We took this car to Pomona one Sunday (while running the newest car) and parked it under the bleachers. It was one of the old PVTA Meets. Digger Dan Horan bought it and ran it with an Olds for awhile. It was his first Dragster.
Classified ads in HOT ROD, CYCLE WORLD and ROAD & TRACK in the fifties and sixties were real money makers for the magazines. Rates were cheap considering that ads would be seen throughout the country. The best you could do was a a 10 or 12 week lag time between the time the ad was placed and then seen on the news stands. Ads were paid for with cash or money orders. More than a few cars were sold to magazine "insiders" before the general public ever saw the ads.
1967 Hello, In the early years, Neil Leffler was part of a team that set records in the Competition Coupe Class. The exploits in the Midwest dragstrips were flying all over the Drag News coverages from that time period. The Neil Leffler- John Loukas Competition Coupe was setting dragstrip records all over during those times. January 1960 At the benefit drag race for young, Mickey Brown at Lion’s Dragstrip, we saw the Leffler-Loukas Competition Coupe get an award for setting a national record. Then a few months later, we saw the Competition Coupe at the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet. March 1960 Finally, he joined the team and company of one of the west’s talented drag racing groups, the Hirshfield Group in Paramount, CA. As mentioned earlier in a HAMB post https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-cars-in-motion-picture-thread.228509/page-2007#post-14049777 “It was rumored that one or more of the team of Leffler-Loukas was going to come to So Cal to start getting involved in the Westcoast action." "Then, all of a sudden, this ad pops up in the local drag racing periodical, Drag News. The association with the Hirshfield Auto Parts Group was going to be really something. That group had ties to a lot of fast drag racing teams and record setters from So Cal." "But, the lure of the Westcoast, the year round climate, the laid back atmosphere of the people, and the access to the biggest names in drag racing all within the boundaries of So Cal was an alluring place. That would keep pecking at the brain, during those cold, freezing, no drag racing action times in the snow blanketed Midwest areas.” Jnaki So, as the years rolled on, jobs change and businesses get started. My friend from high school, Jerry Bivens from Bixby Knolls, racing with his team of Doug Fisher and Tom McEwen was featured in an advertisement for a Neil Leffler supercharger and support. It is and was a small world in So Cal drag racing circles. "CHECKMATE" Lion’s Dragstrip Museum Cacklefest 2017 :35 Sound You meet the nicest people in drag racing circles…
1964 Hello, One of many hot rod/drag race/custom car show locations in the greater So Cal area (Los Angeles Sports Arena, the Pan Pacific, the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium and later the LB Sports Arena along with many high school football practice fields and parking lots) was this old open space was designated for the agricultural industry as a show place for their activities and products. The sign was easily seen and was in the City Of Commerce by the freeway. It was the Great Western Exhibition Center. A fancy name for a huge warehouse of a building with lots of parking, and freeway close from everywhere. Centrally located just outside of the Downtown Los Angeles area by freeway, it had access from all points, So Cal. It was also leased out to boat shows, gun shows, swap meets and of course hot rod/custom car shows. The history of the LA Roadster shows started at the Rose Bowl, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Great Western Exhibit Center. Then eventually ended up in Pomona. Jnaki Currently, it has been demolished a while back and there are now home developments in place. Just off of the I-5 freeway North or South in the City of Commerce. The location fit perfectly as an old TV commentator, Jerry Dunphy, from Los Angeles used to say: “From the desert to the sea, to all of Southern California..." Location, location, location...
