Built in the 1957 Crosley on a model A frame .My grandpa will be 80 in july and was born and raised in Santa Ana Ca. Still lives there . He raced at Santa ana in 59 and lions The car in the picks was built by him and some of his buddies from Santa ana junior college . He built the hemi for his drag car as one of his college projects . I got to meet a buddy of my Grandfather at this last weeks bakersfield meet and that were these pictures come from . My grandpa was at the first march meet in 59 . His buddy had 5 large photo albums from about 1957 to the mid seventies from santa ana to lions to the first 7 of the march meets all of dragsters. Im trying to convience him to get on this site and share ..
Grand pa still has a 65 elcamino with a small block 327 muncie 4 speed he built and machined runnin nitros ..
Some more of the story my Grandpa got into drag racing because he worked at the local tastie freeze in santa ana and the local drag racers would come in after the meet at santa ana .He got to knew Calvin Rice and was friends with Art Chrisman .
Flyn I bumped these up for you and rotated them...cool machine...Yes get Grandpa on here. This stuff is right up Hamb alley...Thanks for sharing the story and pics... @flyn schlosser's Grandpa's Super Cool Hotrod Crosley
Ask him what he had invested in the car ($$$). Pretty neat story, and car. I don't know much about my Grandfather, but my Grandmother always had "fast cars". In her 70's (her age), she bought a NEW, 1968, Plymouth Roadrunner; she did go with an automatic transmission however! No one in my family are cars guys, except me; I guess I must have gotten the gene from my Grandmother. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I'm kicking myself for not taking individual pictures of his albums. My grandpa is Tony Brock his buddy name is Dennis Nichols and talking to him that day he had a hand in building quite a few dragsters and was the driver.He said he was friends with Mickey Thompson was able to use of his one off parts on his cars . Unfortunately Dennis is old school and doesn't use the computer as far as I know ..
Great pics! There's just something cool and menacing about seeing a race car, in the driveway of a nice, quiet suburban community. I bet your gramps could see the neighbors curtains move, every time he pulled her out.
Understand....would we guess you need to go see him ? .....and scan some pics......please......pretty please.....
I Been texting grandpa . Grandpa built a hemi like I said , previous for his junior college . Chet Herbert let my grandpa use his panel to put his motor in to go to the winter nationals but grand pa couldn't get it quite ready.grandpa held a E.T record at Pomona for a week he said proudly .they was picks of the car show they put on at the Santa Ana junior college shop class were the Crosley was there and my grandpas friend Dennis had a nice looking 49 chevy coupe .
I would love to go visit but he leaves in Washington not sure how I'm going to get them maybe he will be at the marcH meet since him and my grandpa were at the first one . I love this stuff me and my grandpa were never that close .He's a wonderful man but we moved a few hours away when I was 12 but since he found out I'm in the history and into car it's brought us closer .
The car was originally olds powered my grandpas friend Don Brown .Then my grandpa put the 354 chrysler hemi he built with his other Friend John Ormiston .
Don't feel too bad. My grandpa immigrated from Scotland as a millionarre with a degree in mechanical engineering, owned a big chunk of property in downtown Vancouver, squandered it all on booze and hookers and died broke. Cool thread OP, thanks for posting!
RIP..Grandpa you had a heck of a run .We will all miss you. Hope your flying down the strip in Heaven...
Godspeed Tony Brock. Your grandfather sounds like he was a great guy and was friends with some of the pioneers of the sport.
Condolences to you and the family in the passing of your Grandpa. I hope you had the opportunity to get to meet and share some time over the years since you shared this story with us. He sure did a stand up job on that Crosley and hung around with some real amazing people...
I appreciate all the kind words.He truly was a wonderful man and lived that hot rod life style in California from going to the first march meet in 59 to owning his own auto parts store to building a 331 hemi as his junior college project at Santa ana college to holding low et Pomona drag race for the weekend he was proud of that. BUILDING A front engine dragster. Racing at Colton, Riverside but even better than that he was just a good man that would.help anybody...
There were 2 or 3 Crosley dragsters at the last Antique Nationals. Hopefully they'll make it to the 2025 RPM & Antique Nationals at Barona dragstrip near San Diego May 3 & 4, 2025
The Jalopy Journal
