The Jalopy Journal

**Kevin Lee** · 07-28-2009, 04:20 PM

Sorry, I'm fresh out of clever ASS puns. This is just the quick story of my coupe and some friends in Austin, Texas. It was a crazy week and I'll probably forget to include half of what happened. But hopefully a few more people who were there will come along and fill in the blanks.

The plan was for Tuck to drive down from Kanada, load the coupe on a trailer here in Kansas City, then drive down to Austin for a week long thrash at the shop. Anyone who felt like lending a hand could, but there was no real plan for anyone more than Tuck and I to be working on it. Bob came up with the idea at the Roundup and everything just fell into place from there. If you've followed what I'm doing at all then you know I work out of my little one car garage and my tools are somewhat limited. I also don't usually spend large blocks of time on the car. So the opportunity to work at a place like ASS for an uninterrupted week was truly a great thing and up front I need to say thanks to Bob and everyone at the shop as well as my super rad wife who all seemed to know how important this was for me.

Tuck was involved from the beginning and landed on the decision to put a hitch on the Ranchero and haul the coupe with that. And he busted his ass getting that thing ready for the trip and we scored an old single axle trailer for the trip. It was great and I can't see any other way to tow the coupe now.

The trip down was nuts. Tuck can fill in details if he want's but here is the short version. Carry an extra fan belt and 99% of Oklahoma sucks.

We got to Austin later than planned and crashed in the bus at Bobs. The bus rules. From then on it was pretty much wake up, work on the coupe, go to sleep. Plenty of eating involved too and I had missed the food there.

Literally within the first five minutes of pushing the coupe into the shop Bob had picked up a hammer and dolly and "wham, wham, wham... fixed the oil-canning problem with the front half of my roof. Half an hour later Tuck had completely erased a giant bullet hole/dent and crease in the side of my gas tank. It was really too much for me to take in.

From there Tuck and I just started working. Mark lent me this cool little screwdriver he had modified for aligning tacked panels as you do the final welding. I had done a decent job of fitting most of what was there but when you go to a place like this and are surrounded with a different quality of work it pushes you. It's kind of like a really good skate session with friends. You have fun when you go by yourself but if it's a big session with lots of friends you push each other and it rules. At least that's the best way I can describe it. So the end result of that is we ended up cutting about half of what I had already tacked or welded to get better panel fit. I really learned lots of little things and made the decision to expand my definition of what I consider "necessary tools". The bullseye pick rules. I'm getting one.

The coupe looks so much better now. A solid piece with a few panels missing and some welding to be done instead of a tacked together shell.

The whole trip ruled. Thanks to Bob and Laura. The bus was so great and puppy Jezebel was super rad to have around toward the end of the week when I was really missing my family. Joyo - Sorry I missed you leaving. Thanks for everything. Dan - the Zephyr is going to rule – just let me know what you need. Mark - now has the baddest street rod in Austin. El Laura - that food was so great. We all should have been grilling every night. And coffee spiked brownies for the ride home were genius. Magic rules, even if he does like Led Zepplin. And the silent ruler, Luke. This guy was constantly pulling stuff out of his hat. "Oh yeah, I make Model A drip rails... here's a PILE of them." hahahaha. So anyone needing a nice set of A coupe drip rails should call him. Oh yeah Franco, I stole your artwork.

**BBobb** · 07-28-2009, 04:25 PM

This type story is what makes hot roddin a hobby and a passion worth persuing.Good luck on you coupe

JeffreyJames · 07-28-2009, 04:30 PM

That sounds like a dream trip. I would love to get a full weeks worth of work on a car even if it's not mine. Rad time had by all I'm sure!!!

Kevin, I am really digging those tires on your coupe.

moter · 07-28-2009, 04:34 PM

Great story! Glad it all worked out!

Cshabang · 07-28-2009, 04:38 PM

Pics kevin>>>pics

**coolstuff** · 07-28-2009, 04:38 PM

did Tuck ever make it back home?or is he lost somewhere in Iowa?

COS · 07-28-2009, 04:42 PM

YOU LUCKY BASS TURD!!! Man that was one cool hauling rig you two had there!!

-COS

COS · 07-28-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cshabang

Pics kevin>>>pics

Yes more pics quit holding out on us!!

**Kevin Lee** · 07-28-2009, 04:43 PM

Tuck is home. But my camera broke the day before I left. I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't break in Oklahoma.

JK · 07-28-2009, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Lee

Carry an extra fan belt and 99% of Oklahoma sucks.

HEY NOW!!!!!! Only 98% of this state sucks. What makes you say it sucks? I know it's not all the construction.

**Ryan** · 07-28-2009, 04:53 PM

A public apology of sorts... I got my dates a bit mixed up and missed literally all of the thrash as I headed for Salina. It was weird... My best pal from Kansas City was in Austin... While I was in Kansas. Go figure.

Anyhow, I was a shitty pal. I should have been here. Sorry Kevin... I'll make it up - promise.

Squablow · 07-28-2009, 04:54 PM

Clever ASS puns is itself a clever ass pun.

