History 1938 hotrods at the dry lakes

Trader Jack, a long shot I know but do you have any recollection or pictures of this car?



According the the book "Muroc: When The Hot Rods Ran" it was owned by Jack Rose and ran a Cragar.

If you don't already own this book I think you would enjoy it as it's an absolute gem. It's the story of a day at Muroc back on May 15, 1938, so just a couple of months before the pictures you've been so kind to share with us. Amazon have it listed at $20.

http://www.amazon.com/Muroc-Where-H...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215678036&sr=8-1

 

hotrodav8 on youtube is me too
i got these pictures from someone who outbid me on e-bay but was kind enough to scan them and e-mail them to me


traderjack, thanks ALOT for all of the great history
glad to have you on board....

Zach

 

Trader Jack , sharp as a tack ! I hope my memory gets better when I graduate to the golden years 'cause it's pretty ****py right now ! Thanks for the history lesson , AWESOME!

 

WOW .simply awesome!

 

Amazing , I just want to say thanks ! Amazing Photos....

 

Amazing, BTT, I want to hear more cool stories

 

WOW

Tank you Sir for sharing your memmories and stories with us. Like many of the others have posted this is highly appreciatet.
I spend hours a day ( on the other side of the globe) vividly daydreaming of what you experienced as a young man.


A fun part of the book "When the Hot Rods ran, 1938" is that it gives us a look and feeling of the "life on the lakes".

Please tell us more of how it was to be out there for a hole weekend. Some of the atmosfhere, comraderie a**** the rodders, any wild insisdents etc.



Paul Torp

 

Remembering that I am an OLD man, and , perhaps, my memories are not really true, but I can remember some things quite well,
it is Saturday night, you are full of dust, too hot, and waiting for the morning to get in the line. The day has been 105, and now it is COLD, and when you get up your radiator has frozen, there is no bathroom facilities around, except out behind the sagebrush, and hummocks of land,

Well, you got to go, and you stumble around in the dark, find a place that looks acceptable for the purpose, drop your pants, and get ready to do what you have to do, and , then, and only then, do you hear the brrrrrrrrrr, of a rattlesnake near by.
whoops, run from that place and select another , after letting loose a stream of words not meant to be heard in public,

Now, of course, you have nibbled holes in your short as the sphincter has closed tightly and you know that the next movement will be next week, which thankfully is tomorrow.

Jump into the sleeping bag, as you are brave enough to sleep on the ground next to the car, forgetting for the momemt that rattlesnakes home in on warmth, so you get out of the sleeping bag, and jump into the back of a friend pickup, where it is quite crowded as the rest of the group has heard the commotions involved in all of this trouble

Ah, sleep, and the stars are bright, but, wait, the sun is coming up, and you hear the first barking of the 4 cylinder engines and the idling engines as the try to warm up the radiators. Time to arise!

Get on your pants, if you dared to take them off in the back of the pickup, and get the blowtorchout, fire it up, get the frying pan, and put the bacon in the pan over the blow torch, and now you put the bread in the hot grease, fry the bread , then fry the eggs, and you have the Mirage breakfast.

Time to get to the starting line and line up for runs, everyone is wariming up the cars, and the air is filled with smell of gasoline, acetone, benzine, castor oil, and all of the special additivies we use before the advent on nitro methane.

Now time to change the jets from gasoliine to methanol, if you are going to use it, pull the plugs , change the gaps, and blow the engine out with the plugs out, at which time you get a face full of alcohol from plug holes, Well, it is only in your face and not your eyes, so all is ok

Get to the front of the line, no seat belts, not cage, no helmet ,just you and your car looking down the dusty lake.

Starter oks, and you mash the throttle, dual pipes bark , and you are off in first, wind it out to about 5,000, no tach, just your ear, dump it up into second and let it wind out, back to high gear, and the wind is in your face , and you have forgotten you goggle, but , hey, you are at 100 mph, when a new Chevy clocked out at 65 mph,

You are having a ball, enjoying the noise, go through the traps, and get your ticket at 100 mph, you have made the 100 mph group, and go back again,

At least it didn't blow up that time.

Your buddy comes back under tow, and you look at his V8 and you can see the crank from the top! Now he needs a tow home, so you get a rope around his front axle, and start the tow home, him at one end of the rope, and towing him with a rope around you rear bumper, 120 miles from home, at 45 miles an hour maximum, hope he doesn't got to sleep!

But back home, wash the number off of your car, wash the dirt off of the car, and take a nice long shower washing the dirt off of your body, and hair.

Happiness is a long day at the lakes

Just one of many!

traderjack

 

That ruled!!!!!
Thanks for the trip back Jack!

 

WOW!! Thanks for sharing!!

 

Great story TraderJack! I felt like I was actually there.

I just read over the whole thread, and I have to say, this is one of the best threads I've read in a while.

 

Thanks TraderJack. Definitely the best descriptive piece I've heard about the lakes. Cheers!

 

If you haven't seen this, everyone should be aware to this group of hotrodders.

http://www.teamvesco.com/speedweek2007.html

John was a member of The San Diego Roadster Club, and a very good body man and mechanic. Look at all of the stuff that family did

and if you look at the bottom of this page you wil see his 203 mph belly tank with a Riley 4 port.

