Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Drag Racing in Color - 1958 Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Thanks @Jive-Bomber for posting these and @jnaki for filming them. This is solid gold and made my day. As a Willys fan I wish that I knew who the Willys coupe belonged to that got a hole shot on the Grist Brothers Willys in the last video. I believe that the Grist Brothers were running a 430 MEL and was sponsored by Reath Automotive and was one of the fastest A Gas coupes at that time.
Nice photo capture, JB BELOW: Just moments before, our 58 black Impala is returning to the A/Stock staging lanes Hey Guys, Oh my, oh my, thank you, thank you... that introduction is so full of kind words. It is totally unexpected. My goal was to show people what it was like back in those fun times: Drop the hubcaps and go racing. or…Drop in an Olds in a 34 coupe and win in the A/Gas class while driving it to high school, or to look at the early technology in the quest for speed. Let me preface this story with: I was just a teenager with a borrowed 16mm, fixed lens, movie camera, in between helping my brother race his 58 Impala (pit crew). When I got my license, I was able to get in some races with the 58 Impala. Our 40 Willys build was another story. In 2015, I felt that these long version films (on 16mm reels) were in the closet just gathering dust. My wife was in a spring cleaning mode and that is dangerous in our house. Her motto: “two years max of no use and out it goes.” So, I decided to get them digitized, despite the cost, as a way to preserve them on my computer and emergency external hard drives. I had no way to constantly set up that huge projector and watch them whenever I wanted to see the action. After that cleaning tirade and getting the films digitized, it opened up a whole world of possibilities and memories. It was fun watching the long versions. But, since then, I have been editing them to fit in the appropriate titles. All 1958 Gas Coupes, all 1959 Altered Coupes and Sedans, etc. There is even an all FED race cars at Lions from 1958-60 that is in the works. So, the fun never stops. I am always on the look out for sounds from that era to go with my films. The two I created are my favorites. Junior Thompson, silent, then with his added 1959 sound from Sept. in Detroit. Also, the classic Sidewinder from Joe Mailliard at Lions in those days and the sound from the 1959 Detroit Nationals. JUNIOR THOMPSON Studebaker sedan at Lions SOUND The SIDEWINDER at Lions SOUND TURN IT UP! Thank you for including all of my You Tube films for people to see and enjoy. Those were great times. Jnaki That was a nice gesture for including the short film clip on the Ratican, Jackson, Stearns, dark blue, A/Altered. It is the most recent research find. The research came with new knowledge about the original Ratican, Jackson, Stearns modified A/Altered Fiat that raced at Lions back then. A story is in the works after waiting many years for the correct identification of this popular A/Altered. Lions Dragstrip Bakersfield The research goes on: Elgringo71 brings up a great point. The information that the people on the HAMB have stored away is tremendous. Although that black Willys, for example, is a mystery all of these years. No one got that much of a jump on the Grist Bros during a drag race. So, who was it? Howard Cam sticker, Moon Discs, unusual paint scheme,etc. (Doug Cook, perhaps, before SWC?) Finally, thank you again for the feature post. Hope everyone enjoys the "blast from the past."
The '34 5-window looks like the 554 car, before being numbered and painted blue. The woodpecker decal shown on the rear quarter panel is replicated on the most recent paint job. The 554 was the car I most wanted to see when I visited the Garlits Museum this week, my first time to do so in probably 15 years. I remember this car racing at Fremont in some of the first nostalgia drags. It and a few other cars are directly responsible for me having my own '34 5-window for over the past 30 years. As for Ratican, Jackson & Stearns: A couple of years ago I got the seat in that car during a cackle-fest fire-up in Pomona. That old 50's Oldsmobile engine running on nitro and supercharged is still a real animal...at least that's how it felt while in the seat! That's my only time to sit in a supercharged fuel car and I shall never forget it! I got a chance to talk with Ron Stearns at a car show in Newhall, CA this past summer...he is a very nice, very interesting and very gracious person, full of amazing stories about running that car when he and the others were just kids. They traveled from CA to the Nationals. I believe he said that Joe Reath paid their gas one way and Crane Cams the other way, and that was about all they had invested in that trip. Thanks, Ron! And thanks to Big Daddy Don Garlits for putting together that fantastic museum! There are two buildings that are crammed with cars and memorabilia. If there's any doubt who is the greatest drag racer ever, go to that museum and all doubts will vanish.
