Lookin for Tex Collins info? California racer?

Curt Hamliton stops by my shop once or twice a week, still busts his *** working on Jag rear ends for rods. Quite a guy with lots of stories. When the younger rodders stop in, they have no clue who he is.

 

In March of 2010 when we were trying to get the Horan/Burgan top fuel car ready for Bakersfield I needed to do a couple of welding jobs and Horan did not have a TIG at his shop. He told me that we would just go over to Curt's shop and do it there. When we pulled up and saw the Hamilton Automotive sign something sounded familiar. Once we got inside and I saw the Jag rears I knew who "Curt" was. A great guy and I wish that I had more time to hang out with him.

Roo

 

Who was the guy who took over at Cal Automotive after Tex Collins? I can't remember his name, but he was a World-Cl*** ******** artist who took me for several hundred $ for undelivered fiberglas, and then disappeared !

 

I saw the White cabover run at San Fernando a time or two. Seems I recall a Model T C-cab used as a tow vehicle by the same guys making a p***, and pulling the front end pretty well. Damn, it was a long time ago...

 

The Quad Al was in one of those beach blanket movies. It may have been that one

 

Decades back, my first time at the Spring Carlisle swap meet. Sitting on a trailer for sale was the Quad Al car (less engines). I took some pics, will dig & see if I still have them.

 

I used to spend summers at my brother's Corvette shop on Lankershim just across from the Palomino Club. There were stories of Tex's having a very young wife and of his riding a pig around in his Rolls. My brother would never let me go down to Tex's because he said he had several "non-fans" at the time and he didn't feel it was a good idea for a 12 year old to be hanging around there. Another brother was a good friend of Curt Hamilton and Curt put an Opel front end in his Willys. My best friend eventually bought and still owns that car. A few months ago he had Fatman install a new front end and they were very complimentary of the sanitary installation Curt did. Here's a link to the install if anyone is interested. http://webrodder.com/article.php?AID=581&SID=16

 

Anyone have pics of the quad al car or Tex,s allison powered mustang?

 

Before he was in the fibergl*** T business, he had the most real steel T's at his house, so many that they were stacked up like tea cups higher than his 8 foot fence. I followed 2 girls in a T tub to their house and found all those T's sticking out above their fence. Later he went in business.

 

Do you know whether the Allison Mustang still exisits, and if so where? I'd love to see that monster some day! Saw a post by Frank Collins on another forum (link below) indicating he has "found and resotred" four of Tex Collins' cars so I'm hoping the Allison Mustang is one of them. Planning a trip to Los Angeles in February 2023 for the National Roadster Show in Pomona and would love to see the Mustang if it is still in the area!

http://museumsanfernandovalley.blogspot.com/2013/11/cal-automotive-north-hollywood-murder.html

 

Just replied to "Hell on Wheels" but wanted to reply to your comment as well. really cool that you helped Tex with the Allison Mustang back in the day. Do you know whether that car still exists, and if so where? I'd love to see that monster in person some day! Saw the Quad Al in Indiana earlier this summer and now I'm hooked on tracking down unique cars, especially ones with Allison engine swaps. I'm hoping to attend the National Roadster Show in Pomona in February 2023, so if the Tex Collins Mustang is still in SoCal I'd love to know where to find it!

 

Do you know whether Tex Collins' Allison Mustang still exists, and if so where? I'm hoping to attend the National Roadster Show in Pomona in February 2023, so if the Mustang is still in SoCal I'd love to see it while I'm there!

 

A friend of mine did a lot of welding and fabrication on the Fiat, the Mustang and the Quad Al. Story was Tex bought twenty-five surplus Allisons still in the big sealed shipping containers and this friend had to haul all of them out of the storage site in two or three days. I'll get a more detailed account next I speak with him.

jack vines