| Photo ID # | 12.21.02_167_HIL_DAY_0052_1 |
| Car #: | 167 |
| Driver: | Elton Hildreth |
| Location: | Daytona, Florida |
| Date: | 1952 |
| Photographer: | unknown |
| Photo provided by: | Dave Pierce |
| Provider's comments: | (Waiting on more info on this picture. Hopefully some of the Vault's faithful can help by clicking below where it says "Click Here".) |
| Visitor's Comments | To add your comments about THIS PHOTO - Click Here | |
| Date: | Visitor's Name: | Comment: |
| 01/03/03 | Doug | A great-lookin' car, but it had nuthin' on the Hudson Hornet back in '52 (an' throughout the early 50's)... |
| 01/05/03 | 3-Wide | I think Elton might have something to say about that! Thanks for visiting.... Besides, how many of us have ever been in a race car in Florida unless of course it had Mickey ears on it with some annoying guy telling you not to bump the cart in front of you....? |
| 02/02/03 | Russ Dodge | Elton was loyal to Nash, the car he sold from his agency, Hildreth Motors. He was known to take a brand new one off the showroom floor and go racing. Elton came up with several modifications that would kept his car competitive (carburetion and stronger rear axle) but Nash wouldn't list the parts in their parts catalog. For that reason he couldn't use them. NASCAR rule at the time the parts had to be stock and authentic NASH. A friend was walking through the pits at Pocono Speedway several years ago when Richard Petty was still racing. He heard someone hollering "Bath tub, Hey Bath tub" It was Richard calling out to Elton from the back of his hauler. Bath tub was the nickname they had given the Nash because of its shape similar to an upside down tub. Richard remembered Elton from days he stayed at Elton's when Lee race at Langhorne against Elton. Thanks, Russ Dodge |
| 03/13/03 | Bill Hildreth | Great picture of Elton’s Nash. I’m afraid Russ Dodge’s comments about Elton taking a new Nash off the floor and racing it is simply not true. For one thing, any car directly off the showroom floor would not do well at all on the track. Beefed up suspension, roll bars, etc—remember all that? Even the fuel tank was modified to drain from the bottom right side rather than bottom center so the car with a low gas tank would not stall out on the turns (always to the left). Elton’s modified parts being kept out of the Nash parts books is definitely true. A bit of trivia about the ’51 Nash in the picture: It was made up of two wrecked Nashes, one smashed in the front and the other smashed in the rear. A major torch job and much expert welding produced the car. Bill Hildreth |
| 03/13/03 | 3-Wide | I still like the story and I've heard stories similar to the comment made by Russ regarding a certain car builder from the Trenton NJ area....thanks for all the great info guys- |
|