Hot Rods of the Dry Lakes Era

1949 Exposition Highlights

2012-02-07T22:56:00.000+11:00

A familiar car from January 1949 Hot Rod. This drawing by Tom Medley is obviously the roadster of Chuck Spurgin & Bob Giovanine.

Parts With Appeal

2012-02-05T10:18:00.003+11:00

Parts with appeal Dec 1948 HRM.

Prewar Dry Lake Footage. Harpers Dry Lake 1940

2012-02-03T13:00:00.000+11:00

I Know most people who view this blog have seen this but it is worth posting again

I posted this info on the HAMB to help Id the cars

0:05s - 0:05: #9 Bill & Tom Spalding T modified. Riley OHV heads Mercedes roots blower. Post war Don Blair rebuilt it into The Goat.

0:10s - 0:17s #8 Danny Sakai Modified outfitted with Mal Ord speed equipment.

0:09s - 0:09s #111 Sandy Belond Sandy's Speed Shop.

0:18s - 0:21s #42 Uncle Tommy's A?

0:49s - 0:49s #20 1932 Roadster

1:02s - 1:02s #224 T modified.

0:58s - 1:04s 1939 Ford convertible custom I have seen this pictured somewhere.

1:09s - 1:14s #360 Sprintcar Streamliner

1:14s - 1:22s #9 Spalding bros. Mod

1:23s - 1:24s #26 1932 roadster

1:24s - 1:25s 1930-31 Model A RPU

1:49s - 1:49s #402 Model A Phaeton

2:06s - 2:08s #20 '32 roadster

2:23s - 2:25s #410 1935 FWD Miller Ford entered by Willet Brown owned by Tommy Lee speed 116.88mph

2:26s - 2:31s #311 1929 A roadster banger

2:31s - 2:37s #414 Tommy Lee's 1931 T-51 Bugatti

2:38s - 2:42s #414 Bugatti T-51 straight 8 engine

2:42s - 2:51s Tommy Lee

2:51s - 2:52s #265 '32 roadster

3:07s - 3:09s #350 modified Rod Pugh

3:13s - 3:17s #151 '29 A roadster Clint Seccombe V16 cad 124mph

3:17s - 3:24s #113 '28 A roadster V16 Cad

3:28s - 3:30s #69 Bob Knapton / Jim White (aka Jim Harrell of Harrell speed equip.) Mod was later run by Doug Caruthers and is still around as Art Chrisman's #25 dragster.

3:42s - 3:45s #32 1928A roadster

3:35s - 3:46s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special

3:47s - 3:49s #290 Actor Robert Stack's '31 supercharged A roadster

3:50s - 3:54s 1940 ford coupe from earlier in clip appears to have had a rollover

3:54s - 3:56s #244 Arnold Birner's '28 A roadster

3:56s - 4:00s #265 1932 roadster Hornets

4:00s - 4:15s Bob Rufi's Streamliner

4:15s - 4:19s #286 Sakai modified.

4:20s - 4:24s #2 entered/driven by Bill Spading. Roadster owned by Bill Kurten. Riley OHV Engine owned by Gene Von Arx.

4:24s - 4:39s Earle Bruce '40 Ford Custom

4:29s - 4:29s #44 sprintcar streamliner class

4:40s - 4:43s #155 T modified

4:43s - 4:47s #270 T modified

4:47s - 4:54s #265 '32 roadster

4:54s - 4:56s Tommy Lee Kurtis Offy special

4:56s - 4:59s #265 '32 roadster

Jim's Speed Shop 1930s

2012-02-02T23:27:00.001+11:00

Ok ladies and gentlemen the following goes right back to the infancy of Hot Rodding. Roger Harrell is the nephew of Jim Harrell aka Jim White. Roger wrote a great book a few years ago on Jim and Nick Harrell which is great & very important as it delves into the past of one of the lesser known Speed Shops and Speed Equipment companies. Jim was an active member of the famous Albata club and partnered with a number of the club members (I will do a post of this at a later date)