January 1957 Hello, With the names like Gene Adams and Dick Harryman, how can anyone make an error from the 1956 drag racing news reports. It was just fast reporting, a new reporter overhearing some facts or supposition, a late deadline for story fact submission, etc. It could be a combination of just about anything when a deadline is set. Dec 16, 1956 A good example of a misprint, shows that 4 years later, we were in a Drag News article about the Leonard Harris / Quincy Automotive consecutive win streak in Top Eliminator was halted at 13. It was due to a race car catching fire and shutting down the dragstrip at 9:00 pm. But, instead of a C/Gas Class designation to identify who, what and when, the article listed our 1940 Willys as a C/Altered Coupe that blew a clutch and caught on fire. (despite crossing the line first in C/Gas) So, it could have been a "million little things" to make the staff writer print what was printed. C/Gas to C/Altered was a few inches of motor set back from 10 % to 25% Since the interior was now totally burned and all that was left were two wire skeletons of bucket seats, the full interior upholstery rule was nowhere to be seen. So, the rule designates that the no interior rule puts a C/Gas Coupe into a C/Altered Coupe status. Possible? But, not reality. Jnaki During this time period from the 1956-57 era, the battle of the local So Cal camshaft companies had started their advertising onslaught of “Our cams go faster, so here is proof” articles and advertisements that most drag racers across the country would read. A little typing error or innuendos can be used for a lot of commotion to draw attention to the company’s products and sponsored racers. But Gene Adams and Dick Harryman? Sheesh!!!
Hello, What was once a thriving area for speed shops, wheel/tire, welding shops, chrome accessories and machine shops was the famous Jocko’s Porting Service. Those stores and businesses were thriving during the times of hotrods and drag racing from the late 50s to the early 60s. Since this street, Cherry Avenue was on the border of 4 communities, Long Beach, Lakewood, Bellflower and Paramount, there was no other place that had all of the hot rod/drag race services on one street. A few miles south of this stretch of Cherry Avenue was the ever present “Cherry Avenue Drags” location. All with its rich history dating back to the early 50s or earlier. There were a lot of big name speed shops located all over Long Beach, but for some reason, people flocked to this area as a one stop shopping for their builds and services. If one was so inclined, you could get a frame, machined parts, wheels and tires, transmissions alignment shops, all the chrome accessories you wanted and a speed shop that had the name brands for almost every motor/hot rod combo. For us, we used Jocko’s Porting Services to clean out our Chevy heads for the 292 ci 671 SBC blower motor. (Howard cam & kit, not Engle) After the drag racing years were coming to a close, we had Henry’s Machine Shop re-work our Chevy axles and drums to bolt on Buick Skylark Wire Wheels on the 58 Chevy Impala. In the same light, we had the tire and wheel shop balance and align the Chevy Impala. Aligning wire wheel spokes is no small feat. Balancing them is also a challenge. But, the Impala drove without any bouncing, drifting and shakiness. So, this corridor was pretty popular for a one stop shopping spree. Custom machining, wheel and tire alignment/balancing, chrome accessories, transmission shop, and welding of all kinds. and speed shops for custom builds. thanks, @themoose Jnaki We weren’t the only people that used these services along this corridor. This ad for Jocko’s was one of the first ones to advertise to the racing community. Word of mouth had already built his reputation, but advertisements always helped any business. Those specialty shops did a massive business for all of the hot rod folks in those communities. Most of our teenage cars had parts of work done along that row of speed shops and other needs for a cool hot rod or upgrades. Driving back to the central Bixby Knolls area was always tempting as the famed, "Cherry Avenue" drags location was right there for the taking.
