Art & Inspiration Show us the dregs (least desirable cars)of the hobby made cool.

At least when I go to a show it's the only one there...

 

Functional lake pipes next?

 

Probably not...we considered them, but the car is low enough and long enough that they would be dragging every time he went over much of a bump.

 

Hello,

What car is too small for several teenagers to cruise around in during the good old high school days? Is it powerful enough to resist any challenges by other teens in the area? Can it seat 4 people on a double date? Can it race in a stock car class at Lion’s Dragstrip and still be a reliable car for Monday morning 8:00 am classes? (Well, there was an “F” class designation vs. the A/Stock or Super Stock class at the top of the heap.) Maybe it would have been classified in the Sports Car Classes?

So, what does a 17 year old teenager from Bixby Knolls do for a hobby during high school? He takes an old Crosley Sedan and makes it into one of the fastest Altered Coupes/Sedan Class competitors in So Cal. We were all impressed that he had such talents to do a great job of modifying the old funky sedan and race it locally at Lion’s Dragstrip.
1959 Lion's Dragstrip


As teenagers, we had our lowered cars, cars with a intimidating rake, and coupes/sedans that had big ohv motors and ran at the drags as street cars with power. But to make a full competition variety of race car utilizing a 25% set back motor just surprised all of us. We were impressed when witnessing the hard fought runs down the dragstrip against some of the more seasoned drag racing veterans in their builds.

Jnaki

Then a year later, we also witnessed the runs against some of the best from all over California at the Bakersfield Smokers March Meet #2.
1960 Bakersfield

What a change from a stock Crosley Body with dinky wheels and tires into a hard charging Altered Coupe that ran among the best of the competition during this time. For us, it was a feat that teenagers talked about in the drag racing circles. The name of the teenager from Bixby Knolls is Gary Gabelich. He got his start on the streets of Long Beach and became proficient enough to carve out a name for himself in the highly respected drag racing world.

Then he became a “legend” in our times…


A Crosley Sedan for the street? Not so much, but for the drags, the modifications were endless... YRMV

 

The panel truck from these years looks even better.

 

I no longer ignore cars that were once thought to be ugly and undesirable. Most can be made to look super cool with the right wheels and stance.

 

Hello,

We have grown up with trucks of all kinds. Living in a working class neighborhood, close proximity to industrial shops and stores, and a short access to the Long Beach-Los Angeles harbor, that included Terminal Island, was a treasure trove of pick up trucks. Our first encounter was with a 1956 Ford truck. It was not just a 56 Ford truck, but of all things, a Tahitian Red/Candy Apple Red custom truck. In the old commercial stores neighborhood, it stood out like a sore thumb.

The cars of the people around that portion of the neighborhood were usually white, grey or black. Throw in a few blue cars and one tends to think that is how they came from the factories, only. But of the trucks in the neighborhood, it was the same color for the pickup trucks that were popular, too. So, where does the 56 Ford truck stand in relation to other cars and trucks? As a full custom with a chopped top, a lowered rake, white tuck and roll upholstery, chrome reversed wheels and a color that made it stand out in any community, it was the pinnacle of trucks.

We did see plenty of Ford and Chevy trucks, as they were used for plenty of different jobs and businesses. So, growing up, we thought those were the only trucks available for the normal consumer.

One of the only old Dodge Trucks that we have seen in a long time. Not the most desirable model, but cool none-the-less. Although, with the happy couple driving around in this cool hot rod, all is good in So Cal.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...your-rear-mirror.1181058/page-2#post-14155431

 

I love it and have no idea what it is. Please educate me.

 

Bonjour @safetythird. @Sandgroper is more than likely laying on one ear for a little while but if your in a hurry just click on his profile.

 

I always liked cars that were different. I never really cared what others thought about them. Seeing some of the cars in this thread is great. Years ago, a guy on the next block had a 1957 Rambler Rebel. A few of the local guys were making fun of it. They had a 1957 Pontiac and raced him. The Rambler won. They left him alone after that.

 

Standing where we are, looking at what used to be, I Have to be bold and say that.
People today spend their money on travel units.
You heard it here
Cool thread

 

Chuckle... the '57 Rambler w/a 327 was the hottest thing on the road then, only a corvette could beat it, & that wasn't guaranteed. Hilarious, people couldn't handle being wiped by a "Nash"... a very serious put-down back then... . Too bad (what is now AMC) didn't continue in that vein. Same for Studebaker & the 56 Golden Hawk, 57/58 too. Shoulda put those mills in the Lark right away... w/some suspension/braking upgrades. '63->64 came too little too late. Oh well... ;( .
Marcus...