Art & Inspiration Cars that hooked you with the Hot Rod & Custom Disease

We all have those cars that when we were younger struck a cord with us. The cars that strick in your mind and time and time again no matter how you look at a new project, serve as a point of inspiration for a new build or changes made to a newly acquired project. Those cars help to define the kind of build style that you do as you are undertaking a new project, and sort of mold you as a car guy (or gal!).

We all on this site definitely lean to the more traditional side of hot rods and customs. I think for me it was constantly looking though the decades of car magazines that my dad had collected. I know that in middle school I carried the May 1976 issue of Street Rodder with me to school almost every day, as it had coverage of all the cars from American Graffiti ( that was in 89' and 90'). Some of the cars that hooked me were from old magazines and some were ones that I saw in real life. What cars hooked, or infected you? here are a few of the ones that I always loved and ones that always serve as inspiration of some kind. Weather its a refined car or down and dirty hotrod, hell I love them all.

Throw up some pics of ones that have inspired you in different build over the years.

The McMullen Roadster


The Sam Conrad roadster


Pat Ganahl's 52 Chevy



Two lane Black top 55



The Dick Flint Roadster



And our own Ron Funkhouser's model A coupe.



I saved this pic from here on the HAMB. Rons Coupe has been a car that has always stuck in my head as a no BS Bad Ass Hot Rod and is one of my favorite coupes ever. I saw it a goodguys show in Charlotte NC with the dirt trackers on it. One was flat with a sign that said something like "firestone recall" on it. I must have taken 50 pictures of it.

All right boys, how about some of yours.

 

Here is a few more....

The Bob McGee / Dick Scritchfeild Roadster

 

and the Bob McCoy 40 Sedan

 

I had a neighbor across the street from me that had neat cars. Like a '59 Chevy rag top, '58 Chevy wagon. These were the first cars that I walked over to and examined. They had mild custom accessories of the era and this had to be like '63 or '64.

 

I didn't even have a camera when I got hooked by getting a ride in Model A Coupe Hot Rod around 1966.... it looked nearly identical to this one.

 

My dads 69 Plymouth Road Runner not HAMB friendly and my uncles 64 Vette convertible. As a result I am a die hard Mopar guy who loves Vettes. I have several Mopars muscle cars and drive a C5 daily. . Dad still owns the RR.

 

Thanks Jason, for the kind words. Theses are a few that I really liked! Ron...

 

Those are all sweet cars! Jakes 34 is the only yellow car I have ever liked. Wish I was related to him. We have the same last name!!

 

Here is a good comparison of how they molded my twisted car infected brain.
and Dads roadster we built together

 

Street Rod Nationals in Tulsa Oklahoma in 1973 I was nine years old and Jakes 34 hooked me. I have picture with My brother Steve and I peering inside. Here's one I robbed on the net.




And from the dare to be different this car always intrigued me... John Callies 303 Simca....
Still wonder where this car is today.

 

Dat ass...

 

I've told this story before but~

Back in 1962 we had a neighbor that lived behind us on a corner lot,,Mr.Burton was his name,,never knew his first name and from the time I was 11 years old I cut his grass during the summer.

He drove a 53/56 Ford truck to work and had had some kind of accident and walked with a bad limp that's probably why I cut his grass.
Anyway,I would go to his barn and get what I needed to do his yard work and there half covered with a old canvas army tent was a 32 Ford 5-window coupe,

I always looked forward to entering that sacred tomb each summer until that day in early June he told me that my services were no longer needed,,,he explained that he was moving up north to live with his sister,,,he ask me did I want the lawnmower to go into business cutting other folks yards,,,I gladly went to the shed to retrieve the mower and gaze one last time at the coupe,,which had not moved the whole time we lived next to him.

I ask him was he gonna drive the old car to his sisters or pull it,,,His answer was,,No,son,I'm gonna have to sell the old gal,,,with that reply,,I fired back how much?

His answer was already established because 75 bucks came back as quick as I ask.,,,I'll buy it,I said.
He looked at me and said we need to talk to your dad,,,not wanting my dad to say no,,,I told Mr. Burton I would talk to dad tonight when he gets home from work,,,

Next dad I sat outside Mr. Burton's front door,,it seemed to be forever,,but I knew he worked second shift and I didn't dare wake him up,,It just might screw things up.

