MAGAZINE

If you consider that most waking moments away from making a living this feeble mind is awash with rods, racecars, motocycles, etc., that would qualify as a car guy. Maybe not the craftiest car guy out there, but one with what he feels is the purest of intents. Minimum crowd-pleasing (some, to be admitted), but by and large, a fever for consumption of the sounds, sights and corespondence with the Dudes who make up.......... you knew we'd say it.........Hop Up Guys.

The repair man had dated the daughter of a hot rodder when he was a yute, and said the man had been from a town about 100 miles away. Named him. Top Ten. I spent last Saturday with the mug. He's about as cool a builder, pure-alloy cat as you'll know. I don't think the kid really believed I knew the guy. But anyway, our community is so small, if he knew someone in it, it's kinda likely you'll know someone in common.

Same day, later on, trying to make some sense of the Saturday. Can't drive the roadster, because its' front sheetmetal is off for a chin-reconstruction. (You can't be too low, Fat Jack says.) For another project, we need a small part that is reputed to be made of unobtanium. 'Cain't just go to the billet catalogue and 1-800 this one up. It is the same squeeze that we faced in 1967 when we needed a 'new' radiator shell for a '27 Chevy: I absolutely don't think I'll ever be able to find that thing.....should we put a deuce shell on it? They're easy to come by. "No," Dan Woods says," there's a Chevy swapmeet coming up at," blah, blah. We found it. By Referral. It's the network. You nasty Hot Rod Daddies know all about it. The circle of goofs that you have been cultivating all of your hobby life will always come through. Internet, hell. The jungle drums of the hot rod culture have been pounding since you had the balls to ask a stupid question. Boy, have we asked stupid questions!

So we move on the first lead: Joe Whatsyerflattie out in so and so will probably know what to do. OK. Called Joe. "Come on over.We'll see if we can find something." We hopped on the ol' HD, made a little space in the tool pouch for the probable trophy, and we were off cross-town. Met Dirty Bob and his Scooter, went and intro'd ourselves to Joe.

Joe is receptive to this totally unknown guy based, probably, on the slight name-dropping. "John K. said you might know....." Joe trusts us based on..... ......Yup........just on that. Had the part. Three options. Take them. "Want a deposit or anything?". "No", he shrugs.

We fondled Joe's cars....Joe's son's cars.........Joes parts...........Joe's project.......... A new best friend. A Hop Up kinda guy. One more link in a chain of people who are not out to compete with you; they want you to end up with whatever it is that blows up your skirt; it will not be a threat to him. How could it be? Well, he's defined his ideal, made it (is making it) happen, and the fact that you do it a little bit differently doesn't modify his taste. Or make him covet what you've got. Or make him try to beat you to what you've previously expressed as a goal for yourself. . Thinks for his damn self.

His home-shop is desperately efficient. Orderly. Clean. Easy to take in. Artifacts of the Ford experience are here and there, but no Baroque doo-dahs meant to impress the unwashed. Another home-shop lifetime of pleasure sequestered in a nice neighborhood. Quiet pursuit of his interests. He majors in V-8 Fords and has several diamonds to view. Cabriolet, convertible sedan, original condition pickup, nice sedan project. The flatheads are hopped-up for road warrier duty. Not too much displacement, a skosh more carburetion, and Columbias on everything.

"Do you show these in competition, with the V-8 Club?"

"No, we like to use them too much for that". He has a wry smile and looks to see if your reaction is the right one. Crack a half-smile, peer into his eyes and he'll know that you're thinking, "Me, either, Man. I'd drive the shit outa these bad boys; top-down, long-legged two-lane passes into every horizon out there."

"Ride 'em, wreck 'em, and never check 'em."

If we prove worthy of an acquaintance with this learned, accomplished guy, then we have, perhaps, accomplished something. If he gets the impression that he is dealing with a kindred, True Heart car guy, then that would be pretty cool, too. He won't get that impression if we start too many sentences with "I...."

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"All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it is vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible."

-T.E. Lawrence