Rescued from Don Pennington's long gone website (
www.hotrodmotors.com) via the Wayback Machine:
The Curmudgeon of Bonneville Bruce Geisler... 40 Years on the Salt
by Don Pennington
Every Friday evening at different locations throughout Vancouver, Washington, the Slo-Poks Car Club gather for their legendary alley nights, better known as "The Alley". The Poks have been around since the early 50's and have been doing this alley deal for as long as anyone can remember. Club members and guests come together to do whatever comes natural when fifty or so car guys are found in one spot surrounded by cars, their adult refreshment of choice and about twenty pounds of shell peanuts. Having hosted an alley a couple of years ago, and having just recently carpeted my gallery with lush green carpet, so I can fully appreciate the lingering presence of the Poks.
Before the peanut gallery thing, I was a guest at another one of these gatherings. Standing in line for a free dog I noticed this guy that wasn't the normal Slo-Pok, actually I had never seen him before. He appeared older than most members (I was told later that it was because of prolonged exposure to salt), but there he was, pulling duty with the rest of them and considering the amount of smoke he was eating it was a job nobody else wanted. This was Bruce Geisler. As Bruce tucked a dog in my outstretched bun I said "thanks Jerry" (I knew his name was Geisler, but I got him confused with a car painter in Portland). Never missing a beat or correcting me for my error, Bruce handed over the dog. I would soon learn that this is Bruce's way.
Through the years I have come to appreciate Bruce's uniqueness. He is seldom seen out of cut-off Levi's, drives a pink pick-up and detests getting a haircut or a shave. Although a little different, he is the most loyal and selfless person I know. His passion has been cars since his high school years in Montebello, California during the early 50's, where one of LA's earliest car clubs, The Chipmunks was formed. The club was actually centered on his parents cabin in Lake Arrowhead in the mountains above Los Angeles, but it was a Montebello group because in East L.A. at the time, clubs had their turf, much as it is today but much less lethal. To avoid the boundary problem, the founders picked a more neutral home base. Years later his club activities would include the Southern California Timing Association where he is the only person to have served three consecutive stints as president; the Rod Riders, a cornerstone dry lakes and Bonneville racing club; and of course the Slo-Poks. His activities were not limited to the social however, it was Geisler Construction that built the old Fontana Drag Strip and of course sponsored many of Bruce's race cars. For his ever present helping attitude he has been honored with numerous awards of appreciation such as the S.C.T.A. Sportsmanship Award and the coveted Meb Healy Award. All this is in addition to a group of friends that would come to his aid without question.
Bruce Geisler's life is surrounded by cars and car memories. Although he has owned many through the years, the inventory hasn't changed much in the last twenty odd years. His daily driver is a ‘48 GMC pick-up that was featured in Rod and Custom in 1953. It was originally built by the Gil Ayala in 1948, then Bruce acquired it, did it over and hit the show circuit throughout SoCal. After trading the truck for a new ‘58 Chevy he lost track of the Jimmy for 35 years until it surfaced in a wrecking yard in Arizona, surprisingly in tact. Today he has it back, updated it since the early years and now runs a blown Chevrolet small block.
Everything Bruce drives has a blower on it, which includes a chopped '30 Model "A" closed cab pick-up and a ‘32 hi-boy. Currently in the works is a '29 roadster pick-up hi-boy with of course, a blown chevy in the rails. This same car was on the cover of Street Rodder Magazine in 1975, and the '30 Model A "Slo-Poks truck" was seen on the cover of Street Rodder in 1987.
Although cars appear to be the center of his world, his family and friends clearly take preference. Bruce's wife Dianne supports his interests fully, often riding hundreds of miles in a hot rod, sometimes not the most pleasant experience. When friends or grand kids show up, the Geisler house is centered on them. Outside the friendly walls of the house exists a wealth of racing history. In Bruce's office and in the garage the walls, shelves, cabinets, and all available space is stuffed with keepers. Some people have their "stuff", but Bruce's stuff has heritage. Pictures, plaques, trophies and memorabilia are everywhere. In his attic there is a stack of old jackets and shirts from previous racing years, among them until recently, was a NEW club jacket from the old Chipmunks Car Club dating back to 1952, which now rides around on the back of his race car partner Gary Vail in Washington. For car parts there is a row of GMC blowers, a few quickchange center sections and a complete blown small block in the corner, a spare for the Bonneville car. (The supercharger is named "Monica" and the engine is "Mr. Bill" after the infamous Clinton/Lewinsky debacle). And then there is the whimsical. On the refrigerator door among a hundred or so notes, magnets, and decals, is a small toilet that when the handle is pushed it makes the appropriate sounds. Among his toys, are special things he likes to play with, such as the remote operated fart machine (great fun in a museum) or the little black box that emits several prerecorded expressions we have all used from time to time in moments of discontent, none of which can be discussed here. His GMC pick-up is outfitted with one of those heart stopping air horns, "a driver education device", as Bruce puts it.
