If the consensus was against black roadsters with red wheels etc., then I don't think you'd see so many. Seems to me that the consensus is that they are well liked and therefore consistently emulated. Ray
Glad to see I was able to help you get out of some funk Ryan. I’ve been sitting in that same boat for a few months now as well. It’s always a pleasure to work with you and the JJ. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sweet little car. Neve make excuses for the truth, whether it's as complicated as life so as simple as a car that is "right." The truth is never trite.
recently...when you were still under the pain meds at the recent surgery hospital bed, you dared/hesitated to mention studying far eastern ideology... I am thinking you are finally finding "the" path... "Manifestation .. Law of Attraction.... Creating your own Reality.. " it took 66 years and nearing permanent Dementia from Lyme to guide me there. Fear Not .
I hear what you're saying. And, glad you're feeling better. It's a very nice, very well done car. It isn't different, but a refinement of ideas going back to the day when a A first rolled off the assembly line. In a word:traditional. It is the purity of the line that attracts us and that doesn't get old or trite. If you are looking for a consensus, you need only to read the McDonald's sign. 110 million (now billions) sold? I surely don't want to be in that giant group that thinks what they're selling is a good hamburger. If they can't appreciate a great burger, how could they appreciate a great car? Live the day!
Perspective is often acquired over years, perfection is what we all try to achieve over those years. That little Roadster is pretty darn close to perfection and that's from my perspective..........Love the details like the Ford script craftily incorporated into the upper portion of the firewall. What a gem!
Thanks for some inspiration to get my old heap out of the 80's and back to it's roots. That's a bitchin' roadster.
After what seems like decades of hearing negative nellies prattle on about sbc's in old Fords, "all '32 roadsters look alike", and on and on I'm pleased to see you comment on this. Having done this kind of stuff for over 55 years it could be easy to get jaded...………..but it hasn't happened yet. At a glance these styles may seem very repetitive, boring to some, but each has their own statement somewhere in the build. A good example is from just one picture in this grouping, though others could have been used. This little gem has that nice cowl vent and the raised Ford logo on the firewall. Ground breaking? Not likely, but interesting just the same. Enjoyment is often in the little things.
anything that is meant to last must be built on a solid foundation - black cars with an accent of red and shiny parts pays tribute to the early days when budgets were small but, dreams were big
Sounds like you almost had the "traditional" epiphany...... there is no such thing and trying to recreate (and enforce) the sameness leads to boredom. It's the same but different for all of us here. The difference is "I sort of like this new perspective from over here inside my brain and frankly, I’ve never given a shit about the consensus." makes you edgy but us banned. Ah, the conundrum......
I don't see the black and red colors as 'what we expect" its stance, proportions and attitude, the colors are irrelevant sometimes the term 'cookie cutter' is used for cars like this so what, cool is cool, and let the folks that complain about the'cookie cutter cars" keep wishing they had something this cool.
Neat, well done roadster. Great photos! @HelmuthBrothers (Please tell/show us more about the '57 Ford, too!)
I've heard it said time and again that black cars with red wheels has been beat to death, I liked it 50 years ago and still like it today, pure and simple look that I hope will always be considered as the traditional hot rod look. HRP
In 1957 Elvis drove this. From the movie "Loving You" Black roadsters with red wheels and whitewalls were cool then, cool now and still will be when we are all gone!!! Rock on Ryan!
A hot rod is like a painting, many are similar but the hand and mindspace of its creator is evident in each one. We all enjoy looking close at rods and kustoms and discovering those subtle tweaks and touches that share a wink between the builder and the appreciator. That will always be.
Black on black on black seems to be more prevalent as of late....now black on red on white is looking real refreshing!
Sure, it's "cookie cutter" - but who DOESN'T like cookies every now and then?! It's a sweet little machine.
[Mister Pines Purple House...] Just wondering how this black on red tradition got started... There were 4.3 million model B's produced in these available colors: black, grey, dark blue, dark green, dark maroon, dark brown, and vermillion Are we saying that only the guys that had the black ones hot rodded them? Are we saying that everyone that hot rodded them painted them black? i thought the choice between speed parts and paint was clear for a hot rodder back in the day.... Or, looking back through a black and white lens did they all just look black? Also, when did finely stitched red leather replace the factory mohair or Indian blanket in these traditional hot rods? Chappy
Thanks to John for the fantastic pictures and Ryan for the nice writeup, I'm glad you really enjoyed it. From day one I didn't want a ground breaking car, I wanted the quintessential highboy roadster. I'm glad to see that some of my details still showed up in the photographs. I'm no professional but I did the best I can do and I'm proud to say nothing was farmed out. Here's a shot of the day I brought it home in 2016. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. That's my good friend Josh's car. We finished a body off on it about a year ago, painted in the same garage as my roadster. It's a 292 bored to 312 with a 4 speed. Josh grew up with his father taking him everywhere in this car, and he learned to drive in it. It's finished as a tribute to his father who we lost during it's resto, hence the name "Father Time" on the rear.
Love cliche, if they all look like that. Hell, I'd probably red pinstripe every body contour ....like they did in the 60's .... like Tom Prufer would .... red accent every louver too. F#ck it. Get down with the black and red ....
The Jalopy Journal