**Tman** · 07-28-2009, 05:12 PM

Love the teaser shots we have seen from the week. Looks like you fools had tons of fun! Car looks killer as usual. T

SinisterCustom · 07-28-2009, 05:17 PM

That's fuckin' cool Kevin.....
You know we need more pics of it now though, right?

**cactus1** · 07-28-2009, 06:03 PM

Less than a month 'till the Drags. Hurry up!

**Pinstriper40** · 07-28-2009, 06:10 PM

Is Kevin's title of "Super Moderator" part of the payback Ryan? That's pretty funny if it is...

touchdowntodd · 07-28-2009, 06:13 PM

i have been staring at the pics of the car on facebook for days..

FUCK, that really showed how much of a loser i am

**Reggie** · 07-28-2009, 06:15 PM

Man, I hate I missed you guys too! I was hoping to get a glimpse of you two on I-35 on Sunday as we were driving back from Salina.

**Malcolm** · 07-28-2009, 06:49 PM

Looking good, Kevin! After seeing photos of your coupe throughout the past week, I'm still longing for more... please!

Yeah, I35 through Oklahoma really sucks. I've driven that route at least 20 times in the past 8 years and it has never seemed to get any better.
I'd say it ranks up there with I40 through New Mexico.

Keep up the good work on the coupe!

Malcolm

Roothawg · 07-28-2009, 07:00 PM

It's good to have friends.

07-28-2009, 04:20 PM	#1
Kevin Lee Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: KC,MO - The cradle of hot rodding Posts: 6,302	••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Sorry, I'm fresh out of clever ASS puns. This is just the quick story of my coupe and some friends in Austin, Texas. It was a crazy week and I'll probably forget to include half of what happened. But hopefully a few more people who were there will come along and fill in the blanks. The plan was for Tuck to drive down from Kanada, load the coupe on a trailer here in Kansas City, then drive down to Austin for a week long thrash at the shop. Anyone who felt like lending a hand could, but there was no real plan for anyone more than Tuck and I to be working on it. Bob came up with the idea at the Roundup and everything just fell into place from there. If you've followed what I'm doing at all then you know I work out of my little one car garage and my tools are somewhat limited. I also don't usually spend large blocks of time on the car. So the opportunity to work at a place like ASS for an uninterrupted week was truly a great thing and up front I need to say thanks to Bob and everyone at the shop as well as my super rad wife who all seemed to know how important this was for me. Tuck was involved from the beginning and landed on the decision to put a hitch on the Ranchero and haul the coupe with that. And he busted his ass getting that thing ready for the trip and we scored an old single axle trailer for the trip. It was great and I can't see any other way to tow the coupe now. The trip down was nuts. Tuck can fill in details if he want's but here is the short version. Carry an extra fan belt and 99% of Oklahoma sucks. We got to Austin later than planned and crashed in the bus at Bobs. The bus rules. From then on it was pretty much wake up, work on the coupe, go to sleep. Plenty of eating involved too and I had missed the food there. Literally within the first five minutes of pushing the coupe into the shop Bob had picked up a hammer and dolly and "wham, wham, wham... fixed the oil-canning problem with the front half of my roof. Half an hour later Tuck had completely erased a giant bullet hole/dent and crease in the side of my gas tank. It was really too much for me to take in. From there Tuck and I just started working. Mark lent me this cool little screwdriver he had modified for aligning tacked panels as you do the final welding. I had done a decent job of fitting most of what was there but when you go to a place like this and are surrounded with a different quality of work it pushes you. It's kind of like a really good skate session with friends. You have fun when you go by yourself but if it's a big session with lots of friends you push each other and it rules. At least that's the best way I can describe it. So the end result of that is we ended up cutting about half of what I had already tacked or welded to get better panel fit. I really learned lots of little things and made the decision to expand my definition of what I consider "necessary tools". The bullseye pick rules. I'm getting one. The coupe looks so much better now. A solid piece with a few panels missing and some welding to be done instead of a tacked together shell. The whole trip ruled. Thanks to Bob and Laura. The bus was so great and puppy Jezebel was super rad to have around toward the end of the week when I was really missing my family. Joyo - Sorry I missed you leaving. Thanks for everything. Dan - the Zephyr is going to rule – just let me know what you need. Mark - now has the baddest street rod in Austin. El Laura - that food was so great. We all should have been grilling every night. And coffee spiked brownies for the ride home were genius. Magic rules, even if he does like Led Zepplin. And the silent ruler, Luke. This guy was constantly pulling stuff out of his hat. "Oh yeah, I make Model A drip rails... here's a PILE of them." hahahaha. So anyone needing a nice set of A coupe drip rails should call him. Oh yeah Franco, I stole your artwork. Attached Thumbnails

07-28-2009, 04:25 PM	#2
BBobb Alliance Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: El Lago Texas Posts: 1,722	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• This type story is what makes hot roddin a hobby and a passion worth persuing.Good luck on you coupe __________________ HOW TO BUILD A HOT ROD Lesson 1.:: Hang around the old timers,shut the f@#k up and listen and do all the dirty work Lesson 2. Refer back to lessons 1

07-28-2009, 04:30 PM	#3
JeffreyJames Old School HAMBer Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Crown Town (Charlotte), NC Posts: 8,227	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• That sounds like a dream trip. I would love to get a full weeks worth of work on a car even if it's not mine. Rad time had by all I'm sure!!! Kevin, I am really digging those tires on your coupe. __________________ I PLAY WITH TIGERS ...AND IRON LORDS ...AND I'M ON THAT BITCHIN' TIP

07-28-2009, 04:34 PM	#4
moter Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Hutto TX Posts: 750	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Great story! Glad it all worked out! __________________ Thought for the day: Support diversity, own as many calibers as possible.

