Hot rod racer

Salinas Special - 34 Ford 5 window

Terrible l'admission 6 carbus ...

aH ! celui là je l'aime !!! il m'a servit d'avatar et de fond d'écran pendant lontemps............................

minimaliste, mais un max de détail, tous ce que j'aime

c'te gueule... il est bestial comme je les aime !

The path back to authenticity is rarely straight or clear for race cars of any discipline, whether they're internationally known sports cars, Indy roadsters, or dry lakes hot rods from the years following World War II. Provenance is often cloudy, especially so for old iron that raced for a decade or better, ran in different classes, was shepherded by several owners, and complied to the dictates of more than one sanctioning organization.



Aside from racing prangs and repairs, race cars-especially the good ones-were subjected to constant upgrades just to keep pace with ever-advancing competition, never mind continuing to dominate their racing classes. Add to this the cannibalism that was common practice up until the last few decades when a race car that was no longer viable or was "legislated" out of the rules book of the sanctioning body that governed and it was sent to the "bone pile". Countless old battlewagons sat in backyards and behind service shops, largely ignored other than when they might yield a valuable artifact that could be incorporated in the build of a newer race car. Many had their goodness plucked away a piece at a time until their carcasses had no more useful bits to offer.




The Quinton-Joehnck 1932 Ford three-window coupe could serve as the poster car for all the changes that can be visited on a race car during its active life. For openers, it began its racing career as a roadster. There was a time when coupes were persona non grata in hot rod speed contests on the dry lake beds of Southern California. The seminal sanctioning body, the Southern California Timing Association, permitted only roadsters, modifieds, and streamliners to compete-no coupes or sedans, period. Jack Quinton and Bob Joehnck raced roadsters under the SCTA rules in the late '40s, but when the Russetta Timing Association was formed in 1948 to legitimize coupes and sedans in racing, it wasn't long before Quinton traded his '32 roadster body for a Deuce three-window coupe, teamed up with Joehnck who fronted the chassis from his own successful roadster, and they were on their way, garnering records at El Mirage and Bonneville with Mercury Flathead power.




For three seasons, 1951-53, the coupe dominated its class on both the dry lakes and the salt, finishing the '52 season as the overall points leader in the RTA. The coupe was given the first of two roof chops in 1954 and enjoyed an active drag-racing life at strips throughout Southern California. This type of "crossover" was common in the early and mid '50s before purpose-built racing hot rods reached the levels of specialization that would come later. From 1955-59, the coupe was fitted with a Hemi, and in 1961 it was further re-configured for a blown Olds built by Jay Roach and driven by 200-mph club member Don Torgeson at Bonneville, posting a very respectable 173 mph the first year, followed by a most-impressive 198.30-mph performance in 1962-its final year as a race car.

The coupe was "parked", as racers are wont to say, giving up some of its valuable hardware to other race cars and then passed from one new owner to the next, for as many as 10 such transactions in this case. In 2002, Paul Hoffmann, a young Santa Barbara, California, building contractor and ardent enthusiast of vintage hot rods, learned of the coupe's whereabouts through sheer chance. Hoffmann had known of the coupe's existence for some time. It was "the car everybody knew about," he says, but no one could pinpoint its location ... until an electrician who worked for Hoffmann discovered it in a garage where he'd been sent to do some wiring work. Hoffmann soon struck a deal with the owner and put the coupe on the path out of obscurity and back into the light of day where it could be enjoyed.




The path Hoffmann chose was Rudy Rodriguez, one of the most highly regarded and respected craftsmen working in the traditional hot rod and custom car idiom today. Hoffmann has known Rodriguez since he was a youngster and an 18-year-old phenom of a Porsche engine mechanic, building engines for Hoffmann's dad, an old-world educated engineer and former Porsche factory race car driver. Hoffmann was the facilitator of the coupe's resurrection. As he describes his part, he found the coupe, bought it, turned it over to Rodriguez, and got out of the way. "Rudy made the decisions," Hoffmann says.



