ST ROADSTERS

STREET ROADSTERS

The Street Roadster classes were very simular to the Gasser classes, with the obvious exception that instead of coupes and sedans, the S/R classes had no tops. Most of them also used small fenders, or stock type fenders in the rear and motorcycle type fenders in the front. Headlights were required. The engines and the weight per cubic inch formulas were very simular to the Gasser classes. At some point, the sanctioning bodies discontinued the use of the motorcycle type front fenders and mandated that the cars have stock type fenders all around (running boards were optional). If you loved the Gasser classes, you probably also loved the Street Roadster classes.

It's worth noting that in many cases, the race cars you see in this section started out as street driven "hot rods" prior to being converted to all-out race cars, and in many cases, they continued to be used as "street roadsters" on the street. Race on Sunday's and drive them to school or to work the rest of the week. It was a different time...

Maybe one of the last of the breed. A perfect design, a light weight replica body (that was never on a factory produced roadster), a custom frame (that was never on a factory produced car), and a pick-up bed (that was never on a factory produced pick-up truck). But based on the Street Roadster rules at the time, it was a perfect design...

Long ladder bars or short ladder bars, which is best? The truth is, it never seemed to make much (if any) difference one way or the other...

A very nasty looking AA/SR. A blown Chrysler engine in a Model-T body (probably a fiberglass replica). The pick-up bed looks home made, which was legal under the NHRA rulhe time...

Dwight Swartout, from Muskegon, MI, Hemi powered A/SR...

How many kids can you get into a roadster? At least this many...

The Nash & Yodock B/SR being pulled to the pit area at Vargo Dragway, in Perkasie, PA...

Looks like a straight-6 Chevy or GMC engine...

My guess is that this A/Street Roadster was actually a "street roadster"...

Not always alot of "street" in the Street Roadster classes, but if they met the rules for the class, they could race...

Going way back on this one, the Safford & Shores Street Roadster running at Santa Ana Drag strip. This car also ran at the SoCal Dry Lakes and on the street. Real Hot Rods used to be able to do all three...

A beautiful street driven 1932 Ford Roadster, and with a perfect stance. This car has some history, it was owned by Walter "Red" Lund, from Vallejo, California. It was taken to the first NHRA Nationals, held in Great Bend, Kansas in 1955, and captured the winners trophy in the B/Street Roadster class...

Dean Lowe's immaculate 1929 Model-A B/Street Roadster, probably an early photo. Photos of this car do not do it justice. An injected small block Chevy for power. In my opinion, this is the way the Street Roadster class should have always been, with stock bodies, full fenders, and fully streetable...

This is how the class eventually evolved, based on the newer NHRA rules. Phony rear fenders and motorcycle front fenders (actually missing in this photo) should never have been permitted, again, in my opinion. I'm not knocking this car, it was very sanitary and built according to the rules in place at the time...

I can see a muffler hanging under the car, a license plate on the front, a radio antenna on the side of the cowl, and windshield brackets still in place. Race on Sunday and drive it to school or work Monday through Friday...

Nothing particularly extravagant here, just a very clean 1928-1929 Model-A roadster. The C/SR class typically featured cars powered by Ford flathead engines, so it was great whenever a GMC straight-6 powered car showed up to do battle. This engine appears to be equipped with a Wayne 12-port cylinder head...

While the American Bantam roadster was a popular body style in the Altered classes, this is the only one I have ever seen in the Street Roadster class. This car had an injected Oldsmobile engine at one time but this photo shows that a blown Chrysler was installed at some point. Looks like eight carburetors were mounted on the top of the supercharger. I really don't know much about this car or how it performed, but it should have run like Jack the bear, considering how small it was. I believe this car hailed from the San Francisco Bay area...

A Model-T roadster pick-up truck, with a full length pick-up bed. I suspect this is a true street/strip hot rod, it looks like the windshield is still in place and I can see a full exhaust system (including mufflers) peeking out from beneath the car. The front fenders (motorcycle fenders) look out of place on this car; I have a feeling they are installed for racing only, and the stock fenders are used when the car is not running on the drag strip. Just a guess...

