Antique Cars, Hot Rods, Military, Etc...

  
Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_02.JPG (45594 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_01.JPG (44779 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_03.JPG (54466 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_04.JPG (50975 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_06.JPG (75599 bytes)
                                                         
My father's 1927 Oakland two door Sedan

Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_05.JPG (68060 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_011.JPG (71159 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_09.JPG (1898932 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_08.JPG (71781 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_010.JPG (1815224 bytes)  

Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_014.JPG (81108 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_018.JPG (67447 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_012.JPG (72452 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_013.JPG (83194 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_016.JPG (65237 bytes) Oakland_1927_Sedan_Heller_Davis_017.JPG (70349 bytes)

Oakland_1927_Heller_Davis_001.JPG (103845 bytes) Oakland_1927_Heller_Davis_003.JPG (91907 bytes) Oakland_1927_Heller_Davis_002.JPG (95173 bytes) Oakland_1927_Heller_Davis_004.JPG (85428 bytes)

The Oakland was a brand of automobile manufactured between 1907 1909 by the Oakland Motor Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan and between 1909 and 1931 by the Oakland Motors Division of General Motors Corporation. Oakland's principle founder was Edward P. Murphy, who sold half the company to GM in January 1909; when Murphy died in the summer of 1909, GM acquired the remaining rights to Oakland. The 1927 Oakland All-American Six sedan was a moderately priced, mass-produced luxury car. Its fine body work, luxury accessories, and styling accents distinguished it from lower-priced sedans. These features reflected middle-class motorists' desire for greater sophistication and General Motors' focus on the sales appeal of artistically designed, comfortable, closed-body cars. In the 1920s, General Motors introduced a marketing strategy that featured many makes and models with graduated prices and levels of quality. This strategy enticed motorists to “step up” to the next level of price and luxury when their means allowed. Oakland was placed between Oldsmobile and Buick in price, quality, and body details. GM discontinued the Oakland line in 1931, during the Depression, because of declining sales and the popularity of other GM cars, including one of Oakland’s own products, the Pontiac.

Oakland_All_American_Six_Advert_01.JPG (153765 bytes)   4480.jpg (126174 bytes)   6179.jpg (136362 bytes)   Oakland_Tudor_Sedan_1927.jpg (37921 bytes)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

 

 

 

The photos below were scanned  from some old negatives that my Mother & Father had in a shoe box. Below my father talks to me about the photos in detail. Photos from the 1960's. 


Pop's race car  " Droopy "  named after the cartoon character.
Dads_Hot_Rod_01.JPG (84087 bytes) Dads_Hot_Rod_02.JPG (91662 bytes) Dads_Hot_Rod_03.JPG (63623 bytes) Dads_Hot_Rod_04.JPG (55545 bytes) Dads_Hot_Rod_05.JPG (40474 bytes) Dads_Hot_Rod_06.JPG (43969 bytes)

"The race car is a 1934 Ford Tudor, chopped and channeled with a Olds Rocket 88 V eight engine. Notice that the V8 only had three exhaust port outlets on each head. It originally had six carbs when we traded for it but we took off the two center ones because we thought it was getting too much fuel but later discovered the carbs were not adjusted correctly and used all six. The carbs are Stromberg 97's.  The car also had a few different paint jobs and modifications over the period of time we had it. The 34 Ford was classified in the "A" gas class in the early sixties when we were racing it. If I remember we were in the low 10's at 126 MPH. in quarter mile."  

My father was racing cars about the same time I was born, back in the 1960's. When I was a teenager I remember Dad telling me that one of the places he use to race was in Kissimmee Florida at the old airport. Don Garlits and a few other well known drivers use to race at the same airport.  That's Pop above in the photo's with his 34 Ford hot rod, pretty hansome fellow. He eventually had to give up the racing, couldn't afford it with raising three kids.