And good decisions they were. The original chassis was no longer. With thoughtful input from no less an alumnus than Bob Joehnck, and help from Erik Hansson, Rodriguez created a new, evolved chassis, an amalgam of its former iterations that would have handled all the drivetrain and performance upgrades of the past, but now accommodated the original Mercury Flathead. The powerplant is not a recreation; it is the actual race motor that garnered all that glory years ago, found in the hands of a local high school shop teacher who willingly parted with it for a very fair price, knowing it was going back where it belonged.




The original quick-change rearend wound up under Alex Xydias' SoCal coupe decades ago, replaced now with a period-correct unit from Hot Rod Works. Jack Quinton had hung onto the original seat, however, which he donated to the project. The two top chops, done after the car's Flathead days, were typical of hot rod race car work of the time, a bit rough and exhibiting more enthusiasm than care. Rodriguez cut the top off and started fresh, giving it a just-right attitude and perfect symmetry. He created new inner doorskins in place of the originals that had been cut out many years ago, and healed all the other wounds that had been visited on the old warrior's sheetmetal.

Working with Tom Leonardo Jr., Rodriguez metal-finished the body to a quality level rarely seen, even on restored race cars. Over the years, the coupe had worn several different colors, including red and gold, but the intense blue that it sported for a short time early in its career was considered the most pleasing rendition. Expertly recreated by custom painter Barefoot Gary, it works extremely well with the light gray accent color on the suspension and inside the cabin.




While the resulting Quinton-Joehnck Deuce coupe might not fit the strictest interpretation of a point-for-point restoration of a specific configuration in the car's racing life, it honors its overall history very well. Rodriguez has skillfully evoked the spirit of the car over the years, adding a look at how it might have further evolved after the point at which it was retired 40-plus years ago.



Since its completion, the Quinton-Joehnck coupe has moved onto yet another owner and a collection of quality hot rods and special-interest cars. Its racing days past, it no longer languishes under a dusty tarp, forgotten by all but a handful of old timers and a few knowledgeable younger enthusiasts like Paul Hoffmann who drug it back into the sunlight for all of us to enjoy.



article complet: http://www.rodandcustommagazine.com/featuredvehicles/1006rc_1932_ford_three_window_coupe/viewall.html

FIRSTS. When discussing historical subjects, there are three words we try to avoid: first, last, and only. Soon after a writer applies any of these adjectives to an object or idea, invariably someone jumps up and proves him wrong. As for Creighton Hunter’s roadster, we’ll take our chances. It is the first car to carry one of hot rodding’s most iconic symbols, Dean Moon’s eyeballs, and its owner was a cofounder of the first commercial dragstrip on the planet.



Creighton, like his buddy, Moon, was in the Hutters Car Club, part of the Russetta Timing Association. After serving in World War II, Creighton joined his father in the oil-distribution business and resumed building and racing hot rods. Though it’s not confirmed, this roadster is believed to have been built by legendary Nisei rodders Yam and Harry Oka in the ’40s. Hunter raced it at the dry lakes from 1949 to 1954 and clocked a quite respectable top speed of 151 mph, but its greater, longer-lasting notoriety came on asphalt.



Creighton and Frank Stillwell, a motorcycle shop owner and promoter of motorcycle races, were C.J. Hart’s partners in the Santa Ana Drags. However, Creighton soon realized that racing was more fun than working. In a 1979 interview with Editor Wallace, C.J. recalled, “He only lasted a couple of weeks. We asked him what he wanted to get out. He said $1,000, and we paid it.” His little car lived on, however—and on, and on. The roadster was sold in mid-1953 to another Santa Ana pioneer, Hildardo “Hill” Alcala [who also owned the sleek ’34 three-window coupe we couldn’t identify on the cover of the Mar. ’10 HRD—Ed.]. Although its ’24 T body and engine setback seem right for Santa Ana’s Roadster class, one of the car’s most distinguishing characteristics, the cut-down ’37 Ford truck grille, forced it into the Modified Roadster division against more radical machines. Still, in little more than a decade, Hunter and Alcala collectively amassed more than 200 trophies, beating everything from blown-overhead street roadsters to mid-engine modifieds, running in the high 10s at nearly 130 mph.

