History Redondo Beach Drifters Car Club

^ thats what racings all about,cool story

 

Great story Nes! Thanks for sharing it here

 

Hi Nes, I guess I stop getting notices if someone posted to this thread. It's great reading a story about the photo's I posted in 55 & 56. I am still trying to get my sister to find all the photo's she says she has in storage. I got on HAMB today to see some of the photo's of the Petersen Museum because we are taking our son there this week. Thanks again for sharing, Tina the daughter of Bill (nicknamed Barney) Vornholt - Redondo Drifter

 

Its GREAT to read these posts!My father(Don Stahr) was a member of the drifters from the mid 50s till they borke apart in 59-60, I think?Sadly my father passed away in 08.But I do have his plaque,Jacket & pics I'll try to post some.Im in process of restoring his 28 roadster p/u of course the plaque will go on it.RIP DAD

 

And if im not mistaking I think the Drifters & Millwinders shared a garage at some point? And the hot rod cover pic in 54 was takin here at Paradise-mesa in San Diego.Also the Drifters held either the ETor speed record at Lions for a time.

 

I knew Barney from being around the Drifters garage. I think I was 14 and my pal, Gary Page was 15. If you think that guy has your Dad's car, if it is original, he painted the dash a kind of a rootbeer gold before he knew he was going to paint it orange. Von Dutch striped it. I think it was just around the hood ornament and the decklid latch. Then in very very small letters under the decklid latch he, Von Dutch, put F... You. That was "Von Dutch", he was known for doing things his way.
Gary did become a Drifter, the big blonde guy, Wurn in the pictures married my sister. Wurn always spoiled me, let me drive and race his cars. The motor that was in the 96 I ran on the street in my black 40 coupe. Gene Woods had a nice green 40 coupe, in my mind I can still see it sitting across the street from King Coles. King Coles was a local hangout in Redondo Bch for any body with cars. Bones met Mary there. Me, Gary, and your Dad as well as others got Bones wedding car ready. It was a 28 Buick with separate compartment for the driver. It was a neat old car, I think he paid $50.00 for it.
I haven't talk to Nes in a long time, Dick Plumleigh came to see us here in the desert, he's still a hot rodder.
The Drifters garage was BIG, it was an old venetian blind company that Wurn rented for the Millwinders. It held a whole lot of cars. In fact I bought my first 40 ford from Herb Madrid. I knew the whole family. There was a big room inside the shop with couches and everything, including a dance floor. Me and Gary painted the bathroom door green and wrote "Green door" on it, from the song. I heard later some of the elders didn't care for our decorating. They threw a big party and that's where I first met my future brother inlaw, Emil Wurn. My sister sees Dick Little and he's doing fine. I love thinking back on those days, they were GREAT.
Nes, if your out there email me.

 

What was really great was riding dirt bikes in the desert for about 20 years... I still have the Maico... Nes

 

I haven't been on this site in a while and it is great to see the recent post. I came across some new photo's so if I have time later I will post them.

 

Dave (King Coles)... how is the family.. I miss Wurn... [email protected]

 

This has humbeld me so much what a great history lesson. hands down

 

I hit the jackpot today, my mom was finally cleaning out her garage and she found my dad's Redondo Drifter plaque. I knew it had to be on his work bence somewhere, but you couldn't reach his work bence. She called me up and I just got home with it. The orange paint is completing gone. But it is pretty cool to have this keepsake from my dad, so I thought I would share.

 

Do any of you from Redondo Beach Drifters club remember Wally Henrich? He was part owner of H& H Body Shop.

 

here is the car plaque we found of dads

 

how are you i just bought a car from the redondo beach area. the car is a 1957 vette the name LIZARD old street and drag car. trying to find some history on the car, it was owned by JIM RUSSELL of redondo beach and it has a name on the trunk that says SOUTH BAY RACING ASSN. the car is red and white any ideas ??? you can call me at 845-399-2835 thank you.

 

I hope someone has info for you, I wouldn't even know where to start. It would be great to see a picture of the car, maybe that would help someone place it.

 

how are you..are you originally from that area? redondo beach if so do you remember a club called the south bay racing assn. drag racers from ontario and pomona racetracks?trying to hunt down some history on a 1957 corvette. thanks

 

Also a great history lesson for me as my daughter in law was searching for info about our family and said who's "BONES". I said that's my dad. So I don't know much about the Drifters but I have some pictures of some of the old cars. Ill have to dig them up and try to post some. I do however remember many Saturday mornings at H&H and a lot of weekends at Guldstrand Racing and Traco in Culver city.

 

Bones was part of the trip to OKC in 1958 and I believe he towed one of the cars the Drifters raced with his 57 Ranchero. He also worked on my Fleetline that was painted by H & H .....

 

I grew up in Long Beach and raced at OCIR from 1975-1978. The South Bay Racing Assoc. was a very strong group of bracket racers who at that time competeted almost exclusively at OCIR. The Vette and driver mentioned I do not remember, but the club was originally formed in 1967 by a group of auto shop students at Redondo Beach High School and they raced mainly at Lions Drag Strip.

