History The Kellison

Hopefully get up to Tanunda this easter & the Bolwell nats. Real fine cars. That Meyers rip- off illustrates a desperate attitude. I admire the fortitude & persistence of the builder of the blue L.A. car. Looks good considering all these cars started as not much more than a dream.

 

Just like this...Bad ASS

 

Sorry doc for ranting so hard. Been listening about those things for years now and I just don't see it. Yes, the cheetah to me was the best ever built for body style, love those things. The kellison looks like a bradley gt next to the cheetah. I have never seen a cheetah in person so I can't elaborate on it.......( thankfully?)...............

 

Ryan,

I wound up with some of Chuck Manning's files after the passing of his wife last year. Among the papers are some sketches and photos of his own sportsrod and a lot of news clippings about his racing success. These predated his involvement with Kellison, I believe. My info seems to indicate that Manning designed the first chassis design for Kellison, but there were a limited number built. I also believe Chuck manning died of cancer in 1956 or 1957. You might like to check my Manning Special album for a look at a few of the things that were in the files.
I would be happy to share these files with you, just let me know.

here's a link to the album http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=3372

Craig

 

I don't know what ever happened to the company but since I saw no mention the Kellison coupe was later sold as the Astra. In 63 they also sold fastback style roof kits for 56-60 and 61-62 Corvette playing on the new Sting Ray though they looked much like the 54 Corvair, Corvette show car.

These cars and those such as the Devins and LaDawri cars took some effort to put together a nice looking car from. Most of the original unbuilt cars are raw bodies right out of the mold with limited trimming and there no gel coat to doll them up. The thing is if you can find a nice one to work on, the body has long been cured out and makes a good starting point now more than when new unless there is major sun damage.

Something interesting about the La Dawri car is that it uses a flipped up side down windshield from a 55-59 Chevy or GMC truck.

The Jamacain mentioned came out in 68 and were often put on TR4 chassis ( mine had a 289 and a 4speed) though a VW model exsisted as well where the rear flipped open similar to a GT-40. The guy I bought mine from insisted it was a Shelby Daytona prototype, it was very hard to keep a straight face.

 

Was Nolan White's Kellison the fastest at 220+ MPH at Bonneville?

 

http://www.kellisoncars.com/
The other thread...(Ryan really likes these things! )
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=51181&highlight=kellison

 

Bill Burke set a record that stood 22 years. This is a J-4.

 

Nolan White smashed the record with this chain driven blown K 3

 

If anyone is interested a J4 coupe racecar just came up for sale here:

http://corvaircenter.com/phorum/read.php?1,201435

 

Someone should make a buck and a mold and make some more kellison bodys because i want one!!!

 

I seen a J6 on google in black.. and not the one with the funny headlights.. it was real nice.. It looked as if it was a factory unit.

 

I have an original Kellison Sales brochure in silver with black gelatin print, outstanding work. If anyone is interested in it, let me know. I found it at an antique store in Vallejo, CA.

There was a Kellison for sale on Ebay about six months ago, in Marin. It was one of the coolest looking hotrods I have ever seen. Orange/Raw/Nasty looking in a good way.

 

That would actually be a pretty reasonable price to get into a car to race at Bonneville.

Rogue the reason you probably haven't ever seen one is that there were only 18 made plus one that was a bit of a different model.
Street versions were 7,500 and race versions were 13,000 in 1963 dollars.
The cars were fast and won races but Bill Thomas had his problems with them too.
The Kellison was affordable for the average working guy who wanted to go racing with a slick looking body or had the skills to build a nice looking street rig although not many had those skills. If they were anything like the Devin body I had it would take an extreme amount of skill as that was and still is only a fiberglass shell with no floor or structure.
There is a pretty good writeup on the Cheetahs here http://www.cheetahcars.com/index.htm

And like a lot of others I still lust after the Kellison J-2 and have for 45 years.

 

Someone mentioned the DEVIN...never knew what it was...I thought is was a funky kit car body that was trying to be a corvette knock off (Boy I was wrong). There was one in KC at a resale shop that had neat old goodies from...well a DEVIN in disrepair to old shop signs and vintage knick-knacks-Just a cool place to look at dusty and crusty stuff. I think it was in a long store front off of troost or maybe by where GRINDERS is now. I cannot remember as it was about 9 years ago.

It may be the same place where Kevin picked up a flat head motor? I just remember reading a post from Kevin and about a Flat Head...the description of the place he got it from I believe was where the DEVIN was at.

This means nothing to anyone reading this if you are not from KC...but good to know that I may have missed another potentially cool project car!

 

There was a Kellison body drag car around Nashville Tn. in the late 60s. It was called Hobo.

 

http://kellisonpage3.homestead.com/forsale.html

 

Hi, Saw this thread. I just purchased this car. Do you have any other info on the car or how I can find more on the Oakland Roadster Show title? The car is totally stripped down of all paint. No interior/engine/nothing. Have all trim though. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Bill Hair automojo@hughes.net

 

Still one of my favorites, a timeless classic from day one. If I couold get my hands on one I'd re tool it and produce them again in a New York minute.

 

my dad bought a LaDawari at iola this past summer. we just finished a 31 sport coupe so now it is only number 2 on the list of cas to get too. 28 phaeton then the kit car. We alread bought the suspension( 90 corvette) and we have the motor and trans. 454 with a muncie so look out. 3 years and counting
tk

 

I'm happy with mine....

I had my eye out for the last 4 or 5 years and I finally brought this '57 J-4 home... Use to sport a Caddie / LaSalle and was said ta have run at Bonnie early on ( who knows )... The glass is ruff, but not too bad for 50+ years of questionable storage.. The glass is lighter than my '55 Victress but still hold'n strong .... Lot to do, but cars don't get simpler than this...

 

I thought I was done but this takes the cake. Kellison coppied the myers? Bruce lives 4 miles from me and he is one of the best guys you could ever meet. I will never understand how a person (company?) can piss on that man, but hey.......

Sad to see such a following of a shitty car that was produced with a chopper gun (could be hand laid, but questionable) and a zero negative mold. The body is not history , it's capatalism at it's best........

Fuck those pos's...............


Bruce sued Jim in Sacramento and lost. Jim told Bruce that if he'd spent the money on more chopper guns instead of lawyers, he'd be filthy rich as there was more business then either Bruce or Jim could handle.

Jim went on to manufacturer water slides and porti-potties.

 

Here's one I ran across a month or so ago;belongs to a friend of mine.

 

I've still got a J-5 body, never was mounted on any frame. used to see lots of unfinished ones....

 

friend got a body, I gave my son the plans for the frame and he was working on putting it into solidworks. I think that's kind of funny....

 

I could get into owning one of those... Its Neat looking..

 

Yeah me too!

 

J4



Astra X 300gt

 

Is this the same style as the yellow car in the back of Rodder's Journal from a couple issues ago? That profile draws me in so much it drives me crazy. For now I'll just have to keep dreaming.