Racing the roadster was an Alcala family outing. Hill did the tuning and driving, but he always had a substantial pit crew headed by his brother, Ruben, wife, Frances, daughter, Rosalie, and lots of uncles and cousins, including uncle Julian Alvarez (known for his fine collection of original Deuces as well as his custodianship of Bud Bryan’s Rod & Custom ’29 highboy).



When Dean Moon built the beautiful Mooneyes dragster, Hill was named its test pilot and promptly rewarded Dean with the A/Dragster class trophy at the ’61 NHRA Nationals.



Hill continued running this car until the passing of Frances took the wind out of his sails in the mid-’60s. When nostalgia drag racing took off in the late ’70s, his son, Tony, gave the old roadster new life for a few seasons before parking it again, exactly as last raced. Earlier this year, the Alcala family generously loaned it to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California (Museum.NHRA.com), where it serves as the cornerstone of a continuing exhibit honoring Dean Moon. Be there between now and mid-November to examine the first vehicle to wear Moon eyes, one of drag racing’s first fast cars, and a rare, unrestored example of a state-of-the-art ’40s hot rod.



article original: http://www.hotrod.com/hotroddeluxe/hrxp_1207_creighton_hunter_moon_eyes_1924_t/

It's a bitchin' coupe. A big motor, fenderless body, and enough safety gear to ensure you'll race again. But these are all lessons pioneer racers like Fred Larsen taught us years ago. When a car looks effortless, that's when you know you've done something right. It might be the stance or the body line. Often it's even hard to put into words, but something works. You can see it. You can hear it.



After a noticeable void left by the Larsen & Cummins streamliner, seeing a Moon Equipment-sponsored racer back on Bonneville's sacred salt is notable. And better yet, this car is a regular competitor at the El Mirage meets. Long overdue, the freshly painted '32 highboy has stepped straight into the dry lakes spotlight. From the wide-eyed logo perfectly placed, peering out from the bumblebee stripe on the grille shell, to the tasteful signature of renowned pinstriper Hiro "Wildman" Ishii tucked in the corner of the decklid, this coupe hits the wow button.



It's funny how worlds collide, coming together through serendipitous events. Deuce owner Tim Cunha from Monterey, California, and Willie Dorsey from San Diego met years ago at the L.A. Roadster Show. Through their shared interest in all things hot rod, the pair became fast friends. So when Tim acquired a vintage dry lakes coupe, he did what all good racers do: He asked his friend to be the crewchief.

Willie had just finished restoring the notorious Fred Larsen '27 T roadster that held about a billion SCTA records from back in the late '50s and early '60s, so they had plenty to talk about. While Willie restored the legendary roadster back to museum quality, he got to know the entire Moon crew, including owner Shige Suganum and company president Chico Kodama, as well as Fred Larsen and his wife, Marylou.



During their first season of dry lakes racing, Tim campaigned his Deuce in the same configuration as it was purchased. With silver scallops and blue paint, sporting Cunha's and Dorsey's last names proudly on the hood and a base motor that Dwight Strobel installed, they began the steep learning curve. Unfortunately for them, by this time Fred had gone on to the big race in the sky, so when they ran the coupe at El Mirage or Bonneville, the folks from Moon would check in on them. Even Marylou would come by the pits to make sure they were doing fine.



