I'll se what I can do on getting book/pictures from Clifford to have them scanned. Especially for a restoration being done.
Just got this from my Friend Ken: Clifford found the his father patch that he wore on his jacket. I also found one of the pictures had this written on the back of the picture . Clifford okayed with you scanning his photo album
Thanks for sharing those Hot Rod gold pictures, true history of a great era. I especially like the El Mirage timing plaque.
I actually press full image, but maybe cause it on the phone?? Not on laptop, having beers with Ken and Cliff right now talking days gone by and ez wife's lol
“… in LA before he went to work for Douglas Aircraft's making D3's for the war. His father was in the thick of it when Hot Rodding was starting, use to work for Hilborn as well…” Hello, Nice array of old photos. If the father was working at douglas aircraft, he was in our cruising grounds, but we were not around back then. The older guys from Long Beach had written some history about starting at Douglas Aircraft near the Long Beach Airport way back when they were young. Joe Mailliard and Joe Reath were young auto mechanics and were the core of hot rodding and drag racing builds in the late 40s and early 50s in So Cal. Both, called Long Beach home, opened a small shop together,(Eastside) and then, opened two separate hot rod/drag race shops (Eastside + Westside.) They're are gone, now, but both of them also started at Douglas Aircraft. Also, back then, Hilborn in the late 50s was located in Los Angeles and moved to Orange County in the late 50s-early 60s in an area that was sheep/horse grazing land. But, it was also close to the newly constructed freeway heading North to Los Angeles and South to San Diego. It is near the current location of the Mission Viejo Mall. No more stuff left from Hilborn at the old site as there is a huge condominium complex on the old Hilborn Company factory and offices high on the hill. Hilborn moved to a new industrial site location for a couple of years, prior to the end… Jnaki Also, some of the similar photos are on the Kustomrama website. Search the dry lakes clubs and their websites. @jimmysix would know more about dry lakes racing and its rich history. YRMV "Several kinds of hot rods were racing on the lakes in the 1940s. Open-wheel cars with purpose-built custom streamlined bodies were classified as "streamliners" by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), and they are referred to as "lakesters" today. Stu Hilborn's streamliner was one of the best known, best-looking, and most successful on the lakes—and served as Hilborn's mule car for testing his fuel injection technology. It was the first streamliner to run 150 mph. And it almost killed him."
Good thread on the timing assns. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/outlaw-timing-associations-of-the-1940s.924173/ I don't think I'd call them outlaw - only ones that didn't survive. I think Russetta was the last to go in the early 60s. They were started because SCTA wouldn't allow closed cars. 1937 - SCTA 1938 - Western Timing Assn 1948 - Russetta Timing Assn If you are interested in 1941 dry lakes racing, you need to find a copy of "Throttle The Complete Collection" published by Rodder's Journal in 2009 but now apparently out of print. It consists of the January-December 1941 issues of Throttle magazine, the first hod rod magazine. There are a couple of used copies available through Amazon resellers. Though delayed by wet weather, Russetta Timing Association ran the first meet at El Mirage on 18 May, 1941 with Rod Pugh fastest of the day at 123.96 in his modified. The Western Timing Association ran at Harper Dry Lakes the following week, 25 May, but ran at El Mirage later in the season. There is extensive coverage of results by meet including, of course, the SCTA meets. SCTA's first event of the season was 15 June at Muroc after negotiations with the military.
WOW ! beautiful pics . Notice that many cars have fenders off for racing but leave the running board aprons as they required the body lifted to remove them on race day . my 30 roadster has them on .
I'm almost certain the heavily customized white roadster in second group of photos is the Bob Hart roadster, which appeared in December 1948 Hot Rod. The black one above it reminds me of the deuce Joe Mac once owned
Thanks for sharing and be sure to let him know THANKS for sharing ! It was what started with my Uncle's pictures but it was my Aunt that said "show him the pictures".....
Thank you for taking the time to post these for us to look at and enjoy! I gotta say, I LOVE that '34 Cabriolet with the "flipper" hub caps as someone said above....really neat seeing that with no fenders that early on......and I am a roadster guy! Thanks again!
Seeing these kind of makes you wonder how many other treasure troves are hidden away in attics and basements, forgotten, taken by or of guys who tried hard but never made a splash.
