Great Oregon Racers

Mike, You weren't one of those inmates were you?

 

Ron Salisbury out of Corvallis, the "Rumbler". BTW all of these latest photos are courtesy of my old racing partner and friend of 54 years, Bobby Mead.

 

Bizzy: I've been looking for that same issue of HRM. There's some background on the strip (now Champion Raceway) on my blog. The 'Pancake Panel' sounds like Mike Gilhousen's car (had 'Medford, Oregon' lettered on panel sides) - I ran a '58 sedan at the same time he had his.

Scotty

 

More of the Hardtops that raced at Hillsboro, Carlton and St. Helens. The valley Tire 3w coupe with Marion Hoff driving, crashed in a heat race at St.Helens. Marion's brother in law, Bob Mead Sr. made repairs by welding it back together with a cutting torch, they went on to win the 'A' main that day! The one shot of the 32 5W belonged to Jay Calender I believe. The 34 coupe was raced by Harvey James. Harvey also drag raced it at Scapoose. Two of the shots were taken in the infield at Portland Speedway, the other from the grandstand at Hillsboro.

 

Sorry the pictures didn't load. In the shot of the #32, the snappy dressed guy is Jake Roth, owner of the 32 3w.

 

Woodburn 1966, Salem's Gary Lewis in the willys,I have a movie from McMinnville of Gary racing the 'Brewer and Maki' green Anglia. Next to the tower I spy Mike Serratt's 66F100, Mike was a whizz on keeping the timing equipment working, and he was a great announcer as well.

 

That's the guy, last time I saw him was probably around '62, he was driving a 55 Chevy 4 door. At the time I was all impressed with a guy named Errol Amrien, drove a 49 Ford, red called Wicked Ruby, it was a period piece, rear roll pan, frenched head lights, dumped it for a 55 Mainline, he used to run that @ Woodburn in the 2bbl class. I asked him how come no 4bbl, he said he could get close to the Chevies with a 4bbl. Amrien worked @ Tektronix assembling carts. Made enough money doing that to drive a pretty neat hot rod in the day and a couple years later bought a little house in Cedar Hills. Them was good days, now when I go to Portland, can't take the traffic.

 

Marty,
I believe Marvin Loy owns the S&M Gun Shop in Eugene now....

 

Ah...... well............ a................. huh....................
I can't answer that as I have another year in the witness protection program.
Mike

 

I was running SS at Portland with Dell Hadly when the High Wallers brought out that chevelle with the at that time brand new 400 small block. They had some bad luck at first but were solid competitors.

 

Randy, Your are right, I used to shoot trap with him, he told me he sold guns to the criminals and handcuffs to the police, he is a character! I sent him the original 8x10 photo.

 

Mike, Wasn't Dell in the push truck assn, he had a black 66 F100 with a 428 in it? Another push truck guy I miss is Art Johnson, great guy, died in his 40's I think. Didn't Art Roth drive for the 'High Wallers'?

 

More pics, Webb Bros, and Jim 'The Rock' Rockstad

 

Mr. Pete One (Was you the brother to a guy named "Repete " ????
People would axe their name ? An, they'd say "Pete", and "Repete",
and they'd ask again, "What's your names ?

What you said a'bout being from Outta State , Rang My Bell Significuntly !
Had that Happen, Too Fricken Many Times !!! An, Trophys.........Never could figger out How To Eat One ! I'wants "Cash", Well (quote), "this trophy Cost $ 100.00 American Dullers !!! ". Gimmie tha' Hunnert , an YOU Keep The "Gold", Ok ?
Have a Best Day Ever, Today !

Smoked Up, Up, and AWAY ! It's a Bird ?, No a Planr, NO !, It's.......

 

Pete1
What the hell does a promoter have to do with real drag racers???

 

You're from California and wouldn't understand. :0

 

Columbia Racing Engine was putting together the Rat motor for my altered at the time McCulloch went for his wild ride. I was down there several times after it happened and overheard the way they told the story to their buddies. I believe it happened early on a Saturday morning. They had just put the car back together and were getting ready for the sunday races. They fired it on Union ave. (push start??) and the throttle cracked full on. Something was wrong with the linkage. They said Ed was "blasting up the street trying to twist the kill switch wires together". Evidently the switch wasn't hooked up. When the car hit the light just south of the shop the front end got run over by a car. If it had not hit the car it would have continued on to the viaduct over the railroad tracks. When the story was being told it was told with some humor, but they were still pretty shaky. They loaded up what was left of the car and drove to LA. The new front frame section was ready when they got there, was welded on and they retuned within a few days. If I remember right (it was 50 years ago) I was shown where the frame was fish-mouthed and welded together. I think they went racing the next weekend. Thanks to everyone for their input. It brings back a lot of memories. Norm

 

The HAMB is a wonderful thing, the people you meet, that are in your own backyard, make it special. Norm (NORSONAUTO), sent me a pm the other night about quickchange rearend parts. We got on the phone and in our conversation he told me about an Altered he built in the mid-60's, the next morning he sent the color pictures I have posted. I forwarded the pics to my friend Bobby and he sent me the newspaper article he had saved for over 40 years. It was Norm's car with a SBC in it. I have known the guy in the article for 55 years. Norm had lost track of his car and did not know about the cars racing record. This is fun!

