Art & Inspiration Traditional images that need no explanation.

Barney Fife

 

What about Barney Fife?

 

Eddie and Wally

 

Your are close, it's Wayne and somebody.

 

Barn you old hound dog you!

 

Signal Hill -Long Beach 1930s

Hello,

This old photo of Signal Hill is a wonder. We knew of the oil field derrick laden area from the late 40s to the current state. Many of the derricks were taken out as the field was used up. All of the streets running from top left to bottom right end up on Ocean Boulevard on the shoreline of Long Beach. (Near the old Pike Amusement waterfront beach.) The whole city area was set up in a rectangular grid as the houses started to get built from Wilmington to the West and the big OC to the East.

For us, that made remembering where our friends lived and the shortest route to get anywhere in the whole city. We lived in the Westside, near Lion’s Dragstrip. Bixby Knolls was in the northern reaches of the city and a few miles away from us. The constant smell of oil was always prevalent during the early drives up those hills to the top view point, if one could call it that in Signal Hill. The daily road trip from Bixby Knolls to our high school drove right through the oil derrick laden hilltop and the vents were always shut as we drove through that area. But, on hot summer nights, we had to smell the oil wafting in the “summer breeze.”

But, once the streets had pull out areas, those became view points toward the ocean sights from Palos Verdes Peninsula/San Pedro on the North coast all the way to San Diego shoreline in the South. It was a nice view in the clear day and definitely, a starry eyed/city lights viewing at night. We could see the “submarine races” on those clear nights… ha!

Jnaki

By the time we were in high school, the derricks were slowly disappearing. When we went to a very small speed shop. it was in the left side of the above photo. The old house converted to a speed shop is where we got our first 283 short block/Strombergs, Chevy Truck Heads and necessary parts to assemble our first motor. What was unusual was the pumping oil derrick two lots down the street. The whole area was being developed, but still had the remnants of those bobbing ducks and tall derricks randomly situated in the neighborhood.

In 1960-61 my brother was still in the local Long Beach hospital. It was located in the lower left of the photo above. He had a great view to the shoreline from his room. We spent many hours talking about everything, including hot rods and cruising. He knew I drove the 58 Impala to the visits. So, he asked me several times to uncork the down pipes from the motor and go to the street below his window.

The first time, he could only hear, as he could not get out of his bed. But later on, when he asked again, he could walk to the window, open it and see/hear me doing a full power, uncorked run down between several pumping oil derricks on the way home. I had enough time to do one heading East and then another standing start heading West to our house. The good thing was there were more derricks than homes and therefore less complaints about noise. But, in time, there were/are more homes than derricks…YRMV

 

I think they are bone. Mother of Pearl grips can be pretty slick to grip sometimes.

 

Marty, do you know anything about this photo? It raises a number of questions in my mind.
What's that behind the generator with what appears to be a speedo cable and an air scoop.
Also no fan on a flathead? Was this still under construction? Wires wrapped around the headlight bar, starter cable real close to the header, etc.
PS, I do realize the title of this thread, but this one has got me stumped.

 

Looks like the burst plate made it through?

 

Almost twins..

 

I grew up in the north west corner of Illinois. My mother had relatives in the Long Beach Ca area. On my families 1st ever vacation, over the Christmas of 65, we made that trip to CA.
The 1st time I ever saw oil derricks or the "bobbing duck" oil well pumps was when we passed through central IL. By the time we got to CA, we saw a lot of bobbing duck oil pumps. What I remember most about CA was the palm trees, The short sleeve weather in December (we left home in a snow storm), the oil bobbing ducks and the derricks that were still pretty prevalent on Signal Hill (and with many more in one area then any other place we saw them), the Ocean, and of course Disneyland. My parents took us kids up on Signal Hill to see the sights from the look out points. The entire experience was a big change for this 9 year old boy!

We returned to CA in 1971. I was amazed how much the same area changed. It was not for the better. In 71 we couldn't even see to the bottom of Signal Hill through the orange haze they called air pollution. I did return to the same area in 2016, the air quality was better, most days, but there was then already housing and people everywhere. I'm happy I saw it in 1965.

 

Blake,
It looks to me like the cable tach was driven off the back of the generator. It certainly could have been unfinished. The guy that built this car, and many others in this photo collection was my good friend Wayne Miller, who passed about 4 years ago. Pretty rare to have a street car with a Vertex Mag ! There are some shots from the Dragstrip coming soon.

 

with no hood you get substantial air cooling !
I am not kidding, - my 8ba hasn’t run a fan, for the last 5 or so years.
Sometimes I run a hood in winter, or for getting the warrant of fitness.
As long as I’m not stuck in traffic in the middle of summer, it’s been fine.