Around noon he exited his house and ask how long had I been there and if I had discussed the sale with my dad,,I told him I just came over a few minutes ago and dad said it was OK with him,,,,

BTW,,I never once said a word to my dad,,I really didn't need the money,,I robbed my cigar box and with my grass cutting money,birthday money and my entire life savings I had enough money and some change,,enough money to buy the coupe and fix it up,,,Hey ,I was 12 years old,,,I didn't know what I do today.

So,,I handed Mr. Burton my hard earned cash and we proceed to unearth the coupe,,man,That car was nice,,original black paint,flathead V8,and all 4 tires were shot and rotten,,,but I had the biggest grin on my face as I fought with all my might trying to guide it as Mr. Burton pulled it behind his truck across his yard into my parents side yard.

I was the happiest kid in the world for about three hours,,,,

That was when my dad got home,,,,the first words out of his mouth was what was that junk car doing in our yard?,,,from there it got ugly,,,he called Mr. Burton,,,woke him up,,remember,,2nd shift,,he was a little more than annoyed,,he and dad got into a debate about not clearing it with him first and that I was 12 years old and had no business with a car and for him to come and get it out of his yard,,and if he wanted to,,,keep the money Danny gave you for lying to us both,,,and he would take care of me,,I knew what was gonna happen,,they don't call this part of the country the Bible Belt for nothing.

Heavy on the belt,,,,long story coming to a end,,,Mr. Burton gave me my money back and had a big laugh,,,a few days later both he and the car were gone,, never to be seen again,,,,

Many years later my dad and I talked about what had now become known as the ol' ford coupe incident and how he never dreamed that I would ever be able to restore and build cars from the ground up and how badly I wanted that car,,,,and how he was proud of me when people would stop by our business and ask about the different cars that
I would drive to work,,,,,,,,

At that time the 32 Ford coupes were already reaching unheard of prices,,and he just couldn't believe it.

A few weeks before he passed away the subject came up again,,he said I sure hope you find a old coupe like that one someday,,,,I told him,,it was probably a good thing he didn't let me keep it,,I would have tried to made a hot rod out of it and gotten myself killed ,,he smiled and said,,Nobody will ever know son,,we can't go back,,but if I could,,,I would let to keep that car.

All you guys got is my word on this ,,,all the players are deceased,except me,,,nobody knows what happened to that 32 coupe,,,but I'm willing to bet the owner ain't 12 years old! HRP

 

no pic of the car but the stray cats were in town and my dad had a shop that specialized in older cars.setzer brought in his merc for something.we got to go around the block in it when it was done.it hooked me.he gave us an autographed poster that all three signed.i was prolly around 12 or so.it was awesome

 

Good story HRP. My brother had a 1950 Chevy pickup for sale for $300, some kid comes by and flashes $280 at my brother... sold. My brother drove it to the kid's house. The same day in the evening, the kid's dad comes back with the truck, handed my brother $300 (that's what was on the windshield) and says the kid is a minor and should not be buying something without his permission. So my bro made a quick $20 on the deal.

 

In my very early years, most anything drag related in Dad's Hot Rod mag, but the Mooneyham/Sharp coupe punched me in the face. Later Jake's 34 punched me again, but somewhere between those 2 there was a retrospective of significant customs which included the Hirohata, 1st version "Dream Truck" and "Moonglow". Later it was Harry Bradley's 50 (?) Chevy. Then musclecars and drag racing bit me leaving permanent scars in my brain. I still get a bit giddy pulling into a drag strip, hearing the noise, smelling the fuel and tires...

 

CadZZilla, Scott Sullivan's '55 Chevy 'Cheeze Whiz', Jake's Tub. And of course the real cause of my addiction; my neighbor when I was a kid had a hot rod '39 Chevy coupe. Red, steel wheels, tri-power SBC....That thing was awesome!

 

I have to say it to, Danny! Great Story! I had so many project cars that I had to give them up back in the day they passed the zoning regulations. Among them '56 Studebaker (Ran strong V-8 Stick) given to me by a neighbor, '59 Chevy 2 Dr from Texas (No Rust! That's a huge plus in Michigan!), '60 Ford Wagon 6 cylinder (it ran the best but a long way from fast...). Those were the important ones, but Dad did look out for me and I had a '37 Chevy at our new house which I played with, sanded it down with a drill motor and primed it (I'm sure it was rustoleum! lol) Drove that around the yard until I blew it up. That was about 2 or 3 years all the time I drove it never had an ounce of brakes! At the time about 1969, I was 13 years old. Great Memories!

