On Monday while driving home from my parents house we decided to stop off in Leslie, Arkansas. It is small town. At a local Antique shop I met Jack. I asked him about a track roadster on the corner of the street. He said the car was his. He asked me if I had ever heard of Ed Roth or Von Dutch? Of course I said yes! He said that he was also a painter in California circa 1950s -1960s. He said that they were friends of his. He wondered if anyone could find anything about him. I would love to find a photo of him! Norm Gorbowski was also a buddy. Jack said they spoke not long before Norm's death. If anyone remembers Jack please let me know. He didn't keep many souvenirs. He does still have a German helmet that he painted. (Kinda of his trademark) I'm going back to Leslie to visit again soon. Hopefully I'll have more details.
Great story! Hope you told him about The HAMB/ Jalopy Journal, you know spreading the gospel of traditional Hot Rods & Customs to Hoodlums Worldwide.......Don.
Jack has been a friend of mine for over 30 years. He lived in Conway and worked for a sign company before he retired. He drove a yellow '55 F-100 flatbed that showcased his talent. I swapped him a '40 Ford front suspension (axle, wishbone, spindles, spring) for a pinstriping lesson. After he showed me some things (preparing brush, loading brush, pulling a line, cleaning brush, etc) on an old Ford tail gate I had, I said, "Thanks for the lesson." He said, "Oh no, we're just getting started." He had me practice for hours, literally, while he watched and gave pointers. He gave me a brush and a can of 1-Shot to practice with. Super good guy.
arkiehotrods - great story - hope that you can help Nicholaus Coe with his quest - maybe contact Roth Family for possible help - either of you guys have a current pic of "Herr"?
Absolutely! He couldn't believe anyone would care about old pinstripes and stories. I told him that's what we are all about!
Hopefully I can make it back down soon. I'll try to get a current picture of him too. Anyone dig up any old pics?
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