Nick Arias Jr. is well known for his pioneering work in redesignin<WBR>g engine parts and for the piston company that bears his name. He was born in 1929, in the Los Angeles area of Southern California<WBR>, during the Golden Age of American auto racing. Nick grew up in the Pico Heights area, a lower middle class neighborho<WBR>od. He remembers earning 50 cents an hour and how long it took him to save up enough money to buy that first car, a 1932 Three-wind<WBR>ow coupe, from a veteran who had just come home from the war in 1945. Nick joined 100 Mile-an-ho<WBR>ur Club out of South Los Angeles in order to run his car at the dry lake land speed trials in El Mirage, under the sanctionin<WBR>g of the Russetta Timing Associatio<WBR>n. They raced with the Russetta Timing Associatio<WBR>n because they allowed coupes to race, rather than the SCTA (Southern California Timing Associatio<WBR>n) which only would let roadsters run. Later with his friends, Kenny Bigelow, Joe Pisano and others from his high school, formed the Photons car club.
John Athan An early pioneer of hot rodding, John Athan was as adept at inventing speed parts as he was at constructi<WBR>ng hot rods. It is said that Vic Edelbrock Sr., on seeing some of Athan's patterns, was influenced enough to have them copied. John understand<WBR>ing of machinery and inventiven<WBR>ess earned him a respectabl<WBR>e reputation among the hot rod crowd. In 1938, John, along with Ed Iskenderia<WBR>n, found a '32 frame in a junkyard and bought it for $25. For lack of money, John was forced to take a '29 body and fit it to the '32 rails. Unwittingl<WBR>y, he had created what would become one of the most desirable hot rod configurat<WBR>ions.
Harry Hibler Having graduated from high school at the age of 16 Harry Hibler's promptly got on a bus and made his way to the hart of hot rodding. Arriving in southern California in 1951, Harry was soon seen driving and racing a 1941 Ford. While he found excitement in street racing-- often racing from San Fernando to Bakersfield and back for pink slips-- a visit to Santa Ana drag Strip introduced him to a world that would dominate the rest of his life. Harry Hibler and Ghost Riders
This is Engine 27 Fire Station in Hollywood which is now a Fire Museum. At this time the Police shared the building prior to them getting their own station.
Do you have any idea how long it took me to look through all the pages on this thread to see if there was an answer to a question I have? What the hell is this?
That was the Buick XP 300 built for Charles Chayne,Buick Chief Engineer. There is a full feature on the car and a profile on the man in the April 2010 edition of Collectible Automobile(one of my favourite magazines I subscribe to)
More American Hot Rod Foundation stuff: This story starts in 1950, when the Berardini Bros. (Pat, born on August 31st, 1927, and Tony), took Pats32 (#404) Ford, and Tonys 29 (#7) Ford, to the Santa Ana Drag Strip. Both cars had very hopped up engines. When the last flag came down in 1955 for the Berardini Bros. Racing Team, both cars had won hundreds of races and had set many drag strip records. They were top in their respective classes and they were the very first, overall points champions, including the gas AND fuel classes, at the Drag Racers, Inc. Awards Banquet, in 1954. They achieved recognitio<WBR>n from racers and fans alike. Not only were the 32 and 29 fast, but they caught the eyes of fans, as two beautiful racing hot rods.
At the age of 16, Ray Brown began the constructi<WBR>on of a 32 roadster that would become as legendary as the man himself. While still in high school Ray got a job with Eddie Meyer in West Hollywood. Along side Eddies son Bud and flathead legend Tom Sparks, Ray acquired the engineerin<WBR>g skills that would see him amass 11 timing tags with this roaster known as 99C. At the age of 21 Ray opened his own Speed Shop. He was a pioneer in the use of the Chrysler Hemi and in 1953 his sleek fiberglass sports car, the Mabee Drilling Co., set the Class D record with a 353-ci fuel injected Chrysler at Bonneville<WBR>. At the same time, Ray had built another Hemi for the famed Shadoff Special. The engine was a destroked from 331 (factory standard) to a 302-ci. The Shadoff went an astounding 236.36 and broke the Internatio<WBR>nal record, much to the consternat<WBR>ion of professio<WBR>nal land speed racers.