As pretty as they come, a full fendered '34 Ford street roadster. Everything about this car spells "hot rod" to me, and I have no doubt that it still sees street duty between races...

A couple of Street Roadsters having a "go". Both these roadsters look like they have factory steel bodies. You may think that the '34 Ford in the far lane would be a heavier car than the stripped down roadster in the near lane, and you would most likely be correct. However, the class designations were determined by "weight divided by displacement", which means that the heavier car could have a larger displacement engine than the lighter vehicle, in order to keep competition even...

A stout roll bar, brings new meaning to the term "gussets". Many of the early roll bars were actually fabricated out of water pipe...

Before the class went crazy, they were all steel and looked a lot like street machines. This one was powered with a 289 cubic inch Ford Small Block. Actually, I can't get enough of Jim Stevens' awesome roadster...

What do your know, a street roadster racing in the Street Roadster Class. It would be a real shame of this neat Model-A only saw drag strip duty. By the looks of it, it looks like a street car to me. And on any given Sunday, off with the windshield, on with the small plastic wind deflector in front of the driver, and on with the front roll bar brace...

A 1927 Model-T, B/Street Roadster class. I don't know this car but it surely is worthy of a salute, right?

An NHRA Street Roadster that most likely never saw the street in this configuration. A Model-T body and an unsupercharged engine (probably a Chevy). And someone needs to notify the flagman that he doesn't appear to have a flag. Perhaps that track used a green light instead and he is pushing a button. I can't recall exactly when the "Christmass Tree" light system was introduced, but I know of several tracks that used a single green light to signal "start". Lions Drag Strip had a light. And since drag racing in the early days was always "heads-up" racing only, there was no need to come up with anything for a "delayed start" system, as in Bracket Racing...

I've been told by people that this flathead powered '29 Model-A hails from somewhere in California. If it does (or did), my guess is somewhere in Northern California. Anyway, a neat car with an interesting roll bar...

Just because it's a roadster does not mean it can't have more than two doors. This 4-door Model T tub is just the thing if being different is part of who you are. The street tires in the rear are for towing, so this Olds powered race car either just arrived at the track or it's getting ready for the tow back home...

Malcom Garrett, and his "Tush Hog". A Model T body with a hand made pick-up bed (legal in the class, provided it was about the same dimension as the stock bed). Note the Quick-Change rear end and the fiberglass "replica" fenders. Not much "street" associated with this Street Roadster...

A '32 Ford roadster resting on a '32 Ford frame. Not a lot of writing on this car, not many decals either. And in case you couldn't tell, the car number is 404...

From the "keep it simple" school of drag racing, a 1929 Model-A roadster pick-up, a perfect Street Roadster. A supercharged Buick under the hood, some kind of a full exhaust system when cruising the boulevard, and the tow bar to drag the beast back and forth to the track on race day...

This is just a great looking Street Roadster. There are some additional photos of the car in this section, but this photo shows the neat louvers in the back of the front fenders, designed to allow air to escape at speed. A perfectly detailed roadster, for street or for strip...

A run-of-the-mill Street Roadster. This was always a great class, such a shame that it no longer exists. I've always loved this class, and ever since I started collecting photos for this site, I never realized just how many drag racing Street Roadsters there were around the nation. Nothing very exotic about this car, steel body, Model-A frame, injected Chevy engine, mag wheels in the front, steel wheels from a Buick in the rear. It even has stock Model-A running lights on the cowl...

One of the nicest and cleanest looking 1932 Ford Street Roadsters ever, with a blown hemi Chrysler under the hood. Built to the NHRA specs at the time for this class...

Okay, it doesn't have front fenders in this photo, but we all know this blown Chevy powered T-Bone is a Street Roadster, right?

My memory is kind of fading, but it looks like an early shot of Lions Drag Strip, although I'm willing to be wrong. On the left is a supercharged Buick powered Model-A, and on the right, Jim Cassidy's supercharged hemi powered Model-T...

What the Street Roadster class cars should have been from the very beginning. Re-install the windshield, cork up the headers, and go for a cruise. I'm willing to bet that the stock gas tank is still in the car...

A clean as a whistle 1929 Model-A body on a 1932 Ford frame. Matching wheels and white wall tires, too...