Hey BPD, Great description of the RJS A/Altered experience. You were very fortunate in getting to sit in the latest version of the Ratican Jackson Stearns A/Altered at those Cacklefests. It still is impressive all of these years later. Check your PM conversations... Thanks, Jnaki
Hello, This forum has plenty of history and facts. But, can anyone identify that silver SBC FED in the film clip 1958-59 lions silver sbc fed total? More footage of that silver FED in the opening part of JB’s post. JB, thanks for posting the original clip of the silver FED. The other film clips were added in and found in another Lions Dragstrip folder. (now on You Tube.) Thank you, Jnaki 1958-59 lions dragstrip silver FED. Identification needed asap.
Lakewood, CA Hey BPD, The 34 Ford 5 window, silver coupe in my original film posted by JB in January was a complete surprise. The silver Ford coupe was/is the early version of the Mooneyham/Sharp Coupe. Here is a complete version of the silver Mooneyham/Sharp Ford Coupe at Bakersfield in 1960: The first photo was taken in Lakewood, CA. Then I was able to film the silver coupe racing in one of the elimination races at the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet in 1960. They made the cover of the April 1960 Drag News. That in itself is a great accomplishment. Many different versions were popular throughout the following years and most people know of it as the blue Ford, 5 window 554 Coupe. Yet, it had its record breaking runs without the 554 number a year or two earlier. Jnaki Thanks to Dean Lowe for creating an outstanding drawing of the later 1963 version of the 554 Mooneyham/Sharp Coupe.
The Lions Dragstrip entrance on 223rd Street, facing West toward Palos Verdes and the ocean. (Wardlow Rd. mysteriously turns into 223 St. at this point.) Hello, When we first went to Lions Dragstrip in the fall of 1957, right after my brother bought his new 58 Impala, it was a whole new world. I had never been to the dragstrip legally, through the front gates and pits. (many times as a little kid, we would walk across the, (next door to Lions,) farmer’s fields to get to the return road and our ring side seats.) Those early forays were for little kids that could see/hear race cars, battle the prevailing West winds and see a flash zipping by our ringside seats (actually standing in the dirt or on the return road). Those were the days and filled us with plenty of stories to tell our elementary school and junior high school friends. Our junior high school was on the other side of the railroad track berm that separated the farmer’s field and homes/school/parks, etc. on the eastern side of the tracks. THE RED OUTLINE is where the old Lions Dragstrip was located from Willow St. sand berm and safety fence to the Wardlow Road/223rd Street entrance. 2020 GOOGLE PHOTO… When we were able to go to the drags with a borrowed 16mm color movie camera from our dad, it just added something important for me to do, in between being the go-fer and final prep guy for each run. (no license yet…) while my brother was scouring around the pits for any advantage information on racing, setting up hot rods or speed tricks, I was happily filming other hot rods and modified cars at the starting line and racing. It was a time of some importance to me as a growing pre teen and finally a true teenager. My job as a pit crew, set up guy and maintenance guy between rounds was important. But a teen does need a break or two to just mess around at the Lions Dragstrip grounds. The pits were a kid’s dream place with all of the different cars being worked on and especially when fired up for tuning. Everyone could hear the fire ups and usually came over to see what or who was doing that tune up. It was a moment of noise that was actually pleasant to the newcomer’s ears after seeing them on the final sling by when we were standing on the farmer’s field. It was near the end of the timing area and the motors were usually shut down. Lions Dragstrip teenagers... Jnaki We couldn’t get much closer to the starting line as the security patrols did go up and down the return road. If they saw us on the road, they shooed us off. A step back into the plowed dirt field was all it took, despite the stern language from those “fake” cops. The only way to describe this time period was “eye opening.” It started with sitting on the railroad track berm watching from a long distance, but hearing every run down the dragstrip. Then being adventurous kids, waiting for the farmer to go back up the long property to his garage and then we could start our walking across the field to the dragstrip. Back in those days, there was no fence separating the dragstrip and the return road. So, anywhere along the ½ mile dragstrip had great views from the eastern side. It stayed that way until 1961-62 era when a safety fence was put up between the return road and actual dragstrip. Now, the field walk was possible, but the view was blocked. By then, we could drive in the right way to see the whole dragstrip activities and head for the famous hot dogs and Cokes. 1958-59 lions drag racing 58 Impala
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