Event Coverage 6,000+ trip around the USA in a Flathead '32 Roadster to LA Roadster Show- Part 1

I recently completed the hot rod adventure of a lifetime. The kind of trip stories are told about for years to come. I, along with my good hot rod and adventure buddy Matt, drove a ’32 Flathead roadster from Ohio to the hot rod mecca—Southern California. The point of the trip was to attend the LA Roadster show and be able to say we drove the car there, ALL the way from Ohio! It is something both of us have wanted to do since resurrecting it a couple years ago.

The car is an old hot rod brought home from Santa Monica in 1959 by some old hot rodders that are still good friends of ours. We thought it would be neat to take the car out and try to find the previous owner and maybe have some fun along the way.

As many of you know I was very indecisive about the route. I wanted to take all two lane roads and tour but I soon figured out once we hit the road we just aren’t touring people. If we’ve got somewhere to go let’s put the pedal to the metal and get there! We did stop if something interested one of us and of course somewhat frequently for gas (every 150 miles or so) but we for the most part put our sites on California and headed west.

We left on Friday June 12th, a full week ahead of the roadster show starting since I wanted to be out there for all of the parties and fun leading up to the show. Once we had the car packed (tools, water for the flatty, very little clothing, small cooler, snacks, tent and couple blankets) we hit the road about 5pm. But, not without a parting shot. Heck, this could be the last picture of us if we killed one or the other of both of us on the trip!


It was a gorgeous evening to drive the 5 or so hours to Indy.


Crossing the first of many state lines for the trip (not sure why it is so blurry..grrr&#8230


When we got to Bubba’s the Goodguys open house/party was in full swing, just as we had imagined it would be!




There were even pinups posing on cars!


After probably too much partying for the first night of a multi week trip, we hit the shop floor for a good night’s rest.

 

The next morning we slept in and hit the road about noon. It was unusually quiet for a Saturday morning at Bubba’s since everyone was at Goodguys.


Thanks for the hospitality and the cool air to sleep in Bubba and company, see you all soon at GG Columbus!

After getting gas we hit up the local grocery store for some cold cuts and cheese since we planned to picnic most of the time. This is the first of many picnics we had on the road (or sidewalk, or trunk deck or picnic table).


The planned stop for this evening was Nourf’s home in Abilene, Kansas. The most direct route is Route 70 which really isn’t that bad. A lot less truck traffic and a little slower moving than “my favorite” Route 80 up a little further north. This would take us thru St. Louis and by the arch which is always cool to see.

First we crossed into Illinois (now two states from home!)


I can see the arch we must be close to Missouri!


Yep! (not sure why it is so dark…grr&#8230


We kept rolling down the highway towards Jay’s house stopping occasionally for gas and picnics. We saw lots of random things on this trip, including this tractor parade float in the middle of nowhere!


Picnicking at one of the MANY defunct gas stations we saw on the trip


Welcome to Kansas, now pay a toll!


This giant bug was on the front of the car on our last gas stop of the day


I had been in contact with Jay all day because I knew it would be late by the time we got there. He had us all squared away and I was definitely looking forward to a good night’s rest for sure. We ended up staying up late chatting but still got a great night’s rest in the most comfortable bed of the trip! We also got to tuck the roadster in a barn for the night which was good since it ended up thunderstorming.

 

The next morning I awoke to the smell of eggs frying in a pan with all the fixins. It was delish for sure! After breakfast we took a tour of the farm.

First stop a visit with the coupe, back together (almost) and ready for the road


Complete with pink shock and all


I really like his simple hot rod dash and wheel


He’s freshly machined head to get the coupe back on the road


Proof that coupes are for chickens! On Jay’s workbench, not even 3 feet away from the coupe!


I loved his chickens and there is nothing better than farm fresh eggs. If I were home a little more I’d have some chickens of my own! This is their horse, I think her name is Daisy.


His coupe hiding out in his workshop


Proof that he’s still waiting for surf in Kansas


His trusty Impala convertible


And a cool sticker on the bumper I had never noticed before


Future project, really cool Airstream


Sophia by ‘her’ truck. Her and Amelia are so cute!


