Flint H.R. History '46-'53 with a West Coast ending

A month ago I got a package from a friend of my Dads, who is fast becoming a sort of pen pal of mine.

I always enjoy opening the mailbox to find a yellow envolope, usually used with art drawn on the outside, from the other side of the country...Well in it this time was some neat stuff (it always is)!

First, I present to you, in transcribed form:

Michigan Street Rod ***ociation Newsletter March ‘73

Flint Area Hot Rod (paraphrased) History

and I read;

Street Rodding was born in Flint in about 1946. One of the oldest examples was Bill Waddell’s ’32 3-window. Like all rods of that era, it was a transportation piece AND a hobby. It was in regular service during the summer of ’46. After Bill’s car had been on the road a couple of years, a sharp channelled California style (I don’t know exactly what that is? hrd) ’32 roadster came on the scene via a guy by the name of Hollowell in Linden.

You could probably ***ume that back then it was inevitable that if there were two rods in the county they would somehow come in contact-either due to the “fraternity’s” word of mouth or they hunted eachother down for the purest of reasons: hot rods were meant to race eachother. There was no pretense back then as to why beat your brains out building a hot flathead pure and simply to run faster than the other guy.

At any rate, get together they did, along with a few others in the area like Harry Boyd (! ), Al (Dynaflow Kid) Schegel, Dermit Doyle, and Frank VanZant with their ’36 3-window, ’32 Chevy roadster (ne coupe) and ’34 roadster. Thus was born the Genesee Gear Grinders in the spring of ’48.

For many years after, the G.G.G. ‘s were synonomous with Flint street (HOT hrd ) rodding simply because they were synonomous with ALL hot rodding (thank-you hrd) in the area. The first speed shop in the area was almost a Gear Grinder enterprise. Started by Hollowell and bought by Waddell, it was the center of modifying and building activity until about 1955. When Bill bought the shop, he also got the channelled roadster. This car became almost legendary; p***ing through a succession of owners, accepting a variety of engines, and making two Bonneville trips. Try driving your 1972 (2005? hrd) hot rod from here to there and running over 130 with it, especially with only 322 of 1953’s best cubic inches.

Activities back then centered on DRIVING the cars-maybe because they were the only iron their owners had. But almost any night would have found the gang hanging around the Mobil station at 8th and South Saginaw. Many hours were spent arguing the merits of Porter vs Dougl*** mufflers. Whether the arguments were over the sound or the supposed performance benifits isn’t remembered; but many of them were settled right there on 8th street between Saginaw and Lapeer.
_________________________________________________________________


Unfortionitly it say's "con't on pg. 3....but I didn't get page three, so i'll leave you with some other stuff in the neat tattered package
the west coast ending

 

Great read Matt, see, Flint ain't so bad after all.

 

Thanks for sharing and thanks for taking the time to type it in for us to read!

What a time to live......as far as hotrods go........"jus like the 50's, man"....I know they had it much tougher than us....

 

Drummer, Were those Dry Lake car sketches by **** Teague loose or did you get a copy of Veda Orr's "Lakes" Pictorial from 1947?

 

**** Teague drawings, you lucky *******!

 

they are copies on the bottom right corner is a circle c 1996 Throttlers Press

I have a lot more history on all this stuff....alot of the Michigan car clubs from the early day's....meeting minutes, events, news paper clipping...ect.
If there is interest I could find time to do a monthly thread on it or something...

 

Here is a scan of the envolope the drawings came in

ohh and the 8th drawing...

 

WOW!!

 

Hey,

Ya mean **** Teague as in child actor turned big kuhuna stylist for
Packard Motors, later head of American Motors VP of styling. That
**** Teague?

 

yup, that **** Teague.

 

Hooda thunk Flint was so cool? HRD, I know a guy who's married to a Waddell and has the oringinal push truck that Bill used at Bonneville. Names Art Ridley. He built the truck using the Nailhead that was in it but the nostalgia stops there. It's got tweed, radials, really, really nice black paint. It's cool to know a little more about Flint's hot rodding past.

