Hopupland
HOPUPLAND
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THIS MONTH’S COVER
Photo is by David Gadberry, and the car is the familiar Dennis/Deb Kyle roadster. Yes, it is much photographed, but each new twist refreshes the cool.
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HOP UP VOLUME VII IS IN; YOUR SHOT AT REVIVAL. REDEMPTION..
Order this muzzy now: $17.50 to:
Hop Up
PO 790
Riverside, Ca. 92502
or click on SPEEDSHOP up there on the right and use Paypal.
NOTE:
Use American Auto Mags for UK and Europe, Use KustomInk or Australian Streetrodder Down Under.
For Canada, send $28 until we dedicate an official Canadian Distributor
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BACK TO THE 50’S by John Sticha
I DIG THOSE WHEEL COLORS. ARE THESE CARS FINISHED? OR ARE THEY IN PROGRESS. WHO CARES - JUST DRIVE ‘EM.
My buddy Geno is one of those guys thats always been lost in the 50’s. He’s lived a life steeped in tradition. He’s got a lot of ideas and a lot of energy. 33 years ago, way back in 1973, he wanted to impress his new gal, “Red”, and show her what Hot Rods and the 50’s were all about so he convinced the guys in the MSRA (Minnesota Street Rod Association) that he helped form to throw a Hot Rod shin-dig at a local shopping center parking lot. 250 cars showed up and after an evening of hanging out an yakin’, the gang cruised University Avenue, swung thru Porky’s drive in and finally headed over past The Grandview Theater where the recently released film American Graffiti had just finished screening. Imagine the movie-goers surprise to leave the theater and see the streets filled with Hot Rods. Well, “Red” became Geno’s wife (still is) and within a few years the event had grown and was relocated to the Minnesota State fairgrounds ... yep, home of several of the formative Street Rod Nationals ... you don’t have to go too far or talk to too many Hop Up guys before you run into someone who has a fond memory those early Nationals at the fairgrounds in St. Paul.
Flash forward to 2006. It’s still an event put on by the Association, but with a significantly larger membership (18,000 members) made up of a more diverse, but still (relatively speaking) like minded group of folks. There’s still cruising on University Avenue down to Porky’s in the evenings. And now there are pinstripers and vendor’s galore and more food than you can shake a pork chop on a stick at. On Sunday there’s a swap meet that’s one of the biggest in the region with plenty of R.T. (that’s “Real Treasures”) to be found. And there are 11,000+ Hot Rods & Customs. Yep, there’s some billet in there. Some bad graphics too. I saw plenty of nice old iron with gross-out tweed-clad bucket seats around ... just crying out for a make-over. Maybe that’s the price to pay when everyone has too much fun and an event gets too big. But the thing about it is, in this sprawling fairgrounds with shade tree-lined streets and open fields of grass there are plenty of spots to hide out with your like-minded, tradition-obsessed pals and escape the rest of those guys who just don’t get it and probably never will. It’s a mighty big fairgrounds to hunt through, searching out your own kind. You can walk all day long and still not find that Right-On deuce tudor from Iowa you heard about - the one shod in steelies and bias ply’s with faded red paint (finally found it Sunday). If you can’t have a fun time here, you’re not trying hard enough and if you don’t see enough Traditional Hot Rods, you haven’t walked far enough.
Oh yeah … and thanks Geno.
Right-On, flathead powered Deuce. It doesn’t take much sometimes, your imagination will fill in the blanks.
Roadster body remains as found; features well-detailed flathead.
30-YEAR OLD BLACK LACQUER ON THE ROADSTER HAS HELD UP WELL. ‘32 SEDAN IS JUST RIGHT.
GENO’S FLAMED ‘40 COUPE. THE CAR HAS LOOKED LIKE THIS, MORE OR LESS, SINCE ‘67. GO TO SCHOOL ON THIS ONE, KIDS, THE MAN KNOWS HIS STUFF.
DOESN’T A CHOPPED, CHANNELED, REAR WHEELS OVER THE DECK LID ‘30-‘31 COUPLE JUST SCREAM HOT ROD?
HELL YES.
YOU GOTTA KNOW THERE’S LOTSA HISTORY ON THIS ONE.
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“I like cake; make no mistake…
Baby, come on..knock me a kiss…............”
