Hot Rods Instigator over the years

Great story, great read and some cool hot rods you've gathered up.

 

Thanks swade41, we don't have any kids so the wife says "We're putting the cars through college."

 

Went to a local car show and was in a row of fenderless cars...

 

A place went out of business so we drove up to the Sacramento area and removed
these storefront letters.
I assembled it and put it on a swivel so I could lift it up and hide it.
I ended up giving it away.

 

That’s awesome. No kids for my wife and I either. Will definitely be using that.


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I use to have a mini 8 track below the dash, cruisin' around at night in SF or the Penninsula
listening to the Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater, what fun.

 

Hangin' out with some friends

 

What hot rod?


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My wife Elaine and our friend Brian have been running a car gathering for the past 15 years;
every Friday night except for the winter.
We've had up to 100+ vehicles in the past, usually closer to 75.
It's at Sun Valley Mall in Concord, Ca.
Pretty wild machines have shown up like Champion Speed Shop [my old hang out] trailered their front engine dragster there, put it up on stands and fired it up.
Some blown injected on alcohol cars, Gassers, Hot Rods and Muscle cars.
Will start up again next month, it'll be strange with this Covid-19 issue but we'll play it by ear.
Last time there a fella, Alex, took some shots of our cars and sent them to me.
Here's a good shot of the hot rod,
Mick

 

Mirror shot, coming home from a burgher run...

 

Great thread Mick, love the little truck. Good move raising the bed. Does it still have the T-bolt bars in the back or have you updated it since then?
Is that an Austin I spy at the curb in post #36?

 

The 72 pickup comes in handy too...

 

The Austin is Randy's, when I first met him he had a stock 305 Chevy with a Powerglide in it.
Gave him a ride in the hot rod and got him hooked on going faster [I was "instigating"].
We ended up going to Chris Alston's Chassis Works in Sacramento and he purchased a lot of cage tubing, 4-link parts, etc.
Now it's got a Chrysler 383 engine with a built 727.
I brought a scoop over his house and some wheelie bars just to tease him.
More recently he had a 500+ cubic inch Chrysler stroker motor built and he installed it.

 

Ok Mick, now you are just showing off.

 

Ha! Having fun Mike

 

Great hot rod story!
My good friend Dave G. [we introduce each other as "my brother"],
is 12 years younger than I.
Been friends for 40+ years.
He's got two split window Vettes [one Blown, one bone stock].

After all these years he happened to ask me where I found the hot rod cab
[already chopped].
I told him it was in a blue and white warehouse down 3rd St. S.F.
WHAT?
That was his Dad's warehouse and Dave use to play in the cab when he was a kid.
Hole cow!
We were both shocked and went over details, yes, that's the same cab I bought for $550
in 1969.

 

Fred took some shots at the Oakland Grand National Roadster Show in 1983.
Click on the other arrows if interested in seeing the other cars,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fredsredt/2191193686/in/set-72157603705169716/
Mick

 

Aging myself however...
does anyone remember "sucking beers" from the bottom of the can?
Open bottom of beer can with a can opener, put it to your mouth and pull the pop top.
12 oz. beer gone in a couple of seconds.

The night before we raced Mr. Blue [Thunderbolt clone] we sucked down a lot of them,
fun days. One picture is a repeat,
Mick

 

In fact that's him on the passenger side of my avatar...

 

We always called that “shooting a beer”.

 

yep, was always shotgun here

 

Well Shooting a beer and shotgun sure sounds better than what we use to call it!
So, a 54 Ford???
That was the first car I ever worked on, my Pop's car in the early 1960s.
Ford Crestline Victoria, 2 dr hdtp.
239 cu. in. overhead V8 [Fords' first OV V8].
I reversed the shackles to give it a rake.
Bought and installed a chrome tubular grill from JC Whitney in Illinois.
I went to the wreckers and picked up another cast iron exhaust manifold
eliminating that cross over pipe and getting dual exhaust with glass packs.
Made some kind of trade and got some chrome reversed rim for the rear, Baby Moons up front.
Stuck dual rear speakers in the package tray.
Bought some acrylic plastic radio knobs and a chrome air cleaner.
I got some 56 Olds taillights to install and Pop sold the car.
Well that was fun remembering all that!

 

And bowie, I see you have a 57 Chevy 2 dr hdtop!
When Pop sold the 54 Ford he bought a 57 Chevy BelAire 2 dr hdtp.
I was even happier.
It was a metallic heather with a white top, black and silver interior.
283 w/PG. The car was immaculate.
Within a few months I had it painted a dark blue/green, a GTO color.
Shortly after that I blew the 283 up, sucked a valve, cracked the block.
I went to Gotelli's Speed Shop right down the street and bought a new 1965 365hp 327 shortblock
[Pop paid/thought he blew it up], slapped the 283 Powerpack heads back on after repairs
made and it ran great.
Hey, they wanted a son!
I bought a 57 Chevy station wagon for $125 just to switch rear ends and rear suspension.
It had more leafs and I believe 411s. That gave it a slight rake, popular at the time,
sold the wagon for $125 so cost me zero other than labor, youth labor.
Picked up some chrome rims for it.
Before I could swap the PG for a 4-speed Uncle Sam came calling.
Pop sold the car when I was overseas.
Here's a shot of the 57 Chevy and the 54 Ford prior to chrome rims,
Mick

 

That’s a great lookn’ Htop! The Goat is pretty cool too! My ‘57 is a street beater, wanted one since I was a kid. She has a ‘69 oval 427” with a M21, wagon springs front and back. I’ve got a thing for those 327/365 engines too , this one is original in my ‘64 coupe. Edit: Forgot to mention...your truck is the cats nutz ! Love it!

 

Bowie, great engines!
What color is your 57?
You've got quite a cool collection of cars, all cool ones!
Good taste,
Mick

 

Thank you, sir! My ‘57 is gray primer , with a small percentage of red oxide added. The guy was supposed to use orange toner for an orange sherbert effect... but screwed up. It ended up looking like faded out Dusk Pearl ... so it’s kind of grown on me over the last 32 years...LOL!

 

It looked similar to the color of my Pop's original paint, that's why I asked.
Don't ever sell it!

 

Naw, she’s a keeper! I’m gonna have to thin the herd at some point though. I just plowed through your Willys thread... man, what an AWESOME car!!

 

Thanks, glad you like the Willys build.
That took a long time to build but keeping that one too.
Guess we have gear oil in our veins...

 

Yeah , I might just have to “shoot” a couple cans of SAE 20/50 when I get off work! Have fun...Rod on!