Nov 1964 Gerry Card Hello, We were introduced to the hard running Competition Coupe of Gerry Card at the 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet. In the pits, it looked very mean and fast. It looked like a pin point shape slicing through any obstruction for a victory in the Competition Coupe Class. March 1960 We were amazed at the shape and design of the coupe. It sounded powerful and made some outstanding runs. As time progresses, the paint color scheme was different, but the coupe was still fast looking and also, fast. 1960 March Meet Leffler Loukas vs Gerry Card 1960 Watch an interesting thing happening in the film clip... But, after a few years, we were surprised to see this ad in the Drag News weekly paper in 1964. What a cool race car and power to match. We were certainly surprised at the competition coupe being for sale. It would have been a great starting point for anyone wanting a ready to go, rolling chassis and body. Jnaki , But, as we all know, perhaps, they knew what was the writing on the wall, about eliminating all of the Gas Coupe Classes, the Street Roadster Classes and Competition Coupe Classes with the remaining race cars being bunched into one of several eliminator classes. Then what was predicted to happen, did happen in the later 60s, they disappeared during the rise of the FED and funny car era. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ll-but-forgotten.1014604/page-4#post-11744475 contribution to lasting memory... Card's Auto Specialty El Cerrito, Ca
Hello, The image of the Cook and Bedwell Dragster is iconic. It bleeds drag racing in the 50s, leading up to setting the world’s record for dragsters. Of course, using the famous Bruce's Tires Slicks with their compound for quality and traction. wdifl February 1957 the drag race fans were in awe at the record set for the team of Emery Cook and Cliff Bedwell. It was a time stopper with speeds and E.T. at almost every local So Cal dragstrip they ran during that time period. Impressive to say the least. wdifl The world record feat was honored by having a re-creation in plastic model form. For kids and avid hot rod/drag race folks, this was so cool. No more making frames out of wooden rods and wax tubes. It was right there, stuck to the usual plastic frames with all of the parts stuck on them. Our dad bought two of them, one for each of the brothers. Cook and Bedwell 1957 The original color and stance… After being sold to Midwest guys and a Flathead installed. FRIDAY ART Jnaki The famous Cook and Bedwell Dragster was on display of the original 2017 grand opening of the Lion’s Dragstrip museum. It was splendid in the recreation completed by Dode Martin and others. A Dragmaster guy doing a Chassis Research Dragster has some chuckles here. I was invited to a preview of the opening of the original Lions Dragstrip Museum in 2017 and while walking around, saw this bright blue re-creation version of the Cook and Bedwell dragster. It was next to the Hill Acala Red Roadster corner and my old Lion’s Dragstrip films being played on the big screen monitor just above. The Hill Acala Roadster display with my films being played on the huge monitor: Gary Cagle at Lion's Dragstrip in 1959. Hill Acala display area + large tv monitor. Right next to the Chizzler and the famous Cook/Bedwell record holder. 55 years later in 2017, at the original Grand Opening of the Original, Lions Dragstrip Museum.
Hello, As I was doing some research on carburetors in our old Drag News paper copies, an ad popped up to surprise me. They were the same carburetors in one of my favorite shirts from the HAMB store. That black T-Shirt with the 4 carbs was going to be a great surprise from my wife to me. But, she recently told me that the black HAMB T-Shirt was sold out. sold out HAMB T-Shirt So, I will mark is as a "wish list" item until they get restocked again. The quality of the HAMB T-Shirts is outstanding and they come with a good tight neck, so there is no such thing as a saggy neck that looks like a 1950’s undershirt. I have quite a few HAMB T-Shirts and really wanted this one for my daily rotation and collection. @Moriarity recently posted this cool photograph... Jnaki The carburetor kit was an Al Sharp design and the advertisement was pretty complete. Thinking back, we rarely saw these carbs on the majority of carburetor powered motors. We even had 6 Strombergs on our 292 671 supercharged SBC motor. These carbs have the look and design to get more power from the conversion. similar to our complete Isky Gilmer set up for our 292 SBC motor.
