the guy built "HIS" car the way he wanted to without caring what the rest of the sheep were doing, good for him for that. Since E&J's are getting beat up I have to say this... You have to look at them in the time they were made, in the mid '20's and marvel at the engineering that these guys put into them. Strictly on an engineering and innovation level these guys thought way outside the box which is at the heart of why we all admire and want these old parts, is it not? Anyway.. ugly or a piece of art, I think they showed a lot of innovation in a time when a light was a bowl with a flat piece of glass clamped to the front of it. just my 2cents... felt bad for 'ol E&J there... I'm done now...
In all fairness, just because something is well engineered and innovative, doesn't mean it works on a car. You can't bolt a set of E&J's on a Honda and expect praise for your "out of the box" thinking.
Ya gotta remember E&J's and Duvals were aftermarket parts or specialty parts right at the beginning (late 20s early 30s), of the aftermarket. I don't recal either of them ever being original equipment on any production car. Remember car customizing began very near when hot rodding began. There has always been some blending of genres, and the airplane influence on both of them for the time is very evident. By the 70's the guy was building a "traditional" style of car. He was lucky to have all those parts even then. It really isn't much different than many of us today who try to recreate 40's and 50's cars with parts we think the big guys used in the 40's and 50's. This is just a wonderful piece of later history for us to marvel at and respect. It is just a 3 d picture of a time in history, and one guy's interpretation.
The individual pieces are all impressive, but too much as a whole. Give me the previously featured A on A rails any day with its 21-stud and humbly-proud cobbled together stock parts. To quote Burt Reynolds, following his separation from Loni Anderson, "You want the one who looks like a librarian. Trust me." I'm with Burt.
Tom Donahue defied the trends and built the classic roadster that he wanted, using all the quality vintage parts he could get his hands on. I suspect there wouldn't be anything but admiration for the parts list if it was built twenty years earlier. As for the badge (which I wouldn't run), maybe it says to the 70's scene; "This is a highboy!"
The wheels & the car in general are wonderful. The headlights? I can't imagine the attraction there. They look like ray guns bolted on the farme. Yuck. But the Duval? I love the style & always will. It's perhaps more sportcar and less hotrod than we might wish here, but I think it rocks nonetheless. I do NOT, however, understand the marine covers on the engine. To me it's just extra weight for nothing (except style) unless they have some real performance advantage I can't fathom.
Yup, all the vintage stuff......I think the only place that rod should reside is..........in my garage!
I don't know.....to me, the car screams bad ass at first glance. I think that's all that matters. That fact that is was built in the 70's before many of the parts were mega dollar and en vogue make it legit. The wheels rule....effin evil!
not really seeing the attraction of the changes that have been suggested. i guess i could just google "32 ford high boy roadster like everyone else has" and check out the appeal.
Those wheels do rule!. Aren't those the same wheels on the "Orange Crate" except the 'crates are chromed? IIRC.
Yup, same ones. I happen to know where there is another set on a crappy T-Bucket! Seriously though, I too am not an E&J fan, but they do work here. I remember the Rod&Custom article and the Rod Action article on the owner and this car like it was yesterday. Hard to believe about that same time I went with one of my mentors to buy a complete SCOT blower, drive and manifold for a flathead, and the dollars exchanged were about 500.00 - big dollars in the late seventies for "outdated" stuff! Ya, the axles could be changed and the tires could be better sized, but this thing is awesome, and one more piece of the puzzle that made my desire for the set of wheels I have now grow exponentially. The other was a roadster out of the early eighties built by a guy Named Mark Cornforth... Look that one up sometime!
I think your first inclination was correct here Ryan. "And so, when Tim started rattling off one rare part after another I assumed the worst. To me, a car with all that shit hanging off of it would leave little room for soul and no canvas for imagination."
It's drop trou' time in Texas.........a cascade cavalcade at my house. I'd stop for a sneeze....but that's about it. Gesundheit !! That's bad ass !! All I would ditch is the red grille, and a hiboy emblem.......but then again.....I'd still be naked......so who really cares ??
We all have our opinions... Not everyone thinks they are ugly, clearly... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
It may not suit everyone's taste but I could only dream of having a roadster like this in my garage. Thanks for sharing it with us Ryan and Tim.
Sorry, I don't care for it. Start at the rear with the rearend too wide and the tires too small to the front with those ugly headlights. The stance looks right but the car just doesn't flow from one end to the other.
First thing I'd do is take them out of your trash.I've been sitting here for hours drooling on my keyboard,so I guess that means I like it
I just love thinking about the guy in the 70s picking up all this outdated stuff for a song, Pre Interwebs!! That took some time and influenced the way this turned out. Thank goodness for something Different! And a little weird!
Bingo. The guy built a TRADITIONAL hot rod when it wasn't a trend. Happened to get a bunch of cool parts for little to nothing, and went with it.... and all you can thrash and concentrate on are the headlights? LAME... I respect a lot of you but you're kind of forgetting what this place is about. Not just our love and appreciation for hot rodding and it's history, but also our love, respect, and appreciation for the men (and women) that KEPT IT ALIVE. If this man shouldn't be given a handshake, pat on the back, and atta boy for keeping with hot rodding's roots, then fuck. Shoot me now. Breath of fresh air, I tell ya... Especially now a days where it seems like if you're not apart of a trend you're a leper... Hipsters ruined everything... What were we talking about? Oh yeah... Everyone hates E&J's... Thanks for posting Ryan. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about another great dude taking the road less traveled...
It,s funny that 1/2 the people bitching about parts of this car probably were still in diapers when it was built. How about looking at it in the context of when it was built,no one was building this kind of car. I remember this car from when it was first around and it was refreshing to see. There are things on it I don,t like,but I still love it
Ryan .. I sincerely hope you do more features like this and the Lee Pratt features. I love the Sutton photos and the write-up in this one. As I was reading this, I didn't miss R&C. Not one bit. I miss Rod and Custom, yes, but they aren't the only ones who can write worth a damn. Please tell me there will be more write-ups on hot rods from our times like this one in the future.
Wow, unbelievable that is was built in the 1970s. Hope he leaves it as it is and doesn't try to follow new trends or hypes. Awesome.
Nice,over all. There is always something I'd have or not have even on my own rods,what that is ,only actully matters to me. Thanks enjoyed looking
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