You know what is amazing in this Great Country that we live in. With enuff experience , knowledge and wisdom there is nothing that can not be achieved. Ever since Dad and I purchased HURST RACING TIRES from Ron Hurst in 2005 , Russ Meeks of RM Engineering has had a unique vision that he knew we could bring back to life. In Russ's own words I would like to share the History of a very unique tire that had a great impact on the Golden Age of Custom's and Hot Rod's. Image is Everything........by Russ Meeks 02/26/11 The First time I saw a set of Royal Masters was in the mid 1950's. I had gone out to Dee Wescott's shop to see what he was working on-he always had somthing cool there. I was proably 15 or 16 at the time. They were rubbing out the paint on Ron Ashfields 40 coupe. This car was dynamite!! It had an 8" dropped "I" beam front axle that Ron had made himself. Re arched spring and c'ed frame in the rear, re radiused wheel wells, nosed and decked, "T" bird bucket seats and steering wheel, & white rolls and pleats. The paint was called Backwards Blue which was a dark metallic blue mixed at Oregon City Auto Glass in Gladstone. The car had chrome reversed rims, baby moons and US Royal Masters. These were the first series Royal Masters. They were smooth side walls and didn't have the vertical ribs all the way around but 1" wide white wall with the big curb guard on both sides. I was just blown away!! At that time, I was building my 29 Tudor. When I finished it for the first time in about 1960 or 1961, it was not the right car for the Royal Masters. I had learned that you could ruin a car by putting the "wron wheels and tires" on it. Just becuase you like somthing doesn't mean it will look good on all cars. Some where in 1963, I soldthe 29 to Dick Bouthillier. Actually, I traded it to him for the 1956 Nomad. Part of the deal was that the Nomad was to be upholstered in Black roll and pleats by Mark Tomlinson. It had some other issues also and while John Smeads was fixing them, I was driving a 1961 Vette that Dick had. I lowered the Vette, re radiused the wheel wells, put on chrome reversed wheels with Royal Masters. These were the second series tires with the ribs all the way around them. Personally, I didn't like them as much, but they were still good looking tires for a certain types of cars. I didn't put them on the 56 Nomad - even after I sectioned it becuase they were not right tire for the way I designed the car. Fast forward to 1982..We went to Colorado on our vacation and stopped in Ogden, Utah to take in the Truckin' Nationals put on by Truckin' Magazine. Bruce Glasscock was going to have the Rod & Custom Dream Truck there. He had just finished the first restoration. My son, Cedric, had never seen the truck in reality-only in old pictures. He was in the 10th grade at that time, and only on the way home he said "dad I want to build a Chev truck like the Dream Truck only some thing different". No fins, lower to the ground, sectioned different, re radius the wheel wells to fit the tires and so forth, ect. That truck would have been the perfect vehicle for the Royal Maters. But they were no longer available. Fast forward..2000 or so. My partner, Lona had a 1955 Crown Vic when she was in high school in 1962. She always wanted another one. We found on e at the Monroe Swap Meet that wasn't to bad. It had a 65-289 and c-4, been painted 7 different colors, 20 gallons of bondo in it, some rothere and there. But otherwise very slavageable. We worked on the price and brought it home. This was the car that needed Royal Masters. As I've been building this car, I knew that I had to re-produce the Royal masters for this car. Last winter, I painted the top and dash. It's typical late 50's early 60's type of paint - candy-pearl, shellpaneled, scalloped and striped and buried in clear. There is over 5 gallons of rapit on the roof of the car. This is the way Dee Wescott, Gene Winfield and Larry Watson taught me to paint. Some people say you can't paint this way in todays world but that's not true. I'm still doing it. Fast forward to 2009...I had known Steve Adams for over 40 years and talked to him about re-producing my version of the Royal Master for the 55. I knew the cost would proably be prohibitive but I just had to do it. We had named