Kennedy – Scroggs

Denver Timing Association      T-33

Chevy men to the bone, Cal Kennedy and Don Scroggs met at the telephone company in the early 50’s, in the parking lot of course, over the fender of Cal’s 1941 Chevy Coupe. The two had the wild idea to take on the flathead Fords of the region with a 1936 Chevrolet pick-up Scroggs had eye-balled over a neighbor’s fence. They swapped in the motor from Cal’s coupe and threw an intake and garage made split exhaust at it and off to the Cam Winder’s Dirt-Drag strip east of Colorado Springs.

In early 1953 Cal found a 1934 Chevy Roadster body in Englewood for $5, they moved the motor back 25% of the wheelbase, dropped it down in the chassis, channeled the roadster shell and sectioned it vertically to align the rear wheels with the wells. The car was a staple at the local drag meets and was at the 1953 Hot Rod Hill Climb.

The boys caught wind of a round track car in Winona, Kansas equipped with a full house Wayne 12 port Chevy six. A deal was struck and they brought it home. The new mill was right at home in the T-33 roadster and it was a force to reckon with. The car was again run at the 1954 Hot Rod Hill Climb and won the “B” Open Class with a time of 2:45:52. They campaigned the Wayne at the Lowry Air

Force Base hosted Drag Safari of 1955 and made it into Hot Rod Magazine September 1955.

The final configuration of the car was in dragster form, still on the narrowed 1936 truck frame, motor moved way back and the seat behind the rear axle. They competed for Top Eliminator in 1958 and won. That was the end of T-33, the car and chassis has been gone for years, the motor well kept in Cal’s crawl space.

Mike Nicholas of Nick’s Garage started the recreation of Cal’s T-33 before the 2013 Hot Rod Hill Climb anniversary event by chasing down a 1936 truck chassis. Cal reassembled the motor with all the original parts. It was July 2014 when the motor finally fired after a 55 year slumber, and Don’s son Dave Scroggs was there to hear the motor his dad boosted about run for the first time of his life. Dave and friends Tom Wentworth and Phil Trill were instrumental in the recreation of T-33.

Cal kicked off the 2014 Hot Rod Hill Climb with his wife LuAnne shotgun in T-33. It took a few men to push start the car, and Cal was off like lightening. The event was also capped with Mike Nicholas, Hot Rod Hill Climb promoter, taking the checkered flag with his Sweetheart Amy in T-33.

Read more at www.hotrodhillclimb.com

by mike nicholas

We have a limited number (only 100) of this original artwork by Jeff Norwell, and hand screen printed by Tiny Bird Press.

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