Cams for the stock class? Hello, Since all cars in those early “stock” classes had to have the factory parts to be eligible for the classes. The idea was to make racing relatively close and exciting. The cars all had the same stuff as equalizers. Not like the Gas Coupe And Sedan Class where modifications from minor to wild, all with street legal purposes within the rules, were allowed. During our teenage years, a Duntov Cam set was the hot ticket for 283 Chevy motors in all kinds of hot rods and sedans. We installed one in a 283 SBC motor with dual quads for my friend’s white 57 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop. It was powerful and could have done great things at Lion’s Dragstrip . It was also a factory option, so legal for stock car racing classes. But, a cam for a 348 motor in the Super Stock Class? This was for the 59 and later 348 motors until the 409 motors came out. The 335 hp 348 chevy motors were powerful and with a 4 speed, plus Positraction, the competition was close as you can get. Now, add in some “factory” modifications and the 335 hp models in the following years would still be competitive with the new higher horsepower 348 motors. The factory special cam was the first order of business. Jnaki The addition of stock factory up grades ended within two years as in 1961, a new king was rolled into the drag racing scene. The new 409 360 hp was a contender from the start. It far out ran the 355 hp 348 motor, although they were close in specs, the 409 began its run to the top. The Speed Engineering Shop was just around the corner from Clay Smith Cams and Venolia Pistons shop. We were fortunate that a lot of the top speed shops were within a few blocks from our old house in the Westside of Long Beach. Even today, @Blues4U went to a recent Early Times Club Rod Run from several shops in the same exact area that these speed shops used to be located back in 1958-65. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...cc-mid-winter-rod-run-2-27-22-photos.1257452/ 1965 Venolia Pistons 1302 15th street
This ad appeared in a July 1942 edition of a short-lived Seattle newspaper aimed at war plant workers
I recall looking at those ads in the back of the magazines and dreaming. Costs were well out of my league. Went to work for a Utility in 1964 for $2.10 an hour. Rent was $60 a month and our car was a nice 55 Chevy we bought for $800. Had a 2nd job for $2.50 an hour on weekends during cotton season working at a gin.--2 12 hr shifts to make extra needed money. A $1000 dollar hotrod was out of the question. Retired from that Utility 40 years later and many cars since then.
Yep, that was a whole different era wasn't it, now people with a reasonable credit rating will go "I want it now, put it on the card".
We’ve spoke before .. sounds like me. Daytime in 64 for Standard Oil in the Baldwin Hills lease and night at Sears Inglewood changing tires and batteries. Utility job after that was the first time I didn’t have 2 jobs including HS. In 1967 SCE power plant helper was $1.90 and overtime was pretty plentiful. Was making 3.25 for Std Oil with no future. Journeymen at SCE we’re 5.25. And I saw the future. Took guts as I had a 5 month pregnant wife when I left SO. Best thing I ever did…
Yep same deal--was farming with family-furnished house and $400 a month. Took the hit as farming didn't look promising. Went to Utility as said--cut in pay with wife and baby. Worked out Journeymen lineman were making $145 in 64. No regrets-great career-son there grandson nephew and two son-in-laws. When I made Journeyman lineman the wage was $202.50 a week. Today they are about $2800 last I checked--with OT about $200-250K per year.
Hello, In 1965, I had a new 65 El Camino. The stock tires from the factory did not last long as they were too narrow, made the El Camino wiggle on curving roads and just did not give driving or reviews any good messages. If there were reviews for the product, it would have been a scathing remark about the quality of the stock tires from the factory. The idea seemed like the El Camino from 64-65 was the first new model and the Chevy factory wanted to label it as a commercial vehicle and did not care about quality of the ride or handling. My Long Beach neighbor bought a new 1964 model for his daily driver and did not care about handling, as long as it stopped and started up in the morning. He had air shocks, but