Customs The Wishbone

[Anderson]

I've always been a big Roth fan. I love all the show rods, driveable or not...I think the Bandit is my favorite. Th wishbone is my least favorite....right up there with the globe hopper and that Stealth thing....yuck!

But, his flamed '57 (with a bad ass chrome tape roof) and Ford powered '55 are two of the coolest tri-5 Chevy's I've ever seen. I wouldn't have changed a thing on either one.

[KreaturesCCaustin]

I'm not a fan of the Wishbone, either. In fact, Roth hated it and cut it up, so that's gotta tell you something. I think my least favorite was the Orbitron. It looked like someone shit out a mutant cyclops Mustang. I do love most of Roth's cars simply because he had the balls to buck the system and build whatever his weird brain cooked up. He wasn't worried about "Not traditional enough" or fitting in with what was already done to death. He blazed his own trail and that's cool enough for me. I am sick of seeing Rat Finks on everything, though. I have to add that I am a HUGE fan of Roth himself and his contributions to this hobby. I got to meet him once briefly and he was nothing but nice to me. I had him paint a hubcap for me and it's one of my most prized possessions.

[Gigantor]

Man, we're coming out of the woodwork around here! Who knew!?

[49ratfink]

I always liked wacky show rods... not just the Roth stuff but al the others too like the phone booth T and the bathtub buggy or whatever it was called... all that crazy 60's stuff. sure they are not real cars that can drive, but cool none the less.

the only "car" I can remember from my first trip to the Oakland Roadster show around 1970 was some sort of motorized chromed out wheelbarrow, so maybe my thinking was scarred from that early exposure to nutty cars.

[grits]

"in my bathroom as reading material. about twice a day"
Glad to hear you're "staying regular" Boss

[Moriarity]

Some of the roth cars did drive, when I owned the Road Agent, I drove it to a local cruise night a couple of times. It actually drove really nice. I like the wishbone it was really an excersize on thinking outside of the box as were most (all) of his show cars. The display of roth cars at the 06 detroit autorama was a sight to see, someone made the comment "they are all different but the same"

[Moriarity]

[KreaturesCCaustin]

Originally Posted by 49ratfink

I always liked wacky show rods... not just the Roth stuff but al the others too like the phone booth T and the bathtub buggy or whatever it was called... all that crazy 60's stuff. sure they are not real cars that can drive, but cool none the less.

the only "car" I can remember from my first trip to the Oakland Roadster show around 1970 was some sort of motorized chromed out wheelbarrow, so maybe my thinking was scarred from that early exposure to nutty cars.

I thought about starting a thread featuring those wacky 70s show cars, but I thought I'd get flamed into the next century for not being traditional. I never did do a search, though. Might be a thread already out there. Anyway, that sort of thing (including Roth's creations) is part of our tradition in hotrods and kustoms, so I'll stick by my guns and say I like the wacky stuff.

[JeffB2]

Originally Posted by KreaturesCCaustin

I'm not a fan of the Wishbone, either. In fact, Roth hated it and cut it up, so that's gotta tell you something. I think my least favorite was the Orbitron. It looked like someone shit out a mutant cyclops Mustang. I do love most of Roth's cars simply because he had the balls to buck the system and build whatever his weird brain cooked up. He wasn't worried about "Not traditional enough" or fitting in with what was already done to death. He blazed his own trail and that's cool enough for me. I am sick of seeing Rat Finks on everything, though. I have to add that I am a HUGE fan of Roth himself and his contributions to this hobby. I got to meet him once briefly and he was nothing but nice to me. I had him paint a hubcap for me and it's one of my most prized possessions.

How about posting a pic of the hubcap?

[KreaturesCCaustin]

I'll go to the tattoo shop later today and grab my digital camera and get one on here for ya. To be 100% honest and to give credit where it's due, the hubcap was a collaboration of Ed Roth and Dennis McPhail. McPhail was working in Roth's booth at the '96 World of Wheels in KC.

[Tom davison]

Ryan, if you look at the whole scene as art, which I do, Ed was revolutionary.

Based upon that assumption, even the proponents of that theory will agree with the detractors that the quality of "art" went steadily downhill after such-and-such car (The Bandit, in my opinion).

