Legends of Hot Rodding: Frank Currie – Pioneering Racer and 9-Inch Ford Guru
In our decade-long exploration of hot rod legends, a few pioneers have slipped through our ink-stained fingers. One such innovator was Frank Currie, a So-Cal legend of early drag and salt venues and later founder of Currie Enterprises, a company that tuned up more rearends than a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon.
Currie was born in Anaheim, California in 1929, one of five children. His early interest in cars dovetailed with the bubbling caldron of speed that blossomed in Southern California during the post-WWII era. He joined the fun in those bygone days, mostly modifying Model As and Ts with overhead conversions. He often dropped V8s into British MGs and once shoe-horned an aircraft engine into a ’33 Ford. Motor Trend once crowned him the engine conversion go-to guy.
Frank loved to race, too. He was a fixture at Muroc and El Mirage, running a hopped-up Model A his brother had given him following his service induction during WWII. Currie also participated in the original Santa Ana Drags, plus Bonneville, which would be a lifelong passion. He also had a talent for circle track racing, terrorizing the local competition in a jalopy.
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In the mid-1950s, Currie joined the Korean War effort, ending up at an Air Force base in Oklahoma where he kept aircraft engines at the ready. Following his discharge, Frank hooked on at Taylor-Dunn Manufacturing in Anaheim. T-D needed durable rearends for poultry carts – used to drive through hen houses to collect eggs — and golf carts. Currie would adapt Ford banjo and ’50s Plymouths and later Ford 9-inchers.
In 1959, Currie and his wife Evelyn established Currie Enterprises, devoted to remanufacturing rearend cores. Business thrived and by 1964 the Currie manufacturing facility had moved to a 5,000 sq-ft building in neighboring Placentia, California.
Evelyn and Frank’s three sons – Charlie, John, and Raymond – joined the business, too. The business’ success was hindered in the early 1970s by the Japanese introduction of electric golf carts. No matter, Currie adeptly adapted the focus to performance vehicles – the move that made him the legend he is today.
Fueled by his long-time interest in performance machines, Currie switched to building rearends for V8 conversions in Chevy Vegas and mini trucks like Chevy Luvs, Ford Couriers, and Toyota Hi-Lux pickups. More significantly, Currie Enterprises reached out to the emerging number of hot rod and kit-car shops, offering redesigned 9-inch rearends.
Before long, the name Currie was synonymous with Ford 9-inch rear axles. As the popularity of the Currie version grew, the enterprise expanded to larger facilities – first a 7,000-sq-ft space, then a 11,000 sq-ft one – necessitated by an expanded product line and state-of-the-art cleaning and teardown capabilities. By 1986, Currie was also offering upgraded Dana 60 and Chevy 12-Bolt rearends, plus a full line of driveline performance products, including suspension components and off-road Jeep products.
Jeeps, you ask? Yes, Frank Currie was always into off-roading, particularly “rock-crawling,” which had become a growing slice of the motorsports pie – and a fruitful opportunity for further business. In 1998, Frank and son John Currie equipped a 1998 Jeep TJ Wrangler with a panoply of the latest Currie products: Currie 9-inch Ford diffs front and rear, triangulated rear control arms, and sway bars. In its debut, the father-son team wrangled the Jeep to second place overall in a major rock crawling competition in New Mexico.
While Frank’s business continued to thrive over the years, his passion for motorsports extended beyond the 4×4 realm. He was a regular participant in the classic car rally, the Great Race. He participated in 20 editions, motoring in such horseless carriages as a 1920 Packard speedster and 1910 Selden. In 1997, he was inducted into the Great Race Hall of Fame. He also took on the grueling La Carrera Panamerica quest through South America, driving a radically modded ’65 Shelby Mustang fastback.
Then there’s Bonneville.
In the mid-1990, Currie built a ’32 roadster for the salt flats, with the intention of creating a 200-mph machine that could be driven to-and-from Wendover. It had never been done before. The impetus for the project was a 705c.i. Ford big block, a 65th birthday gift from his sons. With a foundation of 930-horsepower, oomph wasn’t an issue. The car also had to be a transformer of sorts, one that could easily be converted from street legal to racer.
And he pulled it off. Hot Rod summed it up thusly: “Frank Currie would be the first person in Bonneville history to run 200mph, pack his bags, and drive right back to home without missing a beat. This massive feat earned Frank and his 1932 Ford the Hot Rod of the Year award in 1998.”
Frank Currie passed away in 2016 of natural causes in Yorba Linda, California. Currie Enterprises continues on to this day in a 40,000 sq-ft facility in Corona, California. Currie’s impact is felt in thousands of vehicles across the land, with the man’s drivetrain components in all manner of performance hot rods and competition cars.
Thanks, Frank.
Photos Courtesy Currie Enterprises
