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Hot Rods Vintage Mag. Feature of the Week: Dick Patterson '31 Coupe

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Bass, Jun 13, 2005.

  1. Bass
    Joined: Jul 9, 2001
    Posts: 3,354

    Bass
    Member
    from Dallas, TX

    Last week I posted some pictures of the Redding/ Lajoie '33 Coupe, and in the post I stated I was thinking about doing a regular "feature" car scanned from my stack of old magazines. A couple people thought it was a good enough idea, so here is the second installment. I think I'll try to do this once a week as long as I'm not too busy, and as long as you guys want to see more.

    I think this will be a good learning tool for those of you new to hot rodding and/or without any resources to learn about our past. I also liked the fact that last week some of you spoke up with information about what happened to the Redding/Lajoie coupe...and if any of you know what happened to the car I'm posting this week, please share.


    Rialto, California's Dick Patterson and his '31 Model A Coupe were featured in Hot Rod Magazine, January 1966. Here are the captions transcribed from that article, corresponding with the pictures below.

    "A study in blue, even to the vacuum formed plastic roof, Patterson's extraordinary '31 Model A Ford has been chopped and channeled over a boxed and chromed frame of the same year, rides low between Astro wheels carrying Dunlop tires and Bruce slicks. Custom project was started 11 years ago."

    "Lowness of coil-suspended rear is further accented by wide stance of 9 inch wide slicks. Fog lamp and headlight shells were cleverly employed on several occasions: to create individual seat headrests, and also to form body nacelle opening for steering drag link. Taillights: Buick, Corvair lens."

    "Spicer type 4.27 rear end is bolted to '50 Ford driveshaft, sprung with '63 Chevy pickup coils, contained by short radius rods and sway bar. Front end is a dropped beam axle setup with spindles swapped right for left to place tie rod ahead of axle, allowing frame travel with lowered chassis."

    "With dual McCulloch superchargers pumping into two four-throat carbs, the nominal displacement 312 cubic inch T-bird gets ever stronger with the rising revs, encouraged by an Isky E-2 cam, Jahns pistons with Grant rings, and a Mallory distributor, plus a pair of ported and polished heads."

    "Looking for a novel (and obviously cool) upholstery idea? This clever setup utilizes exhaust pipe tubing contured and fitted with padded horizontal brackets. The ribbed theme has been carried over onto the doors where the strips are secured to sheet aluminum panels. Show you a little class?"

    "Blue flock provides a soft look to the shortened and sectioned '40 Ford dashboard. On the floor, a deep pile rug and the stick of a '39 Ford box. Late model Ford hydraulics and a '65 Mustang steering wheel, plus a complement of Stewart Warner gauges, complete this car's trophy-winning interior."
     

    Attached Files:

    EVL401 and kiwijeff like this.
  2. Bass
    Joined: Jul 9, 2001
    Posts: 3,354

    Bass
    Member
    from Dallas, TX

    I think this is a very interesting car, and a great example of the somewhat forgotten mid-60's style hot rod. It's got a bubble top insert in the roof, a wild ass motor, an even wilder interior, blackwalls/ slicks on Astro slot mags, and a blue flake paint job...etc.

    I also think it's interesting to see how the car evolved. These pictures were taken at an indoor show in 1963. You can see that it's got a different bubble top insert, painted steelies with caps on whitewalls, a less crazy interior with some silly fur....and a darker non-metalflake paint job. Lots of changes over the course of 2-3 years.

    So that's it for this week...

    -Brian
     
    EVL401 likes this.
  3. buikwag
    Joined: Apr 21, 2005
    Posts: 472

    buikwag
    Member
    1. Buick Nailheads

    Hi:

    I know Dick Patterson very well, he currently resides in Mexico and is still involved in building cars. One of his former cars he built, a 1954 Mecury Sun Valley, was shown in the last issue of the Goodguy's Magazine at Del Mar. He currently has a full fendered 32 Ford roadster and is a long time member of the Over the Hill Gang San Bernardino. Thanks for posting the pictures, it brought back many fine memories of going to Dick's house to watch him work on that car.

    Jack
     
  4. Bass
    Joined: Jul 9, 2001
    Posts: 3,354

    Bass
    Member
    from Dallas, TX

    Well that's pretty damn cool! Do you have any idea what happened to this coupe?

    Thanks for posting....please feel free to share any stories or info you might have about this car or about Mr. Patterson.
     

  5. Dat Dirty Rat
    Joined: Jan 15, 2003
    Posts: 3,505

    Dat Dirty Rat
    Member

    that coupe ruined me at a very young age and hung on my bedroom wall for years...I've always wanted to like 'clone' that car...that lil coupe started my fascination w/Model A's...I would love to know what happend to that car myself....Thanks for the pics....

    Dirty
     
  6. Boones
    Joined: Mar 4, 2001
    Posts: 9,691

    Boones
    Member
    from Kent, Wa
    1. Northwest HAMBers

    Please make this a regular contribution. SO many of us do not have access to the early mags. This is a way for us to see the early cars.
     
  7. 00 MACK
    Joined: May 10, 2004
    Posts: 3,680

    00 MACK
    Member

  8. Hey,

    Wow what a sano ride! My dream car is a model A coupe...

