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

Sounds like a place to get your dog groomed.

 

You say potatoes I say French fries!

 

Kirby and Mosely "Master's Drag Coupe," at Santa Ana, from Hot Rod


The view the team wanted the competition to see, note weights above the quick change.


The Pate Brothers roadster at Santa Ana. It has been perfectly restored.


The Baney/Rackemann/O'Brien etc. roadster at San Gabriel, 1956. Danny O'Brien built the car in 1953, and it later ran several Cadillacs, one owned by Lou Baney, and the other by custom owner Nick Matranga. Once it ran Nick Arias GMC. Note the "Hydro by Hernandez," as Fran Hernandez built a Hydromatic for the car because of transmission breakage. It worked well when the car ran gas, but not so well on fuel. The car had fancy iris paint and Von Dutch paint, including a famous upside down figure on the grille shell. The roadster has sadly disappeared.


Jocko Johnson's streamliner at speed, maybe with Jazzy Nelson driving.


Me at Palmdale, on an early break-in run. I ran this car with Bob Keilty, but didn't get a lot of seat time as the Navy had me at sea --- so Ted Inoye did a lot of the driving. It later went to Gary Hazen. Doug Robinson built the chassis as a twin to his Horsepower Engineering car, and we powered it with a blown 296" Desoto, with parts bought from the late Steve Evans.


The '40 Ford was owned by Louis Lubbock, with a 354" Chrysler for thrust. This is early San Fernando.


Jim Kamboor and Jack Ewell ran this dragster --- Bud Hammer photo.


Boyd Penington at San Luis Obispo. Boyd was a legendary hot rodder who ran both the salt and the drags. Karen White photo



Wilkins Brothers "Valley Home Service" Fuller-built dragster, at Lions. Kent Fuller built several of these "sled runner" roll bar dragsters before going to his classic 3-point roll bar. This car got cut in half at San Fernando when the flywheel departed and landed on the roof of a nearby church, disrupting the Sunday services.


Archie Ary's "Flying Saucer" Crosley bodied fuel coupe at Inyokern. Archie, who ran a garage in Colton, CA, first ran a flathead in the car, then later replaced it with a Chrysler.


Lyle Webster guides the Hawkins, Webster, and McLeod fuel coupe. The car usually ran a 354" Chrysler that racked up a lot of quarter mile runs. Les Hawkins found the car sitting in Bruce McDowell's driveway and bought it from him. The car was later retired, discovered, and modified for bigger tires and the late Don Wilson's Chrysler. The last I heard, it was in storage in British Columbia. Legendary hot rodder Jim Busby has offered to restore it back to this form, as his late brother-in-law Mike Bartlett once drove it.

 

feel like i just read an old issue of hot rod!

 

UDRA line-up, April 1968...

 

Wilkins Brothers "Valley Home Service" Fuller-built dragster, at Lions. Kent Fuller built several of these "sled runner" roll bar dragsters before going to his classic 3-point roll bar. This car got cut in half at San Fernando when the flywheel departed and landed on the roof of a nearby church, disrupting the Sunday services.

Hello,

Another outstanding run throughout drag racing history… thanks @296ardun … every time I see any photos of the time period my brother and I were involved was/is always an eye opener. From those guys that built their own versions of a cool race car for a particular class. What made them select a FED for their choice of race cars (Jim Kamboor/Jack Ewell) or an unusual Crossely Altered Coupe (Archie Ary)
But, this SBC powered dragster just caught my eye in the pits and racing.
1959 Riverside Raceway


We were in the middle of our first SBC 283 motor build for our B/Gas Class 1940 Willys Coupe. So, any racecar with an SBC motor caught our eye.

At our history of Lion’s Dragstrip, we saw the immaculate FED Buick powered race cars of Tommy Ivo. They were always impressive in their record setting ways and in their appearance in the overall builds. No mis-mash of color or rusted parts, but everything is/was pristine.

Then, when we saw this competitor in the B/Dragster class, it too had its own character and power to match. Fast off of the line and continued power down the dragstrip made for its winning ways. The Valley Home Services SBC FED race car had a piercing blue overall color design. The valve covers had the valleys painted blue with polished outer areas and tops of the fins.
The sound was powerful and the performances were outstanding, witnessed from anywhere on the dragstrip. The pits, starting line or down in the valley walled-in area.