Explaining the lure of land speed racing in his West Coast surfer voice, Tim described it this way, "There is something about being out there! You look at the hills around you, and they have been there from the beginning. I was looking at an old photo from the late '30s, and I thought, 'I know right where that spot is!' It's like you're stepping into those pictures and living a part of history. It's great to be living and making your own history. It doesn't matter if it is big, because you are a part of it ... doing something you have appreciated your entire life."

Forging their raucous crew in the first year, Tim and Willie grabbed anyone within arms' reach, including Chico and his nephews and Tim's son Steven. Picking up the cell, they recruited more folks: Cain DeVore, an independent filmmaker from Los Angeles; machinist Scott Bruner; and Neil Burns. It didn't matter what your day job was; everyone got dirty. By midseason they were having so much fun that they started offering the crewmembers the opportunity to drive, adding countless rookie stickers to the communal helmet.



For years, Chico had been too busy with his duties at Mooneyes to even consider going racing, but it was always in the back of his mind. Then he finally got his chance. Putting on the firesuit and looping his foot into a Dean Moon gas pedal was surreal for him. Carefully selecting his words, Chico said, "Driving the car on the salt was my dream. Tim and Willie made it happen for me, and I really appreciate that opportunity. It's not that often that you find someone who will let you hop in and drive. I don't care what kind of car it is. So that opportunity really meant something to me."




With his D and C licenses proudly in hand, Chico laughed and continued, "There is no way to describe it. It's such a feeling. Even though it was only 150 mph, it was such a rush! It got me hooked! Once you are strapped in, it is like nothing else. All you can see is the line straight ahead of you. Once you start the motor, you don't really think about it, other than concentrating on how you are going to drive it."

Judging from all the excitement on the Mooneyes Web page and in the company's new catalog, it seems an epidemic of Salt Fever has broken out in the bright-yellow speed shop in Santa Fe Springs, California, and Tim Cunha and Willie Dorsey are to blame. Suddenly there's talk again of tech inspection and rule books, rookie passes, and even the Two Club. The frenzy has spread so far that Larsen protge Doug Shaw is building his own rendition of Fred's modified roadster, and Chico is so juiced about returning to land speed racing that he sold his '36 three-window coupe and is building his own modified roadster. Mooneyes is even in the process of recasting and putting into production the Potvin-style inline blower that Fred used.



All of this isn't surprising to Marylou, who kindly explained to us in her soft tone, "If you don't catch salt fever after you have been there ... well, there must be something wrong with you, I think." She should know, as Marylou was one of the first women to attend Speed Week, with Fred in 1954.

Quick Inspection: Mooneyes Special '32 Ford coupeTim Cunha * Monterey, CA

Powertrain
Engine: A 427ci big-block Chevrolet wears GM aluminum oval-port heads and a Holley 4500 Ultra HP Dominator on an Edelbrock Victor 454-R Air Gap intake. The race mill is dressed with all the classic Mooneyes speed parts, including the company's famous finned valve covers and high-rise breathers. George Striegel at Clay Smith Cams ported and polished the heads and intake and also spec'd out a hydraulic roller cam (284 degrees of duration and a 0.609-inch lift), while the custom zoomie headers were crafted by Lem Tolliver.

Power: At a recent trip to the chassis dyno, the fenderless highboy recorded an honest 528 hp at 5,800 rpm to the rear wheels. A Bonneville best of 178.410 mph came in the second mile at Speed Week '07, with Tim behind the wheel.

Transmission: Tim uses a close-ratio Muncie M-21 with a Hurst four-speed shifter.


Rearend: We have seen it a million times, but the ever-popular Ford 9-inch rearend gets used because it's proven, not because it's pretty. Gearing is 2.75:1.

Chassis
Frame: This yellow highboy sits atop original '32 Ford framerails that have been boxed and have new crossmembers.

Suspension: It's a fairly basic setup that includes an I-beam axle and split '32 wishbones on the front, with ladder bars out back. Afco front shocks and rear coilovers are attached with Heim joints.

