Thanks to the sponsors of Wally's Garage.  Please visit their web sites by clicking on their names:

A and E Design Contractors, American Shine Products, Classic Industries, Grant Products, Hot Heads Research & Racing,  Injen Technologies, Pyrotec E3, RaceDeck, Zendex Tool Corporation-GoJak

New interactive area allows visitors to watch and learn about car restoration

The Howard Cams Rattler was the first car scheduled for work in Wally's Garage seen with a young apprentice learning about front-engine dragsters from some long-time racers and car restorers.

“Museums shouldn’t be dusty places full of stuff just sitting around, kind of like an abandoned yard sale. Museums should be lively, interactive places where old stuff is used to learn new things.” Those are the words of Tony Thacker, executive director of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum, presented by the Auto Club of So. Calif. That’s why he’s excited about Wally’s Garage, the just-opened interactive area within the Museum.

Work begins at Wally's Garage. Photo by NHRA Museum.

According to Thacker, “the idea behind Wally’s Garage was to have a place in the Museum where our staff could work on vehicles that needed minor restoration and where, when appropriate, the public could come and watch and be involved. They can ask questions but not lift wrenches!”

The first vehicle being worked on is the famous Howard Cams Rattler. “It’s one of the original nine California Hot Rod Reunion Cacklefest cars and was hugely successful in the late sixties at southland strips including Riverside where Larry Dixon Sr. won the 1969 Hot Rod Magazine Championship,” said Thacker. “The car was donated to the Parks Museum by Danny Porche in 2000 and was in need of some resuscitation. Now it’s being assembled in Wally’s Garage where part of the rebuild will be filmed for Jimmy Shine’s new TV show, Hard Shine. The car will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Vintage Fuel magazine.”

Thacker added that “involved companies would be invited to use Wally’s Garage as a place to host product introductions, demonstrations and even news conferences.”

Thacker said A and E Design Contractors of San Bernardino, Calif. approached the Museum about installing a garage model. “They are car guys who wanted to do something exciting for the Museum,” Thacker said.

Other companies involved include Snap-On Tools, Grant Products, Checker Schuck’s Kragen and JNK Products.