Bruce has a history at Bonneville and El Mirage that goes back into the 50's. He has been land speed racing for over 40 years, not the oldest dog on the salt, but close. His dedication to salt racing is clear and like many of his fellow competitors guards the tradition of Bonneville jealously. He has run a '29 roadster, several Corvettes, a '55 Chev, a lakester, his famous Studebaker and when the race car couldn't make the race or broke, the push cars made their share of passes. One of these episodes included a Dodge pick-up, with camper, large camper. He doesn't remember how fast it went. Bruce's engines have also powered other cars to records such as the Vern McGee street roadster in 1971, '72 and '76. Four times he has been S.C.T.A. High Points Champion, is a member of the S.C.T.A.'s Wheels of Fame, the dry lakes Hall of Fame in Buellton, California and is a life member in the 200 M.P.H. Club at Bonneville. Today Bruce still campaigns his 1953 Studebaker coupe, the same car that he first brought to the salt in 1960. This summer of 2000 will be Bruce's 42nd year on the salt, and some say the final outing for the venerable Studebaker.
Through all those years, one thing that stayed constant is the '53 Studebaker Coupe. Most of the records attributed to Bruce are with this car. Hundreds of fireside stories can be associated with this car, revered by Studebaker aficionados and respected by all who have witnessed it's long life and contributions to land speed racing. Originally purchase for $60 from a Southern California wrecking yard (Bruce still has the sales receipt) it was quickly pressed into service as a race car to run the lakes, Bonneville and the occasional drag event. By the year 2000, the Stude had set 50 records with this car which has also put three people in the prestigious 200 Mile Per Hour Club. 45 additional records have had Bruce's name attached to them over the years. Records attributed to Bruce were most prolific in 1968 and 1972, garnering four records each year at Bonneville alone, two cars each year, with 1968 and 1989 yielding seven records each year at Bonneville and the dry lakes combined, again with several cars. At the end of the 1974 season, the Geisler name was on 11 active records.
Bruce's first land speed racing took place in 1957 with a SR-1 factory race Corvette, of which there were only 6 built. A streetable car, the Corvette was sharing duties as a daily driver and a week-end warrior running the quarter mile at Santa Ana and the lakes of El Mirage. This was the car that started the record collection when in 1957 at El Mirage the Corvette set a record in "B" Sports Car class going 126 m.p.h.. Still active in the Chipmunks, it was during this period the Chipmunks had purchased a '29 Ford roadster as a club race car. It was about 1959 when the Chipmunks disbanded and Bruce acquired the roadster, and began racing at the old San Gabriel Drag Strip and soon at El Mirage, then setting it's first records on it's initial outing to Bonneville. Bruce has a picture of the car at Bonneville pitted with the world class modified roadster of Mardon-Ohly-Bentley. The race number that Bruce uses today as then, is 219 which first appeared on the roadster in 1959. The Mardon-Ohly-Bentley roadster was 229, just a coincidence Bruce says, but for those of us who like to wallow in the romantic, it is clearly providence.
After Bonneville in 1959, Bruce decided to make the roadster a little more show worthy. He disassembled the car, but as the racing season loomed closer he knew the roadster would not be ready in time. It was at this point that the Studebaker came into the picture. The injected Chevrolet small block and trans from the roadster went into the Stude for it's first race at El Mirage in early 1960. The roadster was never completed, after doing a lot of chrome work, it was sold and eventually parted out. Considering Bruce's penchant for saving things you might think that some parts of the roadster are nearby. He did know of the body's whereabouts for a while, but soon lost track of it. A few months following the acquisition of the Stude another Corvette came to the Geisler stable, which eventually set numerous records and stayed with Bruce until 1983. That car is chronicled in an recent article in Vette Magazine.