    Danny
     
  9. Scott Miller
    Joined: Jun 2, 2005
    Posts: 779

    Scott Miller
    Member
    from Tampa, Fla

    Thanks for the post. Man that motors got ballz!
     
  10. Holy crap, Brian, that's wicked... the interior reminds me of the Poul Volther "Corona chair"...

    [​IMG]

    Are those Corvair turbos, or some sort of mini centrifugal blower? Oops, never mind... gotta read the text
     
  11. joeycarpunk
    Joined: Jun 21, 2004
    Posts: 4,446

    joeycarpunk
    Member
    from MN,USA

    I've been enjoying these installments as well, the dual McCullochs look trick.
     
  12. beatnik
    Joined: Nov 8, 2002
    Posts: 2,209

    beatnik
    Member

    Great Idea Bass, here's a couple from Car Craft 1964 in Copper.
     
  13. Bass
    Joined: Jul 9, 2001
    Posts: 3,354

    Bass
    Member
    from Dallas, TX

    Awesome...thanks for that! I don't have that issue.

    If anyone else has any pictures they'd like to add, please do.
     
  14. The Catholic
    Joined: Jul 12, 2004
    Posts: 193

    The Catholic
    Member
    from Akron Ohio

    Always saw this car in black and white only, thanks for the colors. Any who says that y-blocks weren't popular? Last two you have done were y-powered and I'm lovin it. -The catholic
     
  15. Bass, thanks for doing these features. I hope you will continue. I love that coupe - so creative. Keith
     
  16. Great idea Bass and good subject for the first one. Do we really have to wait a week:)
     
  17. BTTT, you musta missed last weeks installment Dennis?

    Great post, great car. I drooled over that issue for as long as I could open my dads car magazines. Never really thought about the T grill shell until now though?
     
  18. Django
    Joined: Nov 15, 2002
    Posts: 10,198

    Django
    Member
    from Chicago

    All 3 versions are killer. A flocked dash... wow! Now we know where the tweed geeks got their idea.
     
  19. I remember that car real well in its blue flake version , drooled over it for years and still have the magazine ,I still look it over now n then ,lots of neat tricks done there
     
  20. general gow
    Joined: Feb 5, 2003
    Posts: 6,407

    general gow
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Bass, thank you. Especially for the Lajoie/Redding Bluebird. I first saw that car in Cool Cars Square Rollbars and continue to dream of building something very similar. I may be somewhat attracted to it because it's a local legend to me, but it stands on it's own very well, too.

    Keep it up.
     
  21. yngrodder
    Joined: Dec 1, 2002
    Posts: 1,508

    yngrodder
    Member

    Back from the dead cool ass car, Where is it now?
     
  22. 5wbomber
    Joined: Nov 30, 2005
    Posts: 1,451

    5wbomber
    BANNED

    i think someone in france? has it, its green? i think i saw a few pics of it....cool car
     
  23. showrod
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 779

    showrod
    Member

    I remember in one of the magazines it was going to be used in a movie called cheater slicks. If I remember the name correcty never saw the movie though. any one got the carcraft issue handy where the car is copper colored?
     
  24. houseofhotrods
    Joined: Mar 16, 2005
    Posts: 673

    houseofhotrods
    Member

    I dig it. I'm an A fan all the way, this car has done it for me for some time, I saw it on the V57 web site in B&W. Thanks for sharing in color!! If that car isn''t still in the US, someone needs to do it again!! Tim :)
     
  25. Reds 29
    Joined: Jan 16, 2006
    Posts: 468

    Reds 29
    Member

    I have the car craft issue when the car was gold/copper, but it's in the back of the attic put away. The pictures are probably covered with drool stains from me looking at that coupe. It will take me a day or two to get that issue out.
    Red
     
  26. kustombuilder
    Joined: Sep 18, 2002
    Posts: 7,750

    kustombuilder
    Member
    from Novi, MI

    WOW!! the neat stuff you find when you use the search function!! can anyone replace the missing pics?? thats the one thing that kills me about some of these old threads. many of the pics come up missing. it realy sucks on the tech stuff!

    great stuff. wish i had more time to surf the HAMB but then i'd never get anything done.
     
  27. Dick Patterson
    Joined: Jul 27, 2008
    Posts: 2

    Dick Patterson
    Member

    Hi Bass, I would like to thank everybody for the kind words. It means a lot to be remembered after all these years. There have been many cars since my model A but none as well received. Sorry, I don't know where the car is. The last I knew it was in Washington state.

    My wife and myself are retired and have been living in Baja Ca. Mexico for the past 12 years. I have built 4 cars in that time, all drivers. I am currently working on a full custom bodied car and hope to have it finished next year. It is the biggest job I have ever attempted.

    I still have my love affair with model A's. I drive a stock model A pick up as my daily driver. Again, thanks very much.

    Dick Patterson
     
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  28. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 14,811

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

  29. Von Franco
    Joined: Nov 26, 2001
    Posts: 1,285

    Von Franco
    Member

    Yes double Dang.....So cool....................
     
  30. breeder
    Joined: Jul 13, 2005
    Posts: 10,948

    breeder
    Member Emeritus

    imma triple the dang! how kool is this friggin place????
     

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