A Few Tucson Hot Rods From The 50's

With thanks to pro enfo for resizing, here's a few pics of some hot rods in Tucson that roamed the streets in the 50's. Take pics now guys and gals. Fifty years (gasp) from now you'll be glad you did! If any of the cars are of intrest let me know and I'll give you the background. For example, the primered '27 roadster was the original Lords/Speedsport dragster "Old Noisy" in 1956 at Davis Monthan AFB strip. The 32 highboy was mine from an American Rodder Jan 95 article. The sprint is mine that my daughter drives in the ASCS southwest region.

 

nice!

I live in Tucson too and you are correct...don't see many of those around anymore.

Great pics...post more

 

nice pics , thanks

 

nice pics.......please do tell us about them all if you have a story on them!!

 

Great pictures !,...... thanks for posting.

 

awesome pics!!!!!

 

I'd love to know more about this one...

Thanks.

 

Great pics. I remember your hiboy in American Rodder. I have a cabriolet hiboy that I think the body came from Tucson. See if you recognize it. It had The ***** Toad lettered on the body and Stump Puller II on the doors.

 

I ***ume you saw the latest rodder journal with info from tucson?

 

Sorry, the ***** Toad does ring a bell but I really don't remember.

 

Yep Quite a few rods around this little hick town in the 50's Rodders Journal is like a Smithsonian pub.!

 

The 31 roadster belonged to Bud Poorman. it was coral with black and white upholstery done in Nogales. Nicest car in town at the time. Course I thought my yellow 32 was a close second. Interesting to note that whitewalls were in during the 50's and blackwalls were a 40's thing. Cad 820's and VW 550's. Nobody locked their VW trunks. we had to buy the 820's! You can tell from Bud's height it was a blast to watch him get in and out of the car!

 

wow
always cool to see what was going on around the country then.
thanks for the picks

 

The 34 jalopy belonged to Hank Arnold. He called it the "Honey Bucket" and raced it against guys like Roger Mc Cluskey and Bill Cheeseburg (future Indy drivers) at the old Tucson Rodeo grounds in '54. Dave Caid and I were the "pit crew". Dave and Hank both were killed racing sprint cars in the 60's. We carry Dave's name on our sprint today.

 

nice pics, lots of neat lookin cars

 

Bill Cheeseburg .............cranky old man. I got kicked out of his shop.

thanks for the pics. I love seeing old pictures from Tucson. Got any with back ground?

 

Great pics! Thanks, Bill!
I really like this one. A lot going at at the Mobil Quick Serve. The signs, the gas pumps, the gl*** oil bottles. Check out the cool camper in the back.



Awesome 5 window! I'm wondering what these hubcaps are, anyone have a clue?

 

Wow, great shots, should be mandatory viewing for anyone wanting to build a traditional hot rod.

 

i think those caps are 53 buick


and thanks for the great pictures

 

What's the story on the shop in the background here? Looks like a local hot rodders hangout

 

Yes, that is what makes me think my car is from Tucson. I bought it in Indiana, but it supposedly came from Arizona. I just figured it was from Phoenix until I read the "Rodder's Journal" article. Thanks for looking.
Show some more of those old pics, I love'em.

 

Very cool, thanks for posting these. I really like the '27, it has a great stance with the white wall slicks. What drivetrain did it run?

 

Nice post! I've only been out here 17 years, always interested in where we've come from.....
I didn't know Cheeseburg was an Indy car driver, I only knew about his VW buggys.

 

The shop was really a Mobile station on east Speedway next to the Polar Bar drive inn. You guys remember carhops right??

 

The '27 dragster was one of the 1st rear engined dragsters along with Red Hensley's car. It ran a hemi/quickchange.

 

Very cool, I've got family in Tucson and spend a lot of time down there. We've got a good scene between Tucson and Phoenix.

 

This one is perfect!

 

My very first job in a shop was at Chessebergs on columbus where the trailer parks are and I worked a whole summer for him being the grunt in the shop. Sure did learn alot and he was always really nice to me. I know alot of people thought he was mean som ***** but if he saw a young person that wanted to learn he would teach as much as you could learn. I did see him once throw a customer out of his shop by picking him up and really throwing him out the office door. Remember that Bill was over 6 ft tall and was about 280 and it was not fat.

I wish some of the other long time hot rod people would get there day in the sun like Joe Harris, John Carter, Charlie Hall, Ted Gay( p***ed away a few months ago) Jimmy Castle and others that I can't remember right now.

 

John Carter's a good friend of my wife and I. Got my 29 Sedan from him. They don't come any better than John!

I need to catch up with Joe Harris. Saw him last fall, may have him work some steering column magic for me

 

Far as I know Charlie Hall is still at his shop/apartment on Kliendale pecking at stainless trim. He painted my '50 Olds in '57. Sierra Gold.