Hello, The Bader-Ferreira blown Cad, Crossley Altered was the first “A” Altered to break the 130 mph mark, in early 1959. It was one of the oldest Altereds still in active competition back then. The 405 cubic inch Cad had dropped into the 10 second bracket and ran a steady 11.20 sec. Jnaki The Crossley Altered raced at most of the So Cal dragstrips, San Gabriel, Pomona, Riverside,Santa Ana, Lions, Bakersfield, etc. The record of 130 did not last long as the Hart’s Automotive 32 coupe bested that record in a few months into 1959. But, it was the FIRST ONE TO BREAK 130 MPH in the ¼ mile. The Bader/Ferreira Crossley racing the 715 coupe of Hart’s Automotive.
Hello, There was a thread that mentioned Moon Aluminum Foot Pedals. Some said the raised lip up area near the ball of the foot was enough to keep the foot on the pedal. Others needed a strap to keep the right foot in place throughout the ¼ mile run. Then the others discussed the disadvantages of having a strap over the toe area of these Moon Foot Pedals. In a very old thread, Kiwi Kev had the nicest photo collection of aluminum foot pedals and stuff. But, everyone at one time or another used these kinds of aluminum pedals for their cars. When I was researching another topic, in April of 1959, The "Tech Committee" made this decree of all racers at Riverside Raceway. April 1959: all Moon Pedals must have a strap over the top of the toe area. When the foot is pulled back, the throttle shuts down. The idea was to get the throttle to come back since most were connected directly to the Moon Pedal. For some, it was a hassle. The gas coupe classes that actually drove on the street said the strap was not good for quick braking with the right foot. Others said just take the strap off when driving on the street. (two nuts and bolts) So, another rule for safety goes into place. It wasn’t just the Moon Pedals, although they were very popular, but all foot pedals, whether or not, they were aluminum or metal. Shutting off was the problem that was going to be paramount with the straps. Jnaki On our 40 Willys 671 SBC, we did have a Moon Aluminum Foot Pedal that had the holes predrilled for a strap. We tried the strap and yes, it did pull back on the throttle with the foot. We took it off for driving on the street, just in case of an emergency. If the throttle got stuck, the old way was to lean forward and yank the pedal back. Sometimes that just did not work and stay in control.
1959 Riverside Raceway early morning pits Hello, We were drag race fanatics ever since we saw those early racers at Lions Dragstrip near our Long Beach home. We raced our Impala at the drags, cruised all over So Cal, and traveled to other drag strips in the surrounding metropolitan area of Los Angeles. These were the times when you could race your dad’s Buick and still be competitive. Bigger motors from the factories made the little guy look for other forms of competition. Rules, "schmules", racing was in our veins… Everyone tries to make their build look like the cars from the old days of the 50s-60s, some successful and some not so. But, building a hot rod, truck, sedan delivery, etc, takes time and energy. So, it has to be your own satisfaction of the build rather than making it a copy of any era of hot rodding. These early hot rodders at this inland raceway came in their finest roadsters, coupes and sedans. Some to race, while others came to just look around at all of the magnificent machinery created by those ever present backyard hot rodders. This candy red roadster had what looked like the top builders were using at the time. But, the variety of polished Halibrands on the roadster, the chrome reverse on the Corvette and the small smoothie hubcap on the Ranchero presented those different styles. They were all different, but, distinctive, So Cal 50s-60s, looks. The roadster, for cruising, while the Ranchero was busy as a push/tow vehicle. The Corvette could be in the sports car drag racing classes. But, they all came to see the creativity of the others at this all day drag race meet. Jnaki The others? Well, they came to race against the Best in the West.
