MAGAZINE

DRIP PAN

AUGUST PARO PROJECT IS ONE TO WATCH FOR

NEIGHBORHOOD DEBUT OF NEW ROADSTER

This photo, submitted by Eric Schill, is one of a group of photos that chronicle the debut of this roadster somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, sometime in the old days. Eric tells us, "The son of the owner told me.....'Dad was buzzing down the street, flicked out his cig right before pulling up in front of his parents house. Parked the "hot" rod in the garage, and later that night it burned to the ground. The cig must have been smoldering in the car when parked'........"

LOOK AT THE ATTITUDE BUILT IN TO THIS U.K. R P/U!

Zorstklamp (aka Ian Drury) has done an incredible amount of custom fabrication - joined with precious few OEM Ford parts - and has wrought this cool look at hot rods from the left side of the road. It ain't as easy there, as it is here, to pull this stuff off. So our Hop Up hat is off to ya, Bud.

ENTIRE MEMBERSHIP OF SEATTLE ROADSTERS

Bruce Donelan and Doug Grande are the cats who run these hair blowers in the Pac NW. Their Pal Eric Schill (sent us 'debut' above) will join them when his most recent project '32 is fired up. They seem to have the formula figgered out up there: traditional, open cars.......and a little attitude (right, Doug?!!)................that befits hairy legged hot rodders like these guys.

N.J. DEUCE IS ALMOST A RUNNER

Wayne Donelan, a Hop Up Guy from Pittstown, New Jersey, uses original Ford members where it's practical but the body was found "early in the morning at the Hershey Swap meet..........at the Brookville booth." Huzza! We like the bodies and note that Ford hired body companies to build their bodies to Ford's exact specifications. Not unlike Brookville making an exact body...to the exact specifications, including structure in doors, cowling, etc. No stigma there, Podnuh.

INNOVATIVE WAY TO JUICE-UP '32 BRAKES

Wayne tells us, "I utilized the stock '32 Ford mechanical swing arm set up, moved it to the side, drilled a hole in the K member and faced the master cylinder backwards. I just had to drill some holes!"

DAVE GRIFFIN MODEL A ON DEUCE RAILS

Dave says the car was built in the late 40's, has some Elmo history and it runs kinda 'Lone Wolf' around Swartz Creek, MI. Seems there are not too many Hop Up Guys around those parts.........guys who 'get' our kind of iron. We dig the windshield, a one-off speedboat type obviously hand-crafted by some cat 'in the day'.

If you are out there close at hand, give us a shout and we'll put you in touch with Dave so you can have another human with whom to muse about.....................veritas.

JUST IN

Our Pal Tony Thacker (So-Cal) tells us he will be racing a street roadster next year on the lakes and B'ville. The subject car is a tried and true scrapper that drives to and from the races and goes about a buck-75 while there.

DOUGIE

Sometimes we just don't know. The new squeeze is a race car he bought for the lakes that had some history, had made its' last run (record at 164) a couple years before, and looked like, "check air pressure, top off the fuel, and push it off!"

Naaaaaaw.

It seemed so simple. But no one had remembered that it's a car. It is iron, and it has a mission. That mission is to make you pay, in money, time, frustration, concentration, and distraction. You must pay in all ways if you are to succeed. If you are to experience that first gear-change when you realize that the thing really hauls ass; if you are to experience popping the 'chute, feeling that tug, and then savor the congratulations from the guys in the chase truck; if you are to load it on the trailer and go back to work on Monday and answer the "How'd it go?" question, well, then, Son, you gotta frickin' pay.

Whoa, Daddy, do you pay.

Even we, the eternal optimists (?) don't think it will make the December meet, a couple of weeks ahead of this scribbling and a couple weeks behind your reading (or listening, in the case of those who have to have it read to them). But he's on it. The motor is spread out over six different locations and the trans, clutch, flywheel, rear end, etc. are here and there and somewhere else we haven't discovered yet. But we gonna try. Shame is, it's the last meet of the year, and then those newly-assembled parts will have to sit all winter, waiting for the rains to stop .........and let that lake bed dry out to its' flattest and least dusty condition. It could be a loooong winter........

But there will be bench racin'. He's got Bellman and Bellson to commiserate with, and ask questions and help build the excitement. There will be lots of phone calls and, like he said, he'd sure met some nice guys...all wanting to help out, encouraging him to get it out there and adding their two cents worth of tuning, machining, driving, even advice on the outfit to wear................and that's another subject that became....yeah...........