A neat Model-T pick-up truck. It looks like the engine is a Chrysler wedge...

The only thing I know about this Street Roadster is that it's blue, it's got California plates, and this is at Pomona in 1963...

A nice A/SR from Oklahoma City, either getting the once-over from looky-loos, or some needed maintenance...

"The guys" getting together to have some fun at the drag strip. Some guys hung out at the drag strip and some guys got together to play cards in the evening. Some guys did both. I never knew for sure which of these the wives or girl friends disliked the most. Anyway, how about this neat '29 Model A pick-up truck, with the body channeled over the frame? I'm going out on a limb here, but my guess is a 327" Chevy under the...well, in the engine compartment. The wheels look like they came off of a Buick Riviera...

A '32 Ford full fendered roadster. I have no doubt that this car had seen plenty of time as a street rod (or hot rod if you prefer) before undergoing the change to a race car. All steel body and steel wheels. In the early days of drag racing, the local tracks still permitted open "street cars" to race without a roll bar. The first time I went down a drag strip in my own car, I was not required to even have a seat belt...

A full fendered '29 Model-A running in the Street Roadster class. There was a time when the dominant word in this class was "street". In the early days, before NHRA and NHRA Safety Rules were in existence, each track dealt with their own definition of safety. In many areas, actual street driven cars, even roadsters like this one, were not required to have roll bars...

A 1929 Ford Model-A roadster pickup with supercharged Buick for power...

Pretty plush interior for an all-out race car. But like many Street Roadster class cars, this one could be a street-strip car. Probably couldn't pick up many guys wanting to grudge race this beauty on the street, however...

A Big Block powered Model-T yanks the front wheels and twists the stock type frame. How could anyone not love this type of racing?

There is a difference between a show roadster with tons of chrome and a drag roadster with almost no chrome. This one, a Model-A body sitting on a Model-A chassis, with an injected Small Block, looks bad-azz just sitting on the trailer...

Who among us would not love to have an all steel '32 Ford Roadster? There was a time in yesteryear when the NHRA Street Roadster Class was typically made up of street roadsters. This was a time when hot rodders drove their cars to the track on Sunday, raced, drove home, and drove to work (or school) on Monday...

The bare bones look on this AA/SR. No muss, no fuss, just a supercharged engine, a stout roll bar, and a pumpkin colored paint job...

A standard configuration in the very early 1960's for a Street Roadster. Small block Chevy, Model-T body, home made pick-up bed, all resting on a Model-A frame. The roll bar design was also pretty standard at the time, a single hoop behind the driver and a forward mounted support bar. I'm sure the driver would be well protected, provided that the car turned over while standing still...

I have always felt that lawyers and drag racers had much in common. First was to win at all costs. And second, show them a rulebook and they could find a loophole, a way to get around a rule. The rule in the Street Roadster class was that the cars had to have fenders and headlights. The rules were a little non-specific. Somewhere there was some kids bicycle missing it's fenders, and a couple of Mopeds with out head lights. Cars like this, legal as they were at the time, forced NHRA to re-draft their fender rules for this class.

Chevy vs. Ford in the A/SR ranks. Pappy Greenfield's 409 Chevy powered Model-A in the near lane and Yeiser, Basham & Bowles 427 Ford powered Deuce in the far lane...

Dick Burley & Jim Walker owned a performance transmission shop in South Gate, CA, and also this neat '29 Model-A Ford pick-up. Engine power came from a Keith Black built injected 394-inch Oldsmobile. The radiator shell is from a Model-T...

This 1929 Model-A roadster (on a 1932 Ford frame) was originally built in Gary, IN, and campaigned by Ray Ayers of Garden Grove, CA. It competed in the very competitive B/SR class...

A 1927 full fendered Model-T roadster pick-up truck. Looks like a front license plate so it's possible that this is a real street/strip car...

Hugh Tucker, the driver and owner of this bad ass Street Roadster (a 1928 Chevy body) is leaning against the blower scoop. The engine in the early days was this super nasty blown Olds, fresh out of Dave Stoll's ski-boat. This car was running in the 9's when most of the other AA/SR racers were in the 10's.

