Thread: Ron Hill Family: Hill Marine and Signature Propellers

  1. #231
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Drake Family and Hill family

    I many respects the Drake Family and Hill Family had little in common, really, except for the love of engines and racing. My dad was a painting contractor or a painter as he called himself, my mom was home maker who probably made 200 Racing Life Jackets for boat racers across the country, most were sold in Region 12.

    Dale Drake was a "Craftsman" and engine manufacturer. Dale's wife was kind of a Socialite, whose South Gate Women's Club sponsored a boat race at Long Beach marine Stadium in 1953 (Circa).

    My dad loved coming home from work and going to his "Shop" where he build many a winning engine.

    John Drake loved to come to my dad's "Shop" and work on his race motors. I loved John's approach to work. Every time he'd come to our house to work on a motor, the first thing he'd do is take nap in our yard swing. I've pretty much taken this same approach to life, since I first met John.

    When my dad bought John's Mark 30-H (Made into a C Alky) my brother bought his Howard Thompson boat. My dad turned the 30-H back into a Stock C, as he wasn't one to "MOD" Mercury motors, he thought they should be Stock.

    Dale had made a "One Off" steering wheel for John C Alky Hydro. It was a Midget Race Car wheel with a THREADED Spool. My brother raced the Thompson for a few years until it met its demise on the way home from Salton Sea, when it blew off the trailer.

    I ended up with the steering wheel in my new "Kilo" DU. This pictures say, May 1967. This was our most "UNLUCKY" Hill runabout.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 07-04-2012 at 08:38 PM.

  2. #232
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sandia, Texas
    Posts
    3,831
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    This picture must have been taken about the time you were rigging it up Ron. The floorboard, the bottom between the stringers and everything looks like it had not been in the water yet, and started on the "Lucky" streak. I'm glad you are a packrat too. It's good to see pictures from those days brought to life again.



  3. #233
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Unlucky Was The Word

    I had this Racing C Morehouse Runabout boat that was given to my brother by Ed Karakowa, my brother had blown it over at Parker, October, 1955.

    Lee Morehouse had repaired it and by September 1959, I had converted it to a DU. I had decided the boat had too much "V" near the bow, so I had cut the bottom off and re placed the "V" with 1/8 plywood and fiber glass.

    I set the motor back and added a little plastic windshield. The 1959 Marathon started at the Needles Marathon grounds. I think this was the start of my 7-8 straight Colorado River Marathon wins.

    he picture is from the Needles Marathon grounds, cria 1959, photo by Sue McConnell, via Cathy McConnell.

    Anyway, I won the Colorado river Marathon in '60-'67 including the 1966 Marathon Nationals.

    My dad and I had replaced the plastic windshield with a wooden cone. I broke the DU Kilo record several times with this boat beside sinning the Marathon every September.

    We made a rack to put this boat in the garage rafters, as I only ran it at kilos or the marathon. In th spring of '67 or the fall of '66, we had an earthquake in SoCal. This Morehouse boat fell out of the rafter and landed on my mom's car.

    The insurance company paid us a bunch of money for my mom's car and a few hundred for the boat's damage.

    The Old Man and I decided to build a new Kilo boat as Billy "Racer" Allen had broken my record. So, with the insurance money, we started to build and new marathon and kilo boat.

    The boat with the Dale Drake steering wheel was brand new, and I had not added the cowling to it yet.

    My dad had built Miss Bellflower before I was born, but had never built another boat until 1964 when I started building my first boat a CU. This CU broke the kilo record in CU, the record had been 60, we upped it to 64.661 MPH.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 05-27-2019 at 11:43 AM.

  4. #234
    Team Member russhill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    103
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default A Little more 4 Banger Offy History

    From the early Forties through the mid Sixties, The four banger Offys ruled. They won every race except 1946. They had evolved into to being virtually bullet-proof. But in the mid Sixties Ford came along with a V-8 and started taking over. Eight cylinder engines, though not necessarily more reliably could pull more horses.

    So, the Fords won in 1965, 66, and 67. It became obvious the a traditional Offy could not win, if for no other reason, all of the winning teams had Fords. So, a rule allowing smaller engines to be turbocharged was either made or was noticed. Meyer-Drake then built a smaller turbocharged 4 banger. They won in 1968, Ford's momentum carried Ford for three more wins.

