History Hot Rod History and Photos Dallas Texas 1949 on -Caddo Mills Drag Races

Carl Stone Rollin Stone B street roadster. (person in car unidentified). Photo credit - Don Breithaupt

 

DCB Coupe - owner/driver Don Breithaupt - 1960. The purpose built drag cars had really developed by 1960 compared to the days of early 50's (photo credit - Don Breithaupt)

 

I am not from Texas, but boy am I glad I came across this thread. Thanks - the pictures and commentaries are great!

 

Karl,
I'll attempt to tell you briefly..I was sitting in study hall during my senior year and there was a copy of Hot Rod magazine being passed around,like many others there not doing any studing(Hahahaha)
I was impressed with all the articles.The fellow that has brought the magazine was a fellow classmate and happened to drive a 41 Ford coupe.lowered in rear,fenderskirts and a beautiful sounding set of Porters...I was driving a 30 Ford coupe and removed the fenders to make it a highboy..as seen in the HotRod Magazine,,I was not a "jock" in my senior year,just happened to take "shop" class to learn things mechanical.After my senior year,I like many guys went to work in a service station.one day I passed a house in a not too good neighborhood that had a 32 roadster sitting in the driveway,,highboy style.Of course I stopped to look.It had a wiring fire under the dash and was not drivable.I inquired at the house and yes they would sell it..`$300.00 and it was mine. towed it home,repaired the wiring and drove it,,
This roadster had a flathead at the time I bought it but later I found out that it had been built for a 6cyl
Ford flathead..by Herschel Pritchett..
next chapter...while working at the service station,a new employee started and we became friends because of our hotrod interests,,Bill Collins was his name,, Bill had a friend named Bobby Langley that was building the Scorpion 1 dragster,,Bill and I became part if Bobbys pit crew..not too long after, Bill got his draft notice..We had a customer at the service station that was the recruiting Sargent in the Dallas office.Bill and I teasing asked him"Hey Sarge,see what you can do for Bill with his draft notice"..By God.I will he said..make a long story short,He got Bill stationed with him in the local recruiting office,where he stayed for his entire military time span.And we still got to travel with Langley to the races.
NEXT
We had a customer at the service station also named Charlie Adams,,Charlie had just has his main man,Murray Oxman,leave his employ so he,knowing I was a hotrodder,asked me to come work for him.which I did.. In those days,there were not very many speed shops so all the main manufacturers
would come to sell us their parts,This is where I met so many of them,,Geo Hurst.Joe Hrudka,Fred
Offenhauser,Harry Weber,Aaron Fenton,Vic Edelbrock,Els Lohn among others...Custom Automotive
did all sorts of machine work,boring,balanceing so we had a large shop area,We also hosted many of the Calif racers when they were out on tour.guys like Romeo Palimedes,Hugh Tucker,Dick Bourgoise
Calif Speed Sport,and Stone woods &Cook...SWC were there the most as they were always going somewhere for a match race,,they were there so often,that i invited Doug and his little brother Ray
to stay at my home to save hotels..which they did..
Charlie and I attended the very first trade show in Calif,before it was called SEMA,,I recall the banquet
as we sat with Roy Richter,Gary Gabelich,Harry Weber and his beautiful daughter,
Charlie later sold out Custom Automotive to a Butch Lahmann and was changed to American Speed
Warehouse,, I went on to Sigman-Pittman Dist then as a buyer,,,from there I went to being a manuf Rep,where I worked until retirement,,rep for Hedman,Moroso,Mallory and MSD to name some that I worked for
You asked my favorite car,,,well it was the Trowell-Turner roadster,,
I still see the wife of the guy that had the Hotrod mag in study hall,Her husband has died but I still remind her that it was her husband that gave me my lifes work,,I see her at class reunions..
I also remember you Karl,going to Bakersfield with Bill,I and a guy named Kerry..dont remember the year,sorry.
Keep up the work on the history here on the HAMB
Any more questions,just ask
Bobby Wolcott,nearing 82 yrs old

 

Thanks a million Mr. Wolcott, for taking the time to share your piece of the past here on the HAMB! Much, much appreciated.


Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Hey Karl,,The photo in post #181 cannot be Carl Stone,,His car alright but not him in it..Carl never had that much hair,,

 

Thanks from me, too, for these memories and for your help across that counter. Can't help but think about the great smells coming out of the Mrs. Baird's bakery just up the street.
Really looking forward to more great pics and memories. Keep them coming.

 

That was a great little read Bobby, thank you for telling it!

 

PMs sent...oops sorry,Conversation to all responders

 

What a great thread. Keep the photos and stories coming.

 

Thanks for your great post Bobby. You saw firsthand the development of the speed equipment industry. The Trowell/Turner roadster must have been quite a site around Dallas when you had it. I will be posting some photos by Bill Collins.

 

Mr Wollcot, hope your well, miss seeing you around, let me know next time you come to dallas

 

I know this is a Dallas thread, but here is a car built in Houston and raced all over Texas in the late 50s and early 60s. This was the Jimmy Green Special owned and built by Don Madison and Phillip Miles. The second picture is the same car later in the early 60s. Anyone having more info on this car would be appreciated.

 

Hi Rusty,,,Thank you for your comment and concern...I keep up to date with all your postings here.
You just arent here as often as in days of old...same for your pop..Maybe I can come to the next Yello Belly meet if I can get Dan Evans to come with me..Tell Danny Hello for me..
Bobby

 

Hello Mr Bobby, good read.
Get after Uncle Daniel about coming. I talked to him last week.
Doc

 

Thanks Doc...hope youre still being good to Colins old coupe..

 

Great read, thanks for the history lesson!

 

Very interesting thread here! Very enjoyable seeing all the old pictures of the early 1950's flathead powered hot rods from Texas. Would anyone have any information regarding the Alamo Timing Association from San Antonio Texas and drag racing at the Kerrville airport in the early 1950's? I have a survivor 1927 T hot rod that raced at Kerrville and maybe elsewhere in Texas in the early 1950's and I am trying to track down prior history and any other information on it. If anyone has a copy of Jan. 1954 Hot Rod magazine, my 27 T is pictured in this issue. The article in this issue of Hot Rod magazine is titled Texans Take To Timing and I have the white 27 T in the background of one of the pictures that was referred to as a Supersonic T. I'm wondering if the distance between Dallas and San Antonio would have been just too far for hot rods from San Antonio to compete at Caddo Mills and vice versa for hot rods from Dallas to compete at Kerrville or would either of these two groups be associated in any way at all. Thanks and I am looking forward to seeing more pictures and commentary.

 

Quickchange....Texas is very very large state,,,it was nothing for racers from San Antonio,Houston and all around the state to come race at Caddo Mills. Same for us Dallas racers to run at SanAntonio,
Houston or anywhere else...post up a photo of your car,maybe some of old geezers will know the answer to your inquiry..We even took our race car all the way down to Monterey,Mexico in 1958
Bob Wolcott

 

I can only echo what others have said, great thread!! So much Texas history here..thanks to all for sharing memories!

 

Bobby mentioned Bill Collins as being his friend. I am going to post some more pictures of Carl Stone's cars from Bill Collins photo album. The identification marks are from Bill. Maybe someone can shed the light on Carl Stone and his cars. His '32 B/street roadster still survives. Carl had other cars as well including this 3w coupe.

 

Carl Stone was in the Rod Benders club of Dallas.

 

Bill Collins owned the Carl Stones '32 roadster for awhile in the early 60's.

 

Karl
In those photos of Bills..One has marked Paul Davis...Paul still attends the geezer reunion every year,,Paul always ran a flathead dragster,Now in his 90s
The Other one with Chas Smith(Dummy) is living in Okla now and still active in jr/fuel racing,,he also attends the geezer reunion in Dallas every Dec. The nickname Dummy was given him by Carl Stone as Chas was so young at the time,,
Thanks,Bobby

 

Great photo of Don Breithaupt and the DCB coupe in 1955

 

The Chaparrals would travel to race at Kerrville and at San Antonio in central Texas. Here are some rare photos from 1953-1954 in Kerrville.
Pat Weise - Dallas