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Hot Rods Bill MaGrath - Early Ford Store - RIP

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Pete Eastwood, Oct 29, 2020.

  1. Pete Eastwood
    Joined: Jul 27, 2011
    Posts: 1,324

    Pete Eastwood
    Member
    from california

    Really sad news , Bill MaGrath , Owner / Operator of the Early Ford Store in San Dimas Ca. pass away suddenly , last night .
    I'm sure many of you know of Bill & his incredible knowledge & passion for all things Ford V8. He was one of a kind & will be greatly missed .
    early ford store.jpg
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2020
  2. Rice n Beans Garage
    Joined: Dec 17, 2006
    Posts: 1,658

    Rice n Beans Garage
    Member

    He will be greatly missed, a true inspiration to the hobby..
     
    Stogy, loudbang, Lil32 and 1 other person like this.
  3. Dave Mc
    Joined: Mar 8, 2011
    Posts: 2,576

    Dave Mc
    Member

    He was an amazing source of information, sorry to hear of his passing . R.I.P.
     
    Stogy, Hamtown Al, fegsta and 2 others like this.
  4. Lil32
    Joined: Apr 4, 2012
    Posts: 2,598

    Lil32
    Member

    Bill R.I.P.
    nice to have met you
    Prayers to Family

    DSCN3593.JPG
     
    tractorguy, Stogy, alfin32 and 5 others like this.

  5. Whoa! Bill was one of my favorite people, always great to talk to.
    His knowledge of early Ford stuff was phenomenal.
    Condolences to Mike and the rest of Bill's family.

    Mick
     
    Stogy, hidez57, Hamtown Al and 2 others like this.
  6. PotvinV8
    Joined: Mar 30, 2009
    Posts: 408

    PotvinV8
    Member

    What a loss...RIP and my condolences to his friends and family.
     
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  7. R.I.P. Bill.
    Al.
     
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  8. loudbang
    Joined: Jul 23, 2013
    Posts: 40,276

    loudbang
    Member

    WOW 2020 has been a very rough year. Condolences to Mike and the rest of Bill's family. :(
     
  9. Deuce Lover
    Joined: Feb 15, 2009
    Posts: 1,047

    Deuce Lover
    Member

    I am shocked and deeply saddened.Did many many deals with him in the 25 yrs that I knew him.Seemed in good spirits when I spoke with him last week. Certainly hope his son Michael will continue the legacy. Lost a great friend.RIP
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2020
  10. rust&patina
    Joined: Jan 21, 2007
    Posts: 571

    rust&patina
    Member

    Condolences to Bill's family . . . R I P . . .
     
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  11. fegsta
    Joined: May 17, 2020
    Posts: 343

    fegsta

    Rip Bill. Found the store by mistake when over for the gnrs 2019. What a treasure trove. It

    Sent from my KOB-L09 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  12. WiredSpider
    Joined: Dec 29, 2012
    Posts: 1,258

    WiredSpider
    Member

    First Met Bill when he was working with Butch Lynch at CW Moss in 1989.
    Great guys.Now both gone
    RIP
     
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  13. pwschuh
    Joined: Oct 27, 2008
    Posts: 2,827

    pwschuh
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

  14. slug
    Joined: Sep 1, 2007
    Posts: 319

    slug
    Member

    How sad. I always enjoyed talking with Bill when I was out for the GNRS. We had a long talk about his Vic this past Jan. Condolences to Mike and the family. John
     
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  15. continentaljohn
    Joined: Jul 24, 2002
    Posts: 5,506

    continentaljohn
    Member

    Very sad to hear and one of the coolest places I ever visited . Our prayers are with Bill and his family .
     
    Stogy, Lil32 and kidcampbell71 like this.
  16. typo41
    Joined: Jul 8, 2011
    Posts: 2,571

    typo41
    Member Emeritus

    I hope the store survives, it was one of my favorite toy stores.
    Just walk around and stare and dream,,,,,
     
