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MAGAZINE

June '99

WHAT'S HAPPENING

RATTLE CAN NATIONALS '99

They went to the Nats. Passed lots of Street Rods on the way. The Street Rods were going to Bakersfield. At gas stops when they said , "See ya in Bakersfield" wondering if the primered beasts could make it that far, our guys said , "Nah, we're not going to Bakersfield." And let it lie. On the road again, the appropriate lane choices were made. Bakersfield guys right lane. Hop Up Guys LEFT lane.

The 'Can' more than doubled this time. Perfection. The next one will be announced by secret handshake. There was no pesky glare from PPG all over the place, and no beer money was wasted on dusters with trendy builders' names on them.

LOOKING FOR A PAINT STORE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES

HE'S OK - WE'RE OK (KINDA)

Automobile Magazine had an article on the 50th Roadster Show and we wrote TWO separate reports on the article, each time wondering if we had gotten it right .So we'd re-read the article. Each time we began to rebut, saying "He mocked us. He demeaned us.We don't have dirty fingernails"

But we do. He hit it on the head. By societal norms we may be a grubby bunch..........the illustrator shows the crowd at Oakland old and bald, or young and baggy, or fat, out of fashion, and - caricature or not - that's some of us. He hadn't caught the MANY youthful, good-lookin' men and women who were there with Tattoos and Hairdos - and without - but they must not have stood out (?).

We were all set to PAN the guy for pointing out what we PRAISE here every month.........but, Hey...........it's us.......ain't nobody's business but our own.............we're HAPPY in our misery!!! We're OK with it. And after giving the Professor-Lookin', probably English, probably appropriately-self-congratulated writer the benefit of a doubt, our conclusion is that HE thinks we're OK........... In a low-brow kind of way.

And so is HE.

CUT ONE UP

.......but it takes a real man to cut one up.

This is a stock, restored '35 roadster that is going to get the treatment. It's going to get hopped up. The new owner is asking for advice on how to properly make a traditional hot rod out of it. No mystery there, huh? So if it is around during the transition, we'll give you photo updates on it.

Today, the new hands-on hot rodder is finding out about separating the original wishbone from the axle. Doesn't usually fall apart, does it , Jack?

MORE HEAT!!!!

It really is no-brain stuff, and when he's done he can still say he could bolt on the stock axle and spring and dog and wind-wings and spare tire and fog lights and give it back to the V-8 Club, so no harm will be done. OH! Except to the top bows and windshield. It looks like they're gonna get the Whackeroo and you don't bolt the pieces back on those when you change your mind, now, do you, Bub?

Just a day in Hop Up Heaven ballin' up another family treasure. Mercy.

STOCKERS ARE CUTE. WE HATE CUTE.

CUSTOMS

We expect to be in Paso on the 28th to get caught up on all you low, slow, too-cool custom guys. The car we intended to ride in didn't make it out of the paint shop, so we are going to have to suffer a roadster. Hope that's OK. It IS a custom meet, after all. We've been excluded before, but we just want to feel the vibes.......c'mon, guys, let us up!

SURE HOPE THIS FOE-DOE IS THERE

A DASH O' THIS

There have been articles written on all the bitchin ways to lay out your dash board, but the early ways (see Montgomery's books) are always the best. They made the trip through time in good stead and, like most traditional hop up treatments, the early way was the correct way, dooming the evolutionary efforts as design futility. Change for change-sake.

These just popped up out of the dream drawer and hardly represent a study, but we need a couple more scans for this issue and we gotta go put a Hop Up sticker on the roadster and load up for Paso, so....................look through the windshields, too. Are we livin'?

AXLE

RUST MAN

JIM

HOP UP 2000

It's going together. The stringers are stringin', and folks are troubling over just what to show n' tell in the first ANNUAL. $7.95 includes freight and includes sales tax in Cali. Glossy colorful cover like the old 'Trend' Annuals of the fifties, 6 1/2 x 9 1/2 size, larger than the TV Guide size of the traditional mags, and smaller than the mainstream books. 128 pages like before, but with a bunch of photos and some interesting features. Some known and some not-so-known talent is signed up, with a nationwide (WE bad....we nationwide) look at what we do.

While we're doing this, Petersen is producing their one-shot "Hot Rod Deluxe" (we bet it's a test to see if there's room for a new title) featuring-you guessed it - traditional Rods and Customs and a bunch of lifestyle stuff. It'll be out in June and our ad appears there, too.

They probably could have used the vehicle they already HAVE for that stuff, but it's been MIA.