Lions Drag Strip Wilmington (Long Beach), California
Lions Drag Strip, Wilmington, California Late 50's, early 60's
I was born and grew up in Long Beach during this same time, my Dad and uncles would take me there. I can still remember the smell of bleach, burning rubber, and nitro methane. I Miss You Dad.
Thanks to Fan Air
Drag Racing - Pacific Raceways 1963
Video from the Mothers Day drag races, May 12th 1963 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. This was shot by a friend of my parents, Tex Steere, who asked me to help convert it for him and has graciously allowed me to post it on YouTube.
Irwindale Raceway, Irwindale Ca 1968 home movie.
This has several funny cars from the late 60s era. It was taken with an old 8mm home movie camera and the film did not hold up well over the years and it was a very crude transfer from home movie to digital. But car enthusiest might enjoy seeing the old funny cars.
SURFS UP: THE SURFERS DRAGSTER
The Surfers top fuel dragster fires up.
After 6 years "THE SURFERS" Top Fuel Dragster recreation was completed by Andy & Ron Marocco of DRAG CITY. Many believed that it wouldn't get done, but we proved otherwise.
1960's Drag Racing in the Pacific Northwest
Some short clips of a great 1 hour 40 minute DVD by Larry Robinson. To order the entire DVD go to www.nitrogeezers.com for details
1968 NHRA U.S. Nationals The Eliminators - Part 1 - 1960s Vintage Drag Racing - Indy
http://www.maziracing.com/2004poster/index.htm . Vintage Drag Racing - The Eliminators Part 1 - 1968 NHRA U.S. Nationals. 1968 Nationals Finalists: Top Fuel Winner, Don Garlits; Runner-up, Steve Carbone; Top Gas Winner, Jack Jones; Runner-up, Walt Rhoades; Super Winner, Paul Stage; Runner-up, Don Nicholson; Comp Winner, Harry Luzader; Runner-up, Carl Roland; ModifiedWinner, Sam Gianino; Runner-up, Dave Koffel; Super Stock Winner, Arlen Vanke; Runner-up, Wally Booth; Stock Winner, Larry Lombardo; Runner-up, David Duell.
Also featuring the Winged Express, Kansas John Wiebe, Ronnie Sox, George Montgomery, Bruce Larson, Gordon Collett, Tom the Mongoose McEwen, Leroy Goldstein, Billy Kidd (Will's Fargo), Sneaky Pete Robinson, Dick Smothers, Tommy Ivo, Tom Hoover and Shirley Shahan.
Drag racing of the 60s.
The Antique Doll Flathead Dragster start-up
This is our 1958 Te-440 Flathead dragster "The Antique Doll"
The car was originally the SCRIMA - ADAMS - SMITH dragster that was Top Eliminator in 1959 at Lions Drag strip. It originally ran a 394 blown olds. September 12, 1959 at Lions drag strip Mickey Brown got killed in the car. After that day the car was sold and a flathead was put in for the last 40+ years.
DRAG RACING WHEN IT WAS FUN!
Five minute promo from the full length video available through Jim Amos' Bee On Video. Drag Racing action from the 1960s at various drag strips: Pocono Drag Lodge, Pocono Raceway, Kel-Rica, Wind Gap, Vargo, Numidia, Island, Forty Fort, Maple Grove, Tri Cities. The full length video is fully narrated unlike this promo clip which only includes car sounds. www.beeonvideo.com
Nostalgic Drag Race Reunion in Bakersfield
This is footage I shot a couple of years ago at the Nostalgic Drag races in Bakersfield, CA. I plan on re-editing this film, with more footage and a different song. I tought the music was fitting at the time I did this. Please coment and tell me what you think.
Helms Bakery Tow Truck Discovered on Old Route 66 (Mother Road) while searching for a Mater.