Roger asked if I would like to post a little early history on a few cars that had an association with Jim's Speed Shop. Roger research led him to Vic Maleo, I am very happy to post this great piece of history

The following photos are of a popular “T” roadster in the 1930s at the dry lakes just outside of Los Angeles, California. They picture a small group of friends who built and raced 4-bangers during the 1930s. They lived and worked in south Los Angeles. Vic Meleo had a gas station and garage on San Pedro Street just a few blocks from Jim’s Speed Shop which was over on Main Street. Jim’s Speed Shop was one of, if not the only, speed shops in the area at that time specializing in machine work on 4-banger race engines. In appreciation for Jim’s work, Vic and other friends in the area made it a habit to paint “Jim’s Speed Shop” on the sides of their cars. Some of these cars are pictured below and illustrate some great days at the dry lakes. (After World War II, Jim’s Speed Shop was better known as the Harrell Engines shop and was still located on Main Street, and was still building some fine race cars in the mid-1950s such as the one you included on your site Harrell Engines Model A Roadster.)

Photo no. 1 was given to me about 2 years ago by Vic Meleo. He identified the roadster no. 21 as his, and that he was in the driver’s seat. Vic also identified the man whose back is to the camera as his “…friend Monte who also spent lots of time at Jim’s Speed Shop and was also always willing to give Jim a ‘plug’.” I asked what Monte’s full name was, and Vic said he didn’t know. “Everybody just called him Monte.”

Photo no. 1

Vic told me that in those early days, he often broke crankshafts in that old T roadster no. 21 during the mid-1930s. And apparently he was still breaking them in the late 1930s. His stories triggered a memory for me. I remembered seeing a reference to Vic breaking a crankshaft in an early SCTA Racing News. So, I checked and sure enough, in the Feb. 15, 1939 issue of the News, I found the following, “Vic Meleo, Road Runner Club, broke another crankshaft in his T which formerly belonged to Monte.”

Fortunately, not for Vic at the time of course, his crankshaft experiences were recorded for us in the following photos. Recently, Don Ferrara, a racer from the 1940s and ’50s, was showing me some photos his late brother-in-law had taken at the lakes decades earlier, and what’d you know, there was Vic Meleo’s car number 21 with “Jim’s Speed Shop” still artfully lettered on the door. Don’s brother-in-law had captioned the photo with this information: “After checking the shaft,” (photo no. 2) and “After the shaft broke.” (photo no. 3 )

Photo no. 2

Photo no. 3

The following photo no. 4 from that day illustrates the depressed mood.

Photo no. 4

Of course, lake racers always bounce back. Vic’s roadsters were soon back on track and once again thanking Jim’s Speed Shop for its work and friendship. The following photo no. 5 is from Vic Meleo’s collection.

Vic’s car number 21, pictured in photo no. 1 is the same car pictured below carrying the number 45.

Photo no. 5

When Vic gave me photo no. 5, he told me no. 45 was his, and car no. 52 was Monte’s but that he later bought it from Monte. The 1939 SCTA Racing News mentioned above, mentioned Vic’s broken crank after he had bought Monte’s car no. 52 around the time photo no. 5 was taken. As Vic recounted his experiences at the lakes and in south L.A. with his roadsters and friends he was clearly reliving some really great times.

Roger Harrell

:ed: this is the book Roger wrote and is a must for all Hot Rod history buffs HARRELL ENGINES & RACING EQUIPMENT

Returning to regular programming in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...........

2012-02-02T08:14:00.001+11:00

Ok, I'm back not that you knew or cared I was gone. Due to ongoing respiratory problems & the effects our sub-tropical climate has on my condition I had no desire or energy to post so I didn't. I was going to cancel this blog but thought that would be selfish. I need a nice hot dry climate like Toowoomba in Qld or hell maybe even somewhere in So-Cal.

Back to the point of this blog Hot Rods pre 1955.

Oh, I got the opportunity to attend the 1st River City Reliability Run host by The River City Coupe & Roadster Club. I was very fortunate to be given the honour of driving the run in an awesome little T roadster owned by Michael Ahern. What an awesome experience and fun car to drive, Thank you Michael!