SATURDAY AT THE DRAGS Hello, The transition of early drag racing brought on plenty of change over the years we were involved. (58-60 actively and sproradically, beyond until Lions closed.) But, sitting in the bleachers just did not do it for us. We had to be involved like we were before. Family and other more important things took precedence during this time. While we were sitting in the bleachers, memories, even back then always became the topic of conversation between rounds. One of the top racers that we saw everywhere we went was the Cyr and Hopper Chassis Research 671 Hemi dragster. That race car and Ted Cyr in the drivers seat was a hard combination to beat for the top eliminator prize. It was this transition time that we just missed seeing the very early Cyr and Hopper carbureted Hemi at the drags. 1957-58 By 1959, then, came the slew of top speed and low E.T. records all over So Cal dragstrips. That team was building up a great portfolio of wins and records: Jan 1959 We saw this FED race at Lions and Riverside in 1959 and they were pretty much unstoppable. Cyr and Hopper from the San Diego area and their FED was the first to go 160 in 1959. We did not get a chance to see them at the Santa Ana Drags, even though they were somewhat nearby. (20+miles) They were at Riverside and Bakersfield when we were filming the races in 1959 and 1960. After their big wins on the west coast drag racing scene, the fastest FED had one last hurrah: My brother and I (and a ton of other racers) were stunned that this record holder was for sale, complete, ready to race. Wow…it was an eye opener. But, $9000 in 1960 has/had the buying power in 2018 of $75466.53. For whatever that is worth. Compared to today's million dollar, top fuel racers, it is a “drop in the bucket…” The new challenge was a Potvin styled 671 in front of an SBC motor, in a lighter, Dragmaster frame. Instantly, it became known as the “Worlds Fastest Chevy.” purple dragmaster: cyr and hopper? The Flying Wedge at Lions
ANOTHER SATURDAY AT THE DRAGS: Adriance Appliance FED from San Diego Hello, The Drag News “Adriance Appliance FED” photo says San Fernando Drag Strip, but the byline, caption, and story says they ran at Colton to win the class at the shortened Dragstrip. We have all heard of ¼ mile drags (1320 ft), ½ mile drags (2640 ft.) These days it is the 1/8 mile drags (660 ft.) that are popular. Finally, the new normal, 1000 ft NHRA top fuel races. But, who in the world had ever heard of the 3/16th mile drags races? (990 feet) Colton Dragstrip was one of the shortest, if not the shortest overall in length, places around. So, it was a specialty drag race event that shortened the regular ¼ mile down to 3/16th of a mile. 1320 down to 990 feet was short for the times, but probably a lot safer for the racers, due to the overall shut down area. Jnaki Adriance Appliance at Riverside 1959 In late December of 1959, Adriance Appliance was one of the So Cal drag racing teams that went against the top Eastern drag racers at Riverside Raceway. The big red scoop made the FED stand out, as there were quite a few 671 hemi motors in Chassis Research frames. Adriance Appliance at Lions 1959-60 We also saw the Adriance Appliance FED race at Lions Dragstrip in the 59-60 era against some of the top drag racers of the time, including the Cyr and Hopper record holder in the new, Dragmaster Chassis. 59 60 61
Drag News April 1959 Hello, One of the things that my brother was able to do before me was to go to the Santa Ana Dragstrip. He did not race, but after he purchased his first 1951 Oldsmobile Sedan, he got the drag racing bug and went there to see what was all of the commotion. When he got home, he told me of guys racing each other and winning some trophies. It just kept getting better when Lions Drag Strip opened in 1955 near our Westside of Long Beach house. But, it was sad that even though I was able to drive in 1959, I did not go to the Santa Ana Dragstrip before it closed in July of 1959. We were too locked in our 58 Impala drag racing scene, just a mile or so away from our Westside of Long Beach house. Jnaki These days before the pandemic, my wife and I drove by the exact spot of the Santa Ana Drags near the original Santa Ana Airport. We had even taken a cool looking 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery from Santa Barbara to the site of an old aircraft theme restaurant for some background authenticity in the photos. Then a short drive away after the dinner hour, we took the final photos of the 1940 sedan delivery for a possible magazine article. It was part of the huge Newport Beach Fashion Island Complex and Business Center. (The big Newport theater) Ever since those photo shoot days, we have been driving down those streets near the OC/Santa Ana Airport many times. The largest industrial complex surrounds the airport and is one of the most busiest areas in this So Cal location. The original drag strip is West of the huge OC/Santa Ana Airport location. It is too bad that there is not a designated historical landmark for the Santa Ana Dragstrip. In nearby Balboa Peninsula, there is a historical landmark for the Rendezvous Ballroom in the parking lot near the Balboa Pier. But, no historic landmark for the first dragstrip that opened in 1950 just 10 miles northeast. Majority rules plays a big game in So Cal. Most of the people in the OC have no idea what those two huge hangars are in Tustin. So, a few miles away at the original site of the Santa Ana Dragstrip? The location is covered up with industrial buildings, so it needs some designation. What a cool project to get some recognition for the original Santa Ana Dragstrip, for a high school junior/senior as a community service class or credit. It certainly would look good on a college application, since test scores are now, not being used for acceptance.