rarely used them when he loaded the back with stuff. He was a perfect person to take what the factory offered and was happy for the new car/truck, as is.... I was not like that and searched for quality tires that would give my new 1965 El Camino some handling abilities and stop when I wanted them to stop, rain or shine. I took my re 65 El Camino to this shop in Inglewood and they made me an offer for 5 new Inglewood Pos-a-traction (not Positraction) tires for my El Camino. They took the stock Firestones in trade. They took in the 5 factory tires in on trade as the carcasses were valuable for the recapping purposes. That made the overall deal great for my pocketbook. 5 old factory tires that were virtually worthless to me for some quality tires for road trips short and long. My longest road trip was going to be a 400 mile one way trip to San Jose, CA for college. Plus the many returns to Long Beach to account for the holidays and school holiday vacations. Jnaki Those tires and the new ones that followed until I sold the El Camino to a local Dana Point surfer/sailor at 125k miles later, I had gone through several sets. All great riding, handling and braking, as my wife will attest to that during those long up the coast road trips once or twice a year from 1966 onward. Those tires made the winding Highway 1 on the cliff top coastal drive well worth it and it felt very secure. The only drawback that I noticed in the last stages of the Inglewood Posatraction tires were in roadway long, shallow puddles. The tires felt like they were floating… which they were. The hydroplaning occurs when a tire(s) encounter more water than it can scatter. When I let off of the gas, the El Camino dropped back to the surface and got its traction back. It was a learning experience. Otherwise, the Inglewood tires were long lasting, no flats, and balanced/aligned perfectly. But, even in a new condition, the shop had each tire trued for roundness and it made the difference. There was a mound of rubber on the ground during and after the finished true tires were mounted on my silver painted rims. YRMV
Inglewood Tire Service was on the east end of Centinela Park across from the Inglewood Park Cemetary just off Florence Ave. I was raised on the west side Centinela Park. On Saturdays I would walk thru the park going to the tire shop to look at the race cars that were always there and hang around a bit. Midgets, Sprinters, Champ cars, and dry lakes. They never got mad at me or told me to leave .. I just watched and listened. Every year in the 50’s after the Indianapolis 500 they had a stock of used Indy car tires which they sold to the dry lakes guys. I moved away in 1963 but still worked at Sears Inglewood. Its long gone now as I’ve looked when visiting my folks at the Cemetery.
MAY 1965 Hello, It had been almost three years since our dad bought his 1963 Buick Riviera in the fall of 1962. It was a classic cruiser and every time we wanted to take advantage of such a cool cruiser, all of our friends knew it was our "Dad Car.” But, during the hot summers, the windows stayed rolled up and the A/C was full blast. So, who cared what our friends said as we were enjoying the cruising scene with a cool Buick Riviera in cool comfort. Since we were thinking our dad was going to stay with his “every 4 year trade in” mode for his Buicks, we were on the lookout for something more of “our” style. We knew he did not want a Mercedes or a Volvo despite the high end European styling. So, we looked locally and came up with this find… yes, it was a Buick. It was a 1965 Buick Gran Sport model in black. We thought later that the black was what turned off our dad for the purchase. “…the Gran Sport had the largest engine permitted by GM - a 401 cu in (7 L) Buick V8 (called a 400 by Buick because that was the maximum engine size allowed in intermediate body cars). This engine produced 325 hp…” Jnaki Now, we were in the ball park and tried our best to get our dad to buy this new Buick, although it was a nice car, but fast and stylish. But, we made a mistake in finding a black model. It was too close the 58 Impala sitting in the next space of the two car garage. Although we sold the Impala in late 1964, he thought the Gran Sport Skylark was too “teenager-ish.” So, he kept the 1963 Riviera for a record 5+years. Until he decided to get a new 68 Riviera, the world’s widest car at the time… ha!