I wanted a mater for an astrolabe, came accross this vintage numbers matching Lambert Wrecker on Route 66 in Essex, CA. Astrolabe See: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrolabe
This 1957 International Lambert Tow Truck started life as a service and recovery truck for Helms Bakery in Culver City Ca., "The First Bread on the Moon". Helms Bakery might have had several tow trucks, Helms had whole fleet of bread trucks and support vehicles. At one time Helms had over 500 bread trucks and service vehicles. http://helmsbakerydistrict.com/history/helms-photos The industrial quality of the IH cab and chassis Model A132 was chosen to be the foundation this rare Lambert Tow Truck was built upon. This 1957 International A130 chassis left the Springfield Ohio International Harvester assembly line on April 19, 1957, then shipped by either rail or truck via Route 66 to Los Angeles. At that time, Lambert Co LTD was located at 1202 E Olympic Blvd in Los Angeles, California and was the West Coast Ernest Holmes Distributor, also Lambert built their own bodies and complete turn-key tow trucks. http://www.towtimes.com/?p=3136 This one is equipped with its original Holmes 400 Wrecker (dated June 1957), the rare Plus Body with Tool Compartment with CA dimensions of 60" (dated July 8, 1957). This Wrecker is also equipped with a rare scobie plate or flat plate sling, used mostly on the West Coast. The large flat surface face of the plate matched the matching flat faces of all Helms Bakery Trucks. http://tow411.yuku.com/reply/854652/Re-OK-school-me-on-Scovie-plates#.TyAwfuN5nTo Even the later panel trucks had large flat custom grill guards. So in July of 57, a true West Coast Step-side Tow Truck was born sporting that familiar shinny Helms Bakery Yellow over Black, Dark Walnut Brown or Coffee paint scheme I remember as a kid living in Bellflower, Whittier, and Long Beach back in the 50's and 60's, http://gombessa.tripod.com/scienceleadstheway/id5.html Helms Bakery or Lambert are no longer in bussines. Here the Essex Towing truck has been sitting waiting patiently for me to come along so I can pamper her. Parked only fifty feet off the original old Route 66 (pre-1931 alignment, dirt road seen in the background), where she has sat for 10 years or more and has made the Hot Mojave Desert home since the closing of Helms Bakery in 1969. After Helms, the little tow truck helped relocate or salvage the thousands cars off of this stretch of Route 66 to Barstow or Needles as Interstate 40 was to bypass this stretch of road by 1972. Here she sits and listens to the BNSF trains as they sound the warning at the Sunflower Springs level crossing. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_crossing Standing about a hundred yards to the west on Route 66, across from the fully functional and staffed Cal-Trans Yard, sits a cute Radiator Well the Automobile Club of Southern California (AAA Insurance) erected in 1940. This little drinking fountain in the desert provided a much needed FREE drink of clean cool water for all those thirsty automobile radiators. Back in the days most stops in the Hot Mojave desert charged 10 cents a gallon for dirty radiator water, John Steinbeck wrote a book about those days, "The Grapes of Wrath". http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grapes_of_Wrath The free range cattle for cow tipping provided by the Blair Ranch, you will notice the cattle guards and cow warning signs as you pass through town. Say hello to JR and John at their little tire shop that is still in business when you stop by Essex. Essex Ca was bypassed by interstate 40 in 1972, leaving Essex a Ghost Town almost. But thanks to Johnny Carson, in 1977, Essex got TV Reception for the first time ever. The whole town was then invited to Burbank to the Johnny Carson Show. John and the Little Tow Truck had to stay home to watch out for the travelers.
Just a note, the litte tow truck has since been relocated. As far as I know, this is the only remaining Lambert Built Tow Truck known to exist.
Essex Ca is also known as "Free Water" and the Heart of the Mojave Desert according to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
http://www.cart66pf.org/Map/66mojave2.htm
Twin Cam Tommy - blower explosion
April 4, 2009. Sacramento Raceway. Firing up the dragster to see if it can make a run today, and the answer is no.
Jay's Car 1
We're now going to look at yet another cackle car in the making. This one is being created for Mr. Jay Carpenter. Jay was very much involved in the junior fuel class from 1968 through 1973. Jay and his partner Mike Clancy were very competitive in the junior fuel class and raced at Lion's Drag Strip, Irwindale Raceway, Orange County, The Pond, and Carlsbad Raceway.
But Jay always admired the Woody Gilmore Chassis in top fuel. And so--some 40 years later, he has decided to create, with the help of Freddie Hayhurst, a Woody Gilmore car that incorporates most of the best aspects of the '67,'68, and '69 Woody cars. And some other aspects that will help make this a very fine cacklefest car.
So join us as Jay "takes delivery" of the chassis.
Thanks for watching.
Bill Pitts,