Hello, As we all know, K.S. Pittman was a terror in all of the Gas Coupe/Sedan Classes where he was a competitor. We saw his red 1941 Willys go through several stages from the 1958 time period to our involvement with our own 1940 671 SBC Willys Coupe. At the time of our accident, we were on the way to set a class record in C/Gas and that was with our original 292 c.i. 671 with 6 Stromberg build. We had several items on order and that would have helped us get faster and quicker. Pittman was in the B/Gas class by then. The new order waiting for us, could have been the next step in our progression towards the 1960 U.S. Nationals. But, we also were close to running out of time for painting and full upholstery. The new Hilborn two port injectors, the new Halibrand Wheels-front/rear, and new M&H slicks were what was sitting in a friend's garage in Los Angeles, when I called to tell him to cancel the order and/or send them back. (In September, 1960.) We even had an appointment space designated for a new Stick Hydro from C&O. At first, we thought it was going to be a B&M, but time and money played a part at this stage of the build. Our 1940 Willys build used the narrow 7 inch Bruce Slicks that fit perfectly inside of the rear wheel opening. No body mods were necessary. But, with the inclusion of the steel 15” Chevy bolt pattern rims sitting in our backyard garage, that was going to be the next step. We knew we had to cut out the rear fender for the new wider slicks. Then things happened… Jnaki By then, K.S. Pittman had already modified his rear fenders to accommodate his new wide slicks and mag wheels. Mismatched wheels did not matter, he was faster and still intimidating. But, he was inspiring and made us want to improve our racing in the Gas Coupe and Sedan classes. Then the records came in by the week...
Hello, As a pre teen/then young teen, I was introduced to custom cars and hot rods that were in our neighborhood. But, it was my brother, who was two years older than me and his older friends that were caught up in the drag racing/customizing trend in their sedans and coupes. The advantage of having an older brother was that he could see new things, introduce them to his younger brother and if our mom approved, we were doing something together. Not that he wanted a little kid hanging around his teenage friends. But, for him, it was a way to appease our mom, doing something with the “little brother.” Although I was getting almost as tall as he was at the time, despite being two years younger. Being a nice older brother had its advantages. He took me anywhere I wanted to go in his newly purchased 1951 Oldsmobile sedan. (of course I had to work on his car as a maintenance guy for payment…) Jnaki One day, he came home with a different kind of newspaper. Our dad always had 3-4 copies of local So Cal newspapers always around. He went to the neighborhood liquor store to buy fresh off the press, non-wrinkled or not damaged papers daily. So, this new newspaper that my brothe brought home was different and held my interest. It was an early version of the Drag News weekly paper with all the news of local and national drag racing across the country. My brother had mentioned that he read where a new dragstrip was going to be built near our 2nd Westside of Long Beach house. (the first Westside house was actually within two blocks from the new dragstrip) so, that perked my interest. Over the years, I kept reading Drag News from back then until we moved away to college and life went on as it did. From Drag News April 1,1955 (RED INSERTS FROM TODAY) Old memories are hard to erase and who would want to anyway? We started going there together in late 1957. But my brother, being the older one who was able to do things first, started earlier in the beginning of 1956. On our neighborhood explorations, we would walk across the big empty grassy field, cross the Terminal Island Freeway and climb up the embankment to the top of the railroad tracks. From there, we could see almost a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. If we took a short walk North, to Willow Street or Sepulveda Blvd, on the map, we would have come across the newly developed drag strip stopping point beyond the finish line. First notice of the construction of Lion's Dragstrip from April, 1955.