Jnaki

Not only was the Valley Home Services SBC FED a good looking, show quality race car, it was fast, too.

The Standard 1320 Records List:


1959


Tommy Ivo vs Valley Home Services for all of the eliminator dragster hoopla!

 

Not in motion...but really cool!
1964 ND insert...

 

@Jalopy Joker I have that saved on Spotify!

 

Enriquez & Adams...

 

Bob Rector at Pomona, 1952. Bob was a Pasadena CA guy who ran this car on the street, and also street raced it. He ran a 296" flathead.


Wayne Throwbridge, running a rare 450" Packard --- Marty Strode photo


Pete Robinson vs Tom McEwen...Robinson would win top eliminator at the '61 NHRA nationals.


Charles "Scotty" Scott in his roadster at Pomona, helmets and goggles apparently optional. Scotty would go on to run several Ardun powered cars, and then got into top fuel. His Scotty's Muffler Service still exists.


The Shrank brothers ran a blown Desoto with Algon injectors in this Chassis Research TE-440. Geri Tarvin photo


Bob Haines steers the Masters and Richter top fuel car down the track, looks like Kingdon or Fremont. Bob would roll this car after a late chute, and the team then bought the Champion Speed Shop/Jim McLennan Fuller car and dropped their Chrysler in it. Another Geri photo.


Ray Matelli smokes off the line in "Superstition," painted green and numbered "13" Rudy Perez photo


In motion, sort of. Either these guys are pushing this roadster off the starting line after it broke, or they are push starting it...a long time ago at Santa Ana


Jocko Johnson's streamliner on a test run at Lions, before paint.


Tony Nancy, blown Buick, San Fernando


Bill Winfield in the Winfield & Fisher deuce, with GMC power, at Pomona. Mrs. Dan O'Regan photo collection


Hart Auto at left, racing Hal Looney, Orange CA, at the '58 NHRA Nationals, OK City, Glenn Ward photo


Bader & Ferrera Crosley sedan, blown Cadillac engine, at Riverside, 1958. Glenn Ward photo


Davis & Ingram blown Chevy altered, from San Jose. Dave McClelland photo

 

Thanks for the history lesson.

 

Not located in the city of Laguna Beach city limits

Hello,

We think of old maps and early days of So Cal history. How the Los Angeles basin got developed and such. But, Orange County was relatively barren at the time, even into the early 60s. Some communities were already established, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, San Clemente, but the land between Laguna Beach and Dana Point was a barren horse ranch with cattle grazing in the valleys and open areas.

In 1960… on the photograph showing Dana Point and Strands/Salt Creek, it was so barren that we drove down a dirt road past the gate and parked on the hard sand to go surfing at Salt Creek point. Other times, we stayed all day and tried making it back home in Long Beach for dinner. On the coastal drive, it was crowded and street traffic. So, we were always trying new things.

When the 1-5 freeway opened, it allowed us a faster way to get home in a hurry. Going on our southerly surf check, it was the coast. But a freeway is non stop to a destination. I can’t imagine the Dragmaster Team towing the race cars down/up Coast Highway to get to/from Lion’s Dragstrip from Carlsbad, every week, until the freeways opened up.

“The genesis of today’s Laguna Niguel was the establishment of the Laguna Beach Corporation in 1959 by Cabot, Cabot and Forbes, making it one of the first master planned communities in Laguna Beach. The firm of Victor Gruen and Associates was retained to develop a detailed community plan for the approximately 7,100-acre site. Land sales started to occur in 1961 in Monarch Bay and Laguna Terrace subdivisions.”

“Laguna Niguel was conceived as a complete planned community with all the needs of its residents within the master plan: commercial areas, schools, churches, roads, shopping, utilities, fire protection, recreation, parks, and an industrial base. The plan allowed for residential areas for various levels of income. The brochures promised “investment protectors” in a new town for a new life style. The first building was a sales office at the eastern corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Crown Valley (the former Crown House Restaurant). Crown Valley Parkway was completed from the coast to the freeway in 1964.”