 

In the November 1958 issue of HRM the cover shot on the coverage of the '58 Nationals has the Drifter's coupe in the lower right corner. I'd scan it but scanner broke. There is no push car visible but they were certainly there.

 

Thanks for reminding me of that magazine photo. Me and my friend Woody were in that photo.

 

In this close up, I put an arrow pointing to me after I got the magazine and I think my friend Woody is two guys to the right of me.

Also, if you look closely just to the right of the Drifters' coupe, you can see the roof of Bones' 57 Ranchero.

 

In this photo I took in the pits, after I climbed a tree, you can see the Ranchero and the front of Woody's chopped Mercury. Note that the tire in the rear of the Ranchero also shows in the photo above.



The Ranchero was black with a gold colored roof and it looks like it may say H & H Body Shop just under the dip in the side trim.

 

Here's Woody wearing that same hat as in the photo and still dressed in all white. Probably got those white pants dirty changing the flat tire we had on the way home, somewhere on Route 66 in the Texas panhandle.

 

I looked at that photo again this morning and believe that Bones is standing between his Ranchero and the Drifters coupe .....

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He was a big guy with a cool nickname.

 

I just made a post on another thread about the 1958 NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma City and remembered that I had this photo of Darrel Carter's 54 Chevy when it broke down in Holbrook, AZ. I think that's Bones watching what's going on .....

 

Here is what I wrote in a log book of sorts about our trip from Redondo to OKC in 1958 .....

AUGUST 27th - Redondo Beach, CA

5:30 PM - Gassed up at Mobil Gas in Redondo - 17 Gal - $5.75
6:45 PM - Left Drifters' garage
10:00 PM - Stopped for coffee at Colton
11:00 PM - Gassed up in Indio
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AUGUST 28th

1:30 AM - Crossed into Arizona
2:45 AM - Gassed up at Salome, AZ
3:30 AM - Started climbing into the mountains (lots of switchback curves)
5:45 AM - Gassed up at Prescott, AZ
8:00 AM - Ate breakfast in Flagstaff and gassed car
10:30 AM - Stopped in Holbrook, AZ for a coke break and gas. Darrel was having car trouble
12:30 PM - Still in Holbrook. Ate lunch while Darrel was still working on his car.
2:30 PM - Left Holbrook
3:00 PM - Ran into first detour. About 9 miles long and not too bad.
4:00 PM - Crossed into New Mexico
4:30 PM - Stopped in Gallup for a coke and to wait for the other cars to catch up. Kids ran into the street to look at the car.
5:00 PM - Crossed the Continental Divide. A guy pulled up beside us and wanted us to pull over so he could take some pictures. We couldn't stop so he took them while driving.
5:45 PM - Stopped in Grant for gas and bought some fruit.
8:00 PM - Stopped in Alburkurkie [That must be the way it was spelled in 1958 ] for medication. Very hot and hard to breathe.
10:45 PM - Gassed up at Santa Rosa​

AUGUST 29th

1:00 AM - Crossed into Texas
1:30 AM - Stopped in Adrian for gas and coffee
??? AM - Woody stopped somewhere for gas and crossed into Oklahoma while I was asleep
10:30 AM - Arrived in Oklahama City and went to fair grounds to check in.
Noon - Came to the motel to clean up and eat, then went back to the drags.
8:00 PM - Got back to the motel after gassing the car. Washed the car then went to eat. Cruised around town after that and went to bed at 1:00 AM.
​

AUGUST 30th

6:15 AM - Everyone that went to bed early last night came into our room and pulled the covers off so we would get up. Ate breakfast and went to the drags.
​

 

On one of my visits to Redondo, I stopped by H & H to talk with Barry Hamilton. He gave me a copy of a list and it says .....

- DRIFTER MEMBERS -

Keith Anderson
Tommy Beasley
Bob Benson
Gene Boughton
Gordon Bullinger
Darrel Carter
Ronnie Carter
Albert Castillion
Bob Chandler
Howard Coleman
Brad Colter
Frank Costa
Vernon (Bones) Dettmers
Ronnie Glass
Gilbert Gomez
Lorenzo Gomez
Raymond (Hozie) Gomez
Zip Graham
Olan Gray
Barry Hamilton
Bob Hatfield
JD James
Sylvestor Jones
Bob Kelly
Frank Kessler
Delmer Little
Alex Madrid
Herb Madrid
Eddie Martin
Marv McKinney
Tom Means
Don Morgan
Dick Plumbeigh
Jerry Radio
Don Stahr
Glen Stokey
Bill Topping
Harold Topping
Bill Vornholt
Gene Wood

Check on following:

Dick Little
Fennell
Fred Arenz or brother

 

Nes .....

Maybe you need to start a thread called History - Redondo Beach Millwinders Car Club.

I still like the story about your plaque .....

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In looking back at the Drifters' Roster that Tina posted, I noted that the following members were omitted from the list I got from Barry Hamilton.

Dickey Little
Jim Withrow
Joe Alvarez
Fred Arnez

It also shows that the following members were on the inactive member list:

Gordon Arenz (Army)
Jerry Radio (Army)
Frank Costa (School)