History Dickie Flippens (Chrisman Inspired) Coupe

I would like to start a thread dedicated to the coupe built by Virginia Hot Rodder DICKIE FLIPPEN. Ever since I layed eyes on the coupe I knew I was in love. And seeing how it was inspired by the Art Chrisman Coupe that ran on the lakes in the 50's it only led me to fall deeper into a daze.
The first time I see it was in the a Rodder's Journal article a couple years ago. I have since then re-read the article probably a dozen times or so, each time being more and more inspired. The car was a '32 Chevy 5 Window Coupe that began it's transformation into a dominate force on the east coast drag racing scene during the 50's. It's earlier version was equipped with a Straight 6 with a Wayne 12 Port head (1 of and estimated 200 ever made) which cleaned house at all the local tracks. Later the car would turn into a whole other monster including a 331, 354, then fianlly a rear engined blown 392. I will not spoil the whole article and tell you about the car as well as Dickie's travel which includes rubbing elbows and working side by side with some of the most influential pioneers in Hot Rodding, but I will tell you that it's worth a read or two......or twelve. Please order the back issue of The Rodder's Journal to read the article on Dickie Flippen Coupe. It's issue 33 and is an issue that I can enjoy cover to cover.

Image is Courtesy of The Rodder's Journal Website (This is not the car but just the cover for reference)


The reason for this thread is for us to start talking about Dickie Flippen and his coupe so that we can either stir up it's unknown hiding place or just just to pay homage to a man that deserves the recognition. This car has been mentioned only a couple times here on the HAMB and outside of The Rodder's Journal article, I have never seen pictures of it. So if anyone has any pictures of the car, please share them as well as any stories that you may remember.

I know that this car probably served as inspiration to many and it eventually led to the purchase of my '31 Chevy. Historically Important Hot Rods that are not of the Ford Pedigree are very few in numbers. So I hope that by creating this thread we can share amongst us any information that we may know about the Man and his Coupe as well as perhaps finally finding the car after all these years.

 

I met Dick when I was in highschool in the late sixties, and had him weld some cross members in a Henry J frame I was building. He had worked for Micky Thompson, and showed me an aluminum piston Micky had engraved with his signature when they parted.
He kept the coupe in his home garage where he did the work, and it was a real beauty. It was chopped 10", which eliminated the rear window. It had a chrome, drilled I-beam, motorcycle front wheels, and beautiful two tone blue paint. Dick had done all the work himself, except for filling the top. (I appreciate the relative degree of difficulty to this day.)

Believe it or not, at the time he said he planned to use the body as a buck for making an aluminum replica. He said if he did, he would pull the front end and motor from the car, and sell the rest ... for $500!

 

BTTT. Would love some more pics and info. Very cool.




BloodyKnuckles

 

C'mon, Nobody has any interest in this?

 

One of my favorite cars of all time!!!!!!.......Littleman

 

Well alright then damn it. Now this thread has some weight now that Dave chimed in. Now we just need momentum to pickup and the car will reveal itself in it's hiding place.

 

The car defines metamorphisis.The changes it went thru are amazing.A $15.00 chicken coupe that if found would be priceless.I know where it ain't,I just came from the garage.

 

Should we all start kicking in to recreate this car in any stage of it's history? I have a '31 Chevy frame that I would be willing to donate to the cause. Anything to actually be able to see it in person.

I really should look Dickie up and get cracking on the where abouts since he lives in Virginia still I think.

 

I didn't see the RJ article, so I don't know what information you have.
Dick at one time lived on the street adjacent to my home place, where my father still lives.

I have an old Mag (Feb. '67 'Speed and Supercar') with an article on Dick's coupe. I will
try to scan some pictures.

I remember Dick's Chevy had a solid mounted Olds rear, and pedals mounted at the front, just behind the cut down Deuce Ford grille. I also remember that the frame rails were NOT boxed (at least in front), and had holes drilled to lighten them. He tried to dissuade me from drilling my Henry J frame, citing his total weight savings to the ounce, but I drilled away anyway. He also drilled the I-beam axle and split wishbones for my buddy Pete's '60 Corvette. Oh to be young and foolish again (instead of just foolish.)

I got to see him run the coupe one time, at Richmond Dragway. i forget the speed, but it was well short of its potential.

 

Wow!!! That's amazing 'Mo! Everything that you had mentioned goes hand in hand with TRJ article. Things like the solid mounted Olds Rear end and cut down Deuce Grille. In the article it also mentions that when he had drilled holes in the frame he totaled the weight up and amounted to 7 pounds! It's very nice to have you in on this thread 'Mo. Normally this thread would just drop to the bottom with no interest but perhaps with your scans we can push the god word. Thanks!