We won't betray our sources. We won't tell tales. We won't tell you so much that we get cut off from the inside information as these sagas continue. It wouldn't be right to tell all, to suggest that there may be problem areas. What we will tell you is that there is some indication that a hired gun - a shoe - a chauffer - may be in order.

R.Dub's kinda slender......wonder if he can fit in to that firesuit?!!!!!!!

"HOT ROD - an American Original" and "THE AMERICAN CUSTOM CAR"

Two new books to buzz ya. They came out at the same time and we rather wish they had spaced it out a little bit. More sensory overload.

"HOT ROD" by Peter Vincent.

Start with Peter Vincent's "HOT ROD". PV is a Hop Up Guy whose work appears in the HOP UP annuals and sometimes on this web page. We may be biased because his photographic selections include some 'close to home' iron, but you know what, Ol' Boys? ALL his photographic subjects should be in a "Best of Hop Up" (There's an idea!) Book.

Don't expect just a bunch of captioned photos; besides the great photography, there's Peter's words, the same ones we hear in person or on the phone, where his passion for the genre is articulated in a "I wish I'd" said that, kind of way. When you go back over the years to review this book of photographs, well, don't be surprised if you find yourself re-reading the book as well as reviewing it.

Get this book, right now, call MBI, at 1-800-826-6600..........but wait! You may want to include:

"THE AMERICAN CUSTOM CAR" By Pat Ganahl.

Intended to be a companion to the 'American Hot Rod' by Dean Batchelor, Pat has covered the traditional custom in a complete way, showcasing his editorial acumen and historical familiarity with the breed. Get this one, too.1-800-826-6600.

For many rodders today, simpler is better. LimeWorks new steering columns are the answer for the builder who desires a rugged column, free of dated tilt mechanisms and billet gadgets. With a small tapered steel or stainless cone at the top, bearings at each end (no plastic bushings) and they're compatible with all popular 3 bolt steering wheels. No adapters needed! The standard 3/4 inch, 36 spline end of the shaft accepts any after market U joint, and can be supported at the dash end with any column drop for a 1 3/4 inch tube. The Lime Works columns are fully-assembled and available in either mild steer ($145) or polished stainless steel ($175) in standard lengths of 28", 30", or 32". Custom lengths are only $20 more. All columns are manufactured of '062 inch wall tubing for a lifetime of use. Whether you're "going retro" or just building a really clean car and don't want a bulky tilt mechanism. the LimeWorks column is better-built and won't eat half your interior budget. To order, contact: LimeWorks Speed Shop, 7717 Greenleaf Avenue, Whittier, Ca. 90602. Call them at (562) 698-1227 or check their www.limeworksspeedshop.com website.

Deuce steel: Tired of the "wrong' Firewall for your '32 Ford? The right one is now available. Deuce Steel introduces peproduction steel firewalls that are exact copies of the originals and fit all stock '32 roadster, closed car, pickup truck and steel aftermarket bodies. these "original style" firewalls have no holes drilled in them, which allows for custom alterations and eliminates the need for welding over unused openings. Deuce Steel parts are EPD (electronic deposition paint) coated to eliminatge corrosion. None better available anywhere. For more information contact: Hot Rods and Custom Stuff, 2324 Vineyard Ave., Escondido, Ca. 92029.

L.A. ROADSTER RETROSPECTIVE IS IN PRINT!

NEW BOOK CHRONICLES CLUB HISTORY, SHOWS ALMOST ALL MEMBERS, PAST AND PRESENT Send $30.00 to Jack Stewart, 11734 Rives Ave., Downey 90241

POSSON SCULPTURE "RUNNING AT THE LAKES" NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH HOP UP

Just after WWII, hot rodding got a start when young men took their cars out to the dry lake beds to see what they would do.

They began a whole new industry right there on the dry mud.

"Running at the Lakes", a new bronze sculpture by Steve Posson, captures the spirit of the early lakes meets.

The car has Kelsey-Hayes wheels, a dropped axle and a race car steering wheel, but everything else is pretty much stock.....and well used.

The '29 body has the cowl gas cap and the '32 grill still has its original trim and cap. The interior is tired, the door handles sag, but you know all the work is in the motor!

The racers are in blue denims with rolled up cuffs, t-shirts and boots.

"Running at the Lakes" is 26" long, carefully made by hand in lost-wax silicone bronze on a marble base. There will only be 15 made. $6,500.00

For more details contact Morty at (909) 788-2500.

Miss Information's Automotive Calendar of Events

Monthly listings of all things automotive in Cal, Nevada, Arizona
$15.00 per year:

A.C.E.
6475 East Pacific Coast Hwy. #375
Long Beach, Ca. 90803