Hello, As much as Tommy Ivo is associated with his beautiful Buick FED race cars, there was a time when he partnered with a different team of Koper, Hill, and Scoville in a Hemi powered FED. The information comes from listed drag racing sources and verified with some Drag News paper advertisements and stories. Who knew? Donny Koper, Jim Hill (header builder), Don Scoville (modified roadster fame) with Tommy Ivo driving, made up the team for the Hemi powered race car. This is/was a surprise, but early drag racing teams were always looking for the most advantages they could get for their race car. What better than Mr. Lightning Quick, Tommy Ivo. Jnaki But, for you guys that can’t think of anything but Buick powered racecars, here is the one that made the record setting runs and plenty of top eliminator wins in the 1959-60 era. Tommy Ivo single engine, injected Buick FED Then as the need for speed is always in the background for most racers, the progression to added power was done… that was short lived. 671 single Buick power
Hello, For those guys that still think it was Tommy Ivo in nothing but, Buicks, here is something else to whet your appetite. Tommy Ivo Twin "original sound" from 1960 along with Lion's Dragstrip movie. Thanks, LS Jnaki After the HAMB era drag racing timeline of 65 or earlier, the Hemi motor played a big part of Tommy Ivo's entourage. But, in 1958, he did drive a Hemi Powered dragster locally with his friends.
April 1955 Hello, From the time we were introduced to drag racing, we had always admired the lettering on the side door panels of the race cars at Lion’s Dragstrip. First, it was Reath Automotive and then, Joe Mailliard Engineering, etc. But, in doing some deep reading/research, I came across this address for a speed shop we have all come to know as Reath Automotive on 10th Street in Long Beach. The two knowledgeable racers had both worked at McDonell Douglas Aircraft in Long Beach and decided to open up a speed shop together. That was some good news to all local racers and hot rod folks. We were not acquainted with both working together in one place. Our history goes back to Reath Automotive as a single entity in 1956-59. Then finally, in 1958, opening a shop called Joe Mailliard Automotive Engineering on the Westside of Long Beach near our home. Also, Joe Mailliard opening a shop near our Long Beach high school on a busy corner in 1959. The odd thing was, later, it was the home for Mickey Thompson before they moved to Santa Fe Avenue. Jnaki 10th and Cherry Avenue, Long Beach, CA Reath Automotive stayed on 10th and Cherry Avenue until they decided to move to a huge complex on the corner of Cherry Avenue and 33rd street in 1964-65. It was drag race central as most traveling drag racers came to stop and shop here before their Westcoast appearances. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...s-picture-thread.230419/page-28#post-13500537
A small, but powerful race car from the Juggers and Harold Hungerford. The Juggers in the staging area: Bakersfield Smokers March Meet 1960. Hello, The specific race titled the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet had some great significance to all drag racers. It was noted that in the previous year 1959, an East Coast racer, famous in his own right, made the trek in March to race against the “big names” from the West. (We all know the result of that historic first year) For a young teen, there were plenty of cool race cars all over the pits and track areas for photos and film making. It was like being in drag race heaven. 1960 was the second version and now, the top racers had one year to get “the motors running…” During that first year of 1959, some racers made drastic changes and came back strong for the late 1959 So Cal drag racing scene. The March 1960 race was inspiring at what the drag racers built and raced, just a few months later. Juggers, eliminations Bakersfield Smokers Meet 1960 The Juggers had an unusual race car. (a little body, short frame, big motor.) To us, it looked like a little toy ready to race. In the Altered Class, it met its match in the famous Mooneyham-Sharp 1934 coupe. A present day (1960) "David vs Goliath" was in the making. But, as the race unfolded, David did not have a chance in #3$$... Racing the Mooneyham-Sharp coupe from Lakewood was a feat in itself. So, kudos to the little guy. Jnaki Taken from the Bakersfield Smokers Meet film that I took back in the old days. A long drive to get there and back from Long Beach, historic significance, fighting for a spot on the fences, walking all over this huge place, and finally, taking a nap in our car, filled out the long day. The race? Check it out, it is fast, so don't blink. 1960 Bakersfield Smokers March Meet
Hello, The history of Joe Reath and Joe Mailliard has been interesting in that they are wonders of drag racing and drag racing builds. Working together at Long Beach Douglas Aircraft honed their machining skills. When they opened a speed shop at the original Reath Auto Cherry and 10th Street location, it was something. Machining is/was second nature for them and a speed shop was perfect for the times. Then in early 1959, Joe Mailliard opened his own larger corner shop, almost in downtown Long Beach, on a busy street called American Ave. It was the largest street that ran from the ocean to many miles inland into the South Gate area. Then the city changed the name to Long Beach Boulevard in the later years to associate it with the namesake city. This location was just a few blocks from our old high school. The new business with showroom, parts and an open door for garage mechanical work. It was 3 blocks South of our old high school. By late 1958, Joe Mailliard had moved to the Westside of Long Beach several blocks from our home. It was a Westside coup as Lion’s Dragstrip was a few miles away, and there were a lot of small speed shops, drag race parts and manufacturers in the same general industrial area. Jnaki Our history goes back to Reath Automotive as a single entity in 1958-62. In 1958, opening a shop called Joe Mailliard Automotive Engineering on the Westside, near our last Long Beach home. Joe Mailliard then opened a shop near our Long Beach high school on a busy corner. in 1959. They were all great places to buy things, get our Drag News papers weekly and just learn drag racing stuff from the masters. This was the result of those moves: The Sidewinder... real 1959 SOUND
