Almost a year ago, I got an email from Tom King. I didn't recognize the name, but I recognized the scans of vintage ads that were attached to the email. See, Tom King was the inventor of the King Shifter and his ads were found all over hot rod public... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Tom King also sent along his life story. Much of it isn't related at all to hot rodding, so I didn't include it in the article. However, I can't resist including it here as it's just damned entertaining... Enjoy:
Man, this guy has had a busy life. What an interesting read. I've seen old ads for the "King Shifter", it is cool to now read this. Thanks Ryan for sharing.
Looks like a bunch of new shifter assemblies with extension housings and trans stuff behind his coupe in the "nerf bar pic".
This is one of the years best! Makes you wonder where Hurst would be if Mr. King would have stayed in the shifter business?
Wow, whats the chances of 2 guys in the same state creating shifters. Good story. What does it mean that the Cadillac could be "flat shifted" with his shifter?
Thanks Tuck In Line shifters in 1962? cool, I thought they where a late 70s thing. I see the first add Ryan posted is a reversed K pattern. I have never heard them called a K pattern. All I have heard is H pattern. But I can see why a 3 speed would be called a K.
This is one of the coolest storys I've read in a long while. What a great bit of hot rodding past and history in general. Only in America!!!!!!!!!!
Thinking about getting one from him for my Packard, I've been through three shifters adapted by yours truly and all have been less than successful.
DAMN.....looks like I'm too late for the real story! I appreciate what was shared, Great looking Coupe!
I SWEAR I saw an ad in the classifieds a while back for some King shifters.....so just assumed they were still available....???
Looks like George might not have had Linda riding on the trunk of that Pontiac convertible with the giant shifter handle way back when if Tom had taken a different path. Frank
Little update... So I posted some flathead hot rod parts on my local CL and I get an email from a 73 year old cat named Tom King. Not putting 2 and 2 together, I reply as I would any other email. Turns out it was the Tom King of the King Shifter from the 60's!! I was at his house yesterday and he is doing well. The 33 pictured above is in his garage and it looks the same as it did in 1956 when he built it at 16 years of age!! It was truly an awesome experience to meet Mr. King, he is a true living East Coast hot rodding legend. His personal life has been a wild ride as well with all the stories he told me. Anyway, just wanted to let the HAMB world know that he is fine and still working on getting the 33 back on the road. He showed me a homemade gas tank that he just finished and should have her back up and running by next season. He is also still plugging away at hand making his King Shifters. Awesome guy, awesome story and an awesome day meeting Mr. King!
Here is pictures of toms 33 ford last weekend. The ford has been off the road since 1965. Tom got to go for a ride for the first time in years. the 33 is back on the road and will stay just the way tom built it back in 1955. a true time capsule.
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