History SUNDAY SUNDAY at Aquasco Speedway

A few years back, a fella here on Kent Island gave me a bunch of photograph negatives of drag racers back in the day. I have a scanner that can scan them and switch them to positive images, but I just have not had the time to get it done.....there are probably over 100 negatives. I was told that most of the shots were taken at 75-80, but some are definately from Aquasco.

If anybody has the equipment and wants to take it on to scan them, please contact me via a HAMB conversation.

I guess building my cars in retirement just doesn't leave enough time.

Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.

 

Very cool, I would enjoy seeing them. I lack the computer skills and scanner but I hope some body steps up and gets it done.

 

Jim, I hope you can find someone to scan and post those for everyone to enjoy.

 

Put the negatives on a light source sandwiched between two pieces of glass. Glass supported on two books/whatever with non reflective white background) use a light source shinning on white background. Take a pic of each negative using the best digital camera you have (example: 14 megapixels). Reverse the image (neg/positive) using a photo app. Easy and a scanner is not required. Digital is digital.

Sent from my SM-N910V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

I use a Canon 8800F scanner and follow up with Canon Paintshop Pro to fix the photos. Here are 4 I did to show the quality....but it takes time:



I am willing to work with a volunteer to get this capturing of the images done. I just don't have the time right now to do it myself.

 

Chassis Research LW106

 

Could this eBay listing be.... Elmer Kidds '55 Chevy Gasser?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-B...56bb49d6:g:4fUAAOSw8gVX-9oQ&item=302102825430

 

...............Fascinating if it is in fact one of his cars. Looks like the car in the ebay listing is a hardtop (if my old eyes are seeing past the roll bars) and Elmer's car was a post car. That said, I would think it's possible that he built more than one car. Looks like a lot of evidence to suggest that it might be his like the parts from S&S Speed Shop and the Virginia connection. One way or the other it's a cool-ass car and I sure hope someone brings it back to life and is able to determine it's history. Thanks for posting it, 61cad. I always enjoy a good mystery...........Don.

 

Don,

You nailed it.... Not a post car... Good eyes


Jay

 

Im going to do some research today about the ebay car, Elmer Kidd is my grandfather. Im goin to call him once he wakes up and see if he remembers who he sold it to. If it is in fact his old car im goin to try to get my hands on it and bring it back to VA. Maybe he has an old registration with the VIN on it somewhere. It would be awesome if this was one of his old cars.

 

Good Luck!

 

...........Hope this works out. Please keep us in the loop. Post up any old pictures you or your Grandfather may have of the car or anything Aquasco related. Get him to sign on here. We would love to hear his stories........Thanks, Don.

 

I would get him to sign on here but to say he isn't good with computers is an understatement. I got on here and was showing him some of the pictures a few years ago, and he was amazed that there are still so many people around that remember or raced at Aquasco around the same time he did.

 

............I understand completely.

 

Hey Jerry, I also new Wayne and worked with him. Here's his '61 Starliner at Aquasco from EDN.

 

Thanks for posting.

 

Hey sic98, or anyone on this thread that knows him, there is a dvd out by beeonvideo.com called Gassers Galore showing Rufus Boswell's 39sedan making apass and also the coupe. and the narrator mentions him. he is also on there at the nationals with the hood up, in case he's interested in the dvd.

 

Dave Reitz of the Bounty Hunters fame won the first trophy given at Aquasco in 1956 driving a 46 ford coupe with a flat head, ran 76 mph as I remember, but that is another story. I lived in University Park and ran with Dave, Dick Burgess, buddy beavers and the bunch from Stricks ,anyone remember the 34 Ford pickup with the fuel flathead, we won a lot top top eliminators in the late 50's. L got lots of stories of drag racing late 50's to the middle 60's

 

Tom, Thanks a bunch for coming here and telling some stories from that era. Don't feel like you have to limit them strictly to Aquasco. There's also a Mighty Mo thread on here that goes back a few years. Check it out as well and feel free to tell us more stories and if you have any pictures from that time please post them as well. Welcome to the HAMB. There's a Md. Social sub group on here that you might enjoy also. Don't just be a one time poster.......................................Don.

 

.............................All of those names sound familiar but, I think they were all a little older than myself at the time.

 

Check out the August 1958 Rod and custom and the April 1960 Cars magazines, both have layouts on the 34 pickup. I could go on for pages about those days and the people who were involved We ran from Chester SC., York and Lancaster PA. to Petersburg and Tappanhanok Va. In 1959 we moved to a unblown Desoto rail. I got derailed by a blond in July 1958, so slowed down on the racing, married 57 years now,1959. I never drove , but was a crew member , drove the push car mixed fuel and whatever. I backed away in 1963, at which time we were running a aa/fuel rail, 430 Chrysler. I remember starting the thing up a 11pm at Tommy Chastins house on Queens Chapel rd in Hyattsville, Police came looking for a plane crash. As I remember that thing ran around 200 mph??. Tommy Chastain ran 263 at Indy in 1963 in the Wheeler dealer rail. Dave Reitz was about the best tuner I ever saw and still lives and races in Maryland. I also hung out at the Hyattsville Mighty Mo, lots of stories there also. There was also a lot of racing on RT50, before all the traffic, one time I remember was Bob Berdnarden getting nailed by a 52 Studebaker, he had 55 Chevy then. Hey I could go on and on. I live in Iowa now and still involved with old stuff. This was one of my rides 1933 Terraplane I had for 50 years, sold it 2 years ago.

 

Back in those days, we would push the rails down the track, turn them around, push them back towards the starting line ,build up oil pressure and then fire them, turn them again, then hold them at the line by hand. Can you imagine holding onto a roll bar with 2 fuel burning Chryslers right there. lots of noise and fumes. Loved it

 

Great stories, Tom. Thanks so much for posting them. Don't be a stranger. There's nothing more special than hearing the stories from the folks who were actually there. Happy and Healthy 2017 to you and yours..........Don.

 

Beautiful Terraplane by the way. It must have been tough to let it go after all those years.