 

Red Baron....Ed Roth T shirts..... made me wonder as a little kid how weird cars could be.

 

I was too young to drive... but this one did it for me. Gary

 

This one hooked me! I saw it at a car show in Milwaukee about 50 years ago. The car has gone through a lot of changes since then (not good for the most part) but it turned me into a car guy. To this day the only thing I'd change is the front bumper.

 

Like Gary, I was too young to drive. For me it was this one.

 

I grew up in the sixtys & early '70s. Drag racing was my favorite, and Ohio George Montgomery and Wild Willie Borsch were two of my favorite drivers.

 

See my avatar, yeah, that's me in the red jacket almost 60 years ago.

10943699_10203682089796347_2284603393024878785_n by onetrickpony posted Oct 22, 2015 at 12:03 PM

 

NE Portland, OR, late 60's, I'm 5-7 years old...

1) Teenage neighbor boy across the street (whose older sister was my babysitter) had a shelf load of unbuilt model cars in the basement behind his hobby table. I got sucked in by the hot rod, muscle car, and crazy contraption pictures on the boxes, and the half built cars on the hobby table.

2) a few houses down, I'd occasionally play with a visiting grandson whose Vietnam-serving uncle's '58-'60 white Corvette with a red interior was parked under the lean-to next to the garage. I remember once we got into the vette for a brief time - I still remember sitting in the driver's seat - I was thrilled.

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

No one in my entire family were into old cars, especially my dad, I grew up in a factory town in NH. when I probably was 5 or 6 our upstairs neighbors (Jay and his wife Donna, I think) were pretty cool. In my mind's eye he looked just like Tony Orlando, black bushy hair, mustache, bell bottoms, platform shoes, tan skin, big white smile, smoking cigarettes. He did "weird" stuff in the driveway and in the old one car garage. Later in life I realized he was hot rodding tri-five chevys, and was always messing with loud motors, wheels and tires everywhere, I remember the smell of gas. Whenever I see some of your picks from the 70's with your stilts and bellbottoms it brings me right back...

 

{My Story} It started like this, I guess, when I started my 1st grade of school. I met a kid that was from a car crazy family. His dad had a 57 Corvette, and his granddad a 56 chevy hardtop. We are still best of friends. So I have lots of memories, and old photos. lol We would drag race each other in the hall ways of our school. Shifting gears and making car sounds.lol His granddad took us to the races every sat. night. We hot rodded our bicycles, built model cars, and later on built go karts and mini bikes. This was a time when we had Drag Cartoons, Ed Roths Tee shirts ,Cox gas powered toy cars. And the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean were playing on the radio, and those little 45 rpm records, with all the Kool car songs. But the biggest thing for me was all the cool Hot Rods running around our town. My favorite was a 34 Dodge Sedan Delivery. It had dirt track tires sticking out of the rear fenders. No hood, small ww tires on gray spokes up front. It was called Justice. It had a picture of a Judge, with a big gavel on it. I fell in love! lol I went to the 65 worlds fair with my family. And I saw all those cars of the future, with bubble tops, and cars that would fly some day. I also dreamed that some day I would buy that delivery, and in the year 2000, I would build it as a flying Hot Rod! lol funny but true. Think of the ZZ Tops Afterburner. That's my story, Ron...

 

I pictured this before zz top did. lol Ron...

 

So how cool is it that the image I robbed off the net of Jakes 34 is nearly the same photo as the pic my parents took below at the 73 Nats.
I'm the short kid in the hat, with my brother Steve.

Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Were a bunch back in the day but the one that jumps out of the memory bank this morning is TV Tom's T bucket on the Cover of HRM.

Ed

 

I grew up playing with Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars in the dirt all summer long. Drifted away in my teens (no money for the real thing, too big for toys). In my 20's on the cover of the Oct '87 Truckin magazine was a chopped and sectioned '67-'72 Chevy with wild paint. Lit my car fever and started the dreadful mini-truck phase of my life. Took a while for my tastes and bank account to mature to a H.A.M.B. friendly state.