Folks Of Interest Hot Rod Legend from the greatest generation Fran Hernandez,.. RIP

Fran Hernandez at 17 years old,.. (1939)


And again later in his life,... (1949)





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<table border="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td align="left">[FONT=verdana,arial]January 20, 2011[/FONT]</td> <td align="right">[FONT=verdana,arial]http://detnews.com/article/20110120/OBITUARIES/101200370[/FONT]</td></tr></tbody></table>[FONT=Times New Roman, serif]Natural mechanic led race car division[/FONT]
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MARK HICKS
The Detroit News [/FONT] [/FONT][FONT=arial, helvetica]Fran Hernandez parlayed his love of tinkering with cars into a lengthy career that revolved around Ford Motor Co. Assembly lines and the national racing circuit.
"His work was everything," said his son, Randy. "Cars, racing — he was just consumed by it. That was his passion."
Mr. Hernandez died Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011, from natural causes. He was 88.
Born Feb. 8, 1922, in Chihuahua, Mexico, he grew up in California, where he began working on cars as a teen and pursued "hot rodding" on area dry lakes, relatives said.
During World War II, Mr. Hernandez served in the Navy as a first class machinist mate.
After his discharge, he became a machine shop owner with automotive engineer Fred Offenhauser and a foreman for the Edelbrock Equipment Co.
In 1949, he won a drag race at a Santa Barbara airport with a 1932 Ford coupe he souped up by successfully using nitromethane in a four-cycle gasoline engine — which Hot Rod magazine called a first in the field.
Mr. Hernandez also worked for car builder Bill Stroppe and Indianapolis 500 racer Peter DePaolo, through whom he became involved with Ford Motor Co. Racing.
He later worked for Electric Auto-Lite Co., which was bought by Ford. In the 1960s, he was charged with creating a performance racing program at its Lincoln-Mercury division.
To keep Ford competitive on the national racing circuit, Mr. Hernandez and his team worked to improve its Mercury Comet. A private performance event in 1964 proved a model had a 100,000-mile durability run, he told Car Craft magazine in 1966.
That year, his team launched the Mercury Comet Cyclone GT, which became popular in drag racing.
When overseeing the assembling of the race cars, Mr. Hernandez had a singular vision.
"He was a great engineer," said mechanic Bud Moore, whose South Carolina team Bud Moore Engineering built NASCAR race cars. "He understood what the drivers wanted. He was a real big help for all of us, because he knew what needed to be done. It was a great honor to have him working with us."
From 1969-70, Mr. Hernandez managed a Ford facility in Brighton, which produced the Boss 429, a Mustang variant.
"He was very dynamic … one of the most talented and knowledgeable men I've ever worked with," said Ed Hull, a former Ford engineer who worked on the project. "He could do anything."
Mr. Hernandez later managed a Ford fabrication and development section, which built and delivered presidential limousines for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, relatives and associates said.
"He was a hands-on guy … the type of guy who was a doer, not a talker," said John Mulrine, a former Ford technician. "He was a hard-working guy. His reputation just followed him."
Mr. Hernandez retired in the 1990s and worked in consulting.
Other survivors include his wife of 68 years, Patricia; a son, Rick; a daughter, Nancy Hernandez; a brother, Luis; and seven grandchildren.[/FONT]

 

He also had a hand in this,.... as well as many others,...

 

another one...

 

What an incredible history. Such a loss, RIP.

 

The first pic of him in his youth is cool...

 

RIP...Mr Hernandez....unfortunately we will keep losing them, so get the info from them while you can......

 

Never knew he had a role in the Yeakel Bros.- sponsored roadster...Don Rackemann is often mentioned as is Nick Matranga, but good to know that Fran Hernandez also played a part........

 

It also appears that he knew Von Dutch,, R.I.P.

 

One of the greats R.I.P.

 

I hope there is a movement afoot to interview these folks on tape so as to record and preserve the historical and important role they played in the "HOT ROD" movement over the years from the very times of pre "'back in the day" until the present. ( A similiar thing is being done with WWII veterans, Korean War vets, Viet Nam Era vets, etc.) For once these national treasures are "gone", they are "GONE".

 

AHRF -----> http://ahrf.com/pioneer_landing.php

 

R.i.p.

 

Another name seen throughout my magazine reading youth. This guy really did it all and did it well. Never met him, but he's a hero to me, just the same.

