History Drag cars in motion.......picture thread.

Some more from the Screwdriver's Car Club collection:


This deuce roadster is in transition from street to competition...notice that even then some cars had their equipment name painted on the car.


Looks like a competition roadster at Saugus


Fred Larson, from La Mirada, CA. Fred, who worked for many years at Moon Equipment, build many world-class Bonneville cars, but this was before them. Probably Santa Ana, given the wind sock....the runway next to the drag strip was active back then (today, it is all the John Wayne Airport, nothing left of Santa Ana)


Saugus...(opened around '52, run by Lou Baney, partly as a place to race after a day at the lakes....couldn't compete with San Fernando, which opened around '56, no trace now...no trace of San Fernando either, except that the building that housed the snack bar might remain)


whoever took these pictures did not always aim the camera well, notice the roadster far left of picture


Tony Waters, Bakersfield. Tony ran this GMC powered roadster, later unblown and even later blown Desoto that powered it to runner-up at the first Smoker's meet. Tony later went on to fuel dragsters, passed away a few years ago


Another roadster with equipment maker on hood...I'm not sure where this is


Same roadster as in earlier picture...transition from street now includes the blanked-off shell...this is competition only


Pretty sure that the roadster on the left is Jack Calori's...but not when Jack owned it. Jack sold it to his dentist, whose name was Potts, I think. Jack HATED whitewalls, so when Dr. Potts put whitewalls on his new roadster, Jack refused to drive it when Potts wanted to race it...we remember Jack better for his classic '36 Ford custom, but he was also a hot rodder. Herb Reneau, who did the custom work on Jack's '36 also did the custom work on this roadster, which included a molded front pan with sunken license plate. The other roadster is Fred Larsen's, pictured above (This is Santa Ana, notice that helmets remained optional then)


I think that this is the car that became the Chrisman Brothers #25, maybe in their hands in this picture. The car was a lakester that was built in the '30s and handed down from one owner to the next until the Chrisman's got and ran it for years as a dragster. It ran a flathead, a Desoto, Dodge, and finally a Chrysler on fuel. It has been beautifully restored. Notice that the roadster driver has neither helmet nor goggles.


Another shot of the Ewell-Goldsworthy sedan, probably Santa Ana. Jack Ewell went on to fuel dragsters, and ran the counter at Mickey Thompson's


Probably Chrisman brothers again

 

If I am not mistaken this picture was taken at the O.B. Hewett dealership located on Bragg Blvd. in Fayetteville. Just up the street was Hillcrest Drive-in. It was a KFC and still is, but the old name has not been used for a long time. This was where a lot of local street races were arranged. I have never seen this photo before, thanks for posting it. It brings back a lot of memories.

 

Great picture, thanks for posting...Nichols Brothers, Walt Nichols driving, injected Olds on fuel, held et records at many SoCal tracks, sponsored by Quincy Automotive in Santa Monica

 

Make that the 3 of us LOL I remember seeing the car run but can't remember who it belonged to.

 

Nice old photo of Bobby Langley and crew

 

The ''Lip''

 

How cool...Hoffman Ford Sales located at 427 2nd St.....

 

''Billy The Kid Stepp''. Nina Stepp has a great tribute page to her dad on facebook.

 

Now that's a great shot.

 

That is the Lindsley & Olsen 55. They sold that car and Jay Lindsley built the Anglia in my Avatar

 

I'm thinking that's Bruce Larson driving. It was tuned by him. Hoffman Ford still exists.

 

From George Klass:


One of the better looking gas dragsters ever, Tony Nancy, Fuller chassis, wedge MoPar, at Lions


Also from George Klass: Gene Mooneyham before the Chrysler, this time flathead powered. It started out as a lakes car, then fenders went back on for the fuel coupe class (full fenders required). This is at Colton, when Gene lost to Don Montgomery's GMC fuel coupe deuce 3-window. Don claimed 300 hp for his Jimmy on nitro, which was hard for a fuel flathead to match, though some did....this is around 1955. Colton is gone now, it was not far where the recent San Bernardino shootings happened...no trace of the track except the trees around the starting line, which are on the Sam Sneed golf course now.


This from the Screwdrivers car club collection. This is the gradual transition in the altered classes, from Ford bodies to smaller Fiats and, rarely, Bantam coupes. Don't have an ID for the A coupe, the Bantam closest is Jim Woods, who ran a flip-top body T roadster at the lakes before switching to this Bantam. Jim ran a six-cylinder Ford. This is Santa Ana, maybe '54?


Not sure where this is, Screwdriver's collection...(yes, Edelbrock is misspelled)


Santa Ana, far side-this is the roadster seen in earlier posts from the Screwdriver's collection, racing a highly modified A roadster. Helmets not required, apparently


Packard powered dragster, no ID on car or track, anyone? Gabe Fernando thinks this might be Scappoose, anyone else. There were several Packard powered race cars in the Pacific NW, I remember one rear-engine modified roadster, and there were a couple of others...it was a big engine at 374" and could take a quarter inch bore, but there were not many speed parts for them, so you made your own (but that is the way drag racing is supposed to be)


Only ID is Shelton, WA...Northwest guys, any ID on either?

 

Wanted to say how much i love this thread, except the o/t shit people seem to need to post. Anyway i was wondering if anyone could post some pictures of the Jayhawker 63 plymouth awb or any other Jon Thorne racecars. My dad bought that car out of a barn in the mid 80's and it was a fixture in my garage throughout my school years. He sold in in 92 or 93. I started a thread on the main board but i figured i try here too. I've looked through this entire thread and besides the couple shots(mostly modern) i can't even find it in the backround of a shot. I will be adding to the post on the main board for the most part but if anyone has any pics or info to share we'd really appreciate it. Thanks.