Brakes: Up front is a set of Chevrolet aluminum-fin drum brakes, and stock Ford drum brakes are on the rear. Most of the stopping power is from simply letting off the gas and popping the chute.

Wheels: Painted black and covered by Moon discs, the front wheels are 15-inch steelies with welded reinforcements. The rear wheels are special 18-inch steel Taylor Made wheels, built solely for land speed racing.

Tires: Tim has collected several pairs of rear tires with different outside diameters to adjust the coupe's top end. A set of Goodyear Eagle 28x4.5s came with the car. Since then, he has purchased a set of Firestone 7.00x18s from Al Teague and a set of Dunlop Racing 7.00x18s from George Poteet. Up front he always runs 24x3.6-15 M&H Racemasters.

Style
Body: There's nothing better than an all-steel fenderless Ford three-window coupe that's been chopped 3.5 inches with required aerodynamic roof rails mounted on top. Creating the perfect line across the nose, Jack Haggeman Jr. fabricated the tastefully louvered hood that connects the unique Pines Winterfront grille with the original cowl.

Paint: Handling the bodywork and laying down the countless coats of Moon Yellow were Jessie Cruz and Enrique Guillen at DBO Motor Racing in Monterey, California. To finish the coupe, Moon Equipment Co. owner Shige Suganuma flew the company's famed pinstripe artist Hiro "Wildman" Ishii all the way from Yokohama, Japan, to hand-letter and stripe the coupe during the annual Mooneyes barbecue.

Article original: http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/hrdp_0805_1932_ford_coupe/viewall.html

1934 Ford 3-Window Coupe originally owned by Bob and Dick Pierson of Inglewood, California. With a 142 mph Rusetta Timing Association record, the coupe was for a while known as the fastest closed car in America! It was known as the coupe that beat the roadsters. "We didn't think coupes were real hot rods," says Alex Xydias, an SCTA Board Member at the time. "We were very conservative guys and these cars didn't fit our pattern. At first, we didn't even believe the numbers. Of course, when Lou Baney and the Pierson brothers started going fast, we had to give in. I actually recruited Bob to run under the Glendale Sidewinders banner so we could win the points championship one year."



Dick Pierson bought the coupe to use as his school and work transportation. The coupe was a pile of junk, so he only had to pay $25 for it. Dick and his brother Bob took the car to Bobby Meeks where they tore it apart trying to fix the parts that were falling off. Their parents told them not to turn the car into a hot rod, but they didn't care. Meeks worked for Vic Edelbrock, and one of his jobs at Edelbrock was to find boys that could be successful racers. Meeks recruited potential candidates, and helped them with the latest equipment. It was Meeks who decided on the excessive roof chop on the coupe. The rules said that the windshield had to be seven inches high, but they didn't specify the angle, so Meeks laid the posts back about 50 degrees before he raised them up a bit. With these modifications, the Pierson Brothers' 34 was the first known coupe with slanted windshield posts.



After Bobby's dog knocked over a welding gas bottle, breaking the top off and sending it down the street like a rocket, Bobby's wife told Bob and Dick to take the car someplace else. They moved their project to T&T Engineering in Gardena, California where Tommy Backe did the welding and fabrication. In between, the coupe went to Vic Edelbrock's shop for engine work by Meeks. Bob Pierson worked at Douglas Aircraft, and learned the rudiments of aerodynamics there. The body was streamlined by chopping the top 9 inches, channeling it 3 inches, slanting the windshield posts, removing the fenders and by installing a race car nose crafted by Harry Jones. The nose was fit with a Kurtis midget front nose grille.[1] The stock gas tank was axed and a small racing tank was located alongside the driver, right next to the battery. The frame was a rebuilt 1934 Ford frame with X-crossmembers and front crossmember removed. The frame ends were cut off in front and a rigid tubing member was installed to support front spring-mounting. The tube front axle came from a 1938 Ford 60 pickup truck, and it was fit with special brackets for attaching chrome-moly adjustable radius rods. 1939 Ford cross steering was used for precise steering. A Halibrand alloy quick-change centersection supported by a modified Model A crossmember and buggy spring permitted a choice of high-speed gears. The first records were set with a 2.94 rearend ratio. Front tires were ribbed 5.00 x 16 Firestones and 7.00 x 16's were used in back on stock Ford steel rims, still wearing 1948 Ford beauty rings and hubcaps.