Julian Doty In The Early 30s Julian spent weekends at Grandmas with uncle George DuVall, who became famous for his roadster windshield<WBR>s. They would cruise around in his Cragar powered 29 A roadster tricked out with fender skirts. In 34, Julian and uncle George made their first trip to Muroc together. Julian bought his first car off Jack Bartzs used car lot at La Brea and Santa Monica with money earned from odd jobs and Pop bottles. It was a 29 Model A roadster with an Olds 3-port mill in it. In his spare time, the adventurou<WBR>s Julian pulled the 3-port from his 29 and then bought a Miller-Sch<WBR>oefeld from Curley Grandall, who had raced it at Ascot for $120. His payments were $5. per week. He next ran it at the lakes but it was not fast enough, so in 1940 Julian built up a 31 model A roadster and bettered 101MPH at Muroc. Behind the Seaside Gas station at Santa Monica and Spalding was the original B & S . . .
Dick Kraft Dick was born in the sleepy California farming community of Anaheim in 1921, where the smell of citrus groves not exhaust fumes permeated the air. Some dang fool gave me a roadster when I was 14 and ruined my whole cotton-pic<WBR>kin life, begins Dick Kraft on his entry into the world of hot rods. Then, I had a 29 Model A with Kelseys and a Winfield head that I paid for by working on the family ranches. I wasnt getting anywhere [with the four-bange<WBR>r] so I bought a 32 roadster with side mounts and 18-inch wheels for $200. In high school, we had a car club called the Plutocrats<WBR>. Every Saturday night, we would street race to hold [onto] our number-one status. Street racing, while we dont condone it, is a part of hot rod history. The legends of the sport didnt become heros by collecting stamps as kids they were racers.
Fred Larsen The first AC-Cobra being assembled at Dean Moon's Mooneyes facility in Santa Fe Springs in September of 1962. Seated in the passanger seat is Fred Larsen. Photo by Dave Friedman, 2403 S. Broadway, Santa Ana, CA 92707 (714) 540-7422 Fred and Marylou Larsen Collection<WBR>. Fred Larsen on the right never forgot the details. Here he is seen waxing the chassis after it was painted. Photo by Don Cummins. Fred and Marylou Larsen Collection<WBR>. The finished chassis of the Larsen & Cummins streamline<WBR>r. Photo by Don Cummins. Fred and Marylou Larsen Collection<WBR>. Fred Larsen getting ready to change rear end gears at Bonneville in his #115 class D modified roadster. Fred and MaryLou Larsen Collection<WBR>. The Larsen & Cummins roadster at the Riverside 1/2 mile drags in Sept of '59. The car set a gs roadster record of 149 mph. Fred and Mary Lou larsen Collection<WBR>. Unloading after the April 1956 Rusetta meet. Fred Larsen spun at about 190mph and then hit a spectator about 160 mph. Fred's comment "his fanny sure sure put a dent in the nose. Fred nd Mary Lou Larsen Collection<WBR>. On July 13, 1958 at the Rusetta Timing Associatio<WBR>n meet at El Mirage Rollo Brown piloted the Larsen & Cummins GOB class roadster to a record of 170.32 mph. Car is shown at the June meet. Fred and Mary Lou Larsen Collection<WBR>. The boys celebratin<WBR>g with beer and mud pies just before leaving for Bonneville Speedweek in 1959. Fred and Mary Lou Larsen Collection<WBR>. Loaded and ready for the trip to Bonneville in '59. Fred and Mary Lou Larsen Collection<WBR>.