His awesome lawnmower that Matt is in love with

 

A barnfind deuce roadster in Jay’s barn, imagine that?!?! Actually a good parking space out of the storm the night before


I think his girls have a future in sign painting, they are very artistic!


Jay and Sophia helped us get the car ready for the drive that day. Here is Sophia shining up the headlights!


Jay is a great guy and his family is the best. His kids are so fun and still enjoy the simple things in life. It is refreshing to see a family living off the land and enjoying each other. Thanks for all of the hospitality Jay, Matt and I both really enjoyed the time we spent at your casa!

 

Alas we needed to hit the road again if we were going to make it to Denver that evening. Here we are traveling on Jay’s infamous dirt road


Lots of flat land lay ahead of us to travel


We saw a lot of windmills on the trip. Seems like there are more and more each time I head out west.


A cool house on the plains


An Oil and Gas Museum I’d like to check out sometime


Old cars in cracks, oh the horror!


We then crossed into Colorado, one state closer to California!


The further we drove into Colorado the cloudier it got. Rain was coming, not a question of if but when- at least we had a top!




It rained for about 15 minutes, the rest of the time we just dealt with the spray from the road. We really didn’t even get wet. Here is Matt bracing for the rain

 

Fortunately because of my strict schedule and the hour we gained we were able to make it to Denver in time to go to Casa Bonita. I know, I know, roll your eyes! (That’s the reaction I get from anyone that lives in Denver) I had gone there like 15 years ago and could never explain to Matt just how tacky it was, so I was able to show him!


It is a Mexican restaurant with tons of themed dining areas and even cliff diving in the center! The décor is really over the top!




They even have an arcade! (plus TONS of other ways for kids to blow your money!)


Here is the cliff diving area


And from behind the waterfall


Check out more about them here:
http://www.casabonitadenver.com/

After that we headed west of Denver and set up camp for the night. The camp host the night before said there would be rain about 8:30-9 the next morning so we planned to get up and get out of there before the rain hit.

 

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, not very warm though—it had dropped down to 41 during the night! Proof that I camped in that cold climate (I checked the bathroom but it wasn’t even warm to sleep in )




Re-packing the car, something we did about 5 times a day


Our campground, Chief Hosa (open since 1918!)


Beautiful blue skies with the Rockies ahead of us


We went through lots of tunnels on this section of road


No wonder I was so cold during the night, look at all that snow!


The Eisenhower Tunnel


A runaway truck up the ramp, glad we weren’t around when he didn’t have any brakes!


It is so picturesque!


Another older looking tunnel


Heading towards Utah you can begin to see the land and the scenery change




It was somewhere in this stretch of road we passed Malcolm and he snapped this pic. I don’t know how we missed each other

 

We then crossed into Utah which turned into desert really fast




It was about this time we almost ran out of gas, it was SOOO close. I had visions of us being pecked to death by vultures! Luckily we made it to the gas station and were sure to fill the spare gas can as insurance for the rest of the trip!

The mountains began to take different shapes (at least they didn’t have snow on them!)


One of my favorite pics from the trip




Many of hills/mountains in Utah were very long and drawn out. Neither one of us had any idea it would be that hilly! The Flathead never missed a beat though and never overheated! We decided to stop at this scenic vista, not sure which it was.




It was a long day but we had to press on to meet friends of Matt’s in Las Vegas for dinner. A sandwich to hold us over…


We dipped in the top northwest corner of Arizona while passing through to Las Vegas. The Virgin Gorge/Canyon that you go thru in AZ is awesome, unfortunately it was too dark for pics


And last but not least into Nevada we are. I missed the sign but at least caught the welcome center one!


We met up with a friend, ate a bite to eat then hit the sack. We were both exhausted after the long day’s drive from Denver!

 

The next morning we got up early and headed out to the Las Vegas strip to check out the sights. It was kind of surreal having a hot rod to cruise the strip in…






I wanted to go to the Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace but they didn’t open for awhile so we took a walk.

Matt visited LV not to long ago and was really impressed with the giant margarita machine that a girl slides into in Jimmy Buffett’s restaurant so we checked that out, pretty crazy…


We walked over to the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace. Fortunately for my wallet they weren’t open yet…I thought Las Vegas never closed?!?!? They did have these really cool umbrellas outside though…


Next stop was the Auto Collections at the Imperial Palace


They have a wide variety of cars there; some for sale, some not. Lots of cool stuff none the less though!








