People & Cars From Richmond Hill in the 1960s

I thought it might be time to add some more photos from my old scrap book; people and cars from Richmond Hill in the 1960s. 

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Eddie Talerine, on left, and Tony D'Amato, look over some parts for a car Tony was building at the time: a '48 Ford convertible.

The original photo that was given me was a bit blurry so I tried to sharpen it up. Tony is installing a late '50s De Soto Hemi engine in his '48 Ford convert. The four-carb manifold on the engine can be seen in the photo on top.

After painting the car in yellow primer, Tony sold the car to Al Banome; these shots are from in front of the116th Street garages, just off Atlantic Avenue.

 

(Note my '55 Chevy convert in the background, obviously shot in 1963.)

When Al owned the car, it still had the De Soto engine in it (but, running with a single four-barrel carb).

Al sold the car to friend Richie Paretta, who promptly removed the hemi and installed a '54 Buick engine, Ford floor-shift trans ('39 ?), and a full-floating rear axle assembly.

 

The car is seen here on Sunrise Highway, on the way to Westhampton Drag Strip, one Sunday morning.

Another guy who hung out at the 116th Street garages was Bob McCowski, who was in the process of building this '36 Ford convert, with an early '60s 'Vette engine.

 

A '40 Ford rear with late Merc brakes were utilized.

 

The engine had Fuelie pistons and cam, and a single four-barrel. 

 

Still another '36 Ford convertible that grew in the 116th Street garages was this one being built by Andy Turano. 

 

According to my notes, the engine in Andy's '36 was a '56 Olds, running a Mallory Ignition, Isky high-lift cam, high-rev kit, and three carbs.

Car Show in Enumclaw, Washington 9/8/2018

We were visiting our granddaughter, who recently moved to Tacoma for a new job, and taking in all the sights of the area. About half-way between Tacoma, Washington, and Mt. Rainier National Park, we came upon a car show on Cole Street, in the small town of Enumclaw, this past Saturday, September 8th. It was the perfect spot to get out, stretch our legs, and take a break from driving.

There were plenty of vintage rods and customs, which I'm primarily interested in, and some "newer" cars like this hairy '68 Chevy Nova below. (Click on any photo to enlarge.)

 Here's a nice old-school street rod for you.

 

Looks like a pre-'49 flathead, with finned aluminum heads, running two carbs.

 

A really clean '53 Buick 2-door sedan, looking stock-bodied.

 

 

I was talking to the owner of this amazing '51 Ford convert (the highlight of the show for me); sorry I can't recall his name. If I remember correctly, he said he owned this car when he was in high school, back in the '50s or '60s, and took his (now) wife out on dates in it. Beautiful workmanship and attention to detail all around.

 

Oddly enough, I (and some friends) had a car club called the Piston Pushers when I was in high school; this guy was on the west coast, we were on the east.

 

 

 

Running a reworked flathead but the owner told me the suspension and (disc) brakes were all updated.

 

More excellent, although subtle, bodywork was done on this '53 Chevy: I don't remember seeing many 2-door hardtops for this year car.

 

 

This '49 Ford 2-door sedan looks mildly customized on the outside but, if you enlarge the photo and check out the data on the framed poster to the left, you'll see much more has been done that doesn't show from the outside.

 

When you're driving down the road in this 1960 Crown Imperial convertible, you'll need every inch of the lane you're in. This boat is in mint condition, judging from the outside.

 

And, as nice as the cars were at the street show in town, my favorite of the day was this unbelievable 1953 Studebaker Starliner 2-door hardtop parked a block away.

 

The front fenders were modified to accept updated headlight assemblies, and the small vertical vents on the sides of the front fenders are gone, but the rest of the body looks original. The paint is awesome!

 

Robert E. Bourke, head of Raymond Loewy Associates Studebaker design operation, created one of the most beautiful cars of its era with this model (in my opinion) – way ahead of its time!