1-26-15 GNRS is over. 40 COOP is in Bob's garage awaiting pickup by Eli around noon today. Irish Jr. here........a little more somber and the soreness from grinning too much is slowly going away............. So first I'll continue with a variety of photos: This is Greg Hopkins who shot 40 COOP at the TRJ Revival in 2013 with his emulsion-on-aluminum process. That photo is in a place of honor on my wall. He built the A-bone in 6 months and has put over 40K miles on it in the last year. Here's the photograph he took: That's about all of the indoor pics I am going to post. On Saturday, there is an outdoor car show on the pavement around the buildings called "Drive In". It's a pretty neat addition with, I understand, about 1000 cars in attendance. I will be telling you about my activities on Saturday and posting some pics in the next post. 'Bye for now.......... Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
Great pics. Thanks for posting. Great story about you and the car as well. Congratulations to you both...... Torchie.
1-26-15 Me again.......Irish Jr. Brooke and I had purchased tickets to the Hall of Fame Luncheon, so at 11:00 AM we headed over to the Conference Center for a meet-and-greet. First, I met one of the three new inducties, Troy Trepanier, a very talented rod builder (Rad Rods by Troy): Then, after a little refreshment at the cash bar, we had a pretty good lunch at a table with Al, Al, and Woody. I'm terrible about names, but one Al had a former AMBR contender, the second Al had an about 100 car collection, and Woody didn't say much. But when, at the after-lunch ceremony for the inductees and an auction for a foundation named for kids with a genetic disorder causing blindness, Woody spontaneously grabbed a bread basket and passed it through the hall, raising over $1000 for the kids. I'm glad to have made his acquaintance. I also met some of my heroes: Blackie Gejeian: George Barris: Bill Hines: So here's the whole group of Hall-of-Fameers assembled for a photo-op: That was a new adventure for me, to meet these guys. Unfortunately, we all grow older and those guys, who we read about when the car mags were "little pages", will soon be fading into the sunset. I was honored to be there in their midst, even if just for a special luncheon. So now let's go over to the "Drive - In" car show: This one's for Don Vogt, a buddy back in Maryland who won't let me lower HIS '41 Chevy: Don's '41 in my garage: Well, I'm gonna leave it there for now. On Sunday, Bob Kasner took us south to the swap meet and beach, before returning to the Fairplex for tear-down. I'll cover that later. See ya.......... Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
Sounds like the trip of a lifetime! I've seen your coop a few times at Jalopyrama. Thanks for the great pics
1-27-15 Irish Jr. here and ready to return to Maryland......whatever the weather. I thought I would close this thread with a summary of the extra-curricular activities. Brooke and I, newbies to the GNRS, were fortunate to be accompanied by John. John has been to eleven of the shows and has made acquaintances of people out here such as Bob Kasner. He knows where to go and who to see. This has added an immeasurable amount of fun to this adventure. I just can't imagine what we would have done with our time out here, had we been left to our own devices. Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum Right on the grounds of the Pomona Fairplex is the NHRA museum. It is very well arranged with a full-size diarama style for many of the displays. It is the history of our sport/hobby gathered in one spot. It was really neat.................. Remember this from 77 Sunset Strip? It's Kookie's car: On Sunday, we had breakfast at a Norm's. Saw this lady coming in to Norm's as we were leaving: Long Beach Swap Meet We then headed to Long Beach for the Swap Meet. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a biker swap meet: Bikes are not my scene, so it was a bit disappointing for me, but Bob and I both fixed our eyes on a unique oval-lensed lamp that will make for a really neat headlight for a Harley he has..........opposite on politics, but right on the same line about styling! Of course, he had to work the deal a bit with the vendor........... Huntington Beach Then we went to Huntington Beach so Brooke and I could say we made it to the Pacific Ocean. We walked all the way out on the pier and were presented with a variety of interesting views: It was a nice way to spend a Sunday. I will close this thread by thanking all of those who played a part in the trip: Lee Pratt and Roy Brizio for inviting me to the special exhibit; Angels Moving Autos who brokered the transportation; Eli Tipei of ELT Transport who has done a great job in getting 40 COOP out and back; Dale at Service First Collision Center for help in touch-up of the car; Brooke and John, whose company I thoroughly enjoyed; Bob Kasner....(What can I say, Bob?......It's been GREAT!); all those I met at the show or along the journey, both old friends with whom I got re-acquainted and many new friends..... ....but most of all to my wife, Judy, who made this trip possible. The past 50 years with you have been wonderful. This trip was just another part of the journey........WHAT A BIRTHDAY PRESENT! I await the return of 40 COOP to my garage. I hope 40 COOP has had as big an adventure as I have. This is my last view of my baby: See ya! I'm goin' out in the garage to play............ Regards, Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr. P.S. If you've wondered where I got the moniker Irish Jr., my late father had Ireland's Garage in Cleveland from 1957 to 1967. He was always called Irish, so when they had work uniforms made for me, it just seemed natural to have mine say Irish Jr. The patches on my shirt are from 1962:
Hi Irishjr.Thanks for a GREAT thread.Outstanding read.Have a safe trip home. Good luck.Have fun.Be safe. Leo
1-28-15 Hi folks........40 COOP here....from somewhere east of El Paso, Texas. I'm on my way back to Irish's garage. I wanna tell Don's '41 Chevy about my big adventure. It sure has been FUN! On this part of the trip, it has been kinda like the United Nations.........I am packed in here with a Camaro, a Honda sporty thingy, a Nissan sporty thingy, a Mercedes, and a Ferrari. Unlike the trip out with those I-I-I-talians, this time we all speak the same language........Automobilish. We've been having a ball telling adventure stories to one another. They all seem to be blown away by my tale of 40 COOP's BIG ADVENTURE. I hope you have, too. See ya around, 40 COOP
Great posts Jim! I know Don won't let you lower his 41, but you can help me lower the roof on my 41 if ya want.. haha!
Hey Jim, Glad you, Brooke, John & 40 Coop had a great time in Pomona and surrounding towns. The Coop looked great on display with his peers. Am happy for you that many Hambers got to follow the trip through your great story-telling. I only have 1 question though, what happen on photo #5 from Huntington Beach? It looked like something got smeared across the photo. Maybe it was because it was close to the "rear-end" of your story
You caught a couple HAMB BURGLERS from Idaho in this shot from The Early Ford Store. They are Scott and John New of the Firebird/Boise Roadster Show fame. Scott is here on occasion as simply SCOTT.
Hey 40 Coop! Couldn't resist a selfie with you after following the great story! Sorry I missed your buddy Irish Jr. Safe travels home.
Hi Irish, Just sayin'...Troy was great BUT there was one greater in your background...JR Conway...one of the God Fathers!!! Excitement happens @ GNRS huh!!
I agree. I guess I was just so in awe of everyone there that I just stumbled about. But I gotta say that I am glad that the younger guys like Troy are carrying on the hobby extremely well.
2-1-15 Irish Jr. here in Maryland. Eli dropped 40 COOP off this morning. The adventure has drawn to a close. I want to thank all of you guys who have made kind comments. Happy Hot Rodding. Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
Jim, I'm glad that you and 40 COOP had a great adventure. Sorry we didn't connect for the "grilles" photo, but I think the show was a great success.
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