Traderjack

 

That was a nice reading.
Thanks
Please keep on sharing memories. Just write what ever comes to mind.
We'll be here reading you know.

Paul

 

I'm on here for a few minutes about once every three weeks... I'm glad I saw this today. Out-freakin standing.

 

thanks traderjack!
best thing i've read in quite some time!

Zach

 

that was definitely cool. thanks

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Great story TJ! I'll keep checkin in for more...

 

I like those old pics, Thanks!

 

I knew I had some similar photos in my collection, just took some time to find them. I've had these for at least 20 years, and can't remember where they came from. When we put the Swamp Rat 33 together for Big, in 1988, friends and customers would call or send things.

From the total lack of any post war cars in the background, these were obviously taken at a early event. I got a kick at the little guy by the '35, looks like he's dressed for something other than dry lakes racing.

I'll leave the where and when to some of the more experienced folks on this thread. I'm sure many if not all of these cars can be identified. It would make my day.

 

Bump for ID ?

 

great stuff, thanks!

 

This is one of the most important posts here on the HAMB. This needs to be brought back to the top and kept there for quite some time!

I have no idea how I missed this fellow's post, BUT, now I'm going to make sure it doesn't slide down anytime too soon. Geez guys, I wish someone told me about this thread! Aggh, yer killin me boys!

A big hearty welcome to you Trader Jack!

Keep those stories flowing!.....

And those of you out here with an ounce of brains,...break out then pen and pad and start copying all this stuff boys,...you're reading living, breathing, history!!!!!!!!!!

I think this man deserves a FREE Alliance membership!
Regardless if he ever gets behind a wheel again!

God bless you my good fellow! Its a true honor bestowed to us,..thank you.

 

btt

 

To you youngsters who are finding the price of gas too high, remember that we would drive 135 miles one way to get to the lakes. Gasoline was 15 cents a gallon , but the salary was 25 cents an hour. Driving to the lakes and return took about 20 gallons of gas, for a cost of $3.00 for gas!

But that was 1 1/2 days labor or 12 hours of work. Be about $85 now. which would buy you about 20 gallons of gas!

Funny , how it works out.

During WW2 we were limited to 4 gallons of gas a week, so we dumped in paint thinner, acetone, kerosene, lighter fluid , anything to get a little more fuel to run the cars.

In 1946 a new Mercury engine complete was $325 at the dealer, wages were 65cent per hour. 500 hours of work to get the engine.

Edelbrock heads were $75 , or so, which is 116 hours of work at that time.

My first cam for my 21 stud was $35 plus $25 for putting it in the engine. Didn't have adjustables, and had to have stellite put on the base of the valve stem to take up the space.

Winfield carbs were $10 -15 dollars , 97's $3 rebuilt, but all in all, considering the wages things are cheaper to day than they were then, but then again I might be wrong.

We could go out in the boonies and pickup t bodies off the side of the road for nothing. When out one day and got 3 of them!

Went through 3 transmissions in one month, but they were only $39 rebuilt.

There was not really much attention to prettiness in the cars, and , in fact, only the rich people had good looking cars, not much attention to detial, all lthe attention was on the engine.

My 33 coupe was running 3.54 rear end and 7.50x16 tires and would get 22 mpg on the road, 72 in low gear, 92 in second , and a fast 100 in high.

Last iteration I had 4 pipes on it with 4 smitties, and it was a wonderfiul sounding car.
traderjack

 

trader jack - i believe you are about right with your numbers.... its all relative... it'll probably cost me $20k start to finish with my flathead powered sedan and im doing most of the work, thats months of paychecks and months of sweat equity.

safety requirements have increased which is a lot of $$$$$$.... speed parts are still expensive too... some parts are waaaay out of reach.

all in all, racing will still eat up your savings and flatheads are probably just as popular today as they were during your time.

keep 'em coming Trader Jack... !!

 

wow i just read this thread for the first time that some great read. trader jack you rule. when i hang out with jack calori he tells me the same type stories of the dry lake . i wish he could get on a computer and read this stuff but he's not up on hi tec stuff i dont think he has a vcr . trader jack do you know jack calori he raced the dry lakes and was at harpers and muroc . he has a big photo book of early dry lakes stuff i'm going to try and photo copy it. real amazing stuff i love the old times and the guys that are still around to tell us story's.listen while you can. i'm going to have my car at el mirage in november with jack calori with me. and would also like to meet you trader jack. take care feep this post at the top pemently THIS IS WHAT HOT RODDING IS ABOUT.billy p.s trader jack this my car do you rememer it.

 

Nope, I didn't know Jack Calori, but I sure as Hell know his car. About 10 years ago, or maybe 20, I bought an aV8 for $600 and started the conversion to look like Calori's, but, then my heart went screwy and I got a hole in the retina of one eye so I have no depth perception , so I had to abandon it and sold it!

I loved his car, I think he was with the Hornets from San Berdoo. Loved those pipes up the side and the overall look.

Tell him another old hotrodder remembers his car well. Heck he must be as old as I am.!

I was in the San Diego Roadster Club so we didn't get to know many of the oher clubs.


traderjack

 

thanks for replying trader jack . jack calori was in the lancers out of long beach. he's 85 will be 86 in november.i just talked to him today still going strong. hes a great guy.pm me i'll give you his # he would love to hear from you. take care . billy