 

Sorry I guess I cannot upload the newspaper article.

 

Marty
I can't thank you enough. When I sold it, the car went one way the motor went another. The guy I sold the motor to got drafted and while he was gone someone stole it. I just put the car out of my mind. I think Rocksted?? ended up with it. Put a new cage on it (it was made for a very short person) and rear suspension. I lost track of it at that point. I didn't know it was successfully raced. It makes me feel good to know that. Norm

 

One thing I forgot. The Endrele injection. It was one of the first run of six made. At one point someone borrowed it from me and put it on-top of some warranty chev parts and put it into a rail. I heard it ran 200.
Another story from the '60s. One of the guys from the Slo Pokes came into the Chevy dealership I worked at in Vancouver. He wanted to buy some 409 rods. He wanted to put them into his Desoto engine. He wanted longer rods so he could reduce the piston speed,etc. I've often wondered if he did it and how it worked. Norm

 

Jalopy 45
I was born and raised in Oregon. I understand plenty

 

I think Art Roth sounds right. Dell was president of the NWPCA while I was a member and Art and Frank Jonson were my wifes uncles and good frends, I used to work for them on weekends for parts. Art was our major sponsor for the car and a great guy, he passed away in his late 40s and Frank died a couple of years ago. I miss those guys. We had Freddy Kennets old car and scrounged parts off Bell and Swazy, Been a long time since I thought about this, thanks for reminding me. That Push Car club was great fun. I don't have a lot of pictures from back then but here's one of Art and a couple of the car, we did alright for a bunch of back yard builders.

 

Mike, speaking of Bell, you must mean 'Larry', I did some work for Larry, on his Dwarf Car, he was a real fun, good guy. We lost him way too soon. I worked with 'Butch Johnson' at Freightliner, he was good fabricator and racer. On the subject of Art Johnson, my brother had "Reedville Auto Wrecking" on the quarter panels of his 58 Ford Stock Car that he raced at the Salem Speedway. Art bought my brother's "Water Pumper" dune buggy, with a big block Ford engine. He was quite a guy. BTW I have a small book on the history of the NWPCA, I would be happy to send it to you. PM me.

 

Norm, If someone from Vancouver came in to buy rods to use in a Desoto, my guess it would have been, Earl Floyd, he is still running one! In about 1977 at Seattle, he had a Bruce Cassidy FED (that he still owns), with an injected Desoto, he ran 7.22 at 199mph. Earl can do more with less, that anyone I know.

 

I just came across this thread, really awesome! I'm in contact with Roger Simonatti and Ron Love, two early Scappoose racers. Love was a starter at Scappoose. Al Drake has a number of b & w pictures of early races there. I'll show these pictures around and see if they can identify any cars.

Cheers! Roger

 

Marty
I was almost sure it was Floyd, but that was a very long time ago and I only had that one conversation. It stuck with me because he introduced me to a whole new element to engine building.
Somewhere around that same time I bought a '33 Willys coupe body from another Slo Poke (he had a T touring). I had the body for a while but never did anything with it and sold it to a guy that was moving to Pendleton?? He told me a the things he was going to do to it, a chop, late model hemi, 871 blower, etc. I figured he was just day dreaming. I later found out he did exactly what he said. I think it was white. Always wondered what happened to the car.

 

Hey Mike,
The pictures were posted by Mr Model T, i just quoted on his post. There are afew members of our club Road Angels who were at Scapoose from the beginning, with the Columbia Timing Assoc. Including Simonatti, Love, and a couple others (I'd list names, but need to verify) Hopefully we can identify some cars and people in T's photos, and perhaps find other photos to post. Has anyone spoken to Al Drake? He is also a Road Angel from the early 50s. I know he has alot of artifacts from the early days....

Also, a buddy of mine in high school (late 60s) lived across the street from vollsted. We'd hear him fire up engines in his garage.

 

Yea, I just got excited. been following this thread for quite a while .

 

Norm, Here are the two guys you mentioned, Jack Coonrod was the Slo-Pok with the Touring and Steve McGee was the guy from Pendelton.