A survivor that I missed once by 10 minutes came home with me Fathers Day weekend

Looks like a sweet ass ride, congratulations. I jealous!!!!!!

 

That really is a nice old car! Keep us posted as you go through it.

 

Excellent!!!!!

 

Great car.

I'm glad you got home safely, the scenery in that area is stunning. The way you loaded the trailer, with the engine and box right at the back was not good practice, though. Having that heavy mass at the end of the trailer could have caused a tail wagging the dog situation.

But it didn't, you got away with it. I'm mentioning it in case someone else has a similar situation in the future, and might avoid trouble.

Once again, I really like the car, I love survivors, and I'm glad you got it back safe.

Mart.

 

Another case of right time/right place and recognizing it! It sounds like a great car and your telling of the adventure was fun, thanks for sharing.

 

Wow, what a great story and ending - oh for the fly guys my families business had a DC-3 on 2 different occasions - what a plane to fly in!! Once my uncle picked up me and my family in it and landing at a old WWII training base near my great aunt and uncles farm - I think half the town came out to see the plane because it had been many years since a plane had landed there, much less a WWII plane!

 

Such a good job on the story. Almost didn't need pictures. Almost!
Mike

 

****UPDATE****​

I took the car to the Roseburg show last weekend,

My girl and I found a great place to park that looked like it would have shade all day, laid out the blanket, and relaxed for a bit.


I put a handwritten sign in the windshield that read;


This car was hot rodded in Roseburg in the '50's
If you recognize it, or the name Robert Patrick Early
Please contact me


With my phone number on it.


After a while, I realized that it was gonna be a scorcher, and with my girl being a strawberry blonde, I knew that we’d better walk the show before the sun got too high.

I did my best to avoid the sun as much as possible, as I had remembered that on one of our first dates I drove the roadster, and even with sunscreen, she got roasted.

It was a standard car show with a good mix of cars and build styles. Nothing sticks in my memory except the original ’29 A on deuce rails with a flatty, and the flat black ’34 5 window coupe that was an old build like my ’35 and had looked like it came out of a time capsule.

Unfortunately I was an idiot and had left my camera on the counter at home, so sorry, no pictures.


We came back to the car, and relaxed for a while. After a piece of Abbys Greek pizza from one of the vendors, a guy looking at the car asked “Pat Early?”

I said “Could be. What do you know about him?”

He said “He was an accountant and got into some money trouble a few years back.”

“Sounds like the same guy that was described to me.”

He then proceeded to tell me some details about how Pat’s money issue came about.

“Well that explains the background info I got from the guy I bought the car from.”

It also explains how Daryl got the car...

The guy asking about Pat Early's name was Pat Fenton. He said that He remembered that Dave and Pat Early had went in on a ’35 coupe back in the late 50’s or early 60’s together, but he thought it had a 283 in it. He also mentioned that the car he remembered had been hit at one time, though he recanted on that a bit because he remembered a guy named Dave Shorrey that worked at a corner gas station in Roseburg had a green coupe also.

“The car ended up with Darryl Boyer at Terrain Tamer Trucking. I don’t know exactly why, ‘cause Daryl was into high end stuff not these older type of builds. Hell, he had two offshore boats with 3 big blocks in ‘em last I knew.” He then tells me “Conrad Paxton would be the guy to ask. He’s lived just north of Roseburg all his life and has always been a car guy. I think he’s here at the show today.”

As he is saying Conrad's name, another guy looking at the car says “Connie Paxton? He’s my uncle, and he’s over there, under the trees with his black ’56 Ford.”

“Dave was into trucking, but now he’s retired, and spends his time playing with Internationals” Pat says.

“Yea, I’ve heard of him” Says the other guy, who introduces himself as Kevin Paxton.

At this point we all bullshit a bit about the car, and how I got it. I open the trunk to show the flawless, rust free floors in an attempt to verify that it has never been hit, or hit hard enough to hurt the main body.

“Maybe it’s not the one I’m thinking of.” Says Pat.

“Well, if anyone will know, Connie will.” says Kevin.

