"Rocky" Childs, who with Jim Albert founded Childs & Albert, died Feb. 15. He was 74. Childs had been hospitalized for several weeks fighting pneumonia and congestive heart failure.

Childs, whose true first name was Raymal, was born and raised in the hotbed of California's hot rod culture, the San Fernando Valley, and went to San Fernando High School, where he was classmates and friends with the late Dick Landy.

In the mid-1960s, he teamed with Albert to launch Childs & Albert. Their original product line included rocker arms, remote starters, and a device called a "pig" for warming a car up on alky and switching to nitro. They gravitated into the connecting-rod business and expanded the line to include piston rings, bearings, and other internal engine components.

One of Childs' first race cars was a '37 Chevy that he drove (mostly at San Fernando Raceway) and was partners with Ronnie Winkle in R&R Engines. The C&A team fielded a variety of its own race cars, driven by the likes of Pat Foster, Walt Stevens, Tom Toler, Dwight Salisbury, and Bruce Walker.

Albert retired in the late 1990s, and Childs subsequently split with remaining partner Walker and went on to form and own Akerly & Childs, a supplier of bearings and rings.

He is survived by his wife, Sharon; children, Greg and Jewele; and several grandchildren. Services will be Feb. 27. (Bill Holland photo; Holland also contributed to this story)