Hot Rods Buying a late friends hot rod.

Published: May. 22, 2016: The hot rod and racing community in Nebraska has heavy hearts Sunday night, after one of their own lost his life following a crash at Junction Motor Speedway. Joe Haag died following a crash at the speedway in McCool Junction. Junction Motor Speedway is about 15 minutes south of York on Highway 81. He was a long time member of the Lincoln Area Street Rods and had a private museum of cars. After retiring from the City of Lincoln, he kept rebuilding cars and would often help others. As members of the Lincoln Area Street Rods started to find out about Haag's death Sunday morning, they reflected and reminisced about Joe and his love for classic cars. "He loved old cars and for some reason he just loved the old vintage sprint cars," said one of Joe's longtime friends, Jack Fynbu. Fynbu says Joe never drove his cars fast. And he wasn't driving fast during yesterday's accident. Fynbu wasn't at the junction motor speed way, but says he knows what happened. "They were doing some warmup laps and the super modified which shouldn't have been out there with him was running hard and hit the wall, bounced down and hit Joe, his car rolled over three times and that was it," said Fynbu.

Joe was my friend, and mentor for years. He and his other retired buddies turned his small shop into a T-Bucket assembly line! Living in the same city as Speedway Motors, they all bought kits, and assembled one their own way, each ending up with their own. When Joe died, he was working on a Kookie Kar inspired, 454 Chevy powered, black Bucket. His daughters and widow recently put it up for sale, and I will be bringing it home Sat. I can't wait to finish it by spring. It's like there was Devine intervention, that after they tried to sell it for 7 weeks, it waited for me to sell another car, and get the funds together!

 

Cool little car, enjoy the journey.

 

Love it! Im sure he will be happy to see it on the road after all this time

 

In honor of Joe, please share your progress with us. Looks like he had a great start, Carp!

 

Awesome to honor your pal by finishing it up!

 

Glad to see you ended up with the car. Good luck with it.
I have to say I have never seen a 2bbl 454

 

It's just a mock-up paper weight. You won't see one on the final version of this car either. Lol.

 

Excellent story. Thanks. Congrats on the purchase. Snowman

 

Cool.......

 

That should be a sweet little ride when you get it done, it already has "the look".

 

Congrats on this emotional acquisition @29StudeDude...Can't wait to see you bring it up to speed...It might be a little shocking to know where the many owners of our rides ended up but I try to think of the good times regarding the previous owners feeling they would be supportive of the completion of their rides and seeing them enjoyed...

 

Sorry about your buddy...

That 2 barrel intake is a 1969 only deal I think. Dont know why, but in 1969 you couldn't get a 4 barrel 396 unless it was an SS car or truck. I guess they were steering people towards the 427 which was an optional engine. They probably figured that if you could get a 396 4 barrel, why opt for the 427?

 

Good for you that you got your buddy's bucket to finish it.

 

Nice little car and you will remember your friend every time you ride or work on it. I'm sorry for your loss.

 

Todays projects: Got rid of the crappy, poorly painted, white skull shift knob, and welded a nut onto the handmade shifter, drilled and tapped the gold billiard ball, before mounting it on a double ended stud. Swapped the tail lenses with glass blue dots, and put in glass tri-bar, amber dot headlight bulbs.

 

Well that is really cool.

 

sorry for your friend, a wrong place at the wrong time.

 

2 barrel came on some 396's, and off course, on those hi-deck truck engines. There's even an NHRA Class for them.
I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Wow, great start , Norn would be proud. Can't wait to see this one done. Kool.

 

I also learned that if you surpass a mystery dollar amount of purchases from Speedway, they send you two decal sheets!

 

Finally found an original Edelbrock "Tarantula" intake for $50! Should be a cool conversation piece on the 454. I will be topping it with a 650 Edelbrock AVS2 carb.

 

Installed my overflow bottle today.

 

More progress: Windshield sent to glass shop for glass, slip-in glass packed mufflers, and pipe extensions installed, and I now have a gas tank!

 

Great little HotRod! I dig the Blinkerfluid- bottle, hahaha

 

Updates: Windshield installed, gauges mocked up, new carb and air cleaner mocked up (along with a little decal I added to the air cleaner).

 

The original, and my version. Lol. View attachment 4895448 View attachment 4895448

 

Good looking "T" you only need a cut down 32 Ford grill shell and the right grill insert to make this car right on the money.

 

The Speedway bed cover arrived today. I just need to install latches, so it stays on!

 

Had these threaded posts on the windshield with no purpose, so they got Rat Finked!