MAGAZINE

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Oh, my achin' head. A racetrack full of iconoclasts (Thanks, Patrick). Don't they know what is the norm? The way things are done today? There is probably not a gold chain in sight.

Colors are unique. Right, there isn't much shine; there is this panorama of rub-thrus, dull laquer, primer. Hell, there ain't even a reflection anywhere. It looks like old color movie film, as though there is a filter on the lens. Here we were, again, looking like they did then.

Front and rear engined flathead dragsters, T's up the ying yang, including two bob-tail racecars dug up recently from caves somewhere, one with a Roof head, the other a flathead (we'd tell ya the hep guys that brought these rigs, but we swore-off naming celebrities here!) Oh, so what! Peter Eastwood and Don Small were the culprits - as usual a step-and-a-half ahead of everyone else. Either of these cars was a candidate to tote a be-goggled Ed Winfield with backwards Stroker hat and bow tie. Them wuz the days. The worst thing they do there is have a parade lap for all the spectator cars. We did it and hated ourselves for it. (Where are your principles? Ed.) Next time we'll have lunch while they're strutting their automatic transmission stuff!

WHERE THE DICKENS HAS THIS THING BEEN ALL THESE YEARS?

HAZARDOUS DUTY CORRESPONDANT DOUG ANDERSON

The Americruise takes off in a day or two. That looks like a blast, because you don't really have to run with all the rest of them, you can tie up with some like-minded hard chargers and meet the automatics at Golden, or Winslow, or where ever the instructions tell you.

It must be fun to take part in a spectacle of that scope, and we'll maybe sorta sign up some day (maybe just meet 'em all there on our way back from somewhere). Since there is no design pre-requisite, you'd see all ways of doing a hot (street?) rod. Possibly even a pro-street luxo cruiser from the late 40's with candy paint. But I'd go anyway. Every cat who goes on those things comes back with war stories, man. The kind of unforgettable fiasco, pedal to the metal, gear grabbin', double clutchin', leg crampin' long ride war stories only a real hot rod can earn you......I've got cabin fever...too many consecutive days in a daily driver............the malady that can only be fixed by the exhaust drone, the sights and thoughts of an extended hot rod ride............like Doug Anderson wrote on his picture, "Drive 'em". Hop Up guys don't have to be told, but we wager 50% of the participants on the Americruise are first-time long- ride guys. You know, the ones who are pretty edgy about dependability, wondering who'll help if that 10 CD player quits right between Sioux City and Odebolt, Iowa. Some of them experience something for the first time...some of them will see the examples set by Hop Up Guys......the guys who dig the comradery (com-rod-ery) and the idea of the thing.....not the braggart bastards who are there to count coup, seeing how many celebrities they can suck up to, then go home and name-drop to all the victims of yet more bragging.If you're one of these (first of all, what are you doing reading Hop Up?) then stay away from our people.They'll puke and stay away from your run next time, and you'll be stuck with braggarts bragging to braggarts.

Ha! Venting spleen in the name of pure hot rodding is good for our soul............

EARLY TIMES PICNIC DRAWS ROTTEN CUSTOMS, TOO THIS ONE FEATURES A GENUINE AUTO BUTCHERS PLACQUE

The 33rd annual Early Times picnic was the usual less-than-extravaganza that has some attendees who do not go to any other rod stops. But the most noteworthy feature is the regular presence of the Sultans. Customs. Kustoms? Oh, Daddy, they got good ones.

One of their leaders, Dave Ellis, is an ex-Early Timer, and one Early Timer, Bob Botel, whose Mercs we showed you a couple of months ago, is a good pal of theirs, too. So they come em masse to the picnic and make it a real 'drive-in' mix of iron. Something always seems to be shown for the first time, and this time it was Gary Neimi's Merc. That green hardtop on the second page. Do you believe it?

A good time is had by all, in spite of the obligatory rock and roll band that no one dances to, that was a great idea in the sixties, but we have no use for now. Recorded blues (or rock n' roll) at a lower volume would allow us a little more peace. There are fine rod-minds we fancy communicating with who only show up, as we said, once a year. It'd be nice to be able to hear them!

THESE MUGS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE CONSUMING ALL THE PROFIT!!

ART DEPARTMENT

We are compelled to show in the first episode the very car, the reason, the inspiration for our own '36 roadster project. It's best described in Peters' own words.

ERIC PERKIN'S '36 ROADSTER, SPEEDWEEK 1992 By Peter Vincent

Eric Perkins's '36 roadster is one of my favorites and it is what I consider to be a classic. Pat Ganahl told me to look for it at Bonneville when he was heading up Rod & Custom.

When I saw the car, I knew it had to be photographed. I ran into Eric at the 'bend in the road' on the way out to the flats on Monday after the '92 storm. He had been sleeping in an old teardrop trailer, which he was towing behind the '36. It was going to be at least 2 days before racing resumed so we set up a time and photographed it at the end of the road, looking out over the water-covered salt. The car is real, right down to the checkered black lacquer paint. The running boards had been removed when the fender work was done. Their absence helped create a sleek and classic overall look, which when combined with the right on stance, bobbed fenders, yellow wheels, bias ply wide whites, the chopped top, and the very neat little bull nose piece, well, all works, at least for me and many who know the car. It's one of those cars, that the more you look at it, the more you like it. It's subtle and yet it gets driven, not trailered, to places like Bonneville.