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The late historian and journalist, Dean Batchelor, defined “hot rod” as “…any production vehicle, which has been modified to provide more performance.” Automotive author Don Montgomery fixes the “true hot rod” period of automotive history between the mid 1930’s and mid 1950’s. The Rodders Journal and Rod & Custom editor, Pat Ganahl, contends that hot rodding as we know it “…was born and bred in the 1930’s, in Southern California.” All of them would agree, however, that hot rodding saw its genesis on the high desert lake beds of the Mojave Desert. Since 1927, people had been taking their cars there to see how fast they would go—and to find ways to make them go faster. In 1931, Gilmore Oil Co. sponsored the first recorded dry lake event on March 25, 1931. In 1937, seven Los Angeles car clubs formed the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) to bring order to their competitions and to get the press, and police, off the backs of sincere performance enthusiasts. They hosted their first event on May 15, 1938 at Muroc Dry Lake. On that day, more than 300 stripped and modified cars competed in a competition never before seen in the world. Events like this went on until WW II, and were taken up again in 1945 with a vengeance. The period of 1945-1949 was considered the “Golden Years” of hot rodding. Eventually, drag-racing supplanted hot rodding—on the strip and on the street. Today, some “hard core” hot rodders insist that the only true hot rods are 1928-34 Ford roadsters. To paraphrase Pat Ganahl, “the world has a fuzzy notion of what a hot rod is, but it takes a real hot rodder to know…. There is a tradition we follow and only we know what it is, and that’s part of the deal. That’s what makes hot rodding an American culture.”
Some of the modifications to make the various four-cylinder hot rods go faster were pioneered by innovators like George Riley, in Los Angeles. He made 2-port conversions as early as 1928 (the first model-year for the A), and at least 7 different styles of 2-ports over the next few years. He came out with his Riley-Racing 4-ports in 1933, a real winner on the short tracks. All of the Riley conversions used two, stock Ford intake valves, guides, and springs per cylinder and were of the "F" head configuration, using the stock exhaust location in the block. Police departments often used Riley’s 2-ports to give their cars more of an edge against bigger and more powerful cars. People like George Riley, Ed Winfield, and Cyclone (Cook Machine in LA.), made conversions for both flathead and overhead valve engines. Above-modified 4-bangers kept Ford's flathead V-8s from dominating the scene until after WWII, because the flathead V-8 was no match for an overhead four with similar cubic inches. Only after the V-8s could be made much bigger than their older brothers, were they able to start taking over.
Are the 4-bangers still viable today? Roy Creel managed 216.077-mph (two-way average) at Bonneville in his unblown fuel streamliner (with a maximum class size of 220 cubic inches) and 203.057-mph on just gasoline! Roy holds the fuel lake racer record at El Mirage dry lake of 202.474-mph, and the gas lake racer record of 179-mph. Harold Johansen holds fuel roadster records at the lakes at 159-mph and 164-mph in his Model A racer. These records are in the same ballpark as, and in some cases faster, than today's flathead V-8s—which displace up to 325 cubic inches! In 1999, there were about 40 hot 4-bangers racing at the Antique Nationals, mostly OHVs, and at each dry lakes meet you’ll see 3 or 4 running at respectable speeds. in October 1999, 44 Ford Model Ts, As, and Bs, ran at the Temecula, California Hill Climb, and almost as many ran at the Auburn, California Hill Climb in April 2000. Today's 4-banger is part tradition and part modern technology. You'll find 4- and 5-speed, and even automatic transmissions behind them, as well as disc brakes, and modern carburetors. But you'll also see the old Winfield, and Stromberg 97 carburetors, and early Ford 3-speed top-loader transmissions. If you look around at the big hot rod events, you'll see an occasional hot 4-banger with a big crowd of admirers around them. It’s because they have a unique, pleasant sound and are still about the quickest transportation across the intersection. There are more of them on the road now than there were 20 years ago. Several engine builders either do exclusively Model As and Bs, or specialize in them. Cheers to Henry's 4-bangers, the men that exploited them in the early days, and the guys that still compete with them today!
Highway 61’s Red Oxide primered, #44 (they also provide other versions), 1929 Ford roadster replicates a late 1930’s California dry lakes racer. This particular performer has a Ford model A, 4-cylinder engine, with a Riley 2-port conversion, OHV cylinder head, dual Winfield carburetors, a Model A distributor ignition. Further modifications include: a trunk mounted battery, a tubular exhaust header with no muffler or tailpipe, an open engine compartment, no windshield, no headlights, 1939 Ford “teardrop” taillights, a stock 1929 interior & seat, a Bell 4-bar steering wheel, a 1939 Ford rear axle assembly with hydraulic brakes, 1935 Ford 16-inch wire wheels, stock hubcaps, and vintage tires. All these mods are typical and highly accurate for the time period. This image isn’t nearly as pretty as the SoCal ‘34 Ford Bonneville racer, but it predates that record-setter by nearly two decades. It’s a no-frills buggy—all stripped down to go as fast as possible—with extraneous weight removed wherever possible. Highway 61 did a good job at authenticity, keeping its primer-painted finish and adding liberal amounts of simulated lake salt on the body and wheels. There’s nice detailing on the little OHV 4-banger, complete with a rotating, two-bladed fan. The interior (what there is of it) is also nicely done, with doors that open on car-type hinges. Even the numbers look taped-on, rather than painted, or tampo-ed. Open the trunk (no prop—it was probably removed to save weight) and you’ll find a gas tank and battery. Undercarriage details are up to par, clearly delineating the transverse springs, enclosed driveshaft, and fore and aft bracing struts. There’s even a 1935 California license plate (3C 2976) to add to the aura of authenticity. The model comes in a box that contains a display case, and includes an FM-style tool for opening hatches, etc., a cleaning cloth with the Highway 61 logo on it (neither of which is really necessary), a membership application for The Diecaster quarterly newsletter, and a steel timing tag indicating that this racer turned a 9:23-second quarter-mile at 102.34-mph. There’s also an 8-page historical booklet with lots of vintage hot rod data. You won’t find any of the gloss of the GMP SoCal and Pierson Bros. images, but Highway 61 has opted for the realism of the early days of dry lake racing with their Origins of Speed series—and at roughly half the price. I think it’s a winning combination. #44 will look great next to your GMP pieces—all recapturing a bit of performance history. For $49.99, you can’t go wrong.
(02/13/2005)
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