Missing something important in drag racing? Grass roots ring a bell? at 0:36 1959 Lion's Dragstrip "Class Lanes" Hello, One of the things that drew us to drag racing was the ability to use your daily driver at the drags. The intended purpose of opening the Lion’s Dragstrip was to take the hot rods off of the street and allow them a safe place to race against each other. It worked for many years at most local dragstrips. Speed Engineering- Jr. Thompson B/Gas Class Pop off the hubcaps and race your best friend in his hot rod for bragging rights. That was simple and true. But, as the years wore on and the need to go faster was always in competition, things began to change. Now, it was, spend the big bucks to get a faster motor or modifications and then go beat your best friend. At least, the 1959-60 era was still run your best street legal car against your friends at the local dragstrips. We found out that it drew a lot of people just to come out and watch the races. But, as our involvement stepped up to a faster hot rod build, things were changing. Jnaki More sponsorship equated to more money spent on faster motors, bigger engines and it was starting to change as the big-name sponsors took over. So, by 1964-65, most everyone could see the writing on the wall. The total coverage of the weekly dragstrip competition was by class, from top dragsters to the neighborhood sporty cars racing each other. But, as sponsors had nothing to do with the lower level of competition, the top dragsters took over the competition and narrowly "eeked" out the other classes to eliminator classes. Even the Drag News reporting weekly changed to cover the top eliminator races and not so much what was left of the sportsman classes. A class of everyday normal street racers time had come and the competition classes were given last rites. So much for taking the racing off of the streets, as initially was the whole idea of dragstrips. Street Roadster Pickups Stock car racing 4 across Street Roadsters Jr Thompson Jim Morris Sports Car classes
My drag race day was on Sunday (after church......such was life growing up in the deep south/Bible belt). Mid 60's was the time line. Watching SS/Stock...yep that's right Super/Super. These were 427 powered Thunderbolts/Falcons...396/427 power Chevy II's ... StageIII(or 4?)426 Dodge and Plymouths. The AWB came a couple years later.... Gene Cromer's 427FE Willys was the man to beat.... Narrow 1/4 mile strip that actually went up hill! Once past the finish line... the shut down area was a steep down hill grade where some guys swore they picked UP speed! The really quick cars got to turn around & come back down the strip because the return road was dirt! We were separated from the action by a broke down chainlink fence. We could almost touch the cars as they went down!! (No danger here folks...there was a sign at the entrance stating the drag strip was NOT responsible for accidents...We all good here!} Several clutch explosions ended up raining hot clutch debris over all of us!! The big guys went through the "ritual" of spreading rosin/dancing dust from the starting line for about 20 feet. Then... we were treated to several hot & smokey burnouts across the starting line until the flagman finally put a stop to the show. Then... a couple of "quick jumps"/dry hops to the line. There never a huge amount of cars but the ordeal written above for EACH run made for a truly exciting Day at the Starlight Drag Strip. 6sally6
I used to ride in the push car sometimes mom would be the driver. ‘59 olds was our push car family car
A 1940 Ford Gas Coupe (primered) on the return road behind the action on the dragstrip... Photo/film by James Nak. Hello, One of the most unusual things that did not show up, were other makes in the Gas Coupes and Sedan classes at Lion’s Dragstrip during this time period. We had our favorites and they were a 1937 Chevy, and a 1941 Studebaker, along with a red 1941 Willys Coupe. Recently, as I was editing some old films, I ran across some movement in the background of the Tapia Brothers/Hoffman FED film. While some teenager in a Pendleton Shirt was watching the Tapia Brothers stage, a primered 1940 Ford coupe rolls by under power on the competitor’s return road. The primered coupe must have caught my attention as I turned to see what it was at :15 into the film. Tapia Brothers FED at :16 Back then, the rules stated that all Gas Coupes and Sedans had to be under their own power, with no tow trucks or push cars involved. The idea was based on all competitors being street legal and under their own power, like driving to the grocery store. On the return road, the tow trucks were allowed, but not for the staging area like the Dragsters, Altereds, and Modified Roadster Classes. Jnaki Despite the disadvantage of the Flathead powered 1940 Ford coupe vs 1940 Willys Coupe of approximately 180-200 lbs, the 40 Ford was a standard for a street hot rod and did show up to make runs at Lion’s Dragstrip in the 58-60 era. They were there with their V8 motors of varying sizes in different street legal classes, but, if one thing was not legal, like non working headlights, then they got placed into the Altered classes. But, some of the V8 street coupes gave it their all against the top competitors in those street legal Coupes and Sedan classes. One of the only early drag racing film clips with actual 1959 “SOUND” from Junior Thompson/Speed Engineering, Long Beach.
