Hot Rods Hank Negley's "C" Class Deuce Roadster 123.79 in 1947 !

[QUOTE How many of us can drive our car to the dry lakes,.. spank it hard in race trim, get back in it, drive it home in street trim, and depend on it to get us back and forth to work, the grocery store and every family errand everyday in between ? ..... For me this defines the phrase "Totally Awesome !"QUOTE]


Actually there were quite a few that did that.

 

"Were" being the key word,..

 

I sometimes think the people writing the rule book have an interest in the saftey equipment companies.
I don't think they killed any more in 49 than they do now even allowing the speeds are higher now.

 

Alright guys, lets not stray off topic here,.. This thread is about a really cool Hot Rod and a really cool Hot Rodder that deserves his due,........ Like I said, It seems that Hank was a pretty good shutter bug as well,... And this picture proves it IMHO.

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Hi everybody,

Thought I would forward this message about El Mirage from Heather Black at Gear Grinders, for anyone who might be interested in saving racing out on the salt:

[FONT=Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial]Please find below a link to the Friends of El Mirage web site. At the top of the page is a link to sign a petition to oppose the gutting of the OHV grants program and re-directing of the funds elsewhere.

http://www.elmirage.org/foem/

The bottom line for us is the money that was available for projects around El Mirage will no longer be there. We will have to raise our own funds (from somewhere??) to do any improvements to the lakebed and surrounding area.

Please encourage your club members, friends and neighbors to voice their concerns and sign this petition. This is imminent. Please act now.

Thank you,

Miriam Macmillan

Further information:
[/FONT]
<http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/2012/05/31/california--ca-legislature-votes-to-gut-ohv-program>

BRC NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Don Amador, Western Representative
PHONE: 925.625.6287
EMAIL: brdon@ sharetrails.org <http://sharetrails.org/>

CA LEGISLATURE VOTES TO GUT OHV GRANTS PROGRAM TO FEDERAL AND LOCAL PARTNERS

SACRAMENTO (May 31, 2012) - Earlier today, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 3 on Resources and Transportation voted to steal up to $31 million dollars from the California Off-Highway Vehicle Trust Fund and transfer it to non-OHV related programs. This pilfering of user-pay funding is part of the &#8220;Sustainable Parks Proposal&#8221; being championed by the California Parks Foundation, other anti-OHV organizations, and California State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto).

Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D- Petaluma) argued strongly in favor of the plan which he knows will directly impact destination OHV areas throughout the state including nearby units on the Mendocino and Six Rivers National Forests, the BLM Cow Mountain Recreation near Ukiah, and the BLM Samoa Dunes Recreation Area near Eureka. Assemblyman Brian Jones (R-Santee) was the lone voice on the committee that opposed the continued theft of trust funds monies.

Don Amador, Western Representative for the BlueRibbon Coalition, states, &#8220;I am extremely disappointed that Mr. Huffman has apparently joined ranks with the anti-OHV community in their ongoing efforts to defund the OHV grants program via fiscal schemes such as the Sustainable Parks plan.&#8221;

&#8220;After witnessing today&#8217;s vote, it is clear to me that urban legislators have made the conscious decision to engage in political warfare against rural interests, economies, and local elected officials. It also daylights the false promises made to special &#8220;user fee&#8221; programs (e.g. OHV, boating and waterways, special license plates, etc.) that their dedicated funds are protected. Rather, it points to the fact that those funds will be raided in perpetuity to help mitigate the legislature&#8217;s failure to substantively address the state&#8217;s fiscal crisis,&#8221; Amador continues.

&#8220;It is also interesting to note that not one of the Sustainable Parks Program&#8217;s proponents had the courage to show up and speak in favor of the plan at today&#8217;s hearing. Equally disappointing was that State Park leadership sat in stone cold silence while this issue was being discussed. It is a sad commentary on the state of affairs in California,&#8221; Amador concludes.

Representatives from the following organizations attended and spoke at the hearing. Those groups include the California Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs, American Motorcyclist Association, American Motorcyclist Association District 36, California Off-Road Vehicle Association, and the BlueRibbon Coalition​

 

According to our friend Paula, the car was never green,.. however that is how the picture of it in color turned out,... Always a nice car and always evolving thanks to the talented hands of Hank Negel.

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When I first saw this photo many years ago, the entire car colored deep purple/blue, and most of it still does. But I noticed that over the years parts of the car started to look green, and I think the Kodachrome started to degrade over time. But I know that up until the time my dad sold the roadster, the car was a deep purple/blue. My dad always kept the roadster polished with Mothers, and I can still remember riding in the rumble seat and running my hand over the paint finish because I loved the color so much, and that the finish was always smooth as glass. Still the most fun I ever had riding in a car.