Pat Ganahl had some nice words for Fran in the latest HR Deluxe. And Vic Edelbrock couldn't say enough about Fran in his book. We could all aspire to be as productive as Fran Hernandez...

 

The more you know about his life,.. you see he was always in the thick of things when it came to Hot Rodding ,... from its inception and birth,... into Factory hot rods, and factory sponsored race cars,.... A truly interesting life that history will remember as a true American Hot Rodder,.....

 

Sorry to loose another one....RIP

 

God speed Fran Hernandez.....

 

talk about knowledge! he was into it all. wish i had half that talent. rip fran.

 

The "later in life" picture doesn't look a whole lot later for a guy who lived to be 88. He sure accomplished a lot and being a guy into racing Fords and Comets he is a hero to me.

Any idea where that picture of the Yeakel car at the drags is taken? That background isn't familiar in the pictures of early So Cal strips i've seen.

 

#1: OK,... only a few years later,... like 10 years,..
(first picture 1939, Second Picture 1949)

#2: Saugus Dragstrip (But not sure)

 

Hey guy's,.... Fran was a true Hot Rod Hero,........

One last Obit. from a slightly different perspective, He was a good guy with a great sense of humor who's contributions to Hot Rodding, Drag Racing, Hot Rod after market, and the baddest of the bad Muscle car's is documented and undeniable,....

"Fran" Hernandez, of Tecumseh, MI, passed away Wednesday, January 05, 2011, at Tecumseh Place II. He was 88.
Fran was born February 8, 1922, in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, to Juan C. and Maria Antonieta (Pradeau) Hernandez. Fran served in the U.S. Navy as a First Class Machinist Mate on the USS Cabot CVL-28 in the Pacific during WWII.
After his military discharge, he returned to southern California to become a pioneer in the fast-growing sport of hot rodding in the 1940s. He turned his hobby of cars and racing into a life-long career. He was the first person to successfully use nitromethane in a four-cycle gasoline engine that ultimately revolutionized the sport of drag racing.
In April 1949, Fran's 1932 Ford three-window coupe ran in the first ever organized drag race at the Goleta Airport in Santa Barbara, CA. Fran was racing carburetors and nitromethane in his car against Tom Cobbs' 1932 supercharged roadster, and Fran's car won. Today, drag racing and nitromethane go hand-in-hand.
Fran was a Manger at Ford Motor Company for more than 30 years. In the early and mid-1960s he created and ran the Lincoln-Mercury racing program. In many circles he is credited for coining the term "Funny Car." In 1966 he and his team created the true first generation Funny Car, a Mercury Comet Cyclone GT. The rest, as they say, is history.
From 1969-1970, Fran managed the Ford facility in Brighton, MI, that produced the legendary Boss 429 Mustang. In later years, he managed Ford's Fabrication & Build Activity where they hand-built and delivered a 1988 Presidential Limousine. Fran will always be remembered for his automotive innovation and creativity as well as his marvelous sense of humor.

 

Fran in 1969,.. at "Kar Kraft" He ran and built the Boss 429 project

 

Condolences to the Hernandez family.

 

Like Jangleguy I grew up reading about him.

 

RIP Fran - a true Legend

 

Could it be at one of the mile events they use to hold at March AFB in Riverside????

 

Was also wondering where the drag strip shot was taken...Don't think it is saugus, the background was rolling hills, don't think it was Pomona because don't recall that dirt berm beside the track ... and don't think it was San Gabriel #1, too many trees in background, not San Fernando, not Paradise Mesa (there was a flat expanse beside the track....fresh out of ideas.

(but back to Fran, the writing on the frame answers my earlier question about his involvement with the Yeakel Bros roadster, he built the hydro. ...unquestionably a man of many mechanical talents who came from a humble background and made good. He will be missed---RIP)

 

Fran also designed the fuel injection system for the Yeakel Brothers car;made from 4 Stromberg carburetor bottoms.The setup is still around;I know because I saw it about a year ago.

 

Sure sounds like he had a fun and interesting life.

Rest in peace Mr. Hernandez...

 

I learned a small but important tip from Fran in 1950.
How to narrow a 32 pedal box to install a column shift.
He mentioned nitromethane at the time and I took his advice
later and ran it in my dragster, the first in the northwest.
Great guy.