Range Rod: Revisited

Throughout my years at The Jalopy Journal, I haven’t revisited many past feature cars. In the early days, I was especially practical. Find forgotten hot rods in old magazines, write about them, and then, as a group, see if we can find out more. Sometimes we find car owners, their friends, or the cars themselves, while other times the trail goes cold. Regardless, these machines are the foundation that this obsession is built on.

This week, I’m working on my roadster’s interior. I spent two days figuring out the steering angle, column drop, and steering wheel positioning. Somewhere around the midway point, my head started to spin. I rolled the car out in the driveway and took a step back.

“Does this look right?” I asked myself. To double-check my work, I walked upstairs and grabbed two late-’50s issues of Hot Rod Magazine. Sitting behind my newly installed steering wheel, I leafed through the pages.

Inspiration came to life. I wasn’t looking at traditionally styled cars—I was looking at the originals. And there, in the May 1958 issue, was Al Monk’s “Range Rod.”

Longtime readers may remember my Range Rod feature from the fall of 2015. Here’s an excerpt:

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.

Nine years later, I love the Range Rod even more. I appreciate its weirdness: the bumpers, the fenders, and the oversized taillights. This time around, the only things that bug me are the rear frame horn covers, but I could get used to those.

People don’t build cars like this today. Maybe they should? Either way, I can’t wait to re-revisit the Range Rod in 2033.

—Joey Ukrop