“Would you mind taking me over to where Connie is, and introducing me to him?” I ask.

“Sure.”

As we stroll over to where connie was parked, Kevin says “It looks like he already left. I don’t see his car.”

“Did Connie leave for the day?” He asks a guy sitting in a chair.

“Yes.”

“This is the guy who owns the green ’35 Connie was talking about.”

“Connie and I saw that car a few weeks ago at the Jefferson State Street Rods run, and he said he recognized it then.” As the guy introduces himself as Tylen, Kevin’s brother.

Tylen says “He was pretty sure from what Connie had told him, that it was Dave Early’s car.” and then gives me Connie’s phone number. “Call him, he’ll know, it may take him a few minutes to remember it, but tell him it was at the Jefferson State show a few weeks ago, and he’ll know the car. Dave Early lived off Newton Creek way back when, and was into Internationals.”

At this point I’m pretty freaking excited. I chat with Kevin and Tylen for a bit, retelling an abridged version of how I got the car. I thank them both for all the information, and head back to where the car, and my girl are, zigzagging a bit to check out the A V-8 and the old school ’34 5 window. Dammit I wish I hadn’t forgotten the camera.

“Did you get some good info babe?” She asks.

I proceed to tell her everything I know so far, and ask her to google Dave Early on her phone to see if anything comes up. Mostly because my phone is so old that I often refer to it a “steam powered.”

“WTF! No internet connection???” She exclaims. “Freaking Roseburg!”

“What? I’m this close, and there is no internet connection here?” I say.

I grab my shitty old phone and call Kenny. As he answers, I say “I’ve elected to phone a friend.”

“What’s up? You get lucky on any info on the car?”

“Yes.” As I tell him everything that has transpired. “I need you to look up someone for me on your fancy ass phone.”

“Buddy, you gotta get a new phone so I don’t have to do this kinda stuff for you.” He then reminded me that we used to work at a cell phone company together, and that I was a tech.

“Wouldn’t matter. No Internet connection here.”

“Freaking Okleburg.” He mumbles, remembering that he managed a cell store for here a few months.

“Ok, whatcha got?”

“Dave Early.”

I can hear him instructing his daughter to get her laptop and follow my instructions as he relays them to her.

“I have David Early Trucking with a phone number.”

“Nope, he closed it years ago.”

“Ok, I have an address.”

“Is it off Newton Creek?”

“Hang on. Lemme check google maps. Yep.” As he gives me the address and verbal instructions on how to get there.

“Thanks man.”

“No problem, but that doesn’t get you off the hook on replacing that old ass phone.”


At this point, the show is basically over, and my girl and I load up the blanket and snacks in the car and head out. Craving something cold and sweet, Sonic is the first thing we find, and surprisingly, their malts aren’t half bad.

Headed north on 99, I find Newton Creek, and then the street Kenny gave me. Counting up the addresses, I find what I am looking for. Turning into the driveway, I realize that it is a deep flag lot. Heading back I see the front of an International, then another. Both in really nice shape.

I get turned around and head for the front door as my girl wishes me luck.

Knock knock knock

A guy just a little older than me opens the door. Cell phone to his ear.

“Hi, are you Dave?”

“Are you Jeff?”

“No, I’m Brian, I think I have Dave’s old ’35 Ford coupe.”

“No it’s not Jeff. It’s a guy named Brian, claims he has your old ’35 coupe.” He says into the phone. “You wannna talk to him? Ok.” He hands the phone to me. “This is Dave.”

“Hello. Dave? My name is Brian, and I think I have your old ’35 coupe.”

“Hi there Brian. My son thought you were Jeff. A guy who was coming to look at one of the Internationals.”

“Yes, I used to have a green ’35 coupe. My brother Pat and I bought it in the late ‘50s or so together. We both had cars, but we wanted something to have fun with.”



“JACKPOT!!!”



“I drove it to college in Ashland in about ’60 or so, and back home on the weekends. We had it painted that green and did the interior in it. The only bondo in the car is where we shaved the spare tire carrier. It got a 283 Chevy in it sometime in the ’60’s, but Pat changed it back to a flathead when he had it in the ’70’s.” Inferring that he sold his interest in the car to Pat.