    Ford tried to make turbo engines, but failed and the Offys began to again dominate. At that time "boost" wasn't even being talked about. The Offys were running about 90 inches of boost and up to 120 inches to qualify. The inherent toughness of the Offys allowed that, whereas the Fords couldn't take it. The Offys then won the next five Indies.

    I don't want to insult anybody's intelligence, but I'm going to tell you how "boost" is measured. It is pressure measured by inches of mercury that can be pushed up a glass tube. Atmospheric pressure by that scale is 14.7. Since horsepower is directly proportion to manifold pressure, Ninety inches of boost, therefore, is 6 atmospheres. Of course, the greater the boost, the more the engines had to be de-tuned to survive. Turbo production cars today measure boost in pounds per square inch (psi) and that starts at atmospheric pressure.

    Initially there were no boost rules and therefore no waste gates. As time passed, boost rules were made and waste gates were required, and USAC pop-off vales had to be installed on the plenum chambers. The pop-off is another story I'll get to sometime later.

    As I had mentioned as the boost finally got lowered to where the normally aspirated Cosworth Formula I engines survive, the inherent goodness of the V-8 s prevailed over the 4 bangers.

  5. #235
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Bob Willard's Pictures of The Hills

    First picture is really not of the Hill's but it is the Needles Marathon in the OLD DAYS, when it was a HAPPENING. Mobil Gas gave everyone gas and stickers, Champion Spark Plugs gave out plus, that is Dick Jones with the Champion shirt. Mercury gave out motors and Speedline gave out boats as prizes.

    19-C is me getting around Bob Willard at the Puddle. Why did I say, "Getting around?" Well I only lost two heats in the TV races. Broke a rod once, and borrowed a motor once. Other than that, they called my "Silky Sullivan Hill", as I didn't lead the first lap, but led the last lap. Great "SHOWMEN, those HILLS," Dick Lane would say on TV!

    C-6 in the white boat is Junior's C-D-F-X Swift, and the brown boat is Junior's Thompson he bought from John Drake when my dad bought John's Mark 30-H.


    Bob Willard is driving the "Cab Over" D Hydro, one of the few D Hydro races he ever ran. This Cab Over was a REAL DOG!!!!
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-04-2019 at 09:52 AM.

  6. #236
    Team Member russhill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    103
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Drake Engineering When I Came In

    When somebody here asked I about my involvement with Drake, I talked about myself and Offy engine history.

    When Drake was making all the engines and all the replacement parts for all the Indy teams and winning all the races, life was good. When Cosworth stepped into the ring, Drake's new engine sales died. The only people that wanted replacement parts were the low budget teams and there was a huge supply of parts in the big teams.
    Drake's problems was not a technical problem, it was purely a business management problem. Freddie Offenhauser (nephew of thee Fred Offenhauser) trademarked the name "offenhauser" and "Offy" and forbid Drake from using the name for aftermarket parts for street cars. That really tied Drakes hands from any diversification and the company really only knew how to make engines and parts.

    Freddie very magnanimously allowed Drake to make specific Indy engines and parts. In other words, he let Drake advertize for him.

    So, Drake built a V-8 and called it "Drake". As I said before, it was a pretty good piece, but not without issues, mostly financial. Developing an Indy engine is a very expensive endeavor. So many "business" mistakes were made. A set of forging dies for connecting rods were made at great expense and 100 rods were forged and machined. They were really too short. A couple teams who had some success with the engine bought longer Carrillo rods - only 8, not 100.

    The connecting rods were designed to use 2 very special bolts. They were $21 each. The very astute parts guy negotiated a "deal" for $18 each, by the thousand. For those of you who can't do upper level math in your head, that's $18,000. A thousand rods bolts was enough for sixty engines.

    Hans Hermann, the project engineer was a very good engine designer. He liked Mahle Pistons from Germany. I never heard the cost, but for "custom" pistons, Mahle's minimum order was 100 pistons. That's about 12 engines worth.

    Then I arrived. The company was already in some pretty serious debt. Several teams had given the company $8,000 deposit for each of ten engines. That was not nearly enough start up money, and if we'd have sold any, the price was obviously less the $8,000.

    Meantime, the market was upset by the fact that CART was starting up, USAC was dying and a feud was raging.

    Other than the above and a few other problems, the world was a wonderful place.

    To be continued
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 11-21-2013 at 11:00 PM.

