Alex Xydias, More Than Just So-Cal Speed Shop

“We were so disappointed the streamliner was wrecked for a while we weren’t going to do anything” he recalls. “We were so saddened by what had happened at Daytona.” Dailey had been in a coma for 30 days but eventually recovered.

Of course, another streamliner could have been built but it would have been much more expensive than the original. One day Alex Xydias looked up in the rafters and saw the old belly tank body, so he decided to go belly tank racing again.

Dave DeLangton worked at the shop and was assigned to build the chassis. Despite the streamliner’s success, Alex had always been a little embarrassed that it was based on a Model T frame. DeLangton formed a new frame from 10-gauge steel bent into U-shaped ’rails. The rest followed normal hot rod practice. In front was a Model A axle with a transverse spring dampened by Hartford friction shots mounted parallel to the axle. Out back was again a Ford rearend with a Halibrand quick-change bolted directly to the frame. DeLangton was a bit of a weight freak and drilled lightening holes everywhere, including the brake backing plates. In keeping with the clean, neat image of So-Cal, most removable parts were cadmium plated; a fairly new process at the time. The tank itself was cut to allow the car to sit lower and a plexiglass canopy from a racing plane was added along with a P-38 steering yoke. War surplus