Even though the Geisler name has appeared in many magazine features (15 at last count), on the membership lists of some of California's pioneer car clubs, was President of the Southern California Timing Association, won sportsmanship awards, yearly points championship trophies, endless timing tags as class winner, has been lettered on the sides of Corvettes, a street roadster and a lakester, it is still the Studebaker for which Bruce is most known. Since 1960 it has competed in many classes, run a wide variety of powerplants, and has numerous partnerships, including the likes of Gale Banks, Mike Cook, Bob Kehoe, and Don Stringfellow. The relationships that have developed over those years include the who's who of the speed industry. When Doug Thorley had a muffler shop in East Los Angeles and needed a pit dug, it was Bruce that loaned him the equipment to do the job. Doug's logo is still on the side of the race car today. Many of the people who participated with Bruce and his Stude in 1960 are still with him.
In addition to Doug there is Gale Banks. In the early sixties and before the world was aware of Gale, he was also running a Studebaker. Soon Gale and Bruce had decided to share shop space from which they ran the cars. To appreciate this next event you must understand that Bruce is not an unkempt person, but his attention to detail is noticeably more "casual" than Banks', Gale likes things in their place and extra tidy. Apparently this shop had been a redwood furniture factory, so every time you closed the door a new cloud of redwood dust would appear. Although Bruce is not afraid of a broom, he clearly has "the first blank space" syndrome. That means that when you have something in your hand, the first empty space you see is where it belongs. We are not sure if it was this or the redwood dust but soon the Bruce and Gale Show made different turns at the corner. They remain lasting friends, but under separate roofs.
Decades later Gale's operations would spearhead the S-15 pick-up for GMC and a Firebird for Pontiac which would include Bruce. Today when Bruce visits the impossibly busy Mr. Turbo Banks at his complex in Azusa, "special considerations" are in order. During a recent visit with several of his friends in tow, it was clear that Gale had a full plate that day as he was locked in his office. Shortly after Bruce began beating on his door, Mr. Banks was personally escorting us around his facility on the grand tour. Friendships such as these seem to be routine at Bruce's garage.
Through the years the Stude has used numerous Chevrolet engines including 258, 296, 300, 302, 304, 327, 355 and 383 displacements, unblown, blown and turbo charged, and later even a V-6 Buick. One of the most powerful of those was a small block Chevrolet from Banks' shop, 304 cubic inches with twin turbos pushing the car to a 209 m.p.h. record in 1980. Prior to that a one way pass of 242 had been experienced in 1978, only to blow a tire on a subsequent run nearly destroying the car. In 1981 and again in 1984 the car would make several mid 220 mph passes but would never set a record to exceed the 209 mark.
In 1979 at Bonneville Bruce became acquainted with Bob Sinner of Camas, Washington. Bob had a Studebaker and was there to get some helpful hints on running his car. Bruce and Bob were soon to meet, and in the following months Bruce would offer to loan him an engine. During the trip to deliver the engine to Washington, Bruce was having a little engine trouble with his turbo Pinto powered closed cab '29 pick-up. He and Bob went to the local machine shop where Bruce first met Gary Vail. This friendship would flourish through many phone calls and mutual house visits. Before you knew it Gary was visiting Bonneville and crewing on the Studebaker. By 1985 Bruce was involved with Gale Banks and Don Stringfellow in a Pontiac Firebird gas supercharged coupe project, then on to the 206 m.p.h. S-15 pick-up project, Gary crewed on both efforts. During this four year period Bruce had loaned the Studebaker out, and by the end of the loan, the years on the salt and lack of attention by the last tenant had brought the car to near death.
The historic car was about to start down a road that would be both threatening to it's survival and be the key to it's salvation. In 1989 a decision had to be made whether to scrap the car or do a complete restoration. Gary Vail and friend Mark Brislawn recovered the car from it's storage in up state Washington. Gary looked at the history that sat before him, and being the car romantic that he is, decided that the car must be brought back, it must be saved. Starting in 1990 and continuing over the next two years, Gary nearly single handedly stripped the car to a bare hulk, restoring the old salt warrior to perfection. Bruce gives all the credit to Gary, "without his commitment the car would have been crushed long ago" he says. As the conclusion of the restoration the car was in the best condition since it's showroom days in 1953.