  7. #237
    Team Member david bryan's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Posts
    56
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default

    I don't know if Ron makes this stuff up or his memory is that good. Either way it great stuff. All the best RON.
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 05-01-2020 at 08:09 PM.
    David Bryan

  8. #238
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default 20-H Without A Handle and a Terrill Runabout

    http://www.boatracingfacts.com/forum...rk+20-H+handle

    When I was ten, a guy name Ken Scoffield bought a little Runabout and a 20-H. He gave me a ride in the front seat at where the Blue Water Resort and Casino is now. Scared the hell out of me, I he;d on so tight it was the first time I saw my muscles in my forearms.

    When we came in after about three laps, Ken asked if I like it? I said, "Sure!". He said, "Good because I didn't like it and you can have the boat."

    The next day, Vic Bonnan who had finished second that year at the Nationals in DePere, Wisconsin. Don Badacci had won but had been DQ'd by my dad, because of HORSE SHOE politics, my dad was over ruled. Anyway, the day after I got the ride in this Terrill, Vic Bonnan threw a rod through the side of his crankcase. My dad offered Vic $150 for the motor "as is" and Vic took the cash.

    So, on one weekend, in October 1954, I went from boat and motor less, to the proud owner of a runabout and blown KG-4.

    Lee Morehouse took the boat home and took the hook out of the bottom, painted it and brought it Surfside to test. My dad bought a BRAND NEW crankcase and saved the block and built me a good KG-4.


    My first ride in Mike Meham's OLD Terrill is pictured here, 424 is Dan Morehouse, music published today. I was blowing a bubble in the picture in my new Mrs. Hill Life Jacket.

    It was right after this that my dad turned Kenny Scoffield's 20-H into a 20-H with a handle, and he made the spacer too. Kenny put the 20-H on a fishing boat.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-14-2012 at 04:12 PM.

  9. #239
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default Lake Wiest, Brawley California

    I think we first raced at Lake Weist in the fall of 1955.

    The lake is larger today, and probably shallower, because the banks keep eroding.


    This is C Runabout with Dave Bryan leading in "X", the guy behind Dave is me, Ron Hill.

    Then, in third is Ben Stein, Dave' brother-in-law and that is Joe G. Schulte in the Rinker, 44-C, in the back of the pack.

    I think this is the day, my dad and Joe Schulte had a disagreement about weight. Seems Joe had knee high boots, size 16's filled with water when he got on the scale. My Old Man made him drain the water from his boots and from the boat.

    Joe argued that the water was in the boat when he raced, my dad pointed out that that isn't the way the rule was written.

    I'm not sure if Joe held grudges, but he never ran under weight again......that my dad knew about.

    It wasn't too long after this race, that my dad started weighing people after the first heat!

    Many an under weight driver didn't like this "NEW" concept!

    People wanted to know who would get weighed after the first heat. My dad's answer was, "Only the light boats." (Actually, my brother said that first, but it became the standard answer.)

    Great picture of Joe's Rinker making a corner.......Only those who raced along side Joe, can tell you the terrifying feeling you'd get from the sound of his lower unit gears revving about 9,000 RPM's just before he made the turns,,,,,
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Ron Hill; 08-23-2012 at 12:39 PM.

  10. #240
    Administrator Ron Hill's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Tustin, California
    Posts
    3,407
    Post Thanks / Like

    Default 11 Foot AU Runabout

    Lee Morehouse built me this 19-C for AU Runabout, but he built it 11 feet long. AU's were 10 foot. Lee figured I was a growing boy and my dad would put me in a BU Runabout soon. So, for the usualy price, Lee built me an 11 AU....Usual price was FREE!

    I only raced it once, at Long Beach, I won straight heats, Bobby Parrish was second. After the race, there was anew, light weight kid there looking for a boat. I sold this 11 Foot AU on the spot to Jack Woodruff. Jack named the boat Turtle Express. In the four short years Jack raced, he never beat me, but that didn't stop us from being best of friends. Jack was killed in a car wreck in June, 1962, a week after he graduated from college. You never really get over losing your best friend.

    First picture is the Original Turtle Express...I later had a 36 Runabout named Turtle Express, owned by Carl Myers.

    When we sold the boat to Jack, we gave Lee the money and he build me a new 10 foot AU. In 1957 this a AU, 19-C broke the 1/2 mile record at 48.352 MPH.

    The second picture is at Needles Marine Stadium, April 1957.
    Attached Images Attached Images

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 16 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 16 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •