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View Full Version : Need some help, old dry lakes racer.



Flyinbowtie
01-24-2007, 02:50 PM
This old small snapshot was in some of my Dad's stuff we just discovered, 25 years after his death. The car is a '34 Ford 3-window coupe, the number on the door is 143, and the lettering on the door says, "Driver Art Chrisman"
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data/500/1525934.jpg
I believe that my father is the middle man in of the three seated in the background. My mother and I have narrowed the time span down to post 1946 thru 1950. We suspect it is Muroc, as Dad went there more than he did El Mirage. I have searched for hours on the net tring to find this car in a dated picture or a record of it in historical data from the SCTA, etc, but no luck. Plenty on the chopped coupe they had and the #25 dragster, but none on this car.
I have a letter drafted to send to Art Chrisman, whom my mother beleves was a good friend of Dad's from back in the early days of racing on the lakes.
Her last contact with Chrisman was in a chrome shop in Long Beach in the early fifties, she dropped some parts off, and Chrisman overheard her last name, introduced himself, and said he was an old friend of Dads.
I'm gonna send the letter with a copy of the pic to him, but wondered if anybody out there might have an old lakes racer in the family who might recognize this car...
All of my fathers other photos, timing slips, trophies, etc were destroyed by his first wife,:mad: whom he divorced prior to meeting my mother in 1951.
So anything I can do to piece together his racing history is of great interest to me, and any help will be greatly appreciated.

h2oski2fast
01-24-2007, 02:59 PM
Art Chrisman builds some of the best Hot Rods of today, his shop is in Santa Ana. I was there a couple weeks ago with Jim Wilkes of Wilkes Marine. Contact Jim he can put you in touch with Art.

Flyinbowtie
01-24-2007, 03:03 PM
h20,
Thanks; I will work on that.
I'm still a little dumbfounded about finding the picture, I'm 48 and grew up listening to the stories and I helped Dad build a hot Flathead for our father-son '40 Ford, which i still have. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree and I would like to be able to put this all together for my sons.

squirt'nmyload
01-24-2007, 03:39 PM
what a great story....good luck on your search for info:)

h2oski2fast
01-24-2007, 03:46 PM
No problem, glad to help. I guess Art's choice of motor is the Flathead. He had a Highboy in his shop with one in it.
BTW, Wilkes Marine's # is 714-540-8908

Trailer Park Casanova
01-24-2007, 03:54 PM
No problem, glad to help. I guess Art's choice of motor is the Flathead. He had a Highboy in his shop with one in it.
BTW, Wilkes Marine's # is 714-540-8908
Still cool motors and you can still get new ones.
Unique sound.
Hope to build a boat with a flathead one day.
Cool story.

Tom Slick
01-24-2007, 04:04 PM
Try the forums over at www.landracing.com There's a few old timers over there that are very knowledgeable. Good luck:)

unleashed
01-24-2007, 04:19 PM
'lil' john buttera lives around the block from me. I'll take the photo to him and see if it rings a bell??
Deano
UnleashedHardcoreApparel (http://www.unleashedclothing.com):devil:
Deanosmyspace (http://www.myspace.com/unleashedclothing):devil:

Flyinbowtie
01-24-2007, 05:58 PM
Deano I'd appreciate it!
I am going to drop the letter in the mail to Chrisman tomorrow, I have the address of his shop in Santa Ana. I'm sending along a nice copy of the photo for him as well. I thought about calling but the story would take too long to tell, and the pic will probably help.
One way or the other, I'll let you guys know how it turns out. Feel free to pass the picture around all you want, it hasn't seen the light of day in almost 50 years. History, especially hot tod history, is fun.:D
I am gong to post it on the lsr site Tom gave me, too, after dinner tonight.
All the input is greatly appreciated.

Kindsvater Flat
01-24-2007, 06:18 PM
Chrisman and his brother, Lloyd, began racing the family's '36 Ford four-door sedan on the Southern California dry-lake beds. That was followed by a '34 Ford that hit a stout 140-mph clip and a tube-framed, chopped and channeled '30 Ford coupe.http://www.nhra.com/50th/top50/A_Chrisman29.html
No pics but a neat article http://www.wediditforlove.com/Chrisman.html

AZJD
01-24-2007, 08:23 PM
This is the kinda stuff that ***boat should be about! Great story, and good luck with your search. I am excited for you and hope you get great results!

Flyinbowtie
01-24-2007, 09:25 PM
Thanks AZ...:D
Thanks, K-Flat I read that too, Apparently Chrisman had a severely chopped 3-window that is the record setter they speak of most, and then the legendary series of Hustler dragsters. I can finds lots of pics of the slingshot, the chopped coupe, and a '30 roadster, but no info on this car. I am starting to wonder if perhaps he was jsut a hired driver for this one, but from what I have read it seems out of charcater for him to wheel somebody elses ride.
Deano is going to check with John Buttera tomorrow, and I've a letter to A.C. along with the pic ready as well, so with any luck we'll know one way or the other in a week or so.