Read your post with interest. The comment about changing tires and un-corking headers in the middle of the night reminded me of a guy I knew in OKC who had an SBC powered 39 Chevy coupe. He hung out at a couple of drive-ins on the south side, Al and Dubs and the Hideaway, just waiting for someone from out of town to show up wanting to race. There would be a lot of trash talk and then Crow would tell the newcomer to wait about 15 minutes, he had to go home to change his "shoes". Crow would come back with a set of slicks and his headers open and the two of them would go out to either County Line Road or Cemetery Road and run. Crow always came back with the money.
My dad had a Model A coupe that was an old drag car. It had "Ramona The Rainmaker" lettered on the decklid. Dad said the car was super sketchy, questionable engineering and a lot of HP. I think it had a blown Olds. So, he started calling it "Ramona the Widowmaker."
Hello, This mild looking coupe was what a lot of dual purpose built hot rods looked like during our days at the local teenage drive-in hangouts in Bixby Knolls. Our friend had a 1934 all Black Ford Coupe with an Oldsmobile motor and a variety of carb set ups for the A/Gas Cl*** at Lion’s Dragstrip and his daily driver to high school/afterschool job. But, when it was on the streets near the high school hangouts or just cruising around, it was well known as a real hot rod/drag racer. The rough and ready sounds just added to the scene and imposing aura. This cool looking coupe was influential in my brother and my first car we bought together. We found an old not running Model A coupe in a neighbor’s backyard. It had not been running for quite some time. I saw it almost every day as we had walked to school past the neighbor’s house. My brother never saw it as his route to school was a different direction, with his friends. By the time we were in the purchasing/driving timeline, the idea was to put in an SBC motor, 301, a Paxton centrifugal supercharger and have it a dual purpose hot rod for my brother’s daily driver and weekend drag racing coupe. (now the two friends would have similar hot rods with big motors and be on fairly equal terms if they ever raced at the drags or on the Cherry Avenue street location…) And, it goes with hand-me-downs, I would get the 51 Oldsmobile sedan for my first car. Yippee! The first photo is from the web. The last 2 at Lion’s Dragstrip. When I was first introduced to hot rods, it was a friend who had a 1934 Ford 5 Window Coupe. It was not stock, as it was noisy and fast. I could hear him coming down the street to our driveway for the weekly high school teenage gathering at our house. The teen gatherings were for exchanging hot rod ideas, hubcaps on other’s cars, learned new techniques and the latest gossip. I did not have a license as yet, so I was the "go-fer" for the older teens. I cleaned the wheels, wiped the dash and interior areas and generally kept the teen cars clean. For my reward, I got to hang out with them, the cool hot rods and two semi custom cars that were also fast. But my brother had to take me wherever I wanted to go, my basketball practices and games, the beach or downtown, etc. Hard work for little or no pay, except for the “free ride” to those places. This coupe was typical of a nice looking, dual purpose, coupe. It did not say “let’s race” but it was ready if the event happened. Other old hot rods in our cruising parking lots were more custom than fast racers at Lion’s Dragstrip. A 46 Ford custom purple coupe with white tuck and roll, a red 40 Ford Sedan were nice customs, but not fast drag racers if challenged. They looked the part, with chrome wheels, white tuck and roll upholstery, but were cruisers not racers. Jnaki By the time I was driving and getting ready to select my first hot rod/sedan, there was my brother’s 58 Impala and then when I was considering the 34 Ford Coupe. Our friend needed money and had it for sale. But, it got sold fast to help the young, family finances. So, darn, it got away. Then came a funky flathead Sedan Delivery that changed the hot rod scene for me. From the fastest to one of the slowest on the Cherry Avenue Drags location. But, it was all in teenage fun. But, it also allowed me to expand my discoveries and learn about So Cal in the various short and long distance road trips along the coastal roads. Even, down into Baja, Mexico surf spots we discovered on those week long road trips. Was it the local legend… “The details always change and, for whatever reason, photos never surface.” type of teenage car that was the Cherry Avenue Drags icon during its hey days? Only if you count the slowest division that included a 53 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop, 51 Pontiac sedan, a 62 Chevy 2 Nova and the Flathead 40 Ford Sedan Delivery… The slowest of the slow level so-called racers…ha! But, the speed shifts were the fastest…YES! And, of course, YRMV…
The Jalopy Journal
