Art & Inspiration Traditional images that need no explanation.

Love this

 

Hmm, should I adjust the caster and camber now or install this in the car first?

 

Just speculating here, but I suspect flying through a building at near 70 mph, and having to pass through a 10' wide (or maybe 8' wide) hole in the side of the building (know as a doorway) at that speed would be pretty exciting the first few times! The sides of that doorway are probably not very forgiving, if you were off a few inches to one side or the other.

I could easily see that as the speed increased, that hole in the wall you have to drive through would start looking smaller as you approached it faster. Its easy to think it wouldn't bother you until you are sitting in the seat heading towards that hole in the building wall. Have to wonder how many really lifted a bit earlier then they would have on a drag strip.

 

Each lane was 20ft wide and if I recall correctly the passageways were as well.

 

Throttle Stompers, Pomona, 1952

 

Pomona drag strip, 1952

 

Don Nicholson (before Dyno Don era) with brother Harold (bending over engine). Harold would be killed in the car in 1959.

 

@65pacecar
The photo above is a popular item. Albertson Oldsmobile car dealer was in So Cal. They had ties to some of the best builders and race car sponsorships during the early times of drag racing of the late 50s to early 60s.
Thanks, Mickey...
This book is one of the best and a pretty comprehensive look at one of the marvels of So Cal drag racing in 1960 at Lions Dragstrip. To see this drag racing record being set week after week… (to be there to witness it first hand…) it was something.

Hello,

Another account of the goings on at Lions Dragstrip published from a different viewpoint. In 1960 the Albertson Olds FED with Leonard Harris was on a So Cal, terror, consecutive, win streak in the drag racing circles. Who was going to stop this streak? All of the big names did not have an answer. Some were close to the win, but that Albertson Olds FED just kept on ticking...and winning. The August 13 race was pointing toward the famous Howard Cam Twin driven by Jack Chrisman breaking the streak.

Jack Chrisman Howard Cam Twin Lions 1960

That “Altered” was our C/Gas 40 Willys Coupe w/671 SBC that had the clutch explode and the metal pieces went flying everywhere on August 13, 1960. The Moon Tank inside of the cab exploded and the whole inside was on a massive, spurting, gasoline fire. My brother tried to put it out with our extinguisher, but it did nothing. So, he slowed down and jumped out going about 60 mph after the traps. (the return road racers told us)

So, this part of the information came from the incorrect Drag News story dated August 13, 1960. They shut down the strip because our Willys was on fire, wedged into the spectator’s side fence. So many extinguishers were used, but Atts Ono stayed there until the fire was out, said he lost count of how many were used. The eliminations were shut down for the rest of the evening at 10:00 p.m. No more racing in any class and everyone went home early.

Jnaki

One thing we did from this accident, we stopped the consecutive weekly win streak of Leonard Harris and the fast Albertson Olds FED from winning another week’s event. They were in the staging area near the starting line as we had approached the starting line for our final elimination race.

Note:
Sorry to the folks waiting in the staging area and in the stands to watch the 13th round of Top
Eliminator race consecutive wins for the Albertson Olds A/D with Leonard Harris at the helm. They had won 12 consecutive weeks of Top Eliminator trophies and were next to us in the staging area waiting their turn. No drag racer in history ever won 13 straight victories anywhere. They were prepped and ready in the staging area.

So, goes our almost two year recovery for my brother and me. The rest of the willys coupe parts were gone by 1961-62 and we started our next phase of our teenage life's adventures. We still remembered the words of encouragement from those top drag racers with a ton of history, taking the time to talk to us, just mere teenagers with a goal in mind. A possible future in auto mechanics and race engine building... as we looked to the future along the way. YRMV