Way to go, Al. Living large and not afraid of the consequences. Sounds like some of the guys I used to run around with. I believe he and I could have been friends.
Reading the name (Nunes) and seeing Hayward and Dublin mentioned got me to wondering if Al was any relation to longtime East Bay area drag racer Ron Nunes. I believe he started out with an Olds powered 32 3W.
Haven't confirmed that Ron Nunes and Al Nunes were related but street racing ran in both there blood. Quote from an article on Ron: " Ron Nunes has always been a “car nut.” In the 1950s, the kid’s car of choice for street racing was Ford and Ron was a kid who knew his way around cars and engines. Somewhat modest about it now, Ron talked about his high school days and street racing. “I was stopped many times on E. 14th Street in Oakland for going over 100 mph,” Nunes said. “Cops were more lenient in those days, but I got my share of tickets. It was a more innocent time.” Smiling, Nunes adds, “From 1957 to about 1959, I was in at least one street drag race every night,” but he is quick to add, “I don’t recommend this practice today.” Nunes has not had much formal mechanical or engineering training and says his knowledge of cars and motors is intuitive. Racing was in his blood. In 1957, at the age of 18, he began competitive drag racing with a 1932 Ford 3 window coupe. Instead of a Ford engine, Ron installed a 1957 Oldsmobile 324 CID engine, a 1937 Cadillac LaSalle transmission and an Oldsmobile rear end. By 1962, Ron Nunes, now a celebrated drag race driver, paid $165 for a car that was just about as old as he was — a 1941 Willys coupe, not a big favorite with the car buying public, but an excellent choice for Ron’s hobby. First, it was cheaper to buy than a Ford, then the most popular car in the sport, and it was lighter in weight, a big advantage. For an engine, Ron took the Olds engine out of the ’32 Ford, modified it so it would produce 650 horsepower, then coupled that with a Chrysler torqueflight transmission.
@Ryan, Did you find out anything else about Al Nunes? I went looking for death or cemetery records and got nothing back for him. Doing the math, he was born in 1924 and there's no record of him dying in 2018. None that I can find, anyway.
Have so much respect for guys like that! I love talking to the old boys that lived that era, in this messed up world we live in now, those times will never be like that again! I always wanted to grow up in the 50's and be a part of that era as I grew up around a motor head dad and brother in my early years! oh, the stories..............
yes. Real name is Albert Nunes. He passed in 2018… if I remember correctly, he was living in San Clemente at the time.
I can picture myself riding with him all the time thinking we are going to get away with this then a blurp and a sputter dam were out of gas. Can't make that up cool stuff would of loved to hang with him.
Cool story. I had a 69 vw van in my driveway with the engine pulled. I just got a shipping job 2 a/e engineer on APL ship heading to Japan. So, I came back home from Seattle and hurried to put the prick together and get it the fuck outta the way so I could get my 85 olds dock car ready to roll... hurried too much. Cranked but wouldn't start. So I stood there drinking a beer or more which was more than half the problem.... so, here's the internet.... and sent a message on a vw forum about the issue and some body immediately wrote back about which color wire did I hook up to the hot side of the distributor... this is the beauty of this shit. People are out there to give a boost or assist to those who think they can do it on their own. Love this site. Hope Ryan is ok. Hope the poor fuck sitting in the seat next to him on the flight ain't dead either...
Man that's a great history lesson thank you for sharing Ryan . One thing I gotta say is the guys in the patrol cars pretend to be complaining in the article about driving out of town but I know for sure they enjoyed it also . Who doesn't ?
Albert was a hot rod pioneer and ripping up the streets before most of us were born, guys like him defined the word Hot Rod. HRP
Different times for sure...I noticed the article said there was a half can of gas in the trunk...so did he really run out or was it something else...maybe the hose wasn't in all the way...the story might have been different... I suspect the can was strapped as that kind of hoodlumism might have tipped things over and the story may have been different...that was pretty cool of him to reach out at 90 something...I never tried to outrun them I just pulled over and waited for the book... I'll never forget this cop that pulled me over one day I was being a little road stupid and in his stern English accent as he got face to face with me went "Great Fun isn't It!!!!"...man I felt like ass... I think he actually let me off...I was lucky...for a change...
The Jalopy Journal
