Great Oregon Racers

Wentworth and Irving AMC of Portland campaigned a Hurst SS/AMX:

http://www.superstockamx.com/page27.php

And here is some info on Schroeders wheelstanding AMX:

http://www.superstockamx.com/page76.php

Always looking for Hurst AMX info. Thanks

 

Wentworth And Irwin was right across the street from the old KISN radio station! Part of our cruise route when hitting downtown Portland. It's now Powell's Book Store, another major Portland attraction.

 

I received a Christmas card from Lloyd Clemans, Lloyd and I made friends at a PIR cruise several years ago. Lloyd was looking at my brother's "hand built" 'T' truck, and mentioned he used to race a 27 'T' sedan with a blown flathead. He really got my attention when he said that he teamed up with Wayne Harry in late 61, and they installed his engine in Wayne's 36 Willys PU. This is a shot of the sedan taken around 1960 at Puyallup. He said they put him in C/A class, because he didn't have the car street legal at that time. Lloyd lives across the river up near Earl Floyd, and is on this site as well. Thanks Lloyd, and Merry Christmas to all !

 

Looks like an unusual choice for a blown flathead, but also shows the variety raced back then! Pretty cool "altered".

 

Vall, I will have to introduce you to Lloyd, he sent me an email with some more info about that car. The engine was a 59L block, big bore/ stock 3.75 stroke, Isky 400jr cam. With 7.5 compression heads, the chain driven 4-71 was was spun 25% over, topped with 4 97's. He said that he turned it 7000 rpm. The sedan was built for Gas Supercharged class, but without all of the street equipment it fell into Altered for that race.

 

I'd enjoy meeting Lloyd! That flathead sounds like a pretty stout engine, and I bet it hauled that sedan down the strip pretty quickly! Did Lloyd mention what kind of times it turned?

 

Hey all you Oregon Racers,,, Merry Christmas, and a HappyNew Year !
(from an old White City, Southern Oregon Wheeler, (1962-3)

 

And MERRY CHRISTMAS to you! And also a great New Year!

 

1971BB427
1960 was a long time ago and sometimes we seniors have a tendency of adjusting the facts to make the story more colorful. While my ET's were horrible, I think mostly in the 14's, I recall my trap speeds ran in the 105-110 mph range. Running a 4.88 gear and 29" slicks, I was buzzing that little flathead around 6500 in the lights. The strange thing is that it lived. I suspect it was all those blown head gaskets that saved the bottom end.

 

Just watched it too. We occasionally raced at Madras in the 60s [went to high school in Redmond] and I was hoping to see some local Redmond cars I recognized but none looked familiar.
When I came home from the service in '69 I'd occasionally race my blue 57 Pontiac at Madras...got my clock cleaned by a white 56 chevy belair hardtop when my original Pontiac 3 speed shifter hung up.

 

14's might not sound fast when compared to today's cars, but in that time I'm sure it was very competitive! Pretty darn good top speed too! I'd have expected low 13's with that top speed, so I'm guessing your car was doing some tire spinning through the 1/4!

 

Marty is mentioned for his work on Lonnie Gilbertson's 55 in the Feb. 2014 Street Rodder. Celebrity status.
The hauler pic is from http://smokingrubber.com.

 

Coast, I noticed the time on your post, you must be a "Nite Owl"? Lonnie and I have been working together on projects for over 15 years now. He is a lot of fun, and great to work with, and his '55 is a "stunner", as with most of his cars. Here are a couple of action shots.

 

Great pics! Was Lonnie in that track T feature article some years ago? I seem to recall 3 or 4 cars wide on a dirt track.

 

I think this is the shot you are thinking of. It was in R&C about ten years ago. Lonnie is in his #5, Ernie Martin in #8, and me in my #7. Also here some pics taken at the 2001 Portland Roadster Show, we assembled it during the show and drove it out Sunday night.

 

Whoa. Who's bitchin' Tognotti sprint car is that in the background of the roadster show pictures. 2001? Has it really been that long?

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

Marty-thank you for your excellent historical piece in the latest Hot Rod Deluxe; very enjoyable read.

 

Rick, It's funny you would post the shot of Gary Parham's "Undertaker" today, I saw him at the Albany Car Show a couple of hours ago!

 

Found some pics from Woodburn in 1967. Taken by a 14 year old me with my trusty Instamatic and my Dad's WW2 Argus rangefinder 35mm!
I think this is John Mitchell's car.

 

Ireland's 67 Fairlane

 

Ken Martin

 

Eyerley's stompin' VW

 

The Assassin

 

The Good Ol' Days of push starts!
Note protective safety Cyclone fence!

 

Great pictures Gary! Those really were the good days!

 

Gary, That is some good stuff ! Especially the one of Bill Ireland picking up his time slip.

 

Ditto on the Ireland pic, gotta love those bag of snakes headers. Bumped a picture of my 3 year old son to make the Woodburn shot my new computer wallpaper.

 

More stuff from 1967