Range Rod

There are hot rods out there that just need to be found. Period pieces—cars that shed some light on the time, space and place they came from. More often than not, their origins are easy to trace and the car’s purpose is overtly visible. Rodders from rookies to historians can tell if a machine was meant for driving, dragging, show or go. And with each survivor, there are dozens of clues that reveal both big and small details about the builder. Maybe it’s a window sticker from their long-defunct timing association or a business card that slid between the seats. Or maybe when you sit on the cracked and faded upholstery you’re able to look back into their favorite arrangement of gauges and switches. A hot rod is an extension of the builder, it always has and it always will be.

So what’s the story of the car in the half-dozen black-and-white photos below? As you can clearly see, it’s another Deuce highboy. It has bobbed fenders in the rear, cycle fenders up front and a stance that I wouldn’t consider all that aggressive. The heavy-duty double-decker nerf bars look better suited for off-roading, as do the high-profile tires and high-visibility taillights. But it has all the “right�? hot rod components, too. See hot flathead, with multi-carb intake, dropped axle, Auburn dash et al.

During the mid-’50s, the Deuce was a popular sight in southeast Wyoming. The owner, Al Monk, was the head of the Cheyenne Roadster Club and drove the car on both street and strip. The roadster was painted green, and although it’s not pictured, Mr. Monk had a matching plaid top that he’d break out from time to time. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to locate any photos of it in place.

This Western Deuce was built with purpose. Its style reflected both the region and the era it came out of. Although I never met Mr. Monk, I’d like to think he was a sportsman. Couldn’t you just image this car, with top up, in the backdrop of a mid-’50s Winchester ad? Or tearing it up somewhere in the back 40? Either way, I’d love to find it just as it’s seen here and not change one thing—wheelcovers included.

—Joey Ukrop

Photos from Hot Rod Magazine, May 1958