Folks Of Interest Jim "JAKE" Jacobs, The Original Traditional Hot Rodder ! "TRODA"

Grew up reading Rod & Custom with Jim as my counter culture, back to basic hod rod dude. Loved the 3 window build with the nailhead and truck nose. Light years a head of his time. I was surprised to see this thread, as he is seldom spoke of. I have several of his designs and products on my roadster.

 

I have to admit that Jake is about my favorite person in this whole deal! When I was a kid, one of my first magazines ever was the Rod&Custom quarterly showed in the first set of pictures. I read it and reread many, many times in life, and still have it to this day. As a matter of fact, I was reading through it this morning... Jake always had a way of writing about our subject that as a kid even, said to me "you can do this stuff - it isn't too hard". The multi issue articles on the restoration of the Niekamp car are what got my brain tuned in to traditional cars from the begining. Now the embaressing part. After meeting so many of the movers and shakers in this industry over the years, and being able to call some of them friends, the only person that has left me a bit star struck is Jim Jacobs! I saw him at L.A. roadster show a couple of years ago, and said "are you Jim jacobs?" "Why yes I am, he replyed". I shook his hand and said something clever like "I just always wanted to meet you!" Nothing clever, like thanks, or love your work, none of that... Damn.

 

Oh, and you owe it to your self to read the article in that particular Rod & Custom quarterly that Jake wrote, especialy the paragraph about what it was like to drive the Niekamp car late at night through the L.A freeway system at speed... That paragraph sealed the deal on me being a hot rodder!

 

My two greatest idols in the world are Pete & Jake! Have been since I was a kid in 1973- so you know it was the thrill of lifetime to be working this year again with Pete. You may have seen me manning the booth in Kansas City and Detroit as Pete signed autographs and talked with people for hours. I got to visit the Pete & Jakes shop 2 weeks ago on the same 3 month trip and all the original memorabilia was incredible!!!! Yes, Jake made old hot rods TOTALLY cool again LONNNNGGGGGG before the "rodent rodders" were out of diapers.

 

Gotta say that I was a wide eyed big toothed 1st grader when the California Kid movie hit the TV. I snooked out of my bedroom to watch some loud piped hot rod take on the Law.
Yeah, I fell asleep with visions of hot rod goodness in my head, but the car and the attitude was there forever.

Great thread and thanks to those who fanned the dying flames of our hobby.

 

Also, don't forget that Neil East was there from the Renaissance as well!

 

I bought every issue of Rod and Custom starting in the late 1960's when Bud Bryan was building the '29 Hiboy. I think Jim Jacobs was the first to "Restore" a Hot Rod with the Niekamp roadster. Back then all the Hot Rod coverage was on the West Coast, and finally getting there in 1974 I tried see as much as I could. The Niekamp car was on display at "Cars of The Stars", I think that was the name of the collection, seeing it in real life was special. It would be nice to have a list of the cars and owners of TRODA, sure would make a great Rod Run if they all showed up.

 

I just purchased a Daimler Limousine Hemi from Jim , he called me to say he was getting one from his brother, they were junking the car. He asked what he should keep & I told him. Forward a year , "How's that Daimler Hemi ? " "it needs to be yours" was his reply. We struck & deal & we went out to his place, spent 4 hours getting the tour of his place , heard the stories of a bunch of his stuff & cars , then had lunch at his favorite Mex restaurant. What a great day , a true Gent & Hot Rodder. He's always done the same stuff , we just caught up .
Great Story thanks for posting it here.

 

Awesome! They truly do deserve credit for making traditional hot rodding what it is today... left alone, hot rodding would have mowed over, chewed up and spit out history in favor of the modern street rod.

Sam

 

Without a doubt, Pete and Jake and Jim Ewing and Gray Baskerville, etc., etc., are the ones who made old cars cool to me. I think many of us started with these guys and worked our way back, and forward to now, warped and twisted forever.

 

Never met either one of them but have bought a truck load of parts from them over the years and every part top quality.That say a lot about there pieces.

 

In the mid 70's, my Dad would just call Pete or Jake, to ask questions and buy parts (what's an "internet"?). Always nice, regular guys. We were bit by the "Kid" back then, too. I remember how excited my Dad was to buy his first dead perch from them. Made all the difference on the way to St. Paul back then! Thanks "Harms" for putting this up!

 

I have to mention the late Tom Senter was also a part of this party, riding shotgun with Jake in the Niekamp roadster, and nearly having his head taken off by a thrown road sign from a highway crew who didn't take too kindly to two hippies in a funny old car. Read it in that Quarterly!

 

"Jakeopage"

 

These coupes rule and so does Jake....

 

Jim= RULER!

 

Since I was a kid, Jim has been my hero, in the seventies and eighties , there was just a handfull of guys that liked traditional hot rods and kept the flame lit for us, another group of guys that helped the movement were the Australians, they were very big into traditional cars and helped alot with this movement. In San Diego, it was Jimmy Ramirez, John Guilmet sr., Joaguin Arnett, and Carl Burnett, they were our mentors in the san Diego scene.

 

Yup, as a kid of the 70s amd 80s he truly has influenced my taste. The Story in Rodders World of him, Pete,Don Thelan and Billy Gibbbons out on the town in their rods and the Eliminator put me over the top as a teen.

 

met Jim at fresno model "A" swap meets back in '69,'70, etc. he was driven the '29 panel with jag rear, cool cars, cool dude. RD

 

I saw Jims Tub in an American Rodder mag and that was it
Traditional Hot rods forever !!!!!

13 years later i got inroduced(spell?) to "Jake" by Jack Underwood.
I played cool but, man i was nervous.....
Cool dude

 

You are so right !,... Tom Senter was indeed a big force as well,... It would be cool to see a Roster of the original members of "TRODA",..

You know,... If TRODA is actually "kaput",.. It would be a natural for the Jalopy Journal and the HAMB,... to possibly breath life back into it,..

It would be a truly "Traditional",... "Traditional Hot Rod association",...

 

more pics of the Jake tub please
more pics of the Jake tub please
etc......

 

And a little grin from K.C.

 

If you can find any of the old Street Rod Quarterly's from the early 70's, they great reading, none of that fluff they print nowadays. The description of Jake driving the NieKamp thru LA. Tom Senter writing about the cross country trip with Jake in the NieKamp. Jakes writing about driving his panel to the first Nats. All very entertaining, you feel like you're there. I picked up used copies in the mid seventies when I was a teen, and will never part with those. One issue has the whole build of Bud's 29AV8, another of the NieKamp, the most awesome builds ever and well documented. Let's not forget about Spence Murray's 36 Roadster he started in the 60's, nobody was building westergard styled cars then. Where is that car now?

 

thanks buddy

 

One of my heros, too. Along with Gray Baskerville, Tom Senter,Bud Bryan- Growing up way out in the sticks, whatever car mags I could get were a way for me to dream about what the cool guys were doing- usually on the West Coast. They kept the flame alive in my head, and taught me a lot about what this hobby is all about. Thanks to all of them!

 

Anyone know where Pop's Paradise is at and is it still around?

 

I just noticed in the above pictures that Jim must have split the front bone on the tub sometime after gluing the magazine pages to it. LOVE that tub.

 

Yup. Damn straight. This magazine cover was my first exposure to traditional cars. Shortly after this hit the newstands, I saw a black full fendered Model A roadster with kelsey hayes wires, a three carb flatty, and a quick-change. First time I had seen one in the flesh.

 

Traditional Hot Rodding, owes a debt of gratitude to Jake and his fellow TRODA members for keeping our hobby from extinction, through those early "Street Rod" and "Muslcecar" years. The man is a living legend.