1958 Hello, In late 1959, my brother and I both bought the latest safety helmets for our drag racing needs. He had his own White Bell 500TX Helmet without a shield and I bought one similar but with a bubble shield. I liked the look of the shield. He used goggles over his glasses before he put on the helmet for his needs when driving. My whole family wore glasses and I was fortunate not to need them until retirement. Ha! The cost was relative as we used our speed shop discount price list to get a lower price for both. They were a great fit and served their purpose well in drag racing. The Impala class did not require helmets, but when we built the 283 SBC motor in the 40 Willys Coupe, it was a requirement to wear a helmet in the Gas Coupe and Sedan Class. So, we were prepared. At the time, we thought a street legal hot rod did not need a helmet when racing. It was like driving on the Cherry Avenue Drags location under full acceleration, as we normally did in those days. That “one thing” may have saved my brother’s “noggin” when he had to jump out of a flaming interior fire in our 1940 Willys Coupe, after the clutch exploded and the interior Moon Gas Tank also caught on fire. The extinguisher did nothing, so my brother jumped out after the traps and was witnessed by the return road racers, estimated going about 60 mph. My brother told me later that he remembers hitting the gravel and dirt. Then rolling over and over until the ambulance driver was loading him into the rolling cart. That is when I arrived and he said to meet him at the hospital. Jnaki That was the last time a helmet was used in drag racing. My Bell TX 500 Helmet did not get used for another year or so when we started racing our 250cc motorcycles at some European Scrambles events. Then after more experience, long distance, desert motorcycle racing drew us in for the next adventure. At the So Cal early, Lake Elsinore Race Track, we were racing all day long and during our last race in the 250cc class, I was coming around a curve and heading for the jump. I was tired and knew this was the last jump, then the course curved and the straightaway led to the finish line. I was not in first, but would have been in the top ten out of 25 riders in the class. I hit the jump and up in the air I went. From that point on, I had no recollection of what happened next. Except I was peering into the eyes of a cute, ambulance attendant and she asked me if I could see and hear. My brother said as I came over the jump, everything was fine. But. When I landed, it was rear first, then all of a sudden, I flew over the handlebars and skidded on the track. If I had not worn my BELL TX 500 helmet with a bubble shield, my face would have looked like raw hamburger. My mother would not have liked that. The bubble shield was toast, with ½ of the clear Plexiglas almost opaque and the other with random scratches here and there. What happened was that I was so tired, that I must have fallen asleep and blanked out. My brother said that I had gone over the jump many times in the race and when landing on the rear wheel, continued on the course. Except for this one time, it looked like I just collapsed. Luckily, I had no damage to anything except for a 80 % scratched bubble shield. We threw it away before we got home. Thank you Bell Helmet Company for an excellent BELL TX 500 Helmet and the great Bubble Shield. My wife also thanks you, too…
Hello, During our drag racing/cruising days in the Long Beach and surrounding communities, as we explored the ends of the city limits from Belmont Shore, a major road leading East was introduced to us…Westminster Blvd. It was a long stretch of road, devoid of any housing or commercial enterprises. Excellent for any late night high speed runs single or otherwise. Upon continuing Eastward into the neighboring city of Westminster, the ever popular 2nd street from Belmont Shore turned into Westminster Boulevard. In the city of Westminister, was one of the more popular speed shops located in a small commercial shops strip mall. J&S Speed Center. old corner shop on Westminster Blvd. As we met other hot rod guys and perused the merchandise in the shop, it was a fun place to go for us. Different from our old speed shops in our own neighborhoods, but this was the first one outside of our normal cruising grounds. It just happened to be on the same empty road we knew from our late night encounters. Jnaki a different location... They had two different shops over the years and despite some people not enjoying their time involved with the shop(s), we saw the results in 1964 at Lion’s Dragstrip at an all gas coupe/sedan drag meet. At the time period of drag racing in the Gas Coupe and Sedan classes, racers were trying to go fast and that meant more power or lighter weight bodies. Some combined both to begin the later year trends in Anglia Sedans and Panel Vans to race in the class. Fiberglass was coming into its part of history, too. J&S Speed Center, Westminster, CA 1964 One of the first Anglia sedans in the Gas Coupe and Sedan classes.
