Monday, July 20, 2015

Paul Schiefer 1925 T roadster, 1948.

Paul Schiefer T roadster is one of my favourite hot rods, it probably top 5. No need to write a long spill as the image below is captioned but I will say the Schiefer T has perfect proportions it was built right.

Friday, June 26, 2015

Spurgin Giovanine 1925 Chev roadster

As always I am on the lookout for new pics of the Spurgin Giovanine 1925 Chev roadster. This particular photo I have known about for a while it was in the September 1948 SCTA program, I had not been able to get a copy for 18 months but finally snagged a copy. Below is the image and page that I fist saw on ebay. At the bottom of this post, the scan.



Monday, June 22, 2015

1934 Ford 3w Street Rod circa 1948

This is a nice looking coupe many would call it a smoothie street rod but this photo is from 1948 no information on who was the owner.


Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Lodes Bros Streamliner

This streamliner built By Bill Burke for the Lodes brothers power came in the form of a V8-60. Competing in A class Streamliner it was timed at 105.88mph in October '48. As a comparison Alex Xydias So-Cal Speed Shop entry ran 127.29mph for first place in A streamliner. 1946-48 bellytank bodied cars ran streamliner classes, it wasn't until 1949 that a separate lakester class was created.


Sunday, June 14, 2015

Norm Lean '32 roadster

Norm Lean '32 Ford roadster at the Oct. '48 SCTA meet. Norm's roadster turned 125.17mph for fastest B roadster.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ed 'Axle' Stewart '32 roadster

Ed 'Axle' Stewart's '32 roadster in 1948, fastest '32 of the October SCTA meet 126.05 mph

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Duffy Livingtone '32 roadster

One of the coolest Californian channelled '32 roadsters was Duffy Livingstones.


Tuesday, March 31, 2015

On The Street

A couple of random shots on the street 1940s LA



Monday, March 30, 2015

Gene Winfield's T roadster

Before Gene Winfield became famous as a customiser he was a hot rodder. Gene's 'THE THING' was featured in Hot Rod mag in 1951. The car Gene raced previous to The Thing was this T roadster, this roadster was even pictured in HRM show coverage of a Modesto auto show. The picture in this article was taken at a Cal-Neva Timing event 1951


Thursday, March 26, 2015

Honk Feature Calori roadster

At the end of 1947 early 1948 Jack Calori sold his roadster to his dentist who promptly put white wall tyres on which Jack detested, the roadster is pictured in coverage of early drag races in Hot Rod mag. By 1953 when featured in Honk June '53 a young guy by the name of Jerry Sutherland owned the roadster this clearly is the Jack Calori roadster but the kid claimed to have built it. From here the roadster seems to disappear, did Jerry keep the roadster and have it squirrelled away or sold it and changed to the point of being unrecognisable?




Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Nelson/Titus/Sarno T roadster

Today's post is on the Jim 'Jazzy' Nelson, LeRoy Titus, Chuck Sarno













































































































































The roadster survives today restored by Chuck Sarno who has owned the roadster for 50 years.

Monday, March 23, 2015

Time to post more.

For those that look in on the 'Hot Rods of the Dry Lakes Era' blog hoping to see new posts and nothing has been posted for months, I apologise. This blog is something I do in my spare time and for too long I have neglected posting, so from now on I will be posting a new post every day even if it is a photo with a caption.

Bill Burke, Dahm Bros Austin Bantam B/modified coupe.
Dahm bros famous T roadster next to Bantam coupe in B&W pic.

1946 SCTA footage from start of 'HOT ROD' 1950


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Spalding bros Av8

Posting today is two photos of the Spalding bros Av8. The unusual V8 is a 1930s Riley SOHC V8 which used stock '34 ford V8 crank, rods, pistons. The SOHC engine in these photos was owned by Eugene Von Arx, who also owned a Riley OHV V8 which was run in his Frank Kurtis built custom. After Tom & Bill sold their AV8 they built their famous #43 track roadster. The A roadster is apparently the survivor roadster of Tom Morris, Tom apparently purchased the car from the Spaldings.






Riley OHV '32 Ford roadster 1946


Sunday, November 30, 2014

Dahm bros and Winston Ranger, Life Photo.

The colour images in this post are from the Life archives.
#386 is Winston Ranger T roadster which was powered by a 248" 1941 Chev 6 cylinder
#518 Red roadster is Jimmy & Tommy Dahm modified roadster that was the December 1950 Hot Rod Mag cover car and Hot Rod of the month, feature below. The Orange #71 track roadster I am yet to id I will eventually.









Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Sowers Speed Equipment

One of my favourite dry lake roadsters is Ray Brown's '27 T, probably because he raced against the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster but also it was one of the first rear engine T roadsters.  Rear engined T roadsters would go on & dominate the modified roadster class right up to '59.

Ray's roadster ran a couple rare parts that are even rarer than the V8-60 Eddie Meyer heads and intake. These rarer than rare parts are a Sowers in/out gearbox and a Sowers crank driven water pump. If anyone has info or literature regarding Sowers speed parts please leave a comment below as I would really like to learn more about them.
Cheers
Jimmy


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Hot Rod Rodeo.

Another great period article from a non Hot Rod or Automotive magazine. Argosy 1952.




Friday, October 24, 2014

How to Build Hot Rods Mystery Roadster Identified.

On the cover of Fawcett book 156 'How to Build Hot Rods' there is a track nose '30 Ford roadster. Hot rodding pioneer Lou Baney with assistance of a club member &/or the roadsters owner is seen dropping in a Flathead v8. For a long time I have wondered who's roadster it was, finally I was able to identify the owner of the roadster thanks to the 5th Hot Rod and Motor Sports show organised by Russetta Timing Assoc for which Lou Baney was once President (Bill Likes being the President during 1952).

Now the owner of the '30 roadster was Tommy Zoriki, who was Tommy Zoriki? Was he a R.T.A. member? The roadster is quite unique due to the fact it is a less desirable '30/'31 roadster, when you think about track nose A roadsters the names Niekamp, Flint, Dye jump out as being the outstanding examples. When a '30/'31 A roadster is channelled the style/proportions are improved immensely, add a track nose and a Duvall windscreen you get a down right beautiful hot rod. So why was this rod ignored by the likes of Hot Rod, Hop Up, Honk (Car Craft), R&C? If there is a feature please let me know.




Saturday, October 11, 2014

Hot Rods & Motorcyles Bonneville 1952


Gene Hewitt #230. Pacific Gunsight special behind 535 coupe.