1964 Hello, In the heydays of the summer of 1964, the A/FX cars were the big thing at dragstrips. Factory stock bodied cars like anyone could buy at the local neighborhood car dealers, with a little extra modifications. Ha! That is what made those classes so popular leading up to the modified classes and finally, in few years, the funny car circus came to towns across the USA. Everyone in the stands that had an affordable Mercury Comet was a proud racer and associated with what was going on down on the dragstrip. This aspect of drag racing had been around since the early years. But, with the USA factories participating, it was closer to normal cars sold at the local automobile dealers showrooms and lots. Jnaki Now, at the so called “drag racing events publicized” is a long way from a resemblance of a car on the streets. The multi-million dollar budget is disguised with light weight fiberglass/plastic bodies that look like they should be on the launch pad at Cape Kennedy, all in the name of the mighty dollar… 2017
The photo is from the 1964 era with the yellow tower and safety fence that got put up for protection. The photographer (right side corner on a pole or ladder) is right by the ambulance driver’s location. The new safety fence blocked the original ground location access and the photographer had to be on a ladder of the telephone fence post for the shots. Hello, In 1959-60, since I was an amateur photographer/film maker, I was relegated to standing behind the chain link fences, up in the stands fighting the crowds on each run, or down the spectator side with a non- telephoto lens on my fixed lens 16mm movie camera. They weren’t the best place for filming the action down on the dragstrip. But, during the times those teenagers came over to watch the developed color films playing on our home movie projector on a wall, then on a real movie screen made it all worthwhile. The 16mm projector was reel to reel and the threading the film into the tiny sprockets was a chore every time we wanted to see those movies. I had to edit them in one larger metal reel. Watching the small reels was definitely a chore and sometimes not worth the effort, so I was usually hard at work using the editing machine. Jnaki The two brothers talking with Mr. Childers from the Dilday Mortuary Ambulance Service in downtown Long Beach. In late 1959, I found out that I could wander around the pits bleachers, around the orange tower and stand next to the Pontiac ambulance driver, Mr. Childers. He was hired by the local L.B. based, Dilday Mortuary. By talking to Mr. Childers, whenever any security guard came by, we both nodded our heads as if we knew him and since Mr. Childers is the driver, the guards thought I was a part of that company. sample of tower side filming at :16 sec I got some great shots as it got into the 1959-60 season. But, the movies are a little different as the race cars came right at you and the shots were short, but clear. The other side of the track was where the professional photographers were usually standing and if I went back, I would have to be behind them. On the tower side, it was a direct shot to the starting line area. The direct photo/filming angle from the ambulance location was thrilling as the race cars came zipping by at a tremendous speed and that sound was penetrating !!! So, for the following years the dragstrip made the color change and safety improvements. Now, I was relegated to going back over to the spectator’s side fence for the drag racing filming location. Behind the pro photographers, the grassy area between the actual drag strip and spectators was the Westside safety barrier. 1964 Lion's Dragstrip color change and safety barriers SWC black Willys Coupe 1964 Yellow Tower safety fence
Hello, $1500 in 1959 for a record breaking Hemi Motor from the Chet Herbert/Gary Cagle camp? That works out to about $15k in today’s market. We had seen Gary Cagle’s yellow Chet Herbert /Torco FED in the pits at Lion’s Dragstrip from 1959-60, racing and doing the same at Riverside + Bakersfield, too. It was one fast FED and the races were exciting. 1959 December Riverside Raceway Jnaki My brother and I could not get over the fact that they wanted to sell this powerful, record setting motor. At the time, our plans were to get a Model A coupe for the Gas Coupe and Sedan class, so this motor would have put us in the A/Gas class, with easy pickings and a national record to boot. But, $1500 in 1959 was almost half of the cost of a new Chevy sedan. Sheesh! Money was always a factor, but think of the acceleration inside of the Model A or a 40 Willys Coupe on the green light!!! Yowzah!!! photo by Doug Peterson… thanks Last but not least, thanks to @FuelRoadster for the actual sound recording that I added to my film clip. power at its finest...
