Sideshift into 2015

The opening moments of the New Year are often filled with lofty goals, difficult commitments and short-lived workout plans. For the past few days I’ve thought about this age-old scenario and its pertinence to our hobby.

There’s no question that hot rodders are ambitious. They always have been and always will be. But a quick scroll through the classifieds sheds some light on the opposite side of the picture — half-finished projects and burnt out flames.

When the Sideshifters decided to build a drag machine in the early 1960s, they thought small. Members of the Evanston, Illinois-based club kept things realistic with an affordable ’53 Henry J body and a 1932 Ford four-cylinder mill. While prepping the car for X/Modified action, the 214 c.i. motor was treated to a Miller overhead conversion, Isky 5-Cycle cam and Wico magneto. Exhaust gasses were routed through a custom-formed tube header, while a Model B transmission and 4.56 rear gears rounded out The Little One’s drivetrain.

Club officers Mickey Brennan, Kelly Gavin, Donald Ratajczyk and James Martino netted close to 20 trophies both on and off the strip by the time the car was featured in the June 1962 issue of Hot Rod. Prior to the feature, the car held the X/Modified record at Great Lakes Dragway with a time of 16.55 and a trap speed of 80.81 mph.

So in this New Year, let’s take a moment to think of the Sideshifters — a resourceful group of Midwesterners who set reachable goals and exceeded them with class.

-Joey Ukrop

Side note: The article says the guys were gunning to build a new car to run in C/Gas the following season…anybody know if they made it happen?

Photos by John DeCampi, Hot Rod, July 1962