the car the "Royal Crown' becuase it's a Crown Vic and the color is Royal Blue depending on how you look at it and in what light., We are on our 4th prototype and getting close to what I want. The profile is right but there are several small issues to work out. The tire will be called the R.M. Royal Crown. First sizes will be 205-75-15 and 215-75-15. We are doing the first series smooth side wall...the ribbed side wall will come later. I've talked to Gene Winfield and Tom Taylor and they both are excited about it. The tires will only be sold through Adams Hot Rod Rubber/ HURST RACING TIRES so watch their web site for up dates on progress. We're looking for these tires to be on the Crown Vic and Cedric's 54 Chev at Billet Proof 2011 in Chehalis, Washington
Here are some pictures out of Russ Meeks collection........ This is in Russ's own words........... "The picture of the Nomad pulling the Jade Idol" Late 1964 some where between Barstow & Phoenix, flat towing the Jade Idol to the Phoenix car show on a tow bar. The Nomad before I sectioned it. 427 Ford Powered the car ran 12:30 at 118.00 MPH on cheater slicks not bad for a 4500 pound tow car. This was the trip that Delores, Gene Winfield's wife rolled the Solar Scene on. When we got the Solar Scene back home I cut it up & parted it out. I put the nailhead in Genes forty Ford sedan delivery. And the rest of the good stuff went several different places. "Sectioned Nomad" 1969 Portland Roadster Show The Nomad candy red & silver paneling with red cobb webbing. Note the full belly pan & trailer hitch. This car was not a show car. It was built for towing & driving enjoyment. "Crown Victoria" Billet Proof 2009 , Roof and dash painted, body bear metal & lead work showing, No bondo anywhere. Side trim removed and body sides peeked to match where side trim had been.
thanks for sharing with us on the tires and thanks to russ for the pictures!!!!!!!!! cant wait to show the nomad again its been off the road way to long.
Looking forward to seeing the tires in production. Some cool pics of Russ meeks Nomad. And the Crown Vic. Thanks for posting
Get ready Folks they are getting close! Stay tuned , same time same channel!!! And yes you heard it first on the HAMB! Cody Adams Adams Hot Rod Rubber / HURST RACING TIRES
Steve and Cody did an AWSOME job on the tires I just went to dads an looked at them they kick ass. Im ready to get a set on my 54. Great job guys!!!!
Here are a couple "I PHONE" shots from our session on this past Monday. Ray Gordon http://www.raygordon.com/ was kind enuff to lend his velvet eye's for the photo unveling of the NEW RM Royal Crown installed on Russ Meeeks Crown Victoria. These are the first production of the tire we will be releasing very soon! Stay tuned on this folks!!!! Just think Fabio was in this very spot 24 hours earlier as they were filming the latest Old Spice commercial on the same soundstage we were using for the car. Ha haha We are very very close.......... Thank You Cody HOTRODRUBBER Adams Adams Hot Rod Rubber / HURST RACING TIRES
I was saying fuck yes! To myself until I saw the pics... The tread kills it for me. Good luck. I'm sure there are plenty of people who will run that tire.
Cody HOTRODRUBBER Adams - This is fantastic news! There's so many (restored, cloned, "tribute", and/or new) Customs that would look much better with a set of Royal Masters (er, I mean "R.M. Royal Crowns" ) vs. the typical set of wide whites ... case in point is the Clif Inman (Joe Wilhelm built) '57 Chrysler currently owned by Bill McEuen: Thank you, your father, and Russ for making these tires available again!
Those look great. I ran into Steve at the post office today, and he was trying to explain the pains it took to get a mold that would work, but I couldnt picture it. Now that I see it, those look amazing.
Just Bitchin!!!!!! Keep it up guys!!!!!!! Lookin good Russ. Gonna have to come back and see it in person. Get them on the 54 Cedric.... NOW!!!!
Your tires are casting today!!!! Set number 2!!!! HOTRODRUBBER Adams Adams Hot Rod Rubber / HURST RACING TIRES
Its almost a year later and the web page for these still says they are coming soon in 2011. UPDATE please. http://www.hurstracingtires.com/RM_ROYAL_CROWN.html
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