This ’32 Lincoln used to be in my showroom, she’s out visiting LV for awhile!


This car was really different. I love the caning on the side




My favorite car there, the concept Cadillac by Ghia. Not for sale


I really like the colors on these two cars

 

They had a bunch of jukeboxes, it made me think of ChassisResearchKid, I know he’s really into them






Two of my favorites, I swear they said this first one was ‘Mother of Plastic’




For additional info on the Auto Collections and to see more cars, visit their website here:
http://autocollections.com/

After we got done there it was time to head to one of my favorite places on earth, the Hoover Dam! But not without the quintessential photo opportunity in Las Vegas first


There was a lot of traffic heading down to the dam that afternoon, no wonder they are building this new bridge


They are way behind schedule on it, it was supposed to be done in 2008. I guess one guy was killed and another seriously injured in addition to serious structure collapses along the way. I think it is supposed to be done at the end of next year now. They say it is to help the traffic flow on the dam (which I believe because it is only one lane each way right now plus gawking) plus help to alleviate security concerns from large trucks and trailers driving across it.

 

As soon as we got there we went to the visitors center and set up a ‘Dam Tour’ since the last time I was there was right after 9/11 and everything was on lockdown. While we were waiting for our tour we checked out the monuments and museums on site.

It has a very art deco feel and lots of neat details and sculptures. These winged animals are on the outside dedication monument


This is a diorama from the ‘40s showing the flow of the Colorado River and what the dam does and the power it provides. It is sweet, I wish I could put it in my house


After a quick walk around it was time for our tour to start. They start everyone out watching a movie about the construction of the dam and the people that worked on it. The Hoover Dam is an amazing feat of engineering and the people that worked on it were some of the most patriotic to ever have lived. The spirit they had in building the dam and providing for their families in the height of the depression is unparalleled.

After the movie we headed to the turbine room on the Nevada side.






After we visited there we got to go on the special tour and really get into the heart of the dam. Here is Matt and his friend Andy screwing around in one of the tunnels


This ‘hole’ goes down over 100 feet. Glad I didn’t fall through!


This tunnel leads to one of the grates built into the side of the dam


This is a photo with my hand stuck out of the grate looking up at the dam, pretty creepy feeling


They showed us a lot of the tunnels and rooms in the dam. They said that the people built the dam with intentions to have people tour it. This is the stairwell through the dam. It is hard to imagine but it actually mocks the shape of the dam and curves backwards and slopes forwards.
Looking up


Looking down (they had to replace the metal steps with fiberglass yellow safety OSHA ones )


They said it takes more than an hour to climb the whole thing!

Inside the dam you can feel the whole dam shaking from the pressure of Lake Mead against it. There are cracks and leaks everywhere but they say that is normal and good for the dam. The concrete is still cooling and curing, they say it will take at least 100 years! I could have stayed in there all day to explore but they are sure to get everyone out, pretty concerned about security which I guess is a good thing.

 

Outside we snapped a few more photos…
Cheesecake shot of the day


Looking behind the dam


Matt and I on the Arizona side of the dam


Driving the roadster across the dam




More info on the Hoover Dam:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam

After that we said our goodbyes to Andy and headed west. We were almost to California!

 

So I had planned to get gas at the last exit in Nevada. We get to the last exit and it says ‘Exit Only’ so I pretty much begin to freak out. In Ohio ‘Exit Only’ means no entrance back onto the freeway. As I’m in my panic (here we are heading to the desert--this time at NIGHT--with no gas) when I see the entrance ramp from the exit. Needless to say we had a little reverse action to the gas pump. Glad I didn’t get my usual California welcome from the CHP! So be warned, the last exit on 15 in Nevada does have gas and you can get back on the freeway. Sometime in that jumble though I missed the California sign. I was pretty upset so I took a picture of the ‘Click it or ticket’ sign


Passed the world’s largest thermometer that still read 89 degrees at 7:30 at night!