This has really got the enthusiasm going and inspired me to push to get my roady on the road.

new post soon..................

don't touch that dial!

this blog is on hiatus

2011-12-11T18:20:00.002+11:00

no more post, sorry!!!!

Harrell Engines Model A Roadster

2011-11-07T11:40:00.001+11:00

1956 Lions dragstrip.

So-Cal Streamliner Recreation

2011-10-28T11:52:00.000+11:00

Dan Webb's recreation is almost finished he and his team have done a superb job recreating this icon

see more here So-Cal Streamliner Recreation on Facebook

Dan Webb remakes the Xydias/ Batchelor streamliner

R.I.P. Don Blair (1921-2011)

2011-10-01T10:18:00.001+10:00

Don Blair of Blair's Speed Shop fame has passed away age 90.

R.I.P. Don!

Some recent artwork

2011-07-11T12:14:00.000+10:00

As most know I am a sucker for the early dry lakes racing and associated Hot Rodding Movement sprouting from So-Cal. I have recently started to illustrate again after a spell away after leaving the industry 2 years ago.
First up is a illustration of a 1925 Chev 4 with 3 port head.

Next up we have a lakes scene from the early 50s

Fred Carrillo's modified T roadster in its 1952 lively ala July 1952 Hot Rod cover.

& 1951

Phil Remington's modified

R.I.P. LeRoy Titus

2011-06-28T07:58:00.000+10:00

Recently I learnt of the passing of dry lakes racer and LA roadsters club member Lee Titus. Lee was an avid hot rodder with a life long passion for cars. Dry lake and early Bonneville buffs will remember the T roadster Lee raced that was on the September 1952 Hop Up cover

Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster

2011-05-14T11:14:00.000+10:00

Fred Smith T roadster

2011-05-12T15:52:00.000+10:00

Ernie Hashim Ford Flathead 6 powered T Roadster

2011-05-03T11:51:00.000+10:00

Kelly Spl. 123.96mph. Merc flathead.

2011-04-21T10:32:00.001+10:00

Kelly Spl. 123.96mph. Merc flathead., a photo by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev on Flickr.

Bonneville 1954

2011-04-19T09:04:00.001+10:00

#247C Brocchini-Semas GMC "C" mod. roadster. 166.66mph, a photo by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev on Flickr.

247C Brocchini-Semas GMC "C" mod. roadster. 166.66mph.

Mistaken Identity. Herman Felts Rear Engine T Roadster

2011-04-18T13:12:00.001+10:00

Herman Felts T roadster is so close to the roadster built by Don Waite that I never really payed attention to the fact it wasn't Don's famous T. Herman ran his T roadster at Bonneville in 1951 and turned 153mph in class C Modified Roadster. That 153mph speed got Herman 6th place in the most hotly contested class that year.

Where is it now???

The Cruising Cam Snappers

2011-04-17T13:02:00.000+10:00

Anyone know this car?

Fred Zaft's 1932 Ford 5 window

2011-04-16T13:24:00.000+10:00

Dick King Roadster.

2011-02-10T16:51:00.000+11:00

Recently I purchased a lot of Nor-Cal & Cal-Neva Drag & dry lake pictures among them were a couple pictures of Dick King (Richard King) roadster on the Dry Lake outside of Reno.

& the Dick King Roadster today

Don Waite's Roadster 1948

2011-01-29T14:06:00.002+11:00

Don Waite Rear-Engined Lakes Roadster.

2011-01-14T10:26:00.000+11:00

I love the lakes roadsters of the post-war era and one of my favourites is the rear engined roadster built by Don Waite who was dubbed "The Dumb Kid" (go figure) by his fellow lake competitors. The roadster Don built was quite advanced for the time. Ray Brown had run his rear engined T in 1948 but with solid rear. Don had also run his T in 1948 as a rear engined roadster it was powered by a Crager head banger. In 1949 Don got serious and started a rebuild, Don had Whitey Clayton build the tracknose, bellypan, hood and sides. The '47 Merc flathead was mounted in a cradle that connected directly to the quickchange rearend the whole driveline could be easily removed for repairs as it was mounted in a 2 point system a large rubber bush at front and the model A rear spring holding it out back.

