Hot Rods Gene Ciambella Austin Gasser Pickup

Was the Gene Ciambella MGM C&O Austin Pickup campaigned in a primer paint job before it was painted Kandy Red?

 

It sure looks like it in this picture.

 

Enjoyed working with Gene and the guys when I lived in Inglewood. I ran one of their hydros. They also ran a B/ Gas Supercharged out of the shop.
I was at Lyons one Sunday when Gene ran a 8.95, I believe the first one under 9 seconds but since it was a Sunday with very few cars nothing was ever said about it much and it was never in Drag News or any othe publication I saw.
That pick-up and C & O were definately players in the gas supercharged wars in So Cal.

 

Yes, to answer your question it was a red oxide

 

Yellow dog -
At one point...it WAS in fact, Candy Red..!

Mike

 

My father is currently restoring the C&O Austin pickup to its A/GS configuration from it's Glory days of racing. Here is a picture of it in the restoration process. Chassis is starting to come along now.



And a few pictures of it from back in the day. One color pic of it in primer racing Bones in his 33 Willys!

 

If anyone has any home movies or pictures of the C&O Austin Pickup from back on the day, we are looking for some. Please contact me via email [email protected] thanks!

 

A few more old pics of the A/GS Austin pickup.

Still looking for old home movies or photos of the pickup if anyone has any to help with the restoration.

Please contact me via PM here or at [email protected]

 

It was later the campaigned as the Agitator by Hicks & Son.
Also looking for old photos and home movies of this version.

 

I really loved the old Austins, and especially the C&O pickup! Nice to see it's being restored to it's previous C&O version!

 

Hello,

In 1959-60 we got involved with the team at C&O Hydros in the Gardena/Torrance area. Gene Ciambella had a great crew that knew Hydramatic transmissions inside and out. Their knowledge was impressive. When we needed an “automatic transmission” for our 3 speed Impala to satisfy my mom, we knew where to go to get one. The C&O guys were just starting, but even our expert mechanic friend in Los Angeles knew of them and the quality work done from the shop. So, instead of getting the super high priced B&M hydro and doing the conversion by ourselves, the team at C&O had a simple policy.

Bring in an old Hydramatic transmission and they will install a newly modified/guaranteed Stick Hydro manual/automatic transmission. With plenty of auto wrecking yards within miles of our Westside Long Beach house, we had a plentiful supply of inexpensive Hydramatic transmissions at our disposal. They told us what model they would like and we went to find one, just down the street. It was to supply their line of workable Hydramatic transmissions for future modifications and installs.

They converted the 3 speed stick over to “automatic” while still using the cool column shifter lever. We just had to remember where the gear selector places were, as the stock Impala stick shift had the aluminum plate covering the gear selector, as it was originally a 3 speed stick shift.

The transmission was a manual 1-2-3 or in the last selection, “drive.” It went through all forward gears as a normal Hydramatic transmission.

Jnaki

The C&O Stick Hydro was one of a kind and they were impressed with the power and feel, once it was installed. It was one of the original installs, and definitely the only one in a 1958 Impala. When the installation was complete, we went for a test drive with Gene Ciambella or Steve Montrelli driving. It was the most powerful full on throttle drives I had ever been a part of the experience.

Those dark streets just flew by and the standing starts were outrageous. Instant throttle and instant traction for the neck snapping take off and shifting patterns. Those guys did not mess around. When I got in to go home, it was gentle driving as my full throttle mode had already happened in the past 30 minutes. Wow…

P.S. If you finish your research and build, this original sticker from 1959-60 is a classic. If you find one or two, please contact me asap. Thank you…

Here is some history for C&O Stick Hydro race cars taken in a huge All Gas Coupe and Sedan Drag Race at Lions Dragstrip in 1964.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG199EVX99A 1964 C&O Willys Coupe


As part of the C&O Stick Hydro family (they installed one the first Stick Hydros in our 58 Impala ) we loved watching the C&O truck's showing at this meet.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...picture-thread.228509/page-1841#post-11981551 The C&O History for us


C&O stood for Ciambella and O'Brien. Steve Montrelli doing a lot of the work, too.

The Willys Pick Up at the 1964 All Gas Coupe/Sedan Meet...Lions Dragstrip

 

Very cool! Great stories! Thank you for sharing!