Hello, As I was doing some research on Clay Smith Cams, I kept remembering it was located on West Gaylord on the Westside of Long Beach. It was several blocks near our Westside of Long Beach house. But, people kept saying the Clay Smith Cams was located in the Signal Hill/Long Beach area on Spring Street. We knew of the Clay Smith Cams on Spring Streeet, but when they moved near our Westside of Long Beach house , it was right there, a short bicycle ride away. Around the corner was Speed Engineering, the Tom McEwen/Ronnie LeGrand Speed Shop on Harbor Ave, too. Down the street was Venolia Pistons and other race car manufacturing places. Joe Mailliard's Shop, Mickey Thompson's Shops over the years were also in the Westside industrial tract near our house, too. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...an-in-california.1196150/page-2#post-13618030 Clay Smith was one of the early pioneers in camshaft design and manufacturing. The So Cal company started in the mid 1940s as Smith and Jones Camshafts. In the 1950s, it became Clay Smith Cams. By this time, they had a shop in Signal Hill area of Long Beach and then moved 3 blocks from our house in the Westside of Long Beach. It was a short bicycle ride to the shop from our house. After he died in an accident, his wife took over and continued with the company. My brother and I used to go there along with Joe Mailliard’s Speed Shop that was nearby for our daily or weekly drag racing fix. As we got older, a Clay Smith Cam was going to be in our early hot rods and in the 1940 Willys 671 SBC coupe. But for some reason, my brother got on this Howard Cam Company kick and purchased many parts for our build, including a Howard roller cam for the supercharged SBC motor. Jnaki Clay Smith Cams has one of the longest histories in the hot rod/drag racing world. It continues, even today, in Orange County, near Knott's Berry Farm. Signal Hill area of Long Beach Westside of Long Beach location For many spectators in the Lion’s Dragstrip and other dragstrips in So Cal in those early times, Glen Stokey’s Red Hemi powered FED race car was the “Clay Smith Cams” dragster. It was painted a bright Red and the Woodpecker design was prominent on the side of the FED. A friend of Clay Smith drew the original Woodpecker logo, was trademarked in the 40s and put on most of the vehicles associated with Clay Smith Cams. Walter Lantz, the Hollywood cartoonist, created Woody Woodpecker after asking for permission, as long as it did not interfere with motorsports or any automotive venture. old Friday Art: Extra Notes: “Pete Bertrand started grinding cams for sprint car racers. Pete was born in Mexico in 1902, while his father was the superintendent of a large silver mine. He grew up in Nebraska on his father’s farm, and by the 1920’s, Pete was racing throughout the Midwest in the P.E.B. Special, named for his brother Ernie and himself.“ “Like so many other young men, the lure of Hollywood and Southern California was irresistible to a young man who was bored with farm life. By the 1930’s he was racing on the West Coast, and finished 8th in the A.A.A. Pacific Coast Sprint Car racing league in 1934, driving for the Morales brothers and other owners. He was a daring and dashing figure on the track until a disastrous accident in early 1935 put him in the hospital. That is where he met Esther, a nurse, who cared for him and married him. Esther asked Pete to quit racing after a second accident in 1935, and he opened up a cam grinding business in Long Beach, California, in order to stay close to the sport that he loved." "Pete’s main competitor in the cam grinding business was Ed Winfield. The local hot rodders and racers would buy cams from Bertrand or Winfield, depending on whether they were from the East side of Los Angeles, or the West side of town. Pete came down with pneumonia in 1942, and passed away at the young age of 40. One of his employees, Clayton Sherman “Clay” Smith, purchased the business from the estate and renamed the company Clay Smith Cams.” “He married Ruthelyn, a lovely and vivacious lady, and together they built up the business with the famous redheaded, cigar smoking woodpecker logo. She sold the business to partner Howard Jerome in the 1960’s, and Jerome sold Clay Smith Cams to George Striegel in 1968, who moved the company to Buena Park, CA.” By Richard Parks