Gow Jobs

2011-01-06T12:20:00.000+11:00

From July 26 1941 Colliers Magazine

Evans Bellytank @ Bonneville 1949.

2011-01-04T14:39:00.001+11:00

evans-bellytank
Originally uploaded by Jimmy Bs 1925 Chev

Happy New Year to everyone out in blog land.

Todays offering is the Earl Evans Bellytank at the 1st Bonneville Nationals in 1949. Running "B" class Lakester the Evans, Starr, Alger entry ran 157.930mph.

So-Cal Streamliner Part 2

2010-12-24T19:21:00.005+11:00

The 1st Bonneville Nationals in 1949 was a successful endeavor for the So-Cal streamliner. The team ran top time of the meet at 187.89 mph & set a class "A" streamliner record of 156.39 mph. They also set the class "C" streamliner record of 189.745 mph.

The 2 pics below were taken at the dry lakes after Bonneville

After a successful Bonneville and regular S.C.T.A. season where Xydias/Batchelor came 2nd in the points championship. The streamliner was repaired and the front end changed it was repainted white with the 2 painted on the front wheelcovers. At the May 1950 S.C.T.A. meet the repaired streamliner ran strong on Saturday with a 152.28 qualifying run. Come Sunday Dean was backing up with his return run, there was a strong crosswind which he was steering into to keep straight. When the wind died the streamliner veered right putting the car sideways, it skidded, the tires dug in, went up on the 2 left side wheels and the car flipped and miraculously landing back on its wheels the belly pan had flown off and Dean was knocked unconscious after he smacked the steering wheel with his head. Dean never raced again after that accident. It was again back to Valley Custom to have minor body repairs done. Major driveline and suspension parts weren't so lucky they had to be replaced as the force of the crash had fractured a number of components. The body was primered in black as time was running out to have the streamliner ready for the 1950 Bonneville Natioanls.

At the 2nd annual Bonneville Nationals (1950) the Xydias/Batchelor team broke the "A" and "C" class streamliner record setting the "A" streamliner record at 162.950 mph and a "C" streamliner record of 208.9271 mph. The So-Cal streamliner also ran the fastest one-way speed of the meet with a 210.8962 mph, beating the Kenz/Leslie Streamliner which ran 210.6489 mph. The So-Cal liner was featured on the cover of the October 1950 Hot Rod alongside the Kenz/Leslie and Lee Chapel's Tornado Streamliner.

The streamliner made the cover of the November 1950 Hot Rod as well as a Hot Rod of the Month feature.

In February 1951 the So-Cal tank ran on the sands of Daytona Beach

another crash and a sad fate for a true innovator and record setter. The engine was given back to Vic Edelbrock, Mal Hooper bought the quickchange and Al Dal Porto bought the tires, the body and chassis was sold for scrap for a grand total of $4.

So-Cal Streamliner

2010-11-30T09:24:00.000+11:00

How many people know the So-Cal streamliner used the chassis from the original So-Cal belly tank Alex Xydias & Dean Batchelor ran in 1948? and how many know the team colours were Bronze & White before the familiar Red & White we know today?

Valley Custom Shop built the streamliner body. Alex's racing partner Dean Batchelor worked at Valley Customs. Seen here at the May 1949 S.C.T.A meet in unfinished state.

Nicely finished in time for the first Bonneville National Speed Trials

At Bonneville 1949

Notice damage to the left front? Damage was caused by a towing accident, maybe an omen of things to come for the streamliner.

to be continued........

Roy "Multi" Aldrich T and Spalding Bros. T at Bonneville 1949

2010-10-17T09:26:00.001+11:00

What a great shot this is Roy "Multi" Aldrich Gow Job & the Spalding Bros. state of the art (for the time) T at Bonneville 1949

Bob Giovanine Talks Chev 4 Bangers

2010-10-03T23:32:00.000+11:00

Don Waite Rear-Engined Lakes Roadster.