At the age of 15, Don Montgomery was firmly hooked on hot rodding. He got his education hanging around speed shops learning from the technical discussion<WBR>s of his peers. As he mentions, "the final exam was the actual doing of the modificati<WBR>ons to your own engine and car". As a member of the Velociteer<WBR>s Don went to his first lake meet in 1948. A year later he joined the Glendale Coupe and Roadster Club (GCRC) keeping company with legends such as Howard Johansen, Tom "Acmo" McLaughlin and Racer Brown. The club won many trophies and won the points championsh<WBR>ip in 1951. In 1952 Don came 2nd. with his Cord in the Russetta Individual Points Championsh<WBR>ip. He set the Class B Sedan record (137.509 mph) with a straight eight Buick engine and came back to set the 1953 record using a GMC engine in a 1937 Cord. When drag racing started, Don embraced it with a passion. He ran his Cord and an A Fuel '32 coupe that held many records at most of the So Cal drag strips.
Frank Morimoto In the early 30s, at a time when the SCTA did not exist, Frank Morimoto was an active participant in dry lakes racing. The place was Muroc and the organization was the Muroc Timing Association. With his brother George, he would make the trek to Muroc in 28 Touring car. Once on the lake they would remove the fenders, lights and anything else to make it look like a hot rod. Once Frank had been introduced to Bell Auto Parts, there was no stopping his enthusiasm and need for speed. Every penny earned from his job in the family store would go into obtaining speed parts. When the SCTA was formed in 1937 Frank became a member of the Mobilers. Having acquired a set of Mercedes Superchargers Frank was able to compete with the best of them. In 1937, with a four port Riley in his beautiful 29 roaster, Frank would obtain a respectable speed of 122.97 MPH. Muroc dry lake 1935. Caron dry lake.
Bob Morton got his first taste of hot rodding when neighbor Jim Tucker and Arnold Birner involved him in the building of a roasdster with a 4-port Riley. It wasn't long before Bob had saved up enough to buy a roadster with friend Dale Riley. While still at school, Bob got a part time job at Ansen Automotive (run by Jack Andrews and Lou Senter). He was soon building engines for the company, working on their midgets as well as customers' hot rods. In 1948 Bob made his first trip to Rosemond where he survived an end over end flip due to a rear wheel separating. He returned the following week to set a Rusetta record with the Tattersfield-Baron belly tank. At the early age of 18, Bob was getting a reputation as a competitive and highly skilled engine builder. He ran his engines in George Rubio's '29 Roadster setting top speeds at Mojave and SCTA meets. In 1949 at the first SCTA sanctioned Bonneville meet, Bob came 3rd in the C class with a top speed of 135 mph. For Bob every weekend was spent at the dry lakes running Ansen cars or customers' cars with his own engines. from 1948 to 1950 he successfully raised the stock bodied roadster record to 144 mph to 148 mph, eventually becoming the first to do 150 mph in May of 1950. In the same period he also ran his engines in seven different cars including Ak Miller's T Roadster, running 150 mph at the SCTA-AMA shootout. So good were his engines that the top cam grinders used them as testbeds. Isky, Howard Johanson and Clay Smith all used them as did Charley Nordens for his carbs and 180 degree cranks; Ted Halibrand for his Q.C. Center section; Howard Johanson for his first fuel injector and Tattersfield-Baron for their heads and 4-carb manifold. Most of Ansen's speed equipment was also tested on Bob Morton's engines. Bob Morton's first hot rod, 1947. He paid $440 for it. Shown with Bob is his mom. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. Morton-Rub<WBR>io This car ran at the 4/18/48 Mojave Timing Associatio<WBR>n meet and turned a speed of 112.92 mph. George Rubio of the Roadusters placed 9th in class B roadster. The '34 behind the car belongs to the Roadusters team of Shaw-Melch<WBR>ert. It ran 106.26 mph and placed 15th in class B roadster.A picture of both cars at this meet appears in Vol 3, N0. 25 (5/48) uf the California Timing News on page 5. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. Bob Morton age 16 in 1947 with pasenger Louis Senter posing in Bob's '29 Ford roaster. Louis Senter Collection Front view of the Tattersfie<WBR>ld-Barron tank at a Rusetta Timing Associatio<WBR>n meet. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. Bob Morton ran "The Old Mule" road racer 128 mph at Lake Clarles, LA in 1952 Bob Morton's roadster in primer. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. The remains of the Morton-Rub<WBR>io car after the crsh at El Mirage. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. This it what was left of the Morton-Rub<WBR>io roadster at El Mirage on 5/7/50 after it crashed. Driver Bob Robinson didn't survive. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>. Santa Ana Drags. 1950. Bob Morton's dad tuning Bob's engine installed in Herb Ast's coupe. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>.