  17. PRE48V-8
    Joined: Sep 23, 2006
    Posts: 730

    PRE48V-8
    Member
    from H.G., CA

    I'm truly saddened to hear Bill McGrath is gone, & my heart goes out to his son & daughter as well as his other family & friends that I'm sure are feeling the weight of this loss. I consider myself fortunate to have known him not just as a fellow enthusiast or purveyor of early Ford V8 parts, but as a person. He was a protégé of Harold Looney of Orange, CA (owner of Vintique Reproductions which Harold's son Chad now operates & previously C.W. Moss, who also left us a couple of years ago) & became the equivalent what folks like Gene Scott, Harold & Lynn Williams were to early Ford V8'ers a few decades ago: Individuals with vast knowledge of these vehicles as well as a mass collection of used/NOS parts & sheet metal for them. Though I knew who Bill McGrath was through Butch Lynch (who worked w/Bill for Harold Looney years ago in the late 1980's), seeing him with Harold at the Modesto Model A Ford club's swap meet in Turlock, CA, early Tromper's swap meets in Pasadena & at Pomona, I eventually got to know Bill over the years, first as customer digging through the bins at C.W. Moss in Orange, CA (which he later took over from Harold to start his own NOS/used early Ford V8 & Mercury parts business, ultimately moving to San Dimas, CA). My brother & I casually horse-traded mostly 1946-48 Ford pass. car parts with Bill in the nearly 20 years since, & I'll miss our back and forth friendly negotiating we'd do at the swap meets when we might of had something he wanted to buy to re-stock his parts store. Nobody beat the pavement harder than Bill did, scouring the swap meets aisle by aisle, swap space by swap space & then again to locate & acquire parts for the rest of us to just drive to his store & pick up off his store shelves like a can of soup at a grocery store. Some would grumble about the prices to me directly & I would always remind them they were overlooking the service & value Bill was providing us all by saving the time of scrounging swap meets (or scanning the internet) to find the correct part & in good used of NOS condition. On an enthusiast level our hobby has lost a invaluable, deep well of early Ford V8 knowledge but left a great legacy and tribute to his efforts and accomplishments in the form of the Early Ford Store of San Dimas that he built from the ground up with his own hard work & ambition (which hopefully his children can continue to carry on in honor of their father). Bill was a kind, helpful, easy going soul but by the same token nobody's fool. Like Harold Looney before him, Bill McGrath will always have my respect as a person, a fellow enthusiast to look up to & great colleague. I will truly miss seeing him at the San Dimas store & future swap meets driving around in his reliable 1968-9 green colored Chevy long bed 3/4 ton truck to come by & pick up parts he had left in my swap space purchased earlier in the day, or throttling around late Sunday afternoon at the L.A. Roadster show swap meet in his uncorked, flatty powered '32 3W hiboy coupe with a cold brew in his lap. Godspeed Bill; Rest in Peace.....
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2020
  18. Magfiend
    Joined: Sep 11, 2019
    Posts: 432

    Magfiend
    Member

    So sorry to hear this - my condolences to his family and friends.

    Steve
     
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  19. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Is this the business I saw featured on a tv show where the owner had a whole bunch of warehouses just filled to brim with old parts of all sorts that he had bought over the years ?

    Apparently what he had and where it was (location) he kept mostly in his head.
     
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  20. Condolences to his family. Sad to see that this A M . I have purchased parts from him personally in the past. He will be missed by all.
     
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  21. So bummed out when i saw this on IG, last night. I just took my buddy a couple weeks ago, to experience the store. He was amazed! I've known Bill for many many years. We wheeled and dealed over many parts and car finds. I'll miss the BBQ's at his shop, and the phone calls, late at night..."Bob, you gotta see what I picked up today!". You might have thought his place was messy, but he knew where everything was, just like Papke. RIP my Ford friend......
     
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  22. Rice n Beans Garage
    Joined: Dec 17, 2006
    Posts: 1,658

    Rice n Beans Garage
    Member

    Very nice words


    Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  23. 51 mercules
    Joined: Nov 29, 2008
    Posts: 3,868

    51 mercules
    Member

    I've been going to his shop on and off for years and sold him a few things at the swap meets. I'm going to miss him. Condolences to his family. RIP!
     
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  24. ironandsteele
    Joined: Apr 25, 2006
    Posts: 5,918

    ironandsteele
    Member

    Very sad news.
     
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  25. Sad News....RIP Bill...
     
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  26. ronnieroadster
    Joined: Sep 9, 2004
    Posts: 1,069

    ronnieroadster
    Member

    Dam another great guy is gone. On our annual visit to California the Early Ford Store was always one of the first stops to visit. Bill always took the time to talk with us and catch up on what everyone was up to he was truly a great guy with an amazing passion and knowledge of all things old Ford. The hits this year just keep on coming so sad! :(
     
  27. krylon32
    Joined: Jan 29, 2006
    Posts: 9,397

    krylon32
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Nebraska
    1. Central Nebraska H.A.M.B.

    Always a Thursday stop the week of the LARS. Over the years he answered many of my questions. He'll be missed.
     
  28. Roger O'Dell
    Joined: Jan 21, 2008
    Posts: 1,150

    Roger O'Dell
    Member

    Wow R. I.P. Pre48 comments above ring a bell for me. Especially since loosing his dad so recently.
     
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  29. Happydaze
    Joined: Aug 21, 2009
    Posts: 1,904

    Happydaze
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Sad news.
    Love the Early Ford Store.

    Chris
     
    Stogy and Lil32 like this.

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