Great Oregon Racers

Bob,
Thanks for your input, you are quite a history resource for the Eugene area and all around the state. Now if you would post some pics of your Stude, You know I liked it best with the Olds ! Good luck on as Lionel says "The Big White Dyno".

 

Marty,, I remember a 348/409 Rail out of Seaside in early 59. It was built by the Ericson (sp) brothers. Seaside had an everlasting supply of the "W" motors from the VanFleet logging Co. I left to be with Uncle Sam in March of '59, so lost contact since. All my memories seem to come and go,,,,

 

Found these from Madras 64-65, Cliff (the father of Jim and Jack) Svela has a smoke, while he puts the fueler back together. The Comp Coupe is Bill Wilt (formerly Bob Duedall's). My friend Jim Lindsay has restored/recreated this car and it will be reunited with Bob next month! BTW I was at Woodburn when Jim Svela crashed this dragster, tire blew I believe. PS after having these pics for nearly 50 years, I just noticed the dragster in the middle isn't Svela, it is the "Northwind", The FAB car (Floyd, Albrich , Bowman !

 

These shots were taken the same day at Woodburn around 65-66. Don't have any info on this Topolino, anyone remember this one ? Bobby Mead photos

 

McMinnville 1962, Probably the first sound of a Blown "Nitro" Chrysler in Oregon. My old friend Earl Floyd at the controls! Jack Coonrod owned the Chassis, Jim Albrich the engine, and Earl was the driver. It was a Chassis Research TE440, about 450 inches of Hemi with a "chain drive" blower. Earl went 8.7 at 187mph at Kent, Washington in the second shot.

 

Haven't heard any mention of Lowell Wells Injected Desoto powered 34 3w window that Paul Smith is now the caretaker of.
Harrys Dodge powered 30 A roadster is still around and is in the hands of Dan, his son.

 

Davey, I talked to Paul a few weeks ago and he said one of the magazines came out and did a photo shoot on Lowell's 34. I will be looking forward to that, as Paul will have furnished all the history and it will be thorough.

 

Some rare color shots from 63-64 at McMinnville, the "Flathead" Dragster is Johnny Hart, he set the national record for D/D in 62,big flathead (354"), the 59 Chev at the starting line is Charlie Mays of Oceanlake (now called Lincoln City) The Dragster in the center shot, is Simonson-Remson B/D, the 40 Chev in the last frame, preceded the Willys coupe for G&M Auto Sales out of Washington. Note the flag hanging from the tower, it signified the racing club in the spotlight for the race, the rest of the clubs flags were displayed down the left side of the strip, all the way to the finish line. The "Coachmen", "Adapters", "Ramblers", "Artisans", "Kings","Millers","Klan","49'rs","Slo-Poks","Marauders","Tie-Rods","Lancers","Exotics","Chariots" are a few I remember, all members of the Columbia Timing Association, who conducted the races at McMinnville.

 

This event is coming up this Sunday, great time to meet some of Oregon's "Great Racers", I will be bringing Rolla Vollstedt. Come if you can, I would like to meet you.

 

Cool pics. I wish I could be there, I seldom get back to Oregon these days.
Everyone, keep those pics and posts coming. Bump up the thread!

 

Thanx for the update. Knowing Paul, it will good. Been trying to convince him to resurrect his 40 but as usual, he is always busy!!! LOL

 

Tom Delong's "Packard powered" A/MR, The Topolino and Stude pickup looks like Salem's Wayne Trowbridge who also ran a Packard engine. A/A Crosley from Tacoma anyone remember this car? Bob Jensen photos

 

With all of the Bob Jensen photos I have posted lately, This is "Whitey" himself, 1st shot is of his shop in Beaverton (circa 1957), the others are of his "Flathead" powered roadster, his 40 Merc sedan, 48 Chev coupe,59 Chev (348-315 hp) and "Hemi" Dragster, Bob raced from the mid 50's to the early 80's in Roadsters, Stockers, Gassers and finally with "Injected Nitro" Dragsters. In the next installment I will post pictures of his trophys

 

Here are the Dragster pics along with Bob and his old friend Dick Martin. We are approaching 40,000 views!

 

Marty, I wish I could add to any info on the Euclid altered Fiat, but I do remember seeing it run at Woodburn. Altered Fiats were one of my favorites back in the 60's as a young guy, and I always took note of any that I saw.
I'm planning to be at Blue Lake Sunday. See you there!

 

The dragster that you have mentioned was owned and ran by Dan "Sonny" Erickson. He ran the 348 motors that were from Van Fleet and later got 409 cores from them also, but don't remember him ever running them. I worked for Bard Auto during that time and Sonny and Van Fleet was a customer and I tried to get some of those cores form Bob Barber the shop manager, but Sonny had first dibs. In the picture that Marty posted, that is Sonny in the middle , Howard Brown in the checkered shirt and maybe Jim Lannigan with sun glasses on I think. I bought my 1927 "T" roadster from Howard in 1959 and still have it. Sonny helped me do my first engine swap in his shop. I wanted the 58 Chev in backgroud - 348-4speed tri-power car. If I remember correctly he wanted $3500. for it and I was about $3495 short of being able to buy it. The last that I heard of Sonny, he had a small saw mill in Garibaldi about 20 years ago. Sonny would tune the dragster on Friday nights about a block away from the football field. Made it hard to focus on the game.

