I just love that style...the pic in front of the Mobil station is great. One of my current favs....hope you don't mind Pete !!
So questions remain about the coupe, particularly what happened to it...also one of the early photos shows what appear to be 6-cylinder headers sticking out from the side of the hood, but no record that Doug ran a 6?? Also, I would guess that the last blown Chrysler that Doug ran in the coupe wound up in the J.E. Riley special driven by Calvin Rice that won the first NHRA nationals (but with a flathead after the Chrysler blew up... 1959 Ford, very sorry to hear about your grandfather....
In regards to the engine in Doug Hartelt's '34 modified coupe - Doug's initial efforts with his coupe were with a 6 cylinder "270" GMC engine. However it did not perform as well as he had hoped and was soon replaced with a hot flathead engine. Tom McLaughlin and I were both running "jimmys" at the time and we noted that Doug's engine did not have the sharp exhaust crack that our GMC engines had. We thought that Chuck Potvin's cam was smoother (milder) than the Howard cams we were running - both of our cars ended up with the lakes records that year. Doug built very good flatheads and Chryslers later. I believe that the GMC in the coupe was his only try with the 6 banger/ Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
Thanks, Don, as always, the master of hot rod history...(I had the opportunity to meet Tom "Acmo" McLaughlin many years ago when he stoped by the shop we rented on north Fair Oaks in Pasadena, the stuff I learned that night about early hot rods, the Glendale Coupe and Roadster Club, and setting up Jimmie engines...think he ran one in a Cord or Hupmobile?)
I didn't know about the 6 banger, thanks Rockerhead. Why do you say the blown hemi was the one in the J.E. Riley special? I know when my Grandpa n the "Unknown" brothers had it, it was a blown early hemi. Not doubting you at all Ardun, just wondering. Btw...grandpa passed about an hr ago.
Good question, had to search through my pile of old Hot Rods, and on p. 25 of the December 55 issue, in the report on the first NHRA nationals, is a picture of Calvin Rice's dragster, caption reads: One of the National's top dragsters, 'J.E Riley & Son Spl' was fitted with Potvin and Hartlett blown Chrysler, 143 mph." Most of the reports from the first nationals list the engine owner as Mel Dodd, because his flathead replaced the hemi when the finals were run in Arizona...(I'd scan it but scanner is down)...maybe someone else has the issue. no problem in doubting me, I often doubt myself...hard to get all this stuff right...and, again, really sorry to hear of your grandfather's passing...
296 Ardun When you say you were in a shop on north Fair Oaks; was that just above Montana street on the west side and bsack off the street? From about 1951 to 1954 I was in what we called the "Fair Oaks Speed Shop" there. I kept my Hudson and then the Cord there. Others there included Holly Hedrich, the Dahm Bros.,Winston Ranger, Larry Burford and others at various times. Don Blair's track roadster was also there. I left and built my '32 coupe and kept it in a shop with Blair's sprint car and Russ Palmer in 1954. I know that the shop kept going for some time but I do not have any info on it. Is this the same shop that you were in? Don
Don, it was, think that there was a gas station out front, Gil Hayward was building his "Monkey Motion" fuel altered right next to us, gave us invaluable advice, Paul Hornung was also there, with the roadster that ultimately went to the late Gray Baskerville when Paul died in a motorcycle accident. At that time Holly Hedrich was running his rear-engined roadster but he wasn't at the north Fair Oaks shop any more...some of they guys you mention were probably out of racing when I was there in the early '60s, but the Dahm brothers were still talked about, and guys still remembered Russ Palmer's 36 ford fuel coupe, think he ran a Dodge. The other thing I remember about the shop is that someone had built a wood replica of a 27 T body that they were going to use to make fiberglass T bodies, never learned what happened to the project. Thanks for connecting all this, sounds like the place was home to some of the Pasadena area's great hot rodding legends. Dave
Any body know some more history on this car? Anybody know when it was started or more importantly chopped? I know it was feature in Hop Up's '51 issue so it would have to be previous to that. I was just wondering if it ran as a street coupe or a less radical lakes coupe before it's more widely known configuration. What an incredible coupe. If I could I would clone that damn thing so everyone could see it (or it's identical clone) in the flesh.