“HE” is the telephone company calling prefix. It stood for HEmlock. Across the next major cross street, the prefix changed to GA or Garfield. Hello, 1962 an advertisement popped up in the local Drag News weekly. It was right up my alley. Well, it was walking or bicycling distance to the shop from our Westside of Long Beach house. Mickey Thompson Enterprises placed an ad for a person to work in the speed shop. What a cool job. We already knew the shop manager, Jack Ewell, so that was a step in the right direction. The timing was a little off since I had a semester to go for HS graduation and I was considered an 18 year old at the time. The last semester was supposed to be the most fun for a senior. The anticipation of graduating was not forced on me, as I had plenty of credits, even failing a few classes if I wanted. So, the future was there. I got up the nerve to go to the shop and ask for the details. I could only work after lunch until closing and all day Saturdays. Which would have cut into my surfing. But working for the Mickey Thompson’s Shop? Very cool. I had all of the qualifications as far as experience, knowledge, and engine builds. Like most teenage boys, we knew the parts names and sections of the catalog. It was like library reading assignments for most of us. Jnaki The job would have been mine if I could work an 8 hour shift. Saturdays would be open due to the whole staff being at Lion’s Dragstrip or one of the other dragstrips in So Cal. But, they could not just hire for after school until closing and 8 hours on Saturday. So, the dream job of hot rod parts, machine shop access to the myriad of parts for all forms or racing, discounts all over the different parts and a short drive, or bicycle distance was mine. But, I could not forgo the last semester in high school. I could already picture myself walking next door to the Santa Fe Importers for a nice Italian Sub Sandwich and accessories for lunch everyday and on Saturdays. That was our favorite place ever since our dad discovered the great Italian Foods available when it first opened.
April 1960 WHAT??? Hello, After winning most of the biggest events in drag racing, the theme of "The big... go bigger” rang true. Chet Herbert and Lefty Mudersbach wanted to go much bigger, with more power in the top dragster class. This quest for speed (Need For Speed) ended up as a 3 motor version with all wheel drive. It was not the most successful, but at least it was trying for the next level of record breaking runs… Jnaki It was not long after my filming of the twin at Lions Dragstrip and the "for sale" Ad, that the twin went on sale. Everyone was aghast at the sale of one of the most consistent race cars on the Westcoast. Lions Dragstrip 1959-60 What a lure, one of the tastiest hot dogs of its time…the Lion’s Dragstrip Special. The new race car was powerful and ahead of its time, but not as successful as the original twin SBC dragster. Such innovations drag racing history came to an sudden end with an accident at the drags for Lefty Mudersbach in 1966. But not in the original twin race car. A racer from New Orleans bought the FED without the motors and converted it to a single engine FED that claimed the title: “World’s Quickest Chevrolet” before retiring in 1966.
1958 Hello, In the early days of So Cal drag racing, many dragsters were made from modified car chassis or chassis components on a bare metal box frame. Some were simple as a front end of a sedan that became an open motor and roll bar covering the driver. Others were more modified with a homemade chassis and the open motor plus roll bar. When the Chassis Design frame came on the market, it took everyone by surprise. Good looking bare frame, straight, ready to drop in any motor combination and off to the races. At least, the driver was fully enclosed inside of a tall modified “A” frame and gave more protection than most homemade chassis. By 1960 this ad(s) came out for all to see: Today in Inglewood, CA With a title like in the advertisement, what is next in the line of race cars for this team? Every weekend we would read about the Ted Cyr and Bill Hopper team using the famed Chassis Research Frame and components winning some title of sorts. Top Eliminator was the most seen in titles from So Cal to the Northwest and even out of the comfort of So Cal dragstrips. To meet new challenges, the Chassis Research FED went just about everywhere to race against all comers in their class. Jnaki Adriance Applicance FED old Friday art Now, other racers were getting their own version of the Chassis Research frames and setting the drag world competitive races on fire. Then, several months later: That set the tone for the success of the design to this day. But, the humble beginnings started in the central area of Los Angeles in the early days before moving to Inglewood. Today, the address from the first ad shown. 2524 West Slauson Avenue Los Angeles is less than a mile from Crenshaw High School in South Central. Nearby hot rod shops were Joe Itow Automotive, Edlebrock Manufacturing, Ansen Automotive,The Beradini Bros. Auto Sales Lot, Body/ Paint Shop, and Muffler Shop, plus the Howards Automotive Service …Howard Cam Company.
The Jalopy Journal