 

Funny how the information on these racers comes around. Dueceman here is one of my best friends, we talk every day and I never thought to show him the picture. This shot is of his 34 pickup in the tech line at the "Nostalgia Nationals" in Fremont in 1986, he supplied the push truck for me at that race, (yes we did push start them back then)! The model (A) beside the 34 belonged to my late friend Doug Lauzon, it had a blown flathead for power.

 

More "Coupes" from Bob Jensen's collection 33/34 belonged to Fred Schell (sitting on fender) and Ron Helfredge, 'T' shirts and plaque show they were members of "The Coachmen" of Beaverton (Bob's club). Roadster in the background was the "Hawes" Brothers, Ron Hawes would go on to set the C/D record in the Vic's Motors Dragster out of Gresham. The second shot is Jack Frost, Bob Jensen and Ron Hawes. The 32 coupe is unknown to me.

 

Marty, I think you inadvertently solved one of my "Photo Mysteries"

This car is the same coupe owned by Fred Schnell.....




..The same car seen here with Fred sitting on the fender. Besides the cars being the same...the connecting factor was the same 1956 Oregon License plate # of "2H-8103"




And a bonus photo of the same car...

 

Good detective work Clayton!

 

Back in post 578 vintagegasser posted pics of the late Stan Wilson's 29 roadster pu body, he sent me these, showing the car with a 340 engine before switching to a 392 Hemi. Looks like Stan had a Dragster as well. Stan was from Eugene and best friends with Californian, Steve Woods.

 

Just another reminder this is happening Sunday, hope to see some of you there!

 

I plan to be there. I am not old enough to have been there back when these cars ran but the history and stories fascinate me. It sounds like a fun day.

 

Vintagegasser sent me these shots from Fremont in 88,of our Dragster "Ruthless". The first one is Bobby Mead (who supplied many photos in my posts), changing the tires, it wouldn't fit in the trailer with the race rubber, I am in the red jacket,the other guy is my neighbor Tim Hall. #2 is the start of the burnout.#3 is the push-back, I am driving, Bobby is on the right side, don't remember the guy in yellow, the other guy is Pete Eastwood. Our team (Willford/Strode/Mead), thanks for the memories, Tom!

 

Johnny Bartlett was a terror in the lower "Stock" classes in the 60's, Johnny and "Cheater Ted" Rhode were both from Salem, they ran Buicks and Oldsmobiles respectively. I read an interview with Johnny in a magazine, they asked him what do you have against Chevys? He said "nothing", I just don't like junk!

 

Marty, the yellow Bantam altered you are asking about was owned and driven by Jerry Russell. He passed away about five years ago of cancer. Was a good racer! Bob

 

I went to the NW Oldtimers picnic Sunday, I met Washington Stock Car Racer Don Hall, he informed me of his website, donhallracing.com. It is a vast compilation of photos and a great history source of vintage NW "Stock Cars". Here are a few examples of Don's collection. #91, KISN Radio "Disc Jockey" Pat Pattee, #41 Ernie Stierly. #61 Dick Bown, # 40 Jerry Draper. I also met Ralph Hunt at the picnic, he has a boatload of pics of 'Hardtops', 'Stock Cars','Modifieds', from "Portland Speedway" and "Jantzen Beach", from the collections of Jack Corley and Gordy Rivenberg, he told me he will post some for us on here. Thank you Don for the photos.

 

With "Speedweek" at Bonneville starting tomorrow, my Brother Jerry will be competing in the A/BFALT class. Jerry is the oldest of my three brothers, he has been modifying and building cars since the late 50's, through the years he builds his own cars,tunes and drives them as well. 1st photo is him with his 53 Stude in 1960, 283 Chev, 4 twos, Crower cam, Jahns pistons, Mallory ignition (real sleeper). He followed that with a 62 '406' Ford that he drag raced. In the late 60's the "sand drags" were popular here in Oregon, 2nd is his 'buggy' that laid the groundwork for some serious sand racers , Jeep, Funny Cars and Top Fuel Dragster, pics 3,4,5. He was the first to set the National record in Dragster and Funny car under 3 seconds at a time when some big names with money to spend were trying to do the same. In the 80's Truck and Tractor pulling were the rage, he along with his wife Louise competed in 'Hotrod' pullers with Model 'T's, Topolino's and 34 Ford sedan bodies, powered by 600" supercharged engines. He built a car crushing "Robot" out of a pile of steel plate and Sherman Tank. Around the turn of the century he raced "Vintage Hardtops" with a 32 5w coupe. In 07 we went to spectate at Bonneville and and he got interested. In 2010 he built the T-Bird in the pics in 4 months, in his rookie effort he made 6 runs through the license procedure and went 264 mph, not too bad for a 70 year old ! He had some "gremlins" last year, lets hope everything goes well for him and he can make us Oregonians proud.

 

Remember the car well. Hot Rod did a cutaway of it in about 63/64.

 

In post 671 I mentioned Jerry built a robot and raced a 32 5w coupe, here are the pics. Megasaurus was 29' tall and folded up to fit in the box for transport, OT I know, I just wanted to display his engineering and fab skills.