Louis Jordan
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LA ROADSTERS FATHERS DAY GIG
The Tabernacle of Gow, alright. Down there below, in a few pics of the Fathers Day Revival Meeting you’ll see Varni, Hegman, Swander, Baskerville/Shelton and like that. You’ll see Freddie Roe, Neal Jennings and probably yourself, too. And Bauman, Bauman, Burroughs, Davis, Clem and Cornell. Not bad company. We stay humbled by the style in cars and guys that the Big Balloon attracts (and even the antics of the Rolling Bones didn’t screw it up).... we’ll be back next time…and while the unwashed will all be making a big splash over ‘32s “I have one of each” and “Here’s the one I just bought”..the real cool will be under the Balloon…keepin’ on.
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REVIVAL TOUR
Tyler, Tulsa, Cabool, St. Louis. Whoa.
THIS IS WHERE OL’ BLUE LIVES AMONG LOTS OF OTHER COOL STUFF
This leg was cool. Stopped over at Marshall’s in Chandler, Texas, and put the pout face on, “Aw, come on, go on up t’ Tulsa with me. You know them cats, and you know that Indian Pow-Wow Wampum Teepee Trail or whatever it is, now, doncha?” (I think he had Ol’ Blue already topped-off an’ ready to go). He did.
MARSHALL SPEEDSHOP IS AN EYEFUL
SHOPLIFTER LIBERATED A FLASHLIGHT: BASTARD!
Went straight to Tim’s to preview the Merc Buildup Project, did that, Rustman came on down from Cabool and, dang. Couple days later Rustman an me get in that 3 window and started for Cabool an’ took old 66 most all the way….. just ‘cuz.
Now, before we get too far on this, last month we left a case of the ass in Fort Worth. We forgot to tell ya that Jim Pendleton got snaked outa some good Barbecue and a few schooners o’ suds…when we wuz there ....and’ we didn’t say a damned thing about it. Now, in our defense, it mighta been simply that we were saving that part for when we tell about his ‘Pendleton Special’....but we can see where a guy would be prouder of gettin’ beat out gow-chow than buildin’ a bitchin car. HAHAHAHA!
But back to our Truth-Seeking Missive:
We went to Cabool and got to see the ‘34 Tudor that came out of a tree (Fast Eddie did it - look in Drip Pan) and all of Rustman’s stuff (he’s got plenty room for more). Miss Angela done us in with lasagna and red wine, and then the next night we went to Philly the Greeks favorite in Springfield, Bijon’s.
RUSTMAN IS GONNA SELL THIS FIVER-WRITE IF YOU’RE A PLAYER
A short run to St. Louis and, oua-la: Maestro on the Mississippi. Jack and Harry Stirnemann got a handle on hot rods, both performance and appearance. Now, we’ll get on this stuff more later, but we had a dandy time getting to know Dick O’Mara, Jimmy, Rick, Rich, Kurt and Amy, Ron, Gary, Ernie, George and like that; caught up with ol’ pal Bob Rothenburg (Streetrod of the Year a couple years ago) saw his cars and stuff, too.
Next month we go to Bonneville, set up the Tabernacle of Gow on the salt, float the balloon and play the music from two sources: our bangers and the speakers in the back of that F-100 panel truck. Get ready to groove.
In September, after Tyrods, we’ll go from St. Louis , K.C., Omaha, Des Moines (this could mean Knoxville), Mpls, S.D., N.D., Montana and Idaho. We think. We could also get caught up at any of the above places and just stay. It could happen.
OUR PICK IN ST. LOUIS IS ROGERS ‘34. WHAT CAN WE SAY?
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BUY THE TRUCK OR BUY THE DOORS OFF IT. EITHER WAY. NEAR DALLAS. CONTACT US HERE
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SCREW UP A STOCKER?
Well, yes, we say that. Take a stocker and make it a hot rod.
But if you take one of the rarest bodies Ford ever made and make it in to a Turdrod, an uninspired out-of-whack, shapeless, tacky street rod hulk? Warning:
Don’t get your nuts and a machete anywhere near us at the same time.
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DEUCE: 75 YEARS OF THE ‘32 FORD
New book by Robert Genet (Cartech Books) will feature 192 pages packed with 200 color and 100 black and white photos. $39.95 + $4.95 s&h by calling Cartech Books at 1-800-551-4754 or visitint http://www.cartechbooks.com.
THERE’S MORE IN DRIP PAN, MORT’S SHORTS AND T ‘n A