Thanks Nostalgia59. I actually have that page open as we speak which is what prompted me to bring this thread back up. It pretty much picks up from it's Hop Up feature in '51. There's gotta be pics of this car being built.
This pic has to be from the 40's I would think. It's caption on Kustomrama says "The coupe at it's early stage, primered black". Probably 1948-1950....ya think? Since these photos are mostly from the Doug Hartlet collection do you think he has any of it being build or perhaps an even earlier version (street coupe?)?
Ok so seeing this SCTA timing slip should shed a bit more light on the Coupe's build date. If he was running his '32 Roadster around in 1948 that it would be safe to say that he didn't start until after that date. Perhaps he picked up where someone left off and the coupe was started earlier on?
Can't let it die! I need more info! I recently saw a picture or rouge wife rose at a show in CA. Doug could not attend. Under the pic, it gave the city they live in, so naturally I googled it n got their number. Now I'm nervous to call and start asking questions....
Oh man..... Well maybe he would love to talk to someone about his time spent racing? I'd love to know what fenders were used to create the nose piece. I'm whipping my '33 together and have been toying with cloning that nose piece.....shit I wish I could close the whole car but it seems pointless to start with a 33 and not a '34.
That coupe had the look. If he is in a nursing home, maybe it would be possible for you to visit him.
Maybe somebody close by to where Doug lives could go visit him....would be interesting to find out what he has to say. His coupe was well-documented back in the early 50's - sure would be nice to know its history in later times. Thanks for keeping the hunt going!
Doug is not doing well, I have been told he now has Alsheimers. I believe he and his wife Rosie live in Orange again, they had a place in Mexico and I think for some time they were in the San Diego. I will be in Orange (was born there) around the the first week of June, returning from the grand opening of the Model A Museum, before going home in Nor-Cal. I went to Bonneville with the Hartelts and several others from Orange, I crewed on Glen Minders C/GT Vette. Doug had his Potvin Front mount blower Chryser in the late Bob Herda's Devin. We put the small block back in it and he ran at Riverside in the sport car race they used to have in the fall. Bob's streamliner wasn't done so that is why he used the Devin at Bonneville. When the car was completed I don't think he used Doug's engine I was told I believe Clark Cagle's engine was used. Kent Fuller crewed on Bob's streamliner, I will ask him about which engine was used when I get home. Doug early on worked at Post Body Shop in Orange, Shorty Post built a streamliner in the mid fifties that ran a flathead, I don't know if it was Doug's. I believe it was driven by Otto Rysman, the car rolled and was not salvaged. Post Body Shop was maybe the first shop that built frames for the Glaspar fiberglass sports car, they had a guy that came in at night that welded them up. I know another guy that used to work with Doug and raced with the crew from Orange, Hart's Auto, Ollie Morris and etc., when I am down there on this trip I will try to get more info in Doug's 33-34 coupe and his engine. There was another guy in Orange, Ray Rucker that drag raced a 34 that I know was paint by the guy that worked with Doug, but it had a stock grill.