Welcome to California, traffic already at the Ag Check In Station


We made our way through the desert and over the mountains to Pomona where we set up camp late at the KOA across from the Fairplex.

 

The next day we did this all day—


NOTHING! We definitely needed a day to decompress after driving all that way!

I really liked camping at that KOA. It was clean, the pool was nice and the spots were shady. Our tent space


Late afternoon I told Matt we were almost out of food so we should go to In and Out Burger (I’m not in California until I have one) and go to the grocery store. As we were walking thru the campground to the ’32 a big motorhome and trailer pulled in. I said hello but kept walking. I knew I knew at least one guy that jumped out but I wasn’t sure from where. All of the sudden I remembered, it was HAMBer HotWare (Steve) from Washington and his friend HAMBer Just Dug (Doug). Denise and I had met Steve and his friends last year at Bonneville. We said our hellos and promised to return with beer.

First stop In and Out.


Matt eating his first In and Out burger. He said he liked it (how couldn’t you?!?!) which I was surprised since he doesn’t eat fast food. But maybe he was just being nice to me


When we got back to the campground we were lamenting how much California’s grooved concrete roads SUCK when it was decided we should change the toe on the roadster since the tires were really starting to wear anyways.




We spent the rest of the evening drinking beers and telling lies, the things hot rodders are good at!

 

The next morning we had a delicious see-food breakfast


No, actually it was eggs, bacon and toast very yummy!
Doug


Matt and Steve


Thanks to Steve, Doug, and Kevin (the late arrival) for all of the good food, fun and company over the weekend. It was really a good time, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for the Beaver for Bonneville!

After breakfast Steve and Doug headed to the already forming swap meet line while Matt and I headed over to Limeworks to kick off our LARS weekend.

When we arrived at Limeworks there were already quite a few cars. We were able to snag a spot in the fireman’s lot next door though.



Steve’s roadster



Kopis_Korpse Pontiac




This sign across the street is really cool

 

Inside there were lots of people milling around (hopefully buying ) and eating burgers. Lots of familiar HAMB faces there!

cruzr, 32gal, Kopis_Korpse, scootermcrad


Also ran into HAMBer TimDavis, Max and company from Florida, always good to see them! Plus HAMBer hershambob and company from across the pond! And I thought we had come a long ways!

There were also cars out back, including cruzr’s coupe


Each time I went out front there were more and more cars there, they had a great turnout!










This coupe was a sweetheart! I think it was from Arizona?




The ‘32s power parking space and me (shot by TimDavis)


Tim even shot a picture of our over stuffed trunk!


As soon as we parked the car at Limeworks I put up the sign looking for info about the previous owner. CraigR saw the sign and told us about a weekly cruise in Santa Monica (where the roadster is from) that a lot of old timers (literally the Old Tymers club) goes to. We knew our next stop!

Thanks to Limey Steve, CraigR, Kona and the rest of the guys for making us feel so welcome. And for selling us the Mexican blanket that kept me warm the rest of the trip!

Buy stuff from Steve and Craig!
http://www.limeworkspeedshop.com/

 

We headed over to Santa Monica without too much trouble and even saw some old tin along the way!


When we got to Teddy’s we were the first ones there. So we sat and waited for everyone else to show up They slowly began to arrive and welcomed us with open arms. They were all surprised that we had driven the car all the way there and were interested in find the previous owner, from 50 years ago!

Some cool cars there that evening








Neat Fenton intake for a small block


I love engine turning and these spark plug wire holders were no exception


We met a guy there named Frank Brown who had grown up in Santa Monica. He was really helpful to us in searching out info. He introduced us to a lot of the guys there and told us about Santa Monica ‘back in the day’. I really enjoyed the time we spent with Frank and look forward to seeing him and his cool ’32 roadster in the future!

This is Frank’s car. It used to belong to Glenn Ball of Bakersfield, one of the original members of the Smokers Car Club. He built it as a hot rod in 1948 and raced it at Bonneville in the early 1950s with a Flathead motor. In 1955 he replaced the flatty with a Chevy V8 and painted the car ‘Smoker’s’ purple. I guess Glenn was quite the ladies man, he called the car ‘Mayflower’ because all of the girls that came across in it! Frank still calls it that and drives the wheels off of it, commuting between his new home in New Mexico and SoCal.