Close but no cigar https://kustomrama.com/wiki/Phil_Remington's_Modified I last saw Remington about 5 years before he died. At 80+ years he was at Palomar airport playing with his 1/4 scale RC sprint car he had built. Completely from scratch while at All American Racers complete with carbon fiber body and wing. Very accurate tube frame with a 2cycle leaf blower engine.
I think there is a (strong) chance this became Remington modified. The guy in car is a Low Flyer, same club as Phil. The '34 Cabriolet I believe is Phil's Flipped photo right way round
I think Phil's was a different car maybe from the same builder. There is a picture of his with a midget type tail. They both probably started life on the dirt oval at Gilmore Stadium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilmore_Stadium If you compare the details of the two you'll see many differences in the body - grill shell and lip at front of cockpit are the easiest. Also the bars for the front and rear axle mounting are different. All references say the car first hit the lake in 1946. The hubcaps are the give away on his 34. https://www.motortrend.com/news/take-5-with-phil-remington/photos/
Do you know why it ended up with a Tail? Karl Orr modified that was SCTA champion in '42 also ended up with a tail. 1947 Champion car of Dietrich/Thomas also ended up with a tail. I don't say it is possibly Phil's on a whim it is an educated guess. These car were constantly modified/changed sold, usually within in same club. Phil's Modified in the build can clearly be seen it was no new build just and evolution of an existing car, ignore the fact it has the exact same intake and scoops. NO! These "Super Modifieds"a term used in Throttle magazine by Babe Ouse were purely 'Lakes' competitors. Some of the earlier modifieds of Ralph Schenck & Marinovich bros ran their cars at South Gate in the late 30s, at this time they were run in Modified Roadster races ( I have a couple of the South Gate programs), a term later shortened to modified which is what they are more commonly known as now. The nucleus is there....
Arnold Birner banger powered modified. He was running a 4-port Riley. Postwar he built a bellytank and ran this banger in. He would later produce OHV heads for his flathead V8 Wes Collins Model A Ford, the Orrs owned this for a while. Wes is best known for his 1934 Ford roadster custom, the one @Royalshifter is recreating. This one below is very cool! Many early pioneers of Hot Rodding ran this car, was also still running post war. Johnny Junkin ran the car with Pete Bertrand they held modified record with 121mph. Karl Orr purchased the car minus engine, Karl built another banger using a Cragar OHV head, Bertrand cam, 2 Winfield carbs, Karl broke the Junkin/Bertrand record with 125mph. Nelson Taylor ran the car next, some good photos can be seen in "Muroc. When the Hot Rods Ran" including the towing accident which saw it upside down (still ran at the meet). Some good engine shots also an interior photo. Who owned it next unsure but Howard Wilson purchased the car prewar also owned it postwar, Howard was a Low Flyer member. There is a great shot of Wilson's modified with Remington's on the street in front of one of their house's. Howard was the driver of Stu Hilborn's rebuilt streamliner on the record run of 150mph. FWIW Ernie McAfee ran the car in the mid 30s. When Howard Wilson owned the car, 1946
Last post AHRF Photo AHRF Photo Karl Orr likely 1937. From Street Rodder article in Jan 1976 written by Frank Oddo
Here is Remington's car with the tail - probably after it was first bought. Maybe a test run to set a baseline. Also the differences between Remington's car and the other one.
Umm, No! The Tail was added to Remington's car in 1948, Car did not have one beforehand. Modified class was dropped by the SCTA after the 1946 season. Starting in 1947 cars that had run previous seasons as a Modified were now lumped in (classed) with the streamliners. 1946 1947 Karl Orr's Modified had a tail added in 1949 by the team Path & Moore to make the car more streamlined. They had run the car without a tail in 1948 & were not competitive against the bellytank streamliners (bellytanks were re-classed as Lakester in 1950). 1946 1947 before Karl Orr sold car to Bob Path & Chuck Moore 1948 (Warren Durkee photo) 1949 In 1946 Kenny Lindley ran his Modified but sold the car to Dietrich/Thomas who tied for the 1947 SCTA Season points championship (tied with Doug Hartelt). the Modified was classed as a streamliner in '47, it was run with a tail in 1947. 1946 1947 with streamlining (Lattin family photo) 1948 1949 car was first car to make pass at Bonneville Car still exists https://www.motortrend.com/features/70-year-old-lakes-racer-still-good-for-125-mph/ None of these cars were dirt trackers, sprint cars. They were in a constant state of evolution and all had previous iterations with other people, this is what I am trying to get across. That prewar car may not be an early version of Rem's car but will say the odds it is are more than you think!