“We got it from a local person in Roseburg. It was stock except it had the hydraulic brakes were already done. After Pat sold it Daryl Boyer, it just sat. I never understood why Daryl got the car. He was into Vipers and high roller stuff like that.”

“If you would like to see the car, I can come to wherever you are.” I was hoping for some face time, and more importantly, some good stories.

“Sorry, we’re in Charleston this weekend, but it would be great to see it. We do head south once in a while”

“Can I give you my number, and get yours? So if I come north we can connect?”

“Sure.”

I get his number, thank him for his time, tell him it was great to find him, and hand the phone back to his son.

As I’m scribbling down my number, his son tells me that he looked out the window and recognized the car while I was on the phone with his dad.

“My cousins and I used to play in it when we were kids.”



Thus concludes another great weekend with the car, and more importantly, I got great information on the car, and the phone number of one of the owners who rodded it way back when. When work slows down this fall, and the car is a bit more drivable, I’ll call him, drive it up, try to get Pat’s information, and hopefully get some great old hot rod stories.



...And I’ll definitely keep you posted...

 

Thanks for the story, in all the fine detail. I hope I don't get asked later, cos I think I already forgot a couple of names!

Love the car, love the way you tell the story.

Mart.

 

Thats a great stroy to tell about your car, always fun to make new ones. Enjoy

 

Great Car and great story. Can't wait for more pictures. Please take one of Janeen too. I have always wondered what the perfect woman looked like.

 

Great read!
Congrats, bitchin car.

 

Great story and even better car!
Got beat out on a 56 Buick Special
that sat in a barn since Carter was president
only to buy it from the guy who bought it
a few months later.

 

That is so far beyond cool...
Most of my family lives there in Grants Pants and I've been out there for the last few years (with the 51 Chevy AD in my avatar) for the "Back to the 50's" thang. And, YES, I've had the burgers and sweet tater fries at Jimmy's which is always a stop on the poker run...
Enjoy, brother...

 

The car truely is awesome in person. I met you down at dairy queen tonight. I'm the guy with the rusty old dodge. It was nice to meet you and like I said, the car is perfect! With the exception of that starter.... You gotta do something about that

 

So very cool! Neat story, wonderful car!

 

Wow greqt story to read on a sunday morning pushing to cows to the milkig shed, the car looks great

 

Cool story with a nice travelouge thrown in. On trips like that when the scenary gets boring, you can hit the rear view mirror.
I often tell people that "if your deal tumps, call me".
I lifted one of your pix for a screen saver too. I have a 35 3 window.

 

Howdy neighbor, she's a beaut. Sounds like you got alot of info about the car already. I'm going to have to ask the ol' timers in Ashland if they remember it or Dave Early.

 

I certainly like it, the car, the story and the supportive girlfriend. Good for all of you!
RB

 

AWESOME story....AMAZING car, man.

 

WOW! Thanks for all the positive comments on the story. It has been pretty awesome meeting many of you who have read this post and stopped to say hi when you see the car out and about.

I am planning on taking it to Billetproof in a few weeks. Hopefully I can meet more of you there!


p.s. After having the starter rebuilt, I have narrowed the current starter/cranking problem down to some wiring needing repaired/replaced under the dash...

 

Saw it at the G.P. swap. Really neat car in real life.

I was surprised to see "make an offer" taped up in the window.

 

Good stories, what are your plans for the car. Will it stay a flattie?

 

talk about a great story. congrats on the car and the girl!

 

Nice story on an awesome car! I love 35's!

 

One of the best stories I've read in a long time. Felt like I was reading my old man's Readers Digest.

 

Awesome experience! I could NOT stop reading your story! Great stuff.

 

I stopped by to look for the next project, and it was a swap meet after all...

I almost put "Expensive" on the tag. Haha.

But seriously, thanks for the kudos on the car!

 

Yes, even though it is proving to be a wonderful love/hate relationship,
it will stay a flattie.