The body was gut for all except bare essentials in order to reduce overall weight to a minimum. Cold steel served as upholstery. Bucket seat, safety belts and a fire extinguisher were part of the car's equipment. The top of the steering wheel was cut off so the driver's already limited vision was further impaired. A flat panel held a row of curved glass Stewart Warner instruments. Windshield and windows were plexiglas



Bob wanted to run the coupe at the first Bonneville Nationals in 1949, but Vic Edelbrock said no. When Bob complained, Vic told him not to come back to work if he went to Bonneville. Not wanting to loose his job, Bob and Dick took the coupe to El Mirage instead where they broke records at Rusetta events. Vic and Bobby Meeks helped the brothers and supported the car. When the coupe first hit the the track it was primered gray. It would later be painted red, white and blue by Harry Jones. Finding the correct colors for the white and blue paint was simple, the red one was harder, and Bob went through dozens of samples before he found the correct one.



When Pierson started to run the coupe hard, it turned out to be too flexible and it didn't want to handle. Vic Edelbrock boxed and welded the frame for the brothers. He also designed and installed a complete roll cage. After these improvements the coupe ran as straight as an arrow.

When the coupe was featured in Hot Rod Magazine April 1950, it was powered by a 1946 Mercury, model 59A, that had been bored and stroked .125 inches, giving it a total displacement of 267.15 cubic inches. The engine was equipped with Edelbrock heads, Edelbrock pistons and an Edelbrock manifold with three Stromberg 48 carburetors that had been converted for use with alcohol fuel. The camshaft was a Winfield grind and the ignition was from Kong. The engine was ported, relieved and fully balanced as well. Cooling was provided by a water storage tank connected to the radiator, while Belond W headers controlled the exhaust.



At the Rusetta Timing Association meet held in July of 1950 the coupe achieved a one-way speed of 153.06 mph, good enough for first-place honors in its class. It also set a new class record with an average speed of 145.64 mph. Later the same year, Bob and Dick drove their coupe at the 2nd annual Bonneville Nationals. At the meet, Bill Likes turned 139.75 mph in the "B" roadster class, while the Pierson Brothers hit 150.00 mph with their coupe. During the meet, Pierson and Likes switched engines. After the engine-switch, Pierson's engine in the roadster turned 141.06 and Likes' "B" engine in the coupe turned a speed of 147.78 mph.[9] During the Nationals, the coupe was clocked at an average speed of 142.9 mph. The speeds at the July Rusetta meet were slightly better than its mark at Bonneville, but the timing equipment used for the Bonneville Nationals were presumed to have been more accurate



At the opening meet of the 1951 Rusetta speed trials season held at El Mirage April 21-22, 1951 the Pierson Bros. coupe turned 141.73 mph taking first place in the "D Class". The same year, SCTA opened up for coupes at their dry lakes speed trials as well. Pat O'Brien drove the coupe at that meet to a new class record of 151.26 mph. After breaking records with the coupe for two years, the Piersons sold the car to Dawson Hadley and Jim Evans in 1951. Hadley and Evans painted it red and yellow before they entered it at the 3rd annual Bonneville Nationals. At Bonneville they competed in both the B and C class. The C Modified Coupe division had a total of 18 entries that year. Evans eventually bought Hadley out, and ran it himself for about a year. In 1953, Evans achieved 165.23 mph with the coupe. Hadley sold the coupe to George Bentley of Sadd, Teague & Bentley