What a thrill! Congrats on the honor and a great trip. Hope every moment is filled to overflowing. Looks like it's already started off that way!
WAHOO! It's me.........40 COOP, and I'm havin' a BALL!!!!! This morning Irish took me to a fairgrounds I've never seen before....he called it Fairplex. It seemed kinda boring when we had to sit in a line for a time on this big parking lot, but I knew something neat was happening when I saw a lot of guys like me get in the line. There were also some other kinds of cars..........some with wild paint jobs and small wire wheels.......some with big engines all exposed with bodies that looked older than me.....and some with really racey shapes with a lot of lettering all over their bodies AND NO I-I-I-TALIANS!!!!! When we finally moved into a building, I was put in another line of ALL guys who looked like me. I think something special is going to happen............. Holy Cow! Look behind me! It's some rock-n-roll JAMMIN' goin' on.......That black car behind me. WOW, it's SLOW HAND! HI, Eric! UNBELIEVABLE! Next to him is the tan guy......another Coupe.......HI, JIMMY! No Thunderbirds here......we're all FABULOUS 40 FORDS!!!!!! And we all speak the same language! THIS IS SO KOOOOOOL!!! Irish, please stop polishing me. It gets a little sore after a while. I know you want me primped up, but enough is enough! What did you do now? Did you grab the wrong spritzer bottle? It smells like suntan lotion. YUK!!! Just because you are in California doesn't mean you are supposed to use that stuff on ME! I use wax. Humans use suntan lotion. Yeah, I know it won't come off very easily. That's it. Much better. NOW GO AWAY! What's happening now? Oh yeah, they're shutting down for tonight. At least there are some light left on. WE FABULOUS 40 FORDS are gonna PARTY!!!!! Goodnight humans. I gotta go have some fun before all you guys show up tomorrow. Signing off for tonight, 40 COOP
Great story! I have been enjoying the journey! Please take and post some pictures of the 40's sharing the hall with 40 COOP.
1-23-15 Hello from the GNRS. It's Irish Jr. here......... I guess I rubbed 40 COOP the wrong way, with that spritzer activity and he told me to scram...... So today I will try to show you some of the '40 Fords with which I am proud to have my baby being displayed. I would also like to thank Lee Pratt for inviting me and for his and Roy Brizio's vision to do this neat part of the show. But first, as part of my preparation for this show, knowing that the displays cover several buildings, and my knee would be sorely taxed, I rented an electric scooter for four days. It has been a blessing to help save my knee which gets replaced on February 24. However, when two hot rod buggies meet..............................IT'S A DRAG RACE: Well folks, SNAFU time.......I have taken a lot of really fuzzy photos. I guess I will need to retake them using my tripod or with a flash. The lighting in the buildings is really good, but needs a steadier hand than I have, so I will concentrate on the Forties tomorrow. Meanwhile, this morning, I tried to arrange for a shoot of the owners before the show opened. We were to meet at about 11:30 AM and 18 of us showed up on time to get this photo....talk about herding cats........these just happen to be KOOL KATS: Yesterday, I got Jimmy Vaughan to sign a picture for a fan back in the Rusty Nuts. The picture was of Robbie Bohuslav's dad's fabulous '57 T-Bird....from one Fabulous Thunderbird to another Fabulous Thunderbird. Jimmy's Forty in in the show near 40 COOP. This is really Kool getting to meet Jimmy: That's Jimmy's tan one behind me, with Eric Clapton's black one directly behind me........but more cars tomorrow night. Then there's Tony Miller's '40 Merc-style grille and my '40 Merc-style grille. Both were built without the knowledge of the other's being done and both about the same time.....but I think I made mine a little bit earlier. Interesting........................... Sorry about the delay in posting pics. Check back in later, Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
So often I read these stories on HAMB and enjoy them, but to actually have met and chatted with Jim over the years, he is truly an Ambassador for the Hot Rod Faternity. Enjoy Jim and be sure to send Pics ....Safe Travels Jimbo
Boy Jim really sounds like you and 40 Coop are having a GREAT TIME, especially hanging with all those celebrities; rubbin' elbows with Jimmy Vaughn, Eric Clapton! Looks like John is able to be a tour guide since he's been out there the past 10 years in a row Your story is really cool thanks for keeping all of us home-bounders in the loop with all the action in sunny southern California. Enjoy your time at the show.
