Vintage shots from days gone by!

Sweet. Hope it lived to see Pebble Beach!

 

OK this one is a bit more long winded than most posts here but it is an important piece of our history. From NHRA National Dragster.

Meet Dale Ham the first ever employee of NHRA to actually retire from the NHRA. worked at NHRA for many years.

These are from his personal collection and his words attached to the photos. Donated by his wife to NHRA after his death.

Born Jess Dale Ham, the outgoing and personable man known to his loyal racers as “the Hammer” had a long and glorious career with the NHRA. Like so many, he began his love affair with the sport of drag racing as a competitor – he won the C Street Roadster class at the inaugural NHRA Nationals in Great Bend, Kan., in 1955 -- and was named a regional advisor in the South Central region in 1954 and then Division 4 director by NHRA founder Wally Parks in 1961.

With wife Glynanna perpetually by his side, he oversaw a vast region of the country that included Texas and Oklahoma and was a hotbed of racing at the time. When Ham retired at the end of 1986, he became the first full-time NHRA employee to retire.

Before he got into drag racing, Ham first tried his hand at oval-track dirt racing in 1948. "That's me, making the turn in front of the main grandstand (at least a giant crowd of 300!). Note the Moon hubs ... hot stuff ... and a helmet!"



"1952 -- My first street rig after Glynanna and I got married. Note the blue suede shoes, too!"



"Ham and his young son Sid, in 1953. "Ol' Sid and I in front of my first real 'ground up' roadster, built in my garage."



"At the Pawpa drags. My pits! Note those high-dollar slicks. I also did some flagging there and worked the portable PA."



"1954 -- Built my 'true love,' the '29 A street roadster. Ran at Tradewinds all of '54 -- Pampa, Borger, etc. We had the first 'progressive timing meet' and gave everyone graphs on their quarter-mile runs!'



"The big T.P.T.A. car show! Jazzed up my ol' racer for show and sold it ... on to street roadsters (with full fenders)!



Somewhere in this photo but the caption was lost



The lovely and vivacious Glyanna Ham, his best friend for more than 60 years

 

Thanks Chrisbcritter - I'm happy to be wrong, but happier knowing what the actual facts are. That's why I posed the query - I coulda and shoulda zoomed in like you did, just appreciate you've done it. Cheers.

 

I was going to make a comment about the battery being mounted right next to the boat gas tank, but I don't think that's a gas tank. I then noticed the Wisconsin V-4.

 

A couple of the only images I could find of Bob's Big Boy in Pasadena, CA on Colorado Blvd. I spent a great deal of my HS years there .....

 

I was looking this build over, and noticed the 4 lug rims?....and the shackles/springs appear to be from a Willys jeep , and that steering setup is odd....man, that is one crazy build...I haven't a clue to what it ''may'' have been at one time...LOL

 

Bill Neumann

 

^^^I'm glad she didn't hurt anything but her feelings but you have to feel sorry for her.

A classic picture for sure.

 

Amazing art design of Times Square, I really like these two.

 

Is that Ol' Henry (and the love of his life)? (Of course, I haven't blown up the pic to do a more forensic check myself, 'cause I reckon I'd still think it is him himself). I'm relying on the knowledge and skills of the more intelligent.
Cheers.

 

Looks like a traditional 60's approach to chopping a top while wearing traditional 60's clothes and traditional 60's hair styling. Do you reckon that's traditional rust in the bottom of the quarters?
Body doesn't look very braced-up to make sure it's gunna go back together well - ah well, I guess back then, there were hundreds or thousands of bodies lyin' around if they cocked up.

 

Seen it before but this young lady looks like she's actually got her hands dirty looking at her face.

 

These other ones a bit more staged.

 

Cars racing in Los Angeles River, 1958

 

Teenage auto safety conference (Long Beach), 1958

 

Gardena. 150 lap main event. 1958