History Driving the Kookie Kar back to 1958

What steering gear is that?
I made a similar sector extension when I built my truck.

 

Mark - No pics (yet) ... but Roy says they have it.

 

Confirms my thought on how a lot of Hot Rods were built.
Not bad but not how some remember them.

 

The iconic T bucket!

 

again I ask the question;
who did the work for Jim Street? headers, interior, etc?


11/20/2018 asking same question...

 

Here's the latest “spy pics” of the Kookie Kar's chassis at ROY BRIZIO STREET RODS shop in South San Francisco, CA:

All images by Roy Brizio (from his November 18th Facebook feed)
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It does look home built by a teenager.

 

Honestly? Not nearly as bad as I'd have expected. Other than lots of grunge and age the "bones" of the Kookie Kar aren't bad at all...when measured against other hot rods of the day. Hopefully the restoration will be pretty much authentic to the original build - not just the iconic paint but also the construction details. It would be so easy to over-restore Norm's movie beater. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

 

@missysdad1 - When asked (several times) about "over-restoring" the car, Roy has simply stated that it's "going all original" ... and when @Malcolm asked "New chassis or fix the existing mess? ", Roy replied "all original" ...

 

Good to hear it.
Looks like a well planned and built chassis,
I see no obvious cracking or twist,
All that dirt shows it must have been driven hard and a lot.

 

I haven't watched much of Sunset Strip and Peter Gunn but much of what I saw was pretty hard downright Hoodlum to the bone......Ole Norm liked to giver' a good workout...and then there's the sand, seawater and racing...a true driver that's for sure.

While some of this is Hamber Von Franco's inspired Clone there is a fair bit of Norm being Hotrodder Norm laced within...Giving Ole Kookie a workout...and apparently that inspired Von a wee bit...

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I am glad Roy is going back original with the restoration. This is the way most hot rods were built in that era. The only exception were the strictly for show cars. Most of the cars that were going to have the shit run out of them didn't have that kind of attention to detail during construction. This car will not matter how crude some will believe it was built. No apologies will be in order for the most famous and revered "T" ever.

 

By looking at the other historical hot rods owner Ross Myers has in his collection, I’m sure this one will turn out ; true to it’s roots.

 

Interesting to see it all torn down. I was wondering when the spring spacer was fitted at the rear. The frame had been slightly Z'd to lower it, and then massively hiked at a later date - was the first iteration of the T lower in the rear, and then raised to make it more "rad"?

Mart.

 

In the video I posted above in the drag racing footage when it was black it was spacer free. I think that was prior to Sunset but not positive as it was before my time.

 

We've come a long way as far as build quality goes, but I still hope the car isn't over restored.

 

I'd like to offer my services to perfectly replicate the crappy welds and poor workmanship.

 

And all the better for it!

 

Probably..When I was a kid I tried to build a model clone..Got pretty close but never finished..Seems that model would get dropped on the floor when working on it quite often; got tired of gluing it back together..

 

Lol!

 

1955 with some welding stimulator in hand or is that pop......he earned it cheers Norm...

I actually like the twists and turns it took over the years...this fella had an eye for cool.



http://www.roddersjournal.com/portfolio-item/the-kookie-kar-golden-sahara-find-new-homes/

Credit to Photographer, Owner

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I'm sharing this other little short by Mad Fabricator's with similar but different footage of Norm and his T...you might have noted Von Francos Kooky Jig in the first one and this video sheds light on the origin of it......and one thing these highly illustrate is why we do this...to have a good time...

RIP Norm



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I like this version the best,nice and simple.

 

Great to see some progress, it's in good hands. I'm actually fairly impressed with the workmanship. Some of it isn't really pretty but if a teenager turned this out in the 50's without the specialized tools or internet-based knowledge we have now, I'd say a damn fine job was done.

 

You can see the spacer in this picture. I would assume he added for "Kookie" version, to give it more of a rake.

 

Norm did an interview for Rod and Custom in the 70s ,,if you read that he talks about the quality,,he said the car was damaged during filming and it had chrome rail covers that hid some stuff,,I don’t have the magazine still,,but if someone digs it up,,it’s in there ,,

 

Yes ... I met Norm in the '70s when he performed at the NSRA Western Nats in Merced (an event "directed" by Gary Meadors and "coordinated" by my father). I was just a teenager at the time (i.e., "a fly on the wall"), but I distinctly remember Norm talking to Gary & my father about the Lightning Bug / Kookie Kar and its "hacked up" frame with "bubble gum" arc welds ... and the frame covers (by Valley Custom or other famous So-Cal shop) to hide all the sins:

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Hotrod Skirts......also to give that beefy very much desired by many...32 look.

 

What a cool shot El Hueso...

You should post that in the Through the Windshield Thread...​

 

Thanks to all for the wonderful photos. Can't wait to see the car finished, I was starting to worry that I would die of old age before the best Hot Rod Ever made it's come back.