I sure would like to know the color code for that green, that’s nice! Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Santa Clara, CA. where I grew up the California Rake got popular practically overnight! In '53, most street driven hot rods ('23-'34) were 'raked', mostly because of 'Dago' (San Diego Ed 'Axle' Stewart or Oakland Mr. Moore's 'Mor-Drop' axles. That plus the high stance rear, to clear the rearmost housing of the Halibrand Quick change center section. The number of hot rodders that were 'local' were of Portuguese descent, at least according to older guy Johnny Perreira... A 'newby' at one of the meetings I attended stated that Johnny's severely 'raked' '32 sedan had a 'Dago Drop'. Johnny was quick to correct him: "No, that's a 'Portagee Dip'!" It was written into the annals of Santa Clara hot rod history that very night... True story. (I myself still refer to the 'teeming tilt' as a 'Portagee Dip'!" O.K., but I'd rather NOT call it a 'Political Dip'. Just not 'correct!'
The California Rake is really what they called Diegoed back in the day...The one of the first dropped axles came from San Diego....So the term diegoed came from when a dropped axle was installed and lowered the old roadster in the front...
I like the gasser look. That rake takes too much caster out of the suspension and these cars need all the + caster they can get..
Hell, then bend the wishbone! Shim the semi-elliptics! Roll the tube back and weld the stands on at 7*. I never blindly 'raked' something to say, "Hey...it steers easier now!" Sure it would. Handle like a fat man on a tricycle, too. Oh...Forgot to mention my years in wheel alignment.
I I'v lived in calif my hole life and never really thought that a car here has to raked in the front? I have always liked my car with a little rake in the rear. A couple inches works for me.
My definition of the perfect “California Rake” Born and raised here, This is the car I will always remember as the perfect rake! And If I were to look in Webster’s dictionary, you should see a picture of the 58 impala from American graffiti for “California rake” nose down, stock, or slight lift in the rear. My 2 cents!
The Jalopy Journal