 

The Austin pickup was in red oxide primer before it was painted the candy red

Here is a color pic of the truck in primer.
And one of it painted candy red.

 

Aussie Warren Goodall must have copied this awesome gasser. Here’s a pic of his gasser.

 

The Austin Pickup was featured in February 1967 Popular Hot Rodding.
Here is the article.

 

Have you checked the Austin Gasser thread here on the HAMB. I'm pretty sure I posted some photos in there and I know the Agitator was posted by me in there.

 

Here's my pickup, not in paint yet . Fiberglass body and aluminium bed, Poncho powered !

 

Very cool

 

Hunt up a copy of the gasser files 1&2 by the Jackson Bros. it shows the truck in red oxide primer.

 

Hello,

How is the restoration process going on the original C&O hydro Austin Truck? It has been a while and there has been no word of recent photos here on the HAMB. The current times, as they are, can be a downer and for all of us, we cope with the restrictions. So, hopefully, you and your families are all ok and still plugging along.

I still have not been able to find anyone that has/had photos or the real thing from the C&O shop. I am looking for any photos or actual yellow decals that those guys at the So Cal shop used to hand out to people. But, since I had them install a C&O Stick Hydro in my 58 Impala, they were going to put a huge yellow sticker in the back window.

That was a little over the top and plus, it blocked my sightlines rearward. So, they gave me a couple of stickers to put in the rear quarter windows of the Impala. i used to have a lot of small oval stickers, but gave them all away. I am pretty sure that is how the Impala ended up, when I sold it to a friend in late 1964. Then, I went off to college.
This is the only version I could find anywhere. Also, back then, we did not start taking photos until the 35 mm SLR cameras came out several years later, that we could afford. They were out earlier, but they were those Rangefinder Leica Cameras that were over the top in cost. So, there were no photos of the sticker on the Impala in 1960-64.

Jnaki

If you were able to come across one and/or if you have extra stickers, perhaps we can work out a trade of sorts. But, in the mean time, I am trying to draw one from that crappy photo I found and memory. Please let me know ASAP. Thank you...

Anyone else have access to a clear photo or the actual yellow C&O decal?

 

Update on the C&O Austin pickup restoration.
Sheet metal has been stripped and primed. And the chassis is now underway!
We Can't wait to have it as a rolling chassis!

 

This great footage from the 1966 Winternationals Sunday Eliminations recently emerged!

The C&O Austin pickup makes 3 different appearances on it!

One is in the AA/GS finals racing KS Pittman's Willy's coupe where the C&O pickup won!

The next appearance is racing the legendary Stone Woods And Cooke Willy's coupe.

And one more appearance racing a yellow Willy's coupe (unsure who it is? Might have been in top eliminator class?)

Check it out!
Still looking for any more old photos or footage of the truck!

 

Hello there Jnaki

The restoration is slowly coming along. Collecting parts, and working on the chassis now.
We are staying healthy. Hope all is well with you too.
I have not come across any of the yellow decals. Will let you know if we do! See above for updated restoration pics.

 

I fell in love with this car from the PHR feature. Can you post updates? I'd love to see the restoration.

 

Great to see you restoring one of our local hero's race cars. The Panella Anglia and Willys pickup are back. It would be great to see Gene's Austin pickup all done. I don't know how anyone fit in those things! Remember that the C&O cars weren't all showy like Panella's and Mazmanian's car, they were all-business race every weekend cars.
That video was great (well, except for the soundtrack) Look at how packed the grandstands were. THAT'S a sell out, not, we have reached the fire department's mandated max.

 

I shipped a nice 1932 Ford tudor body to Warren Goodall many years ago. IIRC, at the time it, was the only 1932 Ford tudor in Australia.

 

I remember an Austin Pickup that was a metallic light blue/turquoise that had C & O on the doors; I’m sure it was running a blown Chrysler. It was there when they put the hydro in my 62 ChevyII which was powered by a 283 with 1960 Rochester FI. I also saw it run at Lyons which I usually ran on Sundays. This was 64-65 if my memory is correct.

 

Ya know, that’s all right. In fact it’s a gas. Hehe.

 

Did the former C & O Austin pickup later run as Captain Crunch ?

 

It sure did. Nick that was one of my favorites when I was a kid and still is. I still have the magazine that the truck was featured in.