Along the way, the rules drawn up by NHRA got a little confused. I think they knew what they wanted, but maybe they just said it wrong. When it came to the fenders, they said that they had to be "legal". They probably should have said that they had to be "original". In not specifying that the fenders had to be "original for the body used", they left the door open for racers to use motorcycle type fenders in the front. And in the rear, they allowed fenders that were much narrower than the width of the tire tread...

Off and running in a chassis twisting launch. The big Hemi had some serious torque...

Engine builder Buddy Rice and his '29 A-Bone roadster, an NHRA Nationals contender every time it showed up...

The highway tires on the back tell me that this roadster either just arrived at the track or is getting ready to go home, probably hooked up to a tow bar. The roll bar may have been "legal" at that track, but the absence of any roll bar supports leaves a lot to chance in the event the driver ever needs it...

Just one of the hundreds of drag racing Street Roadsters built to the NHRA rules that were in effect at the time. As far as the engine, it's tough for me to figure out what it is. If it were a small block Chevy, it would most likely fall into the B/SR classification. It does have a well braced (and tall) roll bar...

I have always felt that most race cars have a “life”, similar to the way I feel about race car owners and drivers. This car is no different in that regard. This photo was sent to me by Nick Todd, who’s father raced and owned this car. The roadster started out like many others, built as a streetable hot rod in California in the 1950’s, original builder unknown (Note the folding top and the tail pipes). At some point the roadster was purchased by Nick’s dad and hauled back to Beaver, Pennsylvania. The photo shows Nick’s dad, Bud, in the driver’s seat and his uncle, John Byron, standing next to the car. Nick’s family eventually escaped the cold and moved to California (San Gabriel area) towing the roadster with a tow-bar behind the family car. It was raced at the local SoCal drag strips, first with the original flathead power and then a small block Chevy. Bud Todd eventually stepped-up from the roadster into a Jr. Fueler and sold the roadster. It’s whereabouts are unknown…

As I've mentioned several times, the term "street-strip cars" did not exist in the early days, especially not in the 1950's. The reason was that close to 90% of the cars that raced on the drag strip were driven there. And of the 10% that were not driven there, most were flat towed there. Trailers were few and far between. This all steel 1934 Ford roadster was most likely driven to the track. Ahh, the 1950's, when drag cars were all steel and girls did not have fake boobs. Come to think of it, light weight fiberglass body parts and implants kind of started at about the same time...

Just another street roadster. But bolt in the temporary roll bar and ditch the windshield and it becomes an A/SR. This is the way it was...

This beautiful '32 roadster was built as a street/strip drag car, by Dave Stoll. As you may recall, Dave was partners with Hugh Tucker for several years. Hugh was using Dave's supercharged Olds engine. About the same time that Dave eventually sold the engine to Hugh, Dave built this neat small block Chevy (with 180-degree crank) roadster, using many of the tricks learned with the Tucker-Stoll AA/SR, such as quarter-elliptic rear springs and trick ladder bars. All steel and fully upholstered by Tony Nancy. Dave eventually sold this car to Ted Wingate...

A rare Bantam bodied Street Roadster. Looks like an injected Caddy mill in this photo, but later on it was powered by a blown Chrysler I think...

A '34 Ford roadster. In a class generally made up of Ford Model-T's, Model-A's, and '32 Ford roadsters, a '34 stands out. I guess he didn't have time to mount a pair of headlights, normally a requirement in this class...

This Pontiac powered Street Roadster was built by a neighbor of mine when we were in high school. Note the rear fenders, "approved" by the track tech when running at San Fernando Drag Strip...

Again, it's important to remember that the NHRA Street Roadster Class was originally intended to be a place where "street roadsters" could race. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Because the cars were open, roll bars were required. The definition of "roll bars" in the early days was not that well defined and many hoop style with the single forward facing brace (like in this photo) could be unbolted when the car was not racing on the drag strip...

I believe this '29 Model A to be a Southern California car, although I can't place it. Buick power. The pick-up body style was popular with the Street Roadster racers because the pick-up bed allowed for more rear overhang than the roadster bodies, more room at the rear for a battery or ballast...

