Tom McMullen's 32

Anybody ever race Tom's 32 roadster ?

 

Not sure what you mean...race against him? If so, I almost did, I and some of my roadster buddies from Pasadena cruised to Hollywood, ran into McMullen and some of his buddies at some drive-in (forgot which, but the carhop was a b...tch)...McMullen pulled next to me and wanted to race, but I looked at his 6-two barrels and realized that my four-barrel 324 Olds would lose....not to mention the cop car that I saw down the block...he started bad-mouthing us, but we decided that retreat was the best solution....that was when his roadster was metalflake green...

 

296 ardun ... I thought they might be a few old street racers that run him on the street back then.He was known to pick races with his 32.

 

oh you're talking about running into Tom on the street. I did that! not his 32. coming out of an alley I ran into Tom's 56 Pick up. scratched his running board and the prick got my insurance company for a complete paint job. $430.00 1959 dollars lol.
I did see him often but never raced. he was a hard core rodder.

 

Yep!---There are a whole bunch of untold stories about Tom!
I was Sec. of the LAR club when Tom re-applied for membership around 1976, he said he had "turned over a new leaf" since his early days in LAR club, I guess thats when he had the green paint job. Yes, we voted him back in again!!
Scritchfield has told me some of ol' Toms capers from the early days (1960's).
One meeting night, Tom & Deanna brings this COUGER CUB lion just to show us "This is going to be the logo on my new magazine cover"----Caused quite a stir!!---Most of you remember the small couger's head on each cover of Street Rodder magazine????-----Then there's lots more-------Don

 

ya I lived in Riverside, we would go to the beach to cruise, was really bitchen in late 50,s early 60,s. Several rods and roadsters would take off to OC. OHH man was soo cool in Hopkins 296 F/House duece roadster thru the Santa Ana canyon at 100 mph. We saw Tom in his roadster once, but never raced him. Heard several tales of races with him, when you went to the beach or LA you were messin with the big boys. lotta real fast cars there.

 

Hey Cecil!----Got to diggin' around in old pix from LAR runs today, found these 2 from Roadster Roundup in 1976 showing Tom & Deanna's new '32 roadster with that LOUD "Mosher motor".
Whenever we would go thru a tunnel, I would tease Tom & tell him his car sounded like a cement mixer truck!!!!
Don't know where it wound up!!------Don

 

Thank's Don !!! Great to see the old picture's. I think that car wound up on the east coast around New York. I wish I had more picture's of the orginal. I would love to find some old video of it from the 60's. Thank's again Cecil

 

I'm not sure, but I believe it ended up in El Paso, restored back to black with flames.
Larry T


Yep
http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0404sr_mcmullen_roadster/index.html

 

Ihad the pleasure of doing a couple projects with the man, he was a unique individual

 

WOW !!! Thank's so much for the GREAT PICTURE'S !!! Is this Jeorge that now owns this car ? Cecil

 

Back in the 60's Tom come home to Toledo to visit his mom. He come to my house in Dayton and we went to a car show on Dog Leg Road. He drove my T Bucket and let me drive his 32. What a thrill that was. Sure wish I had taken some picture's of that. But when your young you don't think of picture's.I don't think I even had a camra back then.

 

Thanks Again ... Can't get enough of pictures of this car lol. Where are you findng all of these ? Cecil

 

Tom raced Richard Strock in the, then Lincoln powered, Loyd Bakan coupe on the street in Downey. The roadster was green then.

 

Saw him make a pass and pop the chute one night in front of Bob's on Whittier Blvd. Wasn't racin any one just showin off. He was able to get the chute back in the car before the cops came. Always liked to drive by Beckman on Harbor Blvd cause that roadster was always parked out by the street.

 

Click on the Street Rodder link in post 9.
Larry T

 

Thank's Larry !!! I'll check it out.

 

It's alive and well in Westchester N.Y. There is a MOSHER engine that can go back in it someday.

 

$5000!!!!! i would have grabbed it up in a second. what year was that listed?

 

Lynn Baker from Ft.Smith had the Mosher powered car in Arkansas at one time.

 

It'd be nice to know exactly where the car traveled in it's various sales and owners.
Larry T

From the Street Rodder article.

".............Jorge knew he wanted Roy to restore the car, it was only a matter of obtaining it from Don Orosco of Monterey, a rodder who owns his share of hot rods. The roadster was purchased from Don the week after the L.A. Roadster Show in June 2002. It looked the same as it did in the May '82 issue of STREET RODDER when it was featured as part of a history story on the car.

Prior to Don owning it, the car belonged to Phyliss Lovesee, who at the time lived in Laguna Hills, California. She and her husband [Richard] originally obtained the car while living in Riverside, California. Before that, the car spent time at Gene Winfield's shop. It was the Lovesee's that had the car rebuilt at Chuck Lombardo's California Street Rods. At this point, the roadster was black minus flames with a tan interior and had a mundane small-block and TH350 tranny. The famous black California license plate (GHF 475) was removed in favor of a vanity plate but the original plate was kept, which is the way the car stayed until the Roy Brizio Street Rods restoration. (We believe it was Albert Baca who purchased the car from Phyliss Lovesee and who then sold it to Don Orosco.).........."

 

That was in 1969 or 70. I almost bought it ... But Tom sold the motor & trans. to his Lawyer for his boat and the rest of the car to someone else.He had got hurt real bad on his chopper and needed money.I sure wish I had bought it. Stll love that car after all these years.

 

The parachute is hanging from the ceiling of a shop near Grove, Oklahoma.

John

 

I wonder if Scritchfield ever raced McMullens car,they were probably two of the fastest cars in the LARS at the time,I'm just guessing.

 

I thought the only time Tom ever turned over a leaf was to crawl out from under it.

 

That roadster kicks ass especially when Tom was behind the wheel.Tom and Deanna came to Denver with the roadster to attend a couple shows the summer before there passing.I escorted them around here with my 32 phantom pu.When we got on the interstate at speed he cracked the throttle and blew by me like I was going backwards.I think he rotated the earth a little that day.Tom drove that sucker hard! YEA.

 

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=865289&d=1263069002

i love this look and the color does it for me as well , is this the magazine guy ??

 

Any pictures of it before Tom bought it from Don Hudson ?

 

Interesting thread.