valves were installed. The heads were o-ringed and a receiver grooves cut in the block. I ran copper head gaskets. Those heads got me into the high 9s in a heavy G-Body on top of a fairly mild 468. I recently had those heads freshened up, and I tossed them onto my street car with a 461 in it. It'll smoke both 18×31" rear drag radials at 25mph in second gear. They still had the O-ring grooves in the heads, but I removed the wire, and just bolted them on as is with a set of .040 Cometic MLS head gaskets. No issues so far 2 years later. These heads work well.... 👌

@debbiebermudez5890 8 күн бұрын

Mr. B. Here ! 🍩☕️👀😎👍. The world does not is all about LS , so many outstanding engines out there! Love this vehicle.

@OutOfOrderGarage 10 ай бұрын

Just found your channel. JSPajak from the forums and the Norwalk events. Look for some content on my 69, 70 and 72 Oldsmobiles soon.

@CobblerBob 10 ай бұрын

Yes! I recognize your name!

@pappytinkers 5 ай бұрын

I had been wondering for years what had happened to this car! Pictures of this or when it was purple have always been hard to find. My best pictures were from a couple shirts i got from Joe's shop back in the 90s lol. One of them had the (i think it was Joe's) 68 Olds, red and black with a white lightning bolt down the side. I built a 1/25 scale model of it. I wanted to do this one too but could never find good enough reference pictures till now! It is so cool to see the real deal properly restored and loved!! So many great memories of all the Oldsmobiles I've had through the years, and i wish i still had them all! You got a sub too. You can see one of my 442 models on my channel

@wdfaws8124 3 ай бұрын

You guys did a great job!!!

@hollynorris957 Ай бұрын

Thank you so much. I remember this car at the track with my dad and a family friend who ran an Olds. A true piece of history !

@garnermorgan7785 7 ай бұрын

Qualifies to be made into HOT WHEELS CAR!

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

For SURE

@charlesmarko4261 Ай бұрын

I don’t even know right now Joe designed the upper W 30 car aspiration system with camshaft heads and balance in the twister come from a Vortx spacer plate

@terrymiler2164 51 минут бұрын

One bad ass hot rod.

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

What is the fastest pass this car has ever made? I was always curious.. 🤔

@tomlucarelli8818 5 ай бұрын

Would like to know about the car

@johndillinger8482 10 ай бұрын

Hey. Bob how the he'll are u

@CobblerBob 10 ай бұрын

I had a blast this summer! Thanks for asking! Hope you're well too.

@claytonstoolbox 4 ай бұрын

What intake is on the car?

@CobblerBob 2 ай бұрын

It looks like either an Offenhauser Port-O-Sonic or Super Sonic intake to me.

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

I REALLY like the Offy Super-Sonic... In stock form, it needs some work done to it, but once it's done it's a decent intake. The stock port size is on the small side for big power, but there's PLENTY of wall to be ground out to enlarge and port match them to some large intake ports in the heads. The plenum is a touch on the small side also with the cloverleaf built onto the carb pad. Mine has been ported and port matched to the Edelbrock heads that Joe hogged out, and then I ended up milling the cloverleaf out of the plenum into an open square hole. It gave the plenum MUCH more volume to match the port volume in the heads. I've gone 9.9X's with these heads and intake on an L2323f pistoned shortblock, stock crank, cheap Eagle rods and roller cam with a 1050 Dominator in a G-body with a full interior and heater, on a 10.5" 28" tall slick. The combination of the very ported Edelbrock heads, and the worked over Super-Sonic intake worked really well.

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

...and yes, that IS a Super-Sonic intake on the Twister.

@oldsranch 2 ай бұрын

@@davelowets correct.

@davelowets 2 ай бұрын

@@oldsranch 🍻