I have returned after better than a month and a half and 9400 miles. I spent some time with an old friend, Leslie Long while in So-Calif.that I went to Bonneville with in 1960 and used one of his engines in my first dragster. I also met with Phil Turgeson who worked Doug and was involved in the streamliner. After talking with Leslie (Captain) I learned that his goal in life is to collect as much information and photos of the early days of Bonneville, drag racing and etc. He didn't attend the first Bonneville meet in 49 but did in 1950. Otto Crocker asked him to sleep with the clocks as they didn't have security, Otto had a key to the gate and gave it to Captain. I know that this is supposed to be about Doug's 34 but I have some interesting info. that I think everyone will like. Rose Hartelt still lives in San Diego (Mission Bay) and Doug is in a care center. Doug, Chuck Potvin, Dick Craft and another that that don't have the name all went to High School together. Doug ran his roadster at Bonneville in 49 with a flathead. Doug ran his 34 twice at Bonneville, used Chuck Potvin's Ford 6 once and the engine was scraped. Doug styled the 34 after the Pearson Bros. car and talked with them to get their OK. Doug ran a flathead in 1951 in the 34. He sold the 34 in 51 the next year the new owners rolled it and it was destroyed. Doug, Shorty Post (Post Body Works) Don Little, Chuck Potivin and Phil Turguson were the builders of the Streamliner. The Post streamliner was run in 1951 with a flathead that may have been Doug's. In 1952 the streamliner had the first ever blown Chrysler, Potvin and Hartelt teamed up to build the drive system, Turgeson welded the intake and the output boxes from sheet metal and tubing. Phil continued to weld these till Chuck had castings made. The Post streamliner was rolled in 1953 and Potvin wanted it cut up. Mechanics Illustrated or Popular Science had an article on the car and it's fate. Doug put the blown Chrysler in Calvin Rice's dragster. Doug blew the engine, got a new warranty engine from a dealer in Los Angeles for $50.00, Captain was his partner. The dragster competed at the first ever NHRA Nationals in Kansas, the flex of the frame took it's toll on the blower drive (before all cast componets) they sub'd a flathead, weather came in and the final race was held out west, the car was top eliminator and won the first ever Nationals. Hot Rod Magazine sponsored the car for a year, the car color was changed from yellow and black to red and black. The car set the FIA record at March Air Force Base in Riverside Calif. The car was retired and Calvin cut it up. The engine was put into the Late Bob Herda's Devin when I when to Bonneville with the car and Hartelt's cousin Glen Minder's Corvette. Doug and Calvin were good friends, when Doug moved to San Diego both Doug and Calvin got a place down in San Felpe Mexico. They both built V-8 powered dune buggies, Doug's has a Hemi, Calvin rolled his. They are still in Mexico. The last time I saw Doug and Calvin was at a Smokers Meet at Bakersfield that I was running at in maybe 1967-68, we walked around looking at the dragsters, saw Howard Johanson's twin Chev car with the piece of tubing for a clutch pedal, Calvin commented thay it would take a bull to drive that thing. Captain gave me the first three CD's he has put put together of the early days, when I can I will post these under a new post, may be awhile, I need to catch up with things
Thanks for the info callcoy... It's a great story in spite of finding out that the Coupe was destroyed. It's still one of my all time favorite closed cars. It's nice to get the history. I'm a Potvin fan too, so it's cool to get that part of the story as well. Shame about Doug's declining health.
Additional information about the Calvin Race - Hartelt dragster, years later after the car was cut up the Wally Parks Museum was started and they needed cars from the early days. Captain received a Christmas card from Wally, he didn't open it for a number of days. When he did he found a letter from Wally asking him to consider building a replica of Calvin's car. Captain had Melvin Dodd and Dennis Webb build it, that is what is on display today. If the letter still exists I will try to get a copy and post it.
I am sorry to report that on Sept. 11th Doug passed away, he was doing very well the previous week then things changed, he will be missed by many. Unfortunately I will be unable to attend the annual get together that will be held Oct. 12th in So. Calif., I am sure that many of his friends will be in attendance. Earlier on this post I mentioned that I have received a collection of Bonneville photos from 1949 - 1952. I have reviewed and organized the lot, when I have a little more time I will post all of the photos that include Doug here, his coupe, with Fred Carrillo and the Post Streamliner. I will also post all of the photos as a series by years separately as a new post. It is possible that most of these have not been posted before, there is a lot of really neat stuff in this collection.
Speaking of Doug Hartelt's passing unfortunately Fred Carrillo also passed away in September. I really look forward to seeing the Bonneville photos you have. I have a number of original photos from the '49-'54 period.
The Jalopy Journal
