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