Once a year at the H.A.M.B. Drags, I get to hang out with two of my favorite people on earth - Brad and Jeff. Sure, they both have last names... but who needs em? I certainly don't... But I certainly do look forward to my time with each every year. ... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
I dig Jeff's work.... However, Jeff is thy competition.....(he'll know what I'm talkin' 'bout....hehe)
They are staples of the Drags... Though Jeff keeps building these cars and selling them before I get to see them in person....
if it wasnt for these two letting me hang out with them when i was younger maybe about 17 or 18 now 28 i wouldnt know how to do half the shit i do now... never chopped a top till brad helped me and they always helped me keep my rides cool with good advice.... and they are also the reason i can drink a 30 pack a night... my first car was my 53 sedan delivery it was done like every car in the early 90s when i met them... thankfully they put me on the right track.. two tone teal and pink pinstripes was the 90s when i was just a young teen and didnt know any better... then black with the flames and a tree rested on the top then after lots of work its chopped 6" and driving again.... brad helped me alot during the chop and kept me cutting in all the right spots!
I had always that you can't fix stupid or polish a turd. Looks like i will have to find somebody that can fix stupid now.
I feel lucky to have spent a number of years hanging with Jeff in Charleston. Boy can I tell you of stories of searching high and low (and really low) for Pontiac motors (there are none left in SC now). and it always seemed we used my newer trucks to haul them, not his Pontiac powered Ford PU (maybe it was the AC..) and the turds he starts with, pictures make them look good, the Merc even made me shake my head and I only wish I would have had the chance to see it finished. Thought that might be a keeper for him (but only the Model A will remain his true love) Jeff has a formula for most of the cars he builds, take a unwanted rusted hulk of a body (as cheap as possible) as a GM subframe, Pontiac motor, ford rear and a firebird master cylinder.. Over the years he has really honed his skills in metal working and if you want something figured out mechanically, Jeff was always my go to guy. I like to think I rubbed off on him, getting him to finally install glass in his car, for years I think Jeff never knew glass was to be installed on the side of a car.. Jeff made my time in SC very enjoyable and I learned alot from him . I will consider him a friend (brother) for life. One lesson he taugh me was dont be afraid to give it a try... . He is as hardcore a hotrodder as there is. Now we have to see if he is going to live up to his word and build that 33/34 coupe... Well Jeff ????????????????
Gosh, guys..I never would have expected this. Such kind words. Ryan. I try to remember to tell you every year how much I appriciate the HAMB and the Drags, but sometimes after beers in the parking lot kind of slips my mind... My buddy Brad....He and I have been friends forever, and since I moved away, I miss him dearly. He and I grew up together with his old Merc, from 800 dollar piece of shit project to shiny black masterpiece. I knew if I ever built a Merc, it would look damn near exactly like his, but it would never contain all the memories that his car does. Speaking of the Merc, yes it is going to live with my lurker Uncle in N. Carolina. (all my other cars went to HAMBers too...) As of this moment, it STILL is not finished. I still have some knick-nacks to sort out before any final pictures are taken. The 39 will get the usuall black paint and Pontiac motor. It's not very creative, but it seems to be my thing...I'll keep you updated. Thanks guys, and I'll see you in August. -Abone.
Jeff is the coolest, even if he is to much of a wuss to make more than one pass. ;-) OK, ok.... an 11.49 pass.
Last name??? Hell, I didn't even know he had a FIRST name! He's one of the first HAMBers I met outside of my area- and I will ALWAYS know him only as FLAMEDABONE! Remember your kid kicking that timeout doll being drug in the mud?
I only met Jeff once, it was before I got my 34 Ford on the road. We were drinking a few pints down at Scruffy Murphy's, I showed him pics of my progress. He says, "C'mon man, let's get down to the garage we can have the car done in a few hours." I don't think he was kidding. I've never met him again but I knew immediately that he was lovable cat.
The before and after shots of that Merc really blew me away. It looked like the rocker and the majority of the floor were missing. What a transformation!
I always thought Jeff was just a helmet moocher from back east. Seems like we never get time to visit. He has a good eye and he builds some very nice cars. We share similar taste in hot rods. John
Jeffs a cool cat....not only is he a hell of a fabricator, he is a nice guy too..... a shit head....but still a nice guy haha.
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