So, the only way to get to Hilborn Injection System building was to head down the 1-5 freeway from inland cities or up the freeway interchange at Dana Point from Laguna Beach. But, in 1964, Crown Valley Road was a two lane road connecting the ocean to the freeway. Back then, the zip code for Hilborn was a Laguna Beach zip code, although the city zip code was 7 plus miles away, North, up the coastline.

It was County property, not locked into the city of Laguna Beach. But, it was a South Laguna Beach postal zip code for those that knew or lived there. So, from 1964, a new map was made to include an open road from the coast to the freeway through the Niguel Hills. Hilborn was right next to the old Clark Foam building. Clark foam was the major supplier of surfboard foam for most manufacturers and designers. (Walker Foam being the other supplier)

Finally, we moved there in a small single story house from 1976 to 1998 and saw the changeover of those barren hills to a well developed community, today. Hilborn Injection (or Fuel Injection Engineering Company) was still in the tall brick wall corner with its facilities in matching brick buildings. The ocean view was right down the freeway to the South.

Jnaki

In the early stages of the two lane road, dirt or not, some of the locals used it as a barren dragstrip. In 6 miles, there were very long stretches of straight line driving. Straight country side barren land and hardly any police, if any. Once made into a paved roadway, then our old houses started the preliminary tract building in 1963. Today, the road is a major connection from the coast to the 1-5 freeway and is crowded day and late at night, one could hear 4 speeds shifting as fast as possible in a full acceleration power run. Music to my ears…

 

Hey!!!!!!...Fruit-bootz of the sixties!!
Haven't seen any of those in.......60 years!?! Cool
6sally6

 

Jerry "The King" Ruth at Stardust 1968...

 

I remember when Hilborn was in Santa Monica, next to or near Engle Cams. I used both products, so getting service was easy.

 

The Missile at Lions...looks like Seaton's Shaker in the far lane.

 

Hey D,
Yes, Hilborn was in that Santa Monica area prior to the early 60s. Then they moved to an industrial area in South Orange County. At the time, the land was inexpensive and the space was a wide open countryside living/working area. It was just starting its growth spurt. The latest freeway just opened the route to San Diego and was a rock throwing distance away from this massive tall brick retaining wall insignia logo wall.

It was an impressive feat as it was holding up a tall plateau with the major Hilborn buildings on flattop surface on top. The Fuel Injection Engineering logo was prominently displayed on the huge brick wall facing the Crown Valley Parkway leading to the freeway. We drove by it every time we went to the industrial shop next door. That was the famous Clark Foam building that put out the majority of the foam surfboard blanks for the whole world.

Jnaki
The view from the top of the Hilborn parking lot and buildings was fabulous, facing the freeway heading South. The ocean in Dana Point/Doheny area was able to be seen. These days, the whole area is packed in with condos and apartment buildings. Still some industries hanging on for dear life, but more apartments and tall condo buildings are still being built. The view...gone. Now, it is the most crowded intersection of freeway entrance and everyday traffic of the whole area. So, goes the history of the area...

I am sure of this: in the early 60s, the main roadway from the ocean to the freeway was Crown Valley Parkway. It still is today. But, back then, it was a two lane road with no traffic lights for 6 miles of relatively straight line acceleration. Since it was in County property, very little to no police or sheriff's patrols ever visited the area. It was ripe for full on acceleration runs with our without open headers.

 

I missed this thread... Glad its still going. This has to be the greatest car thread ever..

 

Norm Oakey Sydney, Australia...

 

Actually, this image is from an article in the February, 1957 issue of Rod Builder & Customizer magazine entitled "10 Ways to Win Drags." The caption read: "The proper start is important. If your car doesn't have a starter, get a push (by hand or by car), but don't go far beyond starting line. Once your engine is started, return to line quickly, get ready to run before engine heats up. A fast start is important to winning." Man, convincing that many guys to push-start my rod only worked once!

 

It's too bad we can only "Like" posts here, and not "Totally Like" or "Love" or "Freak out over"

 

Two for Thursday...

 

Years back, I went through the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School, driving the Alcohol Funny Cars.
Four of us. A guy from Orange County, Ca., Don Gay Sr. and Don Gay Jr., and myself .

It was a fun week of both driving, and hearing Don Sr's stories.

Mike