The Tattersfie<WBR>ld-Barron car is shown at the second annual Southern California Timing Associatio<WBR>n Hot Rod Showin january 1949 at the California State Guard Armory. The ten day show was signifigan<WBR>t for being the first Hot Rod exhibit to be seen on television<WBR>. Bob Morton Collection<WBR>.
For $25, Bob and Dick Pierson acquired a rusty 34 coupe that was to become one of the worlds most famous hot rods. With the help of Bobby Meeks and the Vic Edelbrock crew, the Bros created not only the sleekest looking hot rod of its time but one that outran the competitio<WBR>n. Its top was chopped 5 inches and the front was given a hand formed nose. After running 140mph at a Russetta meet, the SCTA, wary of their rivals timing equipment accuracy, invited them to campaign 2D at their meet. The clock controvers<WBR>y ended when 2D turned over 150mph. The Bros won 3 out of 11 classes and was second only to Alex Xydias So-cal streamline<WBR>r
PHIL REMINGTON has been involved in every aspect of motor racing. From a young hot rodder on the dry lakes, Phil soon became involved in profession<WBR>al racing. He was part of the Shelby Cobra team; the Lance Reventlow formula One team in Monte Carlo and Dan GurneyÄôs All American racers team at the Indy 500. As a teenage member of the Santa Monica Low Flyers, Phil Remington was kept the company of legends such as Vic Edelbrock, Stu Hilborn and Phil Hill. After the war he campaigned a modified Model A with a Flathead setting a class record of 136 mph at El Mirage. Soon Rem was building intake manifolds for Eddie Meyer while building Indy cars for millionair<WBR>e Sterling Edwards. After that he spent some time with Stu Hilborn. In 1960 he worked on the Scarab and later moved on to join forces with Shelby and the Ford Le Mans Racing program.
Otto Ryssman In 1947 Otto took a '34 Ford Coupe to Rosemond and turned a respectabl<WBR>e 112 MPH. The following year he campaigned a '29 roadster with a Flathead Merc. As a member of the Gasketeers<WBR>, Otto's racing career and timing tags expanded. The young Otto soon struck up a friendship with legendary cam grinder Chuck Potvin. Potvin converted a 12-cylinde<WBR>r Zephyr ignition over to an 8 as well as converted the carbuerati<WBR>on from gasoline to alcohol. Otto's hot rods became the tools for Potvin's fuel and cam experiment<WBR>s. While Otto's success on the lakes were due to his ingenuity and determinat<WBR>ion, he friendship<WBR>s with the likes of Earl Evans, Vic Edelbrock Sr. and the young and brilliant Chet Herbert accelerate<WBR>d his learning curve in a few short years. When the Santa Ana drags opened up in 1950, Otto and partner Tiny Conkle began to experiment with dragster design. While many people believe The Bug was the first sling shot dragster, records indicate that Otto and Tiny were the first to invent it. Fred Carrillo's streamline<WBR>r. It used to be the Post Streamline<WBR>r. Otto Ryssman drove it in 1953 (Otto Ryssman Collection<WBR>)
The Jalopy Journal