Jim I owe you big man! Thanks a zillion for getting Jimmys autograph! Dinner and beers on me brutha! Rob
1-24-15 Hi everyone....Irish Jr. here with photos (FINALLY) Tonight I'm tired........this havin' fun is a lot of work.. So I'm just posting '40 Ford pictures. I went quickly around the hall with my camera on a tripod and no flash. Finally it doesn't look like I have the major shakes: continued on the next posting........
1-24-15 Continued.... Well, I think I got all of the '40s turning 75 posted. However, I haven't just spent my time in this one building. I'll be posting a collage of photos from around the many buildings and outdoors...................This is so amazing! My face is hurting from smiling so widely! But this AM Bob is driving us down to the Long Beach Swap Meet. JUDY: I PROMISE I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER CAR!!!! Later, gator...... Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
Great pix of those '40s, Jim. My fav is still that chopped, blue one! Yet, coming in second is the gold coupe with CA plates and the blue coupe with red wheels and TX plates. Don't know if that blue coupe from TX is the same one, but when I was in Phoenix last May, I was headed south on I-10 toward Casa Grande. While cruising along about 75mph a blue '40 like the one in the show came by me like greased lightening. I cudn't catch up with him to get a real good look, but it was strikingly similar and had TX plates, too.
Hey Jim, Hope you didn't wear your wheels off at the Long Beach Swap Meet and thanks for the Jalopyrama Ad with the stickers on your beautiful '40 Coop on the floor of the GNRS, Pomona, Ca. Congrats!
Thanks, been waiting for the 40 pictures. Wish I had one of those 40 is 75 signs. What a trip for you.
1-25-15 Hello from warm and mostly-sunny Pomona. Irish Jr. here. The car is being picked up tomorrow and the weather in the east is not behaving very nicely. I hope I can get home on Tuesday as I have planned. But before I move on to the GNRS, I gotta tell you about the relationship between me and Bob Kasner: Bob is a self-made person who has a lot of fun in life.......especially at making deals and helping people. BUT.........he really doesn't like for the guv'ment to get one more red cent than it is legally entitled to. In fact, Bob is to the right of Attila the Hun and I am a liberal. Though we disagree over politics and such, I hope we still can be good friends............a good sense of humor is also very important. So, in the name of building our friendship, I bought a perfect T-shirt for Bob: Now back to the Grand National Roadster Show........ This is for those who do not know about this show. The highlight of this show, which started in 1950, is the awarding of the nine-feet-high America's Most Beautiful Roadster trophy: The focus of the cars judged for this competition has changed over the years from neatly-executed traditional cars with unique styling to all-out fantastic cars with unbelievable attention to the most minute details.....for which the owners spend a lot of money, sometimes well over $1 million to have their cars built for this very serious competition. HERE'S THE WINNER: 1933 Ford Roadster.....owned by Larry Olson, Sioux Falls, SD and built by Bobby Alloway And here are some of the contenders: This one is all the way from Sweden: But the show is so much more than the AMBR. Cars from all factions of our hobby are on display (but limited to traditional styles and years of manufacture): hot rods, Kustoms, lowriders, resto-rods, motorcycles, race cars, etc. And the GNRS is, in my mind, exponentially better than any car show I have attended. Maybe that viewpoint is a little biased because of experiencing it from this present viewpoint, but I am still blown away by the quality of the cars and the interaction with other participants and spectators. I have met people I only dreamed about. I have met people from other cultures and from around the globe at this show. So here goes with a random selection of pics of cars of all varieties: How about that one? My guess is a group of guys got to joking about this concept and laughed about it until their sides ached. Then, probably with the addition of some quantity of alcholic beverage, decided to build it. Then, laughing as they did it for about the first three months, decided to continue with the build.......which went on for quite a long time, even though the humor faded. But the final punchline of the joke is the smile that it puts on spectators faces. Well done, guys! I'm gonna start a new posting to continue this collage of photos..............See ya there..... Jim Ireland, AKA Irish Jr.
Thank you very much for bringing us along on your adventure. Love the shirt. I was sure the louvered 36 was going to win but the car that did is very nice also.
Jim, Thanks for sharing another of your great adventures. That's an amazing collection of '40s but quite a few of them seem to be wearing those West Coast tags. I can think of many around here that easily fit in with that crowd. Maybe we should have a Right Coast edition. And where is the iconic McCoy sedan? Gotta go with Scooter with a nod to that '32 rpu. Also, any coincidence that you were placed near the Grilled Cheese stand?
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