MAGAZINE

WHAT'S HAPPENING

We went anyway, 'cuz a good pal had been asked to provide some cars. Don't get us wrong; we have been known to attend extravaganzas, and have a good time, to boot. It's just that the space is shared with some of the poser, beachchair, "are they gonna give trophies?" people.

Here's what we saw: A Big TIme drag racing operation housed in a defunct Infiniti dealership, street rods, shoe boxes, Vipers, a couple of hot rods, and all the main posers who got there at 6:30 for a 10:00 deal. And they stood by their cars. Now there's a code: if the guy comes and stays by his car when there are 200 other cars to look at, something is weird. We left in 10 minutes, roadstered down the coast to brunch and had a great time.

The event was set up to benefit a charity and was, thus, a good thing whether or not we left early.

The annual New years' Day Harbor Cruise in California's' South Bay began at Larry (Hotwheel) Woods' hobby shop in Long Beach, toured several shops and collections and ended up with the traditional BBQ at 'Harley Daves".

L. Wood always puts the cruise on, and it a model for a cool time.

Each host puts on some goodies, polishes up his cars or parts, or shop, or collectibles, or whatever eccentricities he has to offer, and gearheads hang out and do what gearheads do until time for the next leg. Five or six stops is about right, wrapping up in enough time to just about make the start of the Rosebowl Game ( 1:30 or so in Cali.)

Sixty-five cars qued up for the start. It's a loosely 'invited' thing - unpublicized, word-of-mouth, y'all come. And what you see on this day will cause your New Years' Resolution to be "I'm gonna finish some of these interrupted projects!" Thanks, Elwood.

NAME THE YEAR WE MET BO AT BONNEVILLE

T n' A

Back in '66 some of us still believed in hot rods - we couldn't afford a GTO or some such foolishness - so we did rods for the same reason the early guys did.. There weren't too many of us so if you were within 50 miles of one another - you were kin.

I had bought a '27 Chevrolet Capital Coupe - a stock driver - as a core for a rod project, but probably would rather have had a Ford.. My Dad saw an ad for a complete disassembled '26 T Touring with great sheet metal for $600; I called Dan Woods (remember?) and Jitney and we took off for the high desert to give this tin the once-over.

The parts were everything they were billed to be and we went home looking for a buyer for my coupe. It was a pipe-dream, a little before pipes got popular! I reluctantly gave up the lead, asking if the guys knew who might be interested......"One of the Booths" was looking for some iron. Tom and Bill Booth were ex-L.A. Roadster dudes who by this time were charter members of the Early Times (Bill's wife Elaine named the club when she saw an inspiring display in a liquor store!).

	THE '26 T AS IT IS TODAY

These guys were even featured in a fashion edition of Hot Rod Magazine, modeling collegiate clothes in front of Tom's '31 Roadster. We know where the roadster is - more later.

Bill had sold his chopped '32 Tudor, had enough scratch and bought the T.

The T was soon done and among a million other things, went to the first Street Rod Nationals, and then , like lots of keeper cars was retired for a Q n' D facelift. Like 10 years or so of retirement. Finally wife Elaine said "OK, Bill. Isn't it time to get the T back on the street?" It was. And it is. And it is cool: It's a real trip back for lots of people all over the country who remember the car.

The makeover was a subtle one - what's to change? Wheels and tires are about the only difference in the look. The dropped axle is still there and so is the Jag rear. Huh? It was the trend in '67 and it was born with it, so it stays. Same red paint , a running gear wake-up, tires and wheels, and....PRESTO!! Re-rod. Drive it Billy.....An' he does. His daily driver is a '57 Bel Air Hardtop so he's on the same lap as the rest of us.....probably leadin' a little..

The cat's just another HopUp Guy, isn;t he? He's diggin' what he's doin' and doesn't care if anybody is watchin'. Thats-a-nice.

P.S. Bill is the only continually active charter member of the Early TImes of So. Cal.