 

Thanks and welcome Paula.....it is a nicely built car...

 

Alright guys,.... If this picture doesn't peg your "That is SO cool Meter",... Check your pulse or call the ambulance,... cause something is wrong !

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Thank's for all the leg work digging up the very cool information & photos of one outstanding deuce roadster and builder.
Ya just have to love the HAMB....Welcome Paula

 

1947 the year I was born! Maybe that has something to do with my love of 32 roadsters

 

Paula, Harms Way thank you for making this such a great research project, sure hope we can find the wereabouts of this special Roadster. I looked through all my issues of CT News hoping to find a photo, but only found some meet times. I'll make good copies for both of you to add to your files. August 31, 1947 Hank Nagley # 357 turned in a 114.94 run, Joe Nitti in #152 turned 117.18. Were these SCTA car numbers good for one meet only, or the number for the season? Bob

 

I believe these are the number for the season, Bob. paula

 

Hank had a garage,... But it was never called "the garage",... It was always referred to as "The Shop",..... Well this should lend a clue as to his ability to build such a fine Hot Rod !...... This was a serious "Home Shop" for the 1940's and 50's !

 

I just read an email I got from Paula,.... and this is what she said the story was about this picture,..... Ya' got to love it !

"A quick note about the photo with the train: my dad raced that train down the highway into town. The roadster won, with time to spare."

Every time I learn more about this car and it's owner/builder,... I get one of those big silly Hot Rod smiles on my face !,..... Awesome !

 

This is "Hank" & "Duff" still looks to be 1946 or 47'

 

I agree. This shot is what it's all about. (Great call out on the rolling stock too.)

 

An absolutely awesome thread! It's fascinating to see the story being retraced, especially when it involves a really passionate pioneer like Mr. Negley quite clearly was. Definitely my kind of guy, not scared to get his precious ride working hard for a living!

Thanks to everyone involved for a fantastic thread! Keep'em coming!

Cheers, Eddie

 

Just the kind of enthusiasm I was looking for !

Paula wasn't sure if this was her Dad's car because of the different plate number,... but back then you got a new plate every year,... Checking out a lot of details,.. this IS Hank's car sometime in 1945.

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Damn! Love that picture with the train! Some where on paper I have a similar picture of the Plymouth in front of the Silverton train in Silverton, Colorado. Almost had the engineer convinced he could drive mine if I could drive his!

 

Thanks for a great thread Harms Way! To me this is the quintessential Deuce roadster that says it all about the golden years of hot rodding in southern California after the war. And thanks to Paula for preserving her fathers legacy. Is there any chance there is a good color pic of it that shows the original color?

 

Well yessss,..... and nooooo....

I posted another thread that has one of the two color pictures in it,... the car was always a deep purple/blue color,... but in the early color pictures it looks to be a really nice shade of green,... which this car was never painted.

Here is the link.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=707853

 

The "Kodachrome refresh" photo of the roadster over at the other thread restores the color to purple (and the grass on the field green), which is the roadster as I remember it. When I first saw the color photos many years ago (actually many, many years ago, but I digress), the color of the roadster was deep purple/blue, but over the decades the color of the roadster started to shade green in the photos, and I think the Kodachrome started to degrade over time. The "Kodachrome refresh" restores the color of the roadster to deep purple/blue. And thank you to the poster who took the time to do that!

 

Just a quick import of the picture refreshed by Vonzemo on the other topic, to bring some color to this thread:



Looks to have been quite a special colour, can you shed any light on its history, Paula?

Cheers, Eddie

 

Looks like ol' Hank came across a herd of sheep on one of his trips east !!!

 

Maybe all those sheep just wanted to get a good look at that cool roadster!

 

Fantastic, Paula, thanks for letting us into some history of your fathers beautiful car. I've always admired it after seeing photos of it in Don Montgomerys books. Does anyone know what speed equipment was used to attain the speeds back then

thanks

Bob

 

The thanks really belongs to Harm's Way. So thank you, Harm's Way, for taking the time to post these photos.

I don't know what speed equipment was used to attain the speeds back then. Someone more qualified than I will have to answer that question. But I can tell you that my dad was always working on the engine and "improving" the performance of the roadster. And I remember him always talking with his racing buddies about all the things they did to make the cars run faster racing out at the dry lakes, like El Mirage.

 

nice. im sure he was friends with jack calori. they raced at the same time. billy