07-28-2009, 04:38 PM	#5
Cshabang Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Connecticut Posts: 1,879	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Pics kevin>>>pics __________________ BANG ZOOM, ITS NOT ROCKET SURGERY.... WANTED:10.00x 15 Radir piecrusts..see my ad

07-28-2009, 04:38 PM	#6
coolstuff Alliance Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bettendorf Posts: 1,831	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• did Tuck ever make it back home?or is he lost somewhere in Iowa? __________________ www.vintagetorquefest.com April 29-30, 2011 Hot Rods Out on the Dirt Track - Kustoms Inside www.vintagetorque.com Vintage Torque Hot Rod DVDs and Zines

07-28-2009, 04:42 PM	#7
COS Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: KCMO Posts: 691	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• YOU LUCKY BASS TURD!!! Man that was one cool hauling rig you two had there!! -COS

07-28-2009, 04:43 PM	#9
Kevin Lee Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: KC,MO - The cradle of hot rodding Posts: 6,302	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Tuck is home. But my camera broke the day before I left. I'm actually kind of surprised it didn't break in Oklahoma.

07-28-2009, 04:53 PM	#11
Ryan Administrator Join Date: Jan 1995 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 11,019	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• A public apology of sorts... I got my dates a bit mixed up and missed literally all of the thrash as I headed for Salina. It was weird... My best pal from Kansas City was in Austin... While I was in Kansas. Go figure. Anyhow, I was a shitty pal. I should have been here. Sorry Kevin... I'll make it up - promise. __________________ Ryan Cochran (Notes from the road) "Skating the same line since 1976..." .................................................. .... www.jalopyjournal.com - www.jockeyjournal.com - www.garagejournal.com - www.gearjournal.com

07-28-2009, 04:54 PM	#12
Squablow Old School HAMBer Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Potter, Wis Posts: 7,165	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Clever ASS puns is itself a clever ass pun.

07-28-2009, 05:12 PM	#13
Tman Alliance Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Black Hills Posts: 20,887	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Love the teaser shots we have seen from the week. Looks like you fools had tons of fun! Car looks killer as usual. T __________________ www.vagabonds.cc Wanted, 50s Caddilac heads.

07-28-2009, 05:17 PM	#14
SinisterCustom Old School HAMBer Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Roy??? Wa Posts: 7,132	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• That's fuckin' cool Kevin..... You know we need more pics of it now though, right? __________________ Pinstriping by Josh *"No Quarter"*

07-28-2009, 06:03 PM	#15
cactus1 Alliance Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: K.C. Missouri, USA Posts: 2,206	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Less than a month 'till the Drags. Hurry up! __________________ "We are the bad-assest bad-asses in ass town!" -Mrs. cactus1 Check out my '34 Chevy truck build thread here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=371802

07-28-2009, 06:10 PM	#16
Pinstriper40 Alliance Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Koolsville Posts: 1,290	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Is Kevin's title of "Super Moderator" part of the payback Ryan? That's pretty funny if it is... __________________ New steel '49-51 Mercury style grille surrounds... PM me for details!

07-28-2009, 06:13 PM	#17
touchdowntodd Old School HAMBer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: milwaukee WIIIIII Posts: 3,749	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• i have been staring at the pics of the car on facebook for days.. FUCK, that really showed how much of a loser i am __________________ WTB - vintage aircraft hydraulics, pesco pumps, EQs, adels, etc STYLISTICS INC. LA Chapter

07-28-2009, 06:15 PM	#18
Reggie Alliance Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Round Rock, Tx (Suburb of Austin) Posts: 1,642	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Man, I hate I missed you guys too! I was hoping to get a glimpse of you two on I-35 on Sunday as we were driving back from Salina. __________________ Reggie

07-28-2009, 06:49 PM	#19
Malcolm Alliance Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Omaha, NE Posts: 4,259	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• Looking good, Kevin! After seeing photos of your coupe throughout the past week, I'm still longing for more... please! Yeah, I35 through Oklahoma really sucks. I've driven that route at least 20 times in the past 8 years and it has never seemed to get any better. I'd say it ranks up there with I40 through New Mexico. Keep up the good work on the coupe! Malcolm __________________ FOR SALE: '64 FORD F100 http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/s...d.php?t=498074 Nick Hoesing

07-28-2009, 07:00 PM	#20
Roothawg Old School HAMBer Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Slackerville, OK Posts: 13,437	Re: ••• Took my coupe to Austin Speed Shop ••• It's good to have friends. __________________ WWW.hungerrun.net CrossMembers CC EST 2009 Click here for the HAMB Chapel

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode