Hot Rods Nov 2020 Hot rod magazine

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I'm not much of fan of replacing the grill on 33/34 but it sure works on this one. Pretty awesome ride all around.

 

Just stirring the pot. Thanks for sticking your spoon in.

 

Mark...was thinking of you when I saw the feature on the mysterion.
As to the black coupe....I like most of it but I'd have to put headlights on it. The grill is ok by me but a stock 33 grill is a beautiful thing IMHO. Can't make my mind up regarding the engine turned wheel covers.

 

There's a video of Dennis's coupe "Indigo Dreams" on YouTube, by Michael Takagi.
And there's one shot with the headlights installed.

 

I enjoyed the video. And you do get to see the headlights. However, it's running a NY tag and NY l ike many other states,requires a minimum headlight height of 24". I don't think this car would pass inspection just on a casual view.

 

I usually don’t reply to “H.A.M.B trolls” that post just to “stir the pot” ... but I have bit my tongue long enough.

Dennis Varni is a longtime family friend ... and let me assure you that he has been BUILDING Hot Rods since the 1960s ... Here's Dennis & his '29 Hiboy on the cover of the March '71 issue of ROD & Custom:

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... and continues to build / restore many of the cars in his collection today (he’s currently working on a ‘46 Woody with his grandson).

That said, Dennis is also a successful businessman ... and with his financial success has been able to have many of the cars in his collection built (to his design specifications) by his California Hot Rodding friends (e.g., Buttera, Boyd, Covell, Brizio, Moal, Hill, Cassanova, etc.) ... and yes, he has had two cars built by the Rolling Bones shop in New York.

As for NY headlight height laws, they don’t apply here as Dennis will register the car in his home state of California.

 

.....aesthetics aside & arguably more importantly in my opinion is safety. I've seen Mr. Varni & in my estimation is a bit above average in size & stature. And God bless him if anyone was a more dedicated enthusiast who not only has some mostly bitchin', sometimes interesting mounts built on his behalf to support some great builders out there, but he actually drives (& displays) them with as much enthusiasm & passion as any automotive enthusiast that's been engaged in the automotive endeavor I call "Hot Rodding".

But as some may or may not know, he was recently involved in an accident on the highway while driving a bus of some sort (probably a bitchin' and/or cool one) with family in tow. Not sure of all the details but despite the accident, he & his family survived. So to put a point on this, the more you drive any vehicle, particularly interstate, your going to face different weather/roads than you may normally be accustomed to in your local environs.

Arguably, Mr. Varni has a lot of road miles driving his hot rods under their own power cross country, with lots of experience, maybe a few close calls & lots of stories to share from those travels. Many others of us do to (though maybe not to the extent of Mr. Varni), & a fraction of those unfortunately didn't have happy endings, either for the vehicle, the driver or both. Having said that, I gotta say that over the past decade, the canon of completed & driven Rolling Bones hot rods definitely strike an emotional cord with many H.A.M.B., traditionalist & other auto enthusiast's in terms of their striking stance & external dry lake aesthetics (though suffice to say Packard grilles on heavily altered '32-'34 Ford 3W coupes are a svelte & sleak choice in my humble estimation, either). But of all the cars out of the Bones stable I've seen in person at shows, events or in print, as bitchin', raw, edgy & aggressive as they appear, and the fact it seems it's heavily implied that these are "hot rods for the road" I have always wondered to myself from a self preservation standard, given the opportunity, "Would I drive one?" The answer (for me) is, "No".

As wonderful an opportunity it would be to drive cross country in one of these coupes (Varni had a '32 Ford hi-boy sedan built in similar fashion about a decade ago, too) it would be a pity if one got run off of the road (or had to turn into a mountainside as opposed to off of the edge of a mountain as I heard was the case with Mr. Varni's recent unfortunate bus accident) driving cross country. In particular, upside down in a ditch (either empty or filled with water) strapped into the driver's seat. If I was lucky enough to be uninjured, alert & out of my seat restraints, it may be difficult to open the suicide doors to exit (I know of some colleagues with suicide doors on unchopped '32 3-window coupes who have safety dead bolts so the doors don't accidentally swing open while driving; I put these in the suicide rear doors of my 1941 Ford 4dr. 'beater' after the rear, driver side door swung open on I-580 with my child strapped his car seat that was secured to the rear seat with seat belts I'd installed on the car before driving it with my family/friends in tow). No way anyone except a carnival contortionist is going to get out of the 'gun slit' door glass, windshield or rear window openings. Nor the filled roof will allow an exit to flee flood water in a ditch or a fuel fire. No, not for me; I prefer to admire these hot rods from the side lines in a static position where the look both menacing and in motion. But that's just my take; not trying to criticize, critique, imply I know what's best or trying to tell others what to do. As long as your hot rod, 'starts, stops, steers & has driving lights' is safe & reliable in it's function & operation on roads & highways so as not to put any fellow motorist in peril because their ride isn't mechanically 'wrapped tight' we have the right to drive what we want to (& I encourage this individualism that's the basis of the automotive variety we see in our automotive enthusiast community). I'd just like to say whatever you choose to drive safely to protect others on the road, just don't forget about yourself & always proceed with common sense & caution before getting out their for some road time with your new (or existing) mount.....Hope this added to the community commentary. PRE48V-8\;^]