 

Dads_1940_Ford_Convertible_01.JPG (70672 bytes) Dads_1940_Ford_Convertible_02.JPG (73794 bytes)         Model_A_2_Door_Sedan_01.JPG (46103 bytes) Model_A_2_Door_Sedan_02.JPG (47107 bytes)        Dads_MotorCycle_01.JPG (59890 bytes)

"The convertible is a 1940 Ford. Sure wish I had kept it. The model A is a 1930 I believe. Wish I had it again. The motorcycle is either a Ducatti 250cc, made in Italy or a Jawa 250cc, made in Czehs Republiks around the 1960's time period. The dog is a stray that took up with us and we called him Lobo. Don't know what ever happened to him. One day he just up and disappeared. That's your aunt Elizabeth with your two older brothers Benny and Larry." 

                                                                                                                                                                                                              


Ford_Model_A_Coupe_1930_Benny_01.jpg (129883 bytes)   Ford_Model_A_Coupe_1930_Benny_02.jpg (127258 bytes)   Ford_Model_A_Coupe_1930_Benny_03.jpg (94923 bytes)          Cushman_Honda_50_3_Wheeler_Benny_01.JPG (118691 bytes)

This was my older brother (Benny Davis) car 1930 Model A Coupe. I believe it had the standard 4 cylinder flathead for a engine. He wanted to make a street rod out of it. That is also Benny on the three wheeler. We built the three wheeler from two old Cushman Eagle scooters and the engine was a Honda 50cc automatic. It had no clutch all you did was back off on the throttle and shift. Direct chain drive with no differential. A little hard to turn at times.

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Heller_Davis_002s.jpg (52756 bytes)
Heller Davis

Helicopter_01.jpg (42740 bytes) Helicopter_02.jpg (59117 bytes) Helicopter_03.jpg (42898 bytes) 
Bell H-13


Sikorsky_H_19_US_AF_001.jpg (31112 bytes) Sikorsky_SH-19G_001s.jpg (89597 bytes)
 Sikorsky H-19

 

Piasecki_H_21_001.jpg (135442 bytes) Piasecki_H_21_004s.jpg (86058 bytes) Piasecki_H_21_003.jpg (89321 bytes)
Piasecki H-21 Shawnee "Flying Banana"


Above a photo my father (Heller Davis) and the types of helicopter's he worked on and trained other service men to work on when he was in the Air Force.

   Pop was in the (Airforce) towards the end of the Korean war 1955/1958. He was Airman 1st class Helicopter tech school instructor. He did his basic training at Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, station at Gary Air Force Base in San Marcos Texas 1955/1957, Stationed at Randolph Field, San Antonio Texas 1957/1958, Stationed at Stead Air Force Base, Reno Nevada 1958. A armistice was signed in 1953 and agreed to stop the fighting in Korea but a peace treaty never was signed. Many of the service men & women were still doing their jobs 3 or 4 years after the fighting stopped. Things finally started to wind down and the helicopter tech school in Texas was closed in 1957 and helicopter techs were assigned to other jobs. Dad was assigned to Postmaster at Randolph Field until all three of his helicoptor squadrons including him were transferred to Stead Air Force Base in Reno Nevada for deactivation. He was discharged at Stead when his four years were up . When dad first went through the tech school he was taught in on Bell H-13, Sikorsky H-19 and the Piasecki H-21. Him and a couple of his buddies graduated the top three in the class so they were ask to be instructors in the school they had just graduated from. He served his four years reserve time at Warner Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. That was inactive reserve time, so he was never physically stationed at Warner Robins just his records were there and he was subject to be called into active duty in case of a national emergency. Which never happened. When his reserve time was up they had promoted him to Tech Sergent. So he finished time in the service and was discharged towards the end of 1958.  In 1956 while stationed at Gary Air Force Base and on his off time dad went to a Baptist Youth Rally in Blanco, Texas and there is where he met my Mom (Dorothy Davis). That was August and they were married Nov, 9, 1956.

           Thank you Pop for serving our country, You and Mom are the best parent's. 

                                                                                                                   John C. Davis.


Main Menu