2010-09-11T09:55:00.000+10:00

Phil Remington Modified Recreation.

2010-06-18T10:02:00.001+10:00

Dan Webb of Webb Automotive art has built a beautiful recreation of the Phil Remington Modified. The Remington Mod was a Beautifully built Hot Rod when most had a some what rough appearance.

I have had a Picture of the Remington Mod on a sideboard at home for the past 4 years and love staring at it.

Dan Webb's Beautiful recreation see it at the Wally Parks NHRA museum from the weekend of the LA roadster show to the middle of August.

Bill Burke's 1st Bellytank.

2010-03-25T15:26:00.001+11:00

This photo is courtesy of Ken Crawford who made a few passes in Bill Burke's 1st Bellytank.

HOT RODS

2010-03-13T11:44:00.001+11:00

I was finally able to find a copy of "Hot Rods" trend book 102 and to my surprise there was two pages devoted to the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster.

And some great news the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster has been accepted into the 2010 Hot Rod class at Pebble Beach.

Crawford/Stroner 1932 Ford Roadster

2010-02-23T12:52:00.002+11:00

This post is on the Crawford/Stroner 1932 Ford Roadster that was owned by Ken Crawford & Jerry Stroner. The roadster was featured in the 1947 Look magazine article

This is how the roadster looks today after being restored by Chuck & Mike Longley of Florida.

And finally a video.

El Mirage 1948-49 in Colour

2010-02-16T13:36:00.013+11:00

Recently some photos were posted on the SCTA site of a few different lake meets held at El Mirage in 1948 & 1949. The incredible thing is they are in brilliant full colour. The quality of these pics are so incredible they look as if they were only taken yesterday but are actually 61-62 years old. Who are we to thank for these incredible photos? Waren Durkee for taking them and Jill Durkee-Burgoyne for sharing her fathers incredible photos
http://www.scta-bni.org/EM_1948_photos.htm

1948 Dry Lakes Footage Spurgin/Giovanine roadster

2010-01-07T18:58:00.000+11:00

Icons of Speed & Style Auction

2009-09-27T08:41:00.011+10:00

The collection of Ralph Whitworth is being Auctioned at the Petersen Automotive Museum by RM Auctions. Among the lots are:

The Jim Khougaz '32 roadster which has sold for $195,000.

Art Gerrick Modified

The Tom Beatty bellytank,

Ray Brown Lakes Roadster

2009-09-24T11:19:00.009+10:00

Everyone seems to over look Ray Brown's Lakes roadster for his '32 roadster. Yes Ray '32 is a great example of Post war hot rodding but to me Ray's '27 is a far more exciting car and far more innovative. Ray's T roadster dueled with the Spurgin-Giovanine '25 Chev in A Class Roadster during '48 always betted by the S-G team until 1950 when Ray broke the 2 year old A Class Roadster record. Where is it today? does it still exist?

below is part of a post I did on HAMB.
1948

As you can see above Ray did something other lake roadster builders didn't do, he retained the body subrails. To channel the body Ray simply built the chassis on top the subrails.

1949-50
Below you can see how Ray built his cradle.

There are great construction shots of Ray's roadster on the AHRF

G'day & Welcome

2009-09-21T09:30:00.060+10:00

G'day and thanks for checking out the "Hot Rods of the Dry Lakes Era" blog. As the title suggests this blog is about "Hot Rods of the Dry Lakes Era". For me this period is 1927-1955 is the golden era of Hot Rodding. The 1955 date hasn't anything to do with the introduction of the SBC but more to do with when the first Drag Nationals was held in Great Bend, Kansas. There will be post about Hot Rods that were built after '55 but this blog will concentrate on the earlier pre '55 Hot Rods.

My project is a 1925 Chev roadster powered by a 1925 Chev 4 with an Olds 3-port head. My roadster is heavily influenced by the Spurgin/Giovanine '25 Chev lakes roadster which is now being restored.

My S/G inspired roadster

The Spurgin/Giovanine roadster in 1948

The Spurgin/Giovanine roadster in 2009