Ron Hill
06-10-2007, 04:21 PM
Warren Litten was a body and fender guy, that went in the prop business in Santa Ana, California. He rented part of Barney's building on Harbor Blvd at Hazard Avenue, between Fourth and Seventeenth.
I never knew much about his props. My dad never like "CLEAVERS" but he and Warren were good friends. Warren raced DU with a boat Kenny Wade from Garden Grove, California, a school teacher, had made. I think he bought Don Thompson's Mark 40, Thompson was a Western Airline pilot but he'd owned a Speedliner.
My dad did Thompson's motor work, and when Warren ran DU he usually won. I'd stop at Warrens and "NOSE" around everytime I left Bellflower and went to MERCURY's NEW PLACE on Susan Avenue in Santa Ana...The 5 freeway ended at Harbor in those days, right at Disneyland...Seems I liked props....
Warren and his wife Virginia never had any kids but they always seemd to like me...but I heard he was always "GROUCHY" with everyone else. He basically only raced one or two years, then went back into the body business.
My dad ended up with a bunch of his cleavers, but my dad cut the tips off and rounded the points, as I said, he never liked cleavers...THEY LOOKED LIKE INBOARD PROPS and my dad didn't like inboards...
I went to Warren's house about 16 years ago and he still had his prop bending equipment. He wanted $10,000 for it, had I had $10,000 I would NOT have bought it, but it was interesting...
Warren thought NEGATIVE lift would keep boats from blowing over and even had several PROTO TYPES in his garage...
I have this 9 3/8 X 16 right hand with a .750 shaft. Has Warren's stamp on the side...Not sure what this was for, but think some kind of Chrysler...She is brass or brillium chromed. Litten never made a steel propeller.
I never knew much about his props. My dad never like "CLEAVERS" but he and Warren were good friends. Warren raced DU with a boat Kenny Wade from Garden Grove, California, a school teacher, had made. I think he bought Don Thompson's Mark 40, Thompson was a Western Airline pilot but he'd owned a Speedliner.
My dad did Thompson's motor work, and when Warren ran DU he usually won. I'd stop at Warrens and "NOSE" around everytime I left Bellflower and went to MERCURY's NEW PLACE on Susan Avenue in Santa Ana...The 5 freeway ended at Harbor in those days, right at Disneyland...Seems I liked props....
Warren and his wife Virginia never had any kids but they always seemd to like me...but I heard he was always "GROUCHY" with everyone else. He basically only raced one or two years, then went back into the body business.
My dad ended up with a bunch of his cleavers, but my dad cut the tips off and rounded the points, as I said, he never liked cleavers...THEY LOOKED LIKE INBOARD PROPS and my dad didn't like inboards...
I went to Warren's house about 16 years ago and he still had his prop bending equipment. He wanted $10,000 for it, had I had $10,000 I would NOT have bought it, but it was interesting...
Warren thought NEGATIVE lift would keep boats from blowing over and even had several PROTO TYPES in his garage...
I have this 9 3/8 X 16 right hand with a .750 shaft. Has Warren's stamp on the side...Not sure what this was for, but think some kind of Chrysler...She is brass or brillium chromed. Litten never made a steel propeller.