Nov 1956 Hello, When we first saw Jim Miles Red 1934 Ford 3 window Coupe at Riverside Raceway in 1959, it was impressive. Riverside Raceway So Cal But, we actually saw it earlier in a Drag News weekly paper we used to get at our neighborhood shops. At the time, it was just one of those photos and we never gave it much thought. We were knowledgeable about our friend’s 1934 5 window Ford Coupe and there was a tie or two between those fast coupes. They both raced at the local, So Cal drag strips. We did not get any photos or films of the one we saw in the Drag News, but in December of 1959, we saw it on a trailer in the pits of the Riverside Raceway pits. It was parked near the Red Fiat Coupe from Bixby Knolls. Rasner, McEwen, Reath Automotive Jim Miles 1934 Fuel Altered Coupe 1959 Riverside Raceway pits Jim ran the '34 before his dark Violet Fiat, 34 Fuel Altered Coupe… "ch,ch,ch……changes.” 1959 to… Old Friday Art It was a natural for me to draw a 34 three window coupe, although the overall lines are never the same. The only change that my brother had was to suggest that if Jim Miles went to Bonneville, that he take off the wire wheels and put on another solid wheel with a Moon Disc. Jim Miles Riverside 1959 Then, the next step in the progression was the Dark Purple Fiat Altered Coupe. The First "Magic Muffler" Topolino It is not the famous blown crank photo of the Magic Muffler Fiat Coupe. It is the Dark Purple Altered of the earliest Magic Muffler Fiat Coupe prior to the change over to the minimal Fiat Light Purple Coupe. The bright Purple Fiat was the first Fiat Altered in Jim Miles’ build list. “In 1961, the combination of business art and freedom of expression coalesced into one metallic organism in the form of a particular racecar, a ‘48 Fiat Topolino bored-and-stroked 331 Chrysler Hemi, powered by copious globs of nitromethane. This was the “Magic Muffler” AA/Fuel Altered, a rolling, playful purple pipebomb. It was like an Andy Warhol portrait of a soup can morphed into an atomic missile.” Jnaki But we are all awed and amazed at the history of the cadre of Fiat Coupes leading up to the Light Purple Fiat explosion and the final re-creation version.
When you say drag strip daze, are you referring to the feeling you get when you accidentally inhale nitro fumes? Lol
Hello, In 1957, Mickey Thompson was the manager at Lion’s Dragstrip. He was part of the package from the origins in the beginning of the drag racing creation since the opening day 1955. October 9, 1955 was opening day, Mickey and his staff prepared for a crowd of 2500 attendees but received over 10,000 spectators, racers, and over 400 cars. The overwhelming success of Lion’s enabled the initial loans to build the facility to be paid off in less than two years. But, after several years, he had a bright (pun intended) idea to add lights to the facility and run the races into the night, giving folks additional times to spend at the drags. Most spectators left after the last top eliminator race and the drag strip closed down the strip facilities. So, they left. But, the racers started packing up their stuff and tried to end the conversations of the excitement of that night’s races. That went on for a couple of hours, in the dark. Jnaki The winner of the opening day in 1955 was now in the continued build/rebuild mode and was able to keep his winning ways going on during our filming days 4 years later. Jack Chrisman driving the Ed Losinski FED in the 59-60 season… NOTE: At the :14 spot of the film, check out the black 58 Impala in the staging area pushed against the far fence, waiting in line to make the runs in the A/Stock class races. The first 58 Impala is not ours. There is something that is sticking up in the air over the 2nd black 58 Impala. It was my brother watching me in the back of the staging area taking movies and he knew I was filming his car sitting there for his run coming up next. Later on, after the developing of the 16mm color film, he told me to watch out for the Ed Losinski films and of his Impala in the far right side of the starting line area. Wait, was that a “Fickle Finger Of Fate” innocuously showing up in the “pose?” Note 2: Jack Chrisman was a busy guy as he was contracted to drive the Ed Losinski FED in competition and he was also the main driver of the famous Sidewinder race car from the Joe Mailliard stables, at the same time.
The Jalopy Journal