But even if you don't buy into the "car-as-art" idea, then I can certainly understand how "real hot rodders" (who would not buy the theory) would consider the whole "goofy car" scene as a big joke that he played on everyone. I knew him pretty well and I can guarantee you that the thought of it all being a joke had probably gone through his mind many times, even if he never expressed it. In conversation, It was impossible to know when he was putting you on.

[temper_mental]

I really like this car looks like a lot of fun .

[mtlcutter]

Love it. It would be like driving a small boat to work every day. FUN FUN

[Von Franco]

I peed in roth`s car.On the way to a car show,he wouldn`t stop so I Peed in the car and now somebody ownes the car Roth owned and the car that Franco Peed in lol
true story............

[Gigantor]

I busted a nut on one of Roth's car outside a sex shop in Mexico if memory serves.

[autobilly]

Not particularly attractive (read traditional) to my eye for the most part either, but they (Ed Roth's cars) were certainly way out. Way out was what it was about for Big Daddy. I love his artwork!
For me it is Tweety Pie, Outlaw and Beatnik Bandit in that order.

[Bad Bob]

Interesting thread.
Since I knew Ed since I was born and spent many breakfasts after Church and lots of time at his shop and went to school with three of his sons,i'd say that I knew him better than most of the guys on here,except maybe VonFranco.
He was my Godfather and his first wife was my Godmother. I grew up around many of his cars and watched him build a few of them. When I was a kid,the Road Agent was in his garage with laundry piled all over it! I asked him for a ride everytime I went over to his house,but he always said "it's not running". I believed him,cause I was just a kid. I did get a ride on his V8 Trike once. Burning rubber down Slausen Blvd! He was a wild guy.
The wishbone was a driver,but it was hard to drive. When he put the shifter in it,he didn't put the pivot above the mount,like in VW's. Instead it had the pivot below the mount so all the gears were reversed pattern! The carbs leaked all over the place,and the front end bounced around like a springer Harley,due the lack of shocks. The front suspension was these long arms welded to the torsion arms from a VW,that were reversed,with spindles on the ends. I don't think he ever intended to drive it very far,maybe from the trailer into a show. I thought it looked cool,but it would have looked alot better with a big Webbered VW motor,instead of the goofy one he put in it.
One of you mentioned that it was traded to a guy in Bell,Ca. That's right. It was Darryl Roth,Ed's youngest son. Ed didn't want him to restore it. The pic's you have there are after Darryl re-did it. I followed him from Bell to the old McDonalds in Downey once after he got it running. It was all over the place!!!
I guess you can say i'm biased,but that's okay. I loved his cars! The big reason is because in a time when guys were just repainting and customizing exsisting cars,he was building one-off, unique,CRAZY cars! I love ALL of them and would do ANYTHING to own one of them!!! I tried to buy the Druid Princess when Darryl had it and looked for the Road Agent(my favorite)but didn't have any luck. They are WAY out of my price range now that he's gone.
Yes,he was a jerk sometimes,and yes he did some bad shit,back in the day. But he was the real deal and danced to his own music! Many guys have built cars in the "Roth Style",some really nice,Atomic Punk comes to mind and the other bubble-top cars. That just lends to the appreciation he brings for his ideas.
If you ever happen to see Dennis(Little Daddy)Roth at a show,ask him about the time he spent as a "slave" working on his dads cars! If you can get him to stay focused for more than 5 minutes,that is,LOL!!!!! He's really OUT THERE, too!!!

[SuperFleye]

I saw the Wishbone in Tupelo in 2006... and it didn't do anything for me.

I have been skimming through the Ed Roth book in my bathroom too, and after reading it, it seems like Ed didn't design most of his cars himself? Is this the case? From what I remember it seems like most of his cars were based on other peoples sketches, but while building them, Ed allways did some changes during the process. Is this the case?

[327-365hp]

Originally Posted by mtlcutter

Love it. It would be like driving a small boat to work every day. FUN FUN

That's what I was thinkin, That would make a cool speed boat. Roth had talent that's for sure.

[mcload]

I'm old enough to remember the Roth cars; even build one or two of the model kits as a kid. I know nothing of the man himself, so can't comment on that. I just thought of him as a wacky designer of cars that were over the top. I never understood the appeal for "RatFink", but to each his own I guess.

Lots of weird shit getting designed back then, even by the "majors". But you gotta give Roth credit for being a rebel. My 2 cents.