During the restoration Courtney Hizer from Georgia expressed an interest in running one his engines in the car. His involvement would be extremely helpful in bringing the car back to the salt and resurrecting it's glory days. The Tomoka Brady built V-6 Buick running gas with a single carburetor similar to the Busch Grand National cars of the day, set a record in 1994 at 188.114. For years Gale Banks had been a supporter of Bruce's Stude, supplying parts and help from time to time. Since then Gale has re-entered the picture as an active player. The Banks organization built a 258 cubic inch blown small block Chevrolet to run in "E" supercharged gas coupe. Although the 1999 effort set another record, the outing was bit by "last minute gremlins" and overall, was disappointing. For 2000, Mr. Banks had made a significant commitment. Changes to the engine were made, and then had run-in time on the new Bank's dynos. With the capability and history of the car, along with the talent of the owners and crew, the 200 m.p.h. barrier should again be eclipsed which will but Gary Vail in "The 2 Club".
Bob Robe, an engineer in Gale Banks' R&D Department, has been with the car since 1978. As is the case with all of the crew members, Bob volunteers his time and considerable knowledge to the Bonneville efforts. Bob's help, along with the rest of the crew, have made it possible to create this salt history. People like Bob, Roger Miller, JJ Penman, Larry Woodrift, Jeff Sawyer, Gary Hodges, Vern McGee, Lee Hackley, Mike Maris, and Jim "the kid" Wagner among others, have crewed on the car over the years. Bruce and Gary are very appreciative of their friends, and the front fender of the Stude says it all, "don't leave home without them".
With 50 records attributed to the Studebaker, the first one coming in 1961, hopefully that will not stop soon. Records attributed to Bruce were most prolific in 1968 and 1972, garnering four records each year at Bonneville alone (two cars each year), with 1968 and 1989 yielding seven records each year at Bonneville and the dry lakes combined (again with several cars). At the end of the 1974 season, the Geisler name was on 11 active records.
Although the Studebaker is the star of Bruce's car life, an experience with one of the former cars is worth telling. In addition to the aforementioned SR-1 Corvette there was another Corvette, a ‘56 which already had a racing history with Jack Lufkin at Daytona and Bonneville, the one Bruce owned for over 20 years. Acquired in 1960 when the Studebaker was beginning life on the salt, it is a unique part of the story, having been street driven and raced continuing to set records until 1968, then stored away to eventually be sold in 1983. But that is not where the story ends. Occasionally Bruce gave the sale of the Corvette a regrettable thought, wishing he had the car back. In 1999 while Bruce was touring a specialty car dealer in Southern California, he happened upon a red 1956 Corvette. Bruce says "I had a Corvette like this one once, hey, this looks like my old car...IT IS MY OLD CAR!" He had come upon the car completely by accident. The car still had the roll bar, rear suspension and shortened steering column that was put in the car during the mid sixties, and had given it's identity away to Bruce. Although completely restored, the provenance was clear. In the early years of the Stude it ran Halibrand wheels which eventually wound up on the Corvette. While talking about the Corvette with a sales person, he commented that there was a set of wheels that came off of the Corvette upstairs in storage, "we put billet wheels on it which makes it look much better". Bruce originally gave the wheels to the purchaser of the Corvette, to be put on the car later. So having experienced the reunion with the car, a second was about to take place, after having purchased the wheels in 1961, the wheels and their original owner were once again together. Bruce fondled the wheels like a lost child. Kinda sounds like a strange love affair thing, but you must admit that is a highly unusual happening.
Over the last fifteen years or so, especially helped by the Save the Salt campaign, Bonneville and the original hot rod spirit has been refocused. This is evidenced by the return to traditional hot rods. Most of us seem to change directions within our hobby with the popular. Few have stayed consistent over 40 years. We are fortunate that there are people that have kept Bonneville and the true hot rodding spirit alive, waiting to be found again.
With the final runs of the famous Studebaker approaching, some might think Bruce's career is closing too, but he is far from done. There is a hi-boy '29 in the works, which will certainly at least see the salt, not to mention any number of hot rods around for him to work on. Recently a '32 five window coupe has joined the stable. Although he is uncertain of his future at Bonneville, his days are still full being a hot rodder, buildin‘em and drivin‘em.
Wouldn't it be cool if the last run of the last run at Bonneville for the famous Studebaker would be made by the venerable red car, kinda like riding off into the sunset with Hoppy, and Lash and Tom and Gene and Roy. Nope, can't do that, then the Stude could never run again, and I for one am just are not ready to close that door, not yet.
