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problems. The engine was never
started after the flood and all fluids
were drained and refilled. It was run-
ning three days later. But once the
electrical problems began cropping up
he traded it in on a 1969 GT500.
[Note: he sold the car two years ago; it
only had 22,000 miles on it.] This was
the car he drag raced frequently at
New Your National and held the
F/Pure Stock class record at 13.89 sec-
onds.
SAAC: You have acquired a large foot-
print in this club. You own Tech In-
spection, are one of the New Jersey
Region’s officers, are a SAAC Regis-
trar and served on the club’s Board of
Directors from 1991 to 2008. Where
did you come from?
LISKA: I joined the club after Down-
ingtown in 1979. I didn’t even know
there was a Shelby club at that time
but heard about the event. I slept in
my car and the people at the motel I
was parking at were very helpful.
They let me use the rest room and
wash up. I had a great time at that
convention and I said to myself, “
I
don’t think I’ll miss another one of
these.
” And I haven’t. But now I get a
room. I’ve driven at most of the tracks
and can’t imagine having a better
time.
SAAC: There is a story that you once
drove from New Jersey to a convention
in Dearborn on one tank of gas. True
or urban legend?
LISKA: True. Not that I was trying to
be “Mr. Economy” but I was being effi-
cient. I just wondered if I could do it. I
had my ‘69 GT350 convertible, with a
351 – not a 428 big block. The car was
a four-speed to begin with but I put a
Grenada transmission with overdrive,
which was a bolt-in deal. I changed the
rear end from a 3.00 air conditioned
that it was to a Lincoln 2.50 rear so in
fourth gear in overdrive I was proba-
bly down to a 1.87 final ratio. At 75
mph I was doing 1350 rpm. The carbu-
retor they had put on those 351s had
small primaries and large secondaries,
so when you’re running on the primar-
ies you get pretty good gas mileage. I
was feathering it and coasting down
hills when I could. I went out with a
bunch of guys, caravanning together.
When they stopped for gas I just sat in
the station waiting for them. The total
mileage was 622 and I had a 20-gallon
tank in the car, so that works out to 31
miles per gallon. As I got into Dear-
born and found my way around I
found a gas station and thought I bet-
ter stop. As I rolled into the gas station
the car stalled.
SAAC: You volunteered to take Shelby
to the airport at one convention, and
as we recall, it was hot out so your car
with air conditioning was perfect.
LISKA: I was driving in the “fuel
economy” mode and Shelby was winc-
ing at the low rpms. “
C’mon - shift this
thing down and give it some gas,
” he
said. “
I never made an economy car.
”
SAAC: How did you get involved with
tech inspection at the convention?
LISKA: After Downingtown I found
myself wanting to do a little more than
showing my car. I enjoyed that, but I
wanted to get more involved in help-
ing. At the convention out at the Utica
test track I got to help Jeff Burgy at
tech. It was fun: shake the tires to
check the wheel bearings, check the
helmets and seat belts, brake lights,
extra throttle return springs, overflow
cans. It was easy, mostly visual, and I
got to be there all day and see the cars
up close. I remember at one of the
Pocono events, one guy’s steering was
very, very loose. I wasn’t comfortable
with it and after looking at 400 or 500
cars you get a feel when something is
wrong. I told him that I thought there
was a problem with something feeling
loose. One of the other guys, maybe it
was Jeff Kaplan, said to the owner,
“
C’mon, I’ll help you look at it.
” He
stuck his hand down near the steering
column and came out with the guy’s
rag-joint in his hand. All the bolts
were loose. I felt that because we were
dedicated enough to say, “
Something’s
wrong here – please look at it
,” we
probably saved him and his car from a
serious crash. When we tell a guy that
his wheel bearings are loose and he
looks at us funny because he has sup-
posedly gone all over his car, we’re just
not saying it to say it; something is
wrong and it needs to be looked at. The
last thing you need is a failure at 100
mph. Especially in a turn.
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Summer 2016 56
Englishtown Raceway Park is a stone’s
throw away from Liska’s house and as a
long time drag racing enthusiast he has
developed an excellent relationship with
the track. He assists in putting on annual
Ford show and makes his car available
when race queens require transportation
in parades and other track activities.