 

....why does one choose to diminish what they dislike, misunderstand or are uniformed about? Is it insecurity, jealousy or close minded ignorance? It just seems, "Haters love to Hate", to sooth their unfounded animosity regarding what they don't know or understand. In the meantime, hopefully the rest of us can endeavor to appreciate & admire the detail & workmanship of a vehicle (whether it's a build style we subscribe to or not) while acknowledging the passion & enthusiasm of a fellow hot rodder (no matter their background or skill set) who seems to thoroughly enjoy our hobby & has done so for decades on his own terms (no different than any of us would probably do under similar circumstances).....PRE48V-8\;^]

 

It was his vintage Yellowstone touring bus, if you watch the Peterson Vault videos mentioned above it's one of the vehicles featured.

One thing about Mr. Varni is he has wide tastes in cars - yes, he has some traditional hot rods, but there are also all kinds of other vehicles in his collection. I think that's a lot better than having a closed mind about it.

 

You do know, Ken and Keith are really great guys and dyed in the wool hot rodders and racers? The fact that they have a great blueprint for cars that more seem to like than hate says a lot. Jealousy is a bitter pill.

 

Granted, we're all independent contractors here with our own set of self-cultivated likes & dislikes (and strong held opinions related to them).

Likewise, not all of us are blessed with the communication skills of a well seasoned M.C. (a master of ceremonies, like an Academy Awards show host, not the rap/hip-hop music type). Let's face it, knowingly or with absence of malice (see, "unaware" or "unassuming") others communicate by hammering their point as though wielding & swinging a blunt instrument at a particular subject, lacking any tact, finesse or couth.

For example, instead of saying something "sucks" or a "P.O.S." to express one's opinion, they might try to be more civil & say "not my cup of tea", "not my first choice" or "it's different". Suffice to say, we should all remember that, "My ego is not my Amigo" and temper that with the old adage our elder members of our families used to impart on us that "If you don't have anything good to say (or can't express it in a nice way), then it's probably best not to say anything at all". But we don't live in a perfect world & that's why our reality is more relegated to the fact that, "Opinions are like belly buttions; Everyone has one". Just try & remember, though, that just because you have a belly button, too, that doesn't mean you should show it to everybody, particularly out in public. Let's try to keep it positive, interesting and informative moving forward with a nod to courtesy & respectfulness (JMHO). PRE48V-8\;^]

 

And this vindicates my original comment.

 

Okay, in my opinion, the nose styling detracts from the rest of the car. Not because of what it is, but how it is done. I also think the Packard grille is beautiful, but this is not its best application. No one has to agree with me, but we should at least be able to discuss things.

 

There! I feel much better now (& I hope you do as well). Thanks for that positive edit of your original response to share your opinion. I have seen a few of the Rolling Bones builds over the last decade & I would say that in my opinion, those that wore a stock or slightly modified stock front grille used originally for the make/model/year of the body tended to be better looking (in my humble opinion) than those that didn't (though for the record, I like '37 Ford 1/2-ton pickup grilles, like the one used on Jake Jacob's well known bright yellow '33-'34 Ford coupe). So, I share your sentiment that the Packard grille isn't for everyone, but it doesn't entirely diminish the exterior aesthetics of Mr. Varni's coupe, either. There's more to analyze, dissect & discover inside & out, top to bottom, beneath the trunk lid and underneath the hood of this hot rod (arguably something that can't be said for most builds, whatever they may be, without diminishing them in any way by making this observation).
Thanks for staying in the discussion & choosing to keep it positive, informative & entertaining (did I sense a teency-weensy bit of sarcasm in your post? Well done!). Best! PRE48V-8\;^]

 

Looks like a tether car

 

Great articles,,,,,,,on the 34 Coupe ,,,,,what about the engine power ?
The factory rated 54 Desoto had 170 HP,,,from 276 cubic inches,,,,,but the article states 290 HP .
Is that a typo or did that intake and the Racer Brown cam add that much power .
I would love to hear more about the engine there .
I’m not nit picking it,,,,,it is a beautiful ride,,,,,great looking work and an awesome Desoto engine,,,,,just would like to hear more .

Tommy