A neat and clean Model T pick-up, with Big Block Chevy power...

A believe this is Fremont Raceway, up in the San Francisco Bay area, and just east of the city. Most of the drag racing in that region was either here at Fremont or at Half Moon Bay just south of the city. Both great tracks with great history...

Near the end of the line for the Street Roadster class, there was no way anyone could confuse one if these cars for a street roadster...

Sitting in the pits at San Fernando Drag Strip is this 1932 Ford Cabriolet with what appears to be a Cadillac engine with a half-dozen carbs on top. There's no number on the car so perhaps he's waiting to be teched in (the roll bar will pass, despite the fact that it's too low, these were the "early days" and this is "Fernando").

Look at this, a "street roadster" in the Street Roadster Class. Bumpers, full fenders and running boards, a spare tire and license plates. Ed Martin's '32 with a 427 Thunderbolt S/S engine under the hood...

Built to the NHRA rules at the time, clean and neat. Driver's head-rest for safety, wind screen, front fenders and small headlights off of a motorcycle...

A small block Chevy B/Street Roadster. The 1929 Model-A Ford looks like it was once a coupe, and had the top cut off...

This is Jim Cassidy's supercharged Chrysler hemi A/SR (soon to be renamed the AA/SR class). Jr. Thompson was behind the wheel at many of the NHRA National Events. The car was almost unbeatable in it's class and held NHRA records in 1959 and 1960. All that was to change in 1961 when the Tucker-Stoll AA/SR showed up in NHRA events. If I'm not mistaken, they used a 3-speed manual transmission in the car...

Looks like some fresh paint on the "High & Mighty" Model-T roadster pick-up...

A full fenderd Deuce, probably an all steel car. Small block injected Chevy, most likely 301 cubic inches...

Clean and neat, and still using the stock '32 gas tank. Slap on a windshield, license plate and some mufflers, and you are ready for a cruise...

Pick-ups made for great S/R cars. The standard length bed allowed both ballast and the battery to be placed well to the rear of the body...

A '28-'29 Model-A roadster pick-up with a supercharged Buick "nailhead" for power. I would not be surprised if this all steel roadster was used on the street as well as on the strip. The tow-bar is attached so they were either getting ready to go or they just got back from the track...

Today we would call these "aftermarket fenders" and it's for sure, they were not on the car when it left Henry's factory. But this is a very nice looking Model-T Street Roadster in my opinion...

The smile on the driver's face tells me that he must have won that round...

Looks like this kid has given up on the toys in the background and found a bigger toy, dad's hemi powered 1925 Model-T Street Roadster...

A neat Street Roadster, originally a '32 Ford 3-window coupe. Someone cut the top off to make it into a roadster...

When the Street Roadster class was first conceived by NHRA, this is what they were thinking about. A street roadster, with a hopped-up engine, some drag slicks in the back, and an all steel body. The original rules called for the body to be "all steel". Permitted modifications were few and far between. You could remove the front bumper, you could remove the windshield, etc. But they wanted the rest of the car to look pretty much original...

Ford Model-A fenders on a Ford Model-A, as it should be...

On the left is Chris Karamesines in his 1936 Ford Phaeton. Chris would move on to Top Fuel soon after this race...

Looks like a Chevy or GMC straight-6 under the hood...

Continuing along with our discussion about how NHRA rules and rule changes effected the S/R class. As we have already discussed, at some point adding partial fenders or sheet aluminum fenders was not permitted. And then there was the rules on "Bodies". The original rules stated "Must have a roadster body originally produced by an American automobile manufacturer." The next sentence read, "No fiberglass bodies permitted."

By the way, it was permitted to make a roadster out of a coupe (by cutting the top off), that was permitted provided it was an all steel car.

Then in 1962, the NHRA rules regarding bodies changed. Instead of saying no fiberglass bodies, it read, "Fiberglass bodies are permitted". (the car in the photo above does have an original steel body)

Under Frames, the rule read, "Stock automotive type frame must be used." It did not say "stock automotive frame", it said "type frame". I really think the class would have been better off if it did not have the word "type" in there...