The Mayflower


PRC and Russetta timing tag


The interior that Glenn Ball’s mother in law put in over 50 years ago!




Even though we didn’t find George Kirk there (the previous owner of the ’32) we had a good time looking for him and hearing about the car scene in Santa Monica back in the ‘50s.

 

After that we drove down to the pier. I’m sure the roadster has been there before!


We then headed over to the Motel 6 in San Dimas to check in for the weekend.

Friday morning we weren’t really sure what to do. We didn’t know we could get into the show the day otherwise we would have. Instead we headed over to the Early Ford store in San Dimas. I had been there before and I knew Matt being the early Ford guy he is would LOVE it!


If you like early Fords and you’ve never been there you really need to go. It is an amazing place stuffed to the gills with all kinds of Henry Ford goodness. I’ll let the pics speak for themselves!

 

There is also a lot of neat memorabilia and pictures on the walls






I got a chuckle out of this note on the bulletin board


Obviously with it being LARS weekend there were a lot of early Fords there as well




After we picked up a few things we headed over to the SoCal open house. On the way we cruised through the Sheraton Fairplex parking lot






For more info on the Early Ford Store or help finding that hard to find part, check out their website:
http://www.earlyfordstore.com/

 

When we arrived *near* SoCal Speedshop you could tell it was already a mob scene! There were cars 3 deep on one side of Grand for as far as the eye could see. We pulled up to the main gate to ask what to do and he offered us a space inside so we took it.



Chuck Vranas’ tub that was a contender for the AMBR this year looked gorgeous in the sun, like a whole different car than at GNRS!


Long way to see a car from back home, the Polynesian


Lots of other cool cars there
















This roadster looks like it’s seen a lot of miles, well at least the interior!

 

I love love love the Sandy’s Muffler roadster












They had two of their shop buildings open and their cars (or friends cars or cars they built) down the center aisle

 

Inside the shop they had a lot of projects on display pertaining to the particular area they were in—paint, body, chassis, etc

I’ve always loved this picture












I love old tools. It is amazing how many brand new high tech shops are using tools made 50-60 years ago. What does that tell you?


This roadster is gorgeous!

 

That was probably a good idea with the "before" picture with you guys' track record. ha ha ha

 

More SoCal cars










Billy Gibbons new Tbird- HOT!




Ran into some old friends, Gene and I


And Alex Xydias. When he asked what I brought and told him about driving a Flatty across the country to the show he got a big grin on his face and told me he ‘lost interest in hot rods when the took the valves out of the block!’ I loved it!


More cool cars




Waiting in line for an In and Out burger

 

This was a restored hot rod they debuted at the open house. A group of guys restored it for a friend of theirs that was injured in a freak accident (not in the car).






Sweet pipes!


Lots more cars to see (I’m really just showing a small fraction!)

 

After we walked around and saw everything it was time to head over to Bobby Walden’s shop for his open house. I really enjoyed his open house after the craziness of SoCal. Bobby’s just seemed a lot more genuine, a real hot rodder’s gathering.

We were going to park on the street but HotWare (Steve) called me and said there was room inside. So we pulled into the back and let the roadster get surrounded by cool cars

Lots of HAMBers there. Mike from AZ’s cool road warrior wagon


DRD57’s ’32 roadster, looking better than ever


Some of the Peckerheads that cuznbrucie came down from Reno with




Mike’s friends roadster, I think he is a HAMBer?


I really like the bead rolled tuck and roll interior, pretty crafty!


Gorgeous pinstriping






Rudy’s coupe


A simple Shoebox

 

Some of Walden’s projects




More old tools


Some outside shots










By that time our In and Out burger wore off so we headed with HAMBer TimDavis to Bravo Burger where they serve you sooo much food it is ridiculous!


Two red roadsters, imagine that!


Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow-- the LA Roadster Show!

 

Rox, THANKS! Great pictures and more power to you for making the trip with a Flathead.

Nick.

 

Definitely the trip of a Lifetime, Megan! Thanks for all of the photos and descriptions.
I hope to do the same trip from Omaha within the next two years....



Malcolm

 

GREAT PICS ! ! !