 

The gas station on Saginaw & 8th is still there, although it's a Sunoco now... it's a good place to go if you want to get har***ed by panhandlers....

It's exactly eight blocks south of mine and Kritz's tattoo shop!


And for those of you that don't know, Flint STILL has a huge street racing scene, but it's pretty much later iron (my '62 and and a couple of tri-5's are the "Old" cars)... you'll find quite a few 12 second cars, but if you really want to hang with the big boys, you better be runnin' damn close to (or in) the single digits!

 

"If there is interest I could find time to do a monthly thread on it or something"
PLEASE DO SO !!!!!!!!!!! Klaz

 

AWESOME read Matt! Please make it a weekly event.

 

My dad and I were talking about Bill Waddell last night at dinner. My dad went to GMI in Flint in '56-'58 and Bill installed the supercharger in his '55 Chevy. He mentioned a couple other names, I'll have to make notes next time. He talks about Bill quite a bit.

My father will be happy to hear that the push truck still exists. He rode in it a few times and loved it. I think he just liked the fact that Bill would tow his 3-window to the track with it, unhook the coupe and race both of them. The truck was pretty quick.

Anyone got photos?

 

Can't do too much typing right now...working,

I have Bill's life history here....I will post soon. HRD

 

I'll do my best to get pics of the 'new' truck. It's really nice. The guy that did the body, paint and ch***is is a good friend and extremely **** when it comes to doin' stuff right.

 

That was awesome!

 

Dad remembered that the truck ran a nailhead, and he said it was chopped about 7". Sound right? He also said that the 3-window was Olds Rocket powered when he knew it.

I've got a few photos from that time period, I'll see if I can dig 'em up.

These stories are the stuff that got me hooked on cars when I was a kid, looking through photo albums.

 

here are a couple of pics...I'm working on the life of Bill Waddill right now and may have it up this week, but this will take some time...it's ****ing fun though

The first one is a high school news letter...shows the roadster


Second, Is this the Truck you guys are talking about

Third, Bill reminising with the sedan that is behind the truck in the second shot, he held a national record in '58 with this car.
My Dad owns the car now (has since 78) I plan to do a history of that car too....sounds like I'm getting into this writing thing (thanks Hack!!! )

 

here are some things from the file


Not sure if you'll be able to read the text, but it gives you something to look at.... that's Bill on the Cover

 

more

Kind of felt I needed to end it with some nice words... I hope the last pic. is readable

 

Lovin' it....Thanks HRD.....



Mutt

 

The Henry J is the car that replaced Regret... his record in B/gas coupe was 105.88....that was at the First Oklahoma City Nationals....had a Hemi

In '59 it ran 13.73 e.t. @ 100 +/- m.p.h.

The picture is one year before he died at his house of a heart attack...God Speed....

 

Yo Matt...if you ever get back down to my area, we can probably stop in at the home of Walt's Puffer and see some of his old artifacts, as well as one of his old diggers and a bunch of Triumph bikes in his 'auto parts store'.

He's pretty cool, doesn't mind visitors once in a while!

 

His dad was cool, Walt is a pompous ***hole. 60+ years old and he walks around without a shirt on at cruz nites. Disgusting

 

Hmmm...he was fully clothed last time I stopped by his store...maybe he just LIKES you?!

 

Now who DOESN'T like Denise?!

Ok, ok, other than talk of 60+ year old guys sans clothing, I am lovin' this topic! This is the stuff I grew up on.

 

This car was just @ Pasadena's Art Center last Sunday, 1st thing I said was "That's the **** Teague AMC sports car"

They had thier annual concours there, alot of Real High $ stuff there as well a some real exotic designs. That's what I dig about this whole car scene, Variety! Open mindedness! Personality! The old do whatever,whenever you want! **** didn't have a closed mind as you see from his early drawings.
Most of the time his hands were tied when it came to designing for AMC/Rambler. He did do some great while there though (AMX/Javeline)