Tom McMullen's iconic '32 Ford roadster, perhaps the most famous deuce roadster of all time. Tom published several different titled high performance magazines, including "Street Rodding Magazine". This all steel roadster was used as a street car as well as a race car. In 2012, it was sold at auction for $700,000...

An American Bantam roadster met the class rules calling for "a roadster from an American automobile manufacturer"...

By definition, any car or truck that was "topless" qualified for the class, including open touring phaeton's like this one...

A bit of history. This is Hugh Tucker's 1928 Chevy roadster in it's original configuration, with an unblown carbureted Olds engine. Soon after, Dave Stoll donated the supercharged Oldsmobile engine out of his ski boat, and the rest is AA/SR history...

A straight-6 Jimmy engine for power. Ultra long ladder bars were very common in the '60's...

Eventually, NHRA figured it out. I think it was 1966 or 1967, they changed the rules to require that the car had to have fenders that matched the year of the body (or exact duplicates in fiberglass). If you had a Model-A for instance, you were required to have Model-A fenders. You could eliminate the running boards if you wanted to, but the fenders had to stay. Personally, I think it made the class more like what most guys with street rods were driving on the street...

Keith Black took time off from building boat race engines to put together a small block Chevy for this racer...

Dean Lowe, in about the best looking '29 Model-A roadster pick-up to ever go down the drag strip. And it was an actual street car...

A hot running AA/SR, powered by a blown Olds engine and built and driven by Del Wiesner...

Cars like this probably saw a lot more street use than they did racing on the drag strip. Pull the windshield, add a pair of drag slicks, and you were good to go. Eventually, the tracks mandated that you had to have a roll bar...

This does not look good...

An early photo of Hugh Tucker with Dave Stoll's blown Olds engine under the hood, yanked out of his ski-boat...

Like many of these Street Roadsters, I'm sure this T-Bone sees some street duty from time to time. The windshield stanchions still being in place are kind of a giveaway. It's also possible that the motorcycle fenders (painted white) are installed only when going racing...

Once the competition started to catch up with Hugh Tucker, it was time for Chrysler power...

Nothing quite like a full fendered '32 roadster...

Because the NHRA tech officials had never seen a 1928 Chevy body before, Hugh was able to con them into believing that the stock gas tank extended that far to the rear of the body. It was not full of gasoline, it was full of lead...

This was Tom McMullen's roadster before the black paint and flame job...

Okay, I will admit it, I'm biased. I believe it's a almost a sin to install a deuce radiator shell on a 1928-1928 Model-A...

McMullen's roadster going up against Jim Cassidy and his supercharged Chrysler powered Model-T, at the NHRA Winternats in Pomona. Until the Tucker-Stoll AA/SR showed up on the scene in 1961, Cassidy was the top dog in the class...

Very appropriate, a '34 Ford tow car pulling a '34 Ford race car...

Looks like a McCullouch centrifugal supercharger...

All smiles after taking home the class win as well as the Eliminator win at the NHRA Nationals. Hugh Tucker in the car, Dave Stoll in the dark shirt to Hugh's left...

Motorcycle fenders were one thing, but fenders from a Schwinn bicycle was quite another...

When track officials gave Tommy Ivo some grief about his super sanitary T-bucket street roadster, he built this Model-T as a joke, complete with fox tails and a meat ax stuck on the trunk lid. The car was ugly as sin, but totally legal...

This was just an awesome car, with an injected big block Chevy...

Dean Lowe with his 'chute out after a run at Pomona...

If any Street Roadster made a big impact, it was this one. The famed and feared, Tucker & Stoll AA/SR, with Hugh Tucker's 1928 Chevy roadster body and Dave Stoll's supercharged Olds engine. I had something to do with this team, as I knew Dave from Lake Tahoe. Dave had a neat V-drive ski boat powered by the blown Olds. He introduced me to Hugh, who was running his roadster with a carbureted Olds engine. I asked Dave, "why not take the engine out of your boat and stick it in Hugh's roadster and see how it runs?". And the rest as they say, is history. Hugh is a great driver and he kicked everyone's butt at every NHRA National Event they entered. Hugh eventually upgraded to a blown Chrysler hemi for power.