Could you imagine driving this car with no rear window and being pressed up to the glass like he was?

 

You may want to check with a lot more northside Richmond Va. hot rodders from the 50's @ 60's before you start talking about that coupe cleaning house at the local strips. Someones memory got very confused when they talked to RJ. The coupe looked "COOL" , "BADASS" @ all those other words, but I grew up in that neighborhood @ nobody remembers the coupe doing any more than a couple of sputtering trips down the 1340 including Dan Weis that owned @ ,,still does,, the local. A couple of members of the Virginia Creepers club that Dickie was a member of have checked with N.H.R.A. and they have no record of the car in the books. By the way the club has a reunion every year now @ Dickie has been to all of them. Try his #804-730-2327,,,,,Mechanicsville,Va.

 

Well, I think that in the article it was referring to it's earliest inception. It said the car was known to be pretty fast when it was running a 12 Port wayne head inline six. It really never mentions it racing once it started becoming a show car and once Dickie moved to Southern California.

But thank you for all that great information. By all means if you have any pics of that car or cars that would have been running during it's time. We would love to take a look. This thread is starting to serve it's purpose in only 4 short days! Thanks!!!!!

 

This is the scan of the magazine article from Speed and Supercar 02/67 that Mo' was referring to. This is his article just helping him out with the scanning.

 

This car to me........ has always had one of the baddest !!! 3/4 rear view looks ever....Littleman

 

God that car is rad. I always like the car in it's all blue and whitewall/moon disk configuration but when I look at this, it gives me goose bumps. I am sure you could get this car going down the track at a good speed Littleman. Are you taking notes for Warpig?

 

No note taking...but have alot of love for it..I would drive anything like this at the track.....My mid engine will be track user friendly...no push start and will have reverse...I want mine to be able to be used....I could not take most of the configurations run back then and pass any kind of tech......today....Littleman

 

Ahh...Jeff...why didnt you tell me what this thing looked like?

 

I was hoping you would see this thread. I thought it might be right up your alley. I would love to recreate this car if I could find a '32 Coupe body. This car really makes me weak in the knees. Definitely subscribes to that over the top ego thing I was talking about though..........and that's what makes it great.

 

Man...I wish I was in THAT alley...Hell...I'd settle for just living in THAT town...

 

Dickie is alive and well. He still lives in VA. Well, he did two years ago. MY friend Lenny invited him to his winter geezer gathering two years ago and he came up and had a great time.

My son did a lot of interviews with Dickie for the TRJ story.

There is another story as interesting. After the TRJ story and photos published, through an act of shear luck, the car was found right after the story came out. A friend was approached by a guy selling a front end. My friend linked the TRJ photo with the offer and it appeared the same. My friend bought it, and asked a ton of questions. The car is in Maryland. Rumors; The parts are scattered, it's been repainted, the frame is all but hacked up. Rumors also abound on the motor and accessories. I will tell you that my friend bought another piece off of the car and Dickie has it on loan to reminisce with. The rumor is the current owner is building a 'street-rod' with the body.

You are right; it's an awesome car, with a humble regular guy behind it that did really great things with it!!!!

 

Oh no!!!!!! That's absolutely awesome that it was found but for all that history to be lost and for this car not to be available for us to look at is a travesty. Any idea what the new owners name is so we can heckle him? Got that makes me sick though really. Does he have any idea what the cars was or is to people form the east coast?

That's awesome your son helped with the article.

 

PM'd ya.

 

OK Jeffery, between me and you, we can come up with most of the parts except the body. Where can we get a '32 body? Lets Do This Thing !!!!!

 

Serioulsly. The only things is that now that we know the coupe is out there it is only a matter of time before someone buys it back and restores it. But hell I would like to do it anyways.....PBRmeASAP how about you donate your '32?

 

That is one wicked coupe. Aren't there enough Deuce street rods in the world already?

 

Never enough 32 chevys!


'

 

wow that car is absolutley insane

 

Thats some coupe, I would really like to build something like that. I start taking notes and put it on metal.

 

Someone find me a '32 Body and I will chop and channel it within an inch of it's life just like Dickie did, only this time it will perform as well as it looked!

Serious I hope the gentleman that bought the coupe realizes what he has and restores it to it's former glory. Hell I would even trade my cherry '31 Coupe body for the decapitated actually Flippen coupe. If any one knows him let him know that.

 

There are some still to be found.