MAGAZINE

This project was started innocently enough. There was some e-correspondence between David and Hop Up. While discussing his specialty, we mentioned that the stock distributor might have room for improvement in the 283 In / 21 Stud Out Reliability-At-All-Cost Project.

We didn't know there was so much to the ignition conversion; David and we agreed that it was thought-fodder for the consumer and, Bingo! The deal was struck. Megamerger. We're rewarding the giver with some attention, all the while assuring him that there are only seventeen readers, two detractors, and one Fan reading Hop Up on the net.

The cool thing is that we profited personally in a tech-kinda-way from the experience, came to know a little better what and why on transistorized ignitions, added another character to our list of acquaintances and...Hey..... That has been our mission here, anyway: Feature the People more than the cars and bikes. There are better hands in writing and photography, larger budgets for travel to all the events, greater archives of historical and forward-looking tech in all of the mainstream magazines. There is broad coverage of the celebrities (most of whom have a financial interest in the exposure) so we think it's cool to de-emphasize celebrities, although we grew up with most of them here in Southern California (Almost said So-Cal, but that would be an ad, too) and feature the nuts and bolts guys, their activities and Spirit, when we are able.

When you separate the profit motive from the hobby, when you detach your efforts from an interest in impressing the unwashed, you are left with a pure thing. Refined by years of interest and experience, the lifestyle has become an act of self-actualization, self-fulfillment that has few peaks and valleys. It is your Life. Have you been praised for your Life lately? Nationally? If not, you're our guy.

That doesn't mean we won't drop a name now and then. We can only report our own experiences, and those interactions include some recognizable names. But peripheral to them is a tier of activists whose presence make this a crazy-quilt of personalities, talents, experiences, and humility. Hop Up Guys. Not too much flash. A tattoo here and there, Hot Iron for sure, and self assurance. I'm OK. You're OK. Unless you cheap-out on me. Then you're so-so. Keep about one lane away.

THIS MONTH'S NEW-BEST-FRIEND RON JOLLIFFE PUT A FEW PARTS TOGETHER-ABOUT 88 OF 'EM?

The ultimate scheme is to put it on the car, taking the next step in our journey to Hot Rod Nirvana: A new ride. But there is so much pleasure in the dozens of tasks requisite of a car project that the effort becomes the end itself: Fulfillment is in successfully out-smarting hundreds of aged, rusty artifacts from the Post-Industrial Revolution. You know the ride is going to be great. But there is no hurry. It is the effort. Victory every day. Appreciating how cool each and every improved part is..........Can you dig nickel plating? It makes us crazy. We even like to polish it. Not very often, we admit, but what a wake-up nickel gets from some polish! So you pick up the stuff from the plater, and it is satisfying. "We saved those ancient parts..... Next?" Next, get the spotlight buckets painted up. If you were hep, you were painting them while the rest of it was at the plater. And you gotta find some toaster wire for the final installation. And fabricate another mounting bracket. And then? Put them on the car, and they will blend into the landscape of the car, probably doing what you want them to but you are - without a freakin' doubt - already started on another little project for this car or some future one. You just like to fix stuff.

Eventually, when you've fixed enough stuff, the last task will be the installation of a battery hold-down, or something like it. Then what? Start it .Drive it. It's functional art that you and your Buds have created with a kind of barnyard alchemy. Won't get on the cover of the Big Catalogue (no graphics, not a fat Chevy, no advertisers' products on board!) but you and your Hop Up Brethren dig it.

Debut the thing.

Interestingly, the conversation is not about this accomplishment. No one reminisces about all those nicely done little things. Everyone knew it would be Tits. Today we're talking about the next one. "Whaddaya think about an Essex frame?" "Wouldn't it be cool to use the running gear you got outa that Belchfire-8?" "You guys gotta find me a ..........."

It's A.C.M. : Automotive Conversational Masturbation. You know you all do it.

Anticipation is greater than realization.