Part2: Some guy's daughter looking for her daddy's old 1940 ford coupe...

Hopefully someone can pass this message on for you...because Dianelee hasn't been on here in a while!

Last Activity: 10-22-2005 02:02 AM

 

Her website isn't up anymore either. She found the real car, and it wasn't for sale. She made her Dad happy, and has moved on.

KFSPC, do you have the yellow coupe? Or do you have the primered coupe (with the working trunk) that everybody says isn't the Hollywood Knights car?

 

I am Larry Brooks and I’m “daddy.” I owned the ’40 Ford coupe pictured in the movie Hollywood Knights. I purchased THE COUPE in l965 from Rex Phillips in Napa, Calif. He and 2 brothers named Texierra built THE COUPE. It took 4 years, from l955-1959 and they went through twelve 40’s to build it. They drove it for about one year then put it in storage.

The chopped ‘40’ pictured is not THE COUPE. If you look closely the ‘40’ pictured has a ‘chopped’ rear window. THE COUPE did not because the builders did not want to lessen the already limited rear visibility. The coupe pictured does not have a molded in trunk and THE COUPE did. Also, the coupe pictured does not appear to be SECTIONED. THE COUPE was chopped 4’ and sectioned 5’ and had a 3’ dropped front axle. IT WAS NOT CHANNELED. Two leaves were added to both the front and rear ‘buggy’ springs and then the springs were de-arched to further lower the car.
When I bought it most of the exterior body work was complete but the interior had not really been started yet. Thanks to Burnsed’s body shop in Napa, Cal. for the professional work in cutting down the window moldings and painting them the opal violet to match the dash and my ‘personal’ upholstery shop in Tijuana for the very professional burgundy and white tuck and roll interior.

THE COUPE wasn’t exactly roadworthy either when I bought it and all credit goes to Ted and Phil of Maires Garage in Napa for the two years of meticulous and tireless work to make it 100% dependable.

When I bought the coupe, it had a 239 cube 53 Studebaker V/8 with a cheater cam and an Olds side-draft carb. After about a year, I replaced it with an R-4 Avanti (not with the dual Paxton superchargers) but dual quad carbs. Went through the flying mile at 142 mph. The coupe handled like a dream. I couldn’t seem to keep the Avanti ‘glued’ together. I loved 100 mph plus and it didn’t. I needed something bullet-proof. It was 1966. Flat-head V/8’s were a fading memory but after opening up eleven of them… bingo, an uncracked flathead. Contacted Bing of Bing’s Speed Shop in Santa Rosa. Bing was one of two legendary builders of flatheads going head to head with Tommy Imor at the Vacaville drag strip every weekend in their flathead powered slingshot dragsters. Bing was thrilled to build probably the last flathead he ever built and it was to his specs. He went all out. It was full race. Hot and bullet-proof. As the car is still at least somewhat alive so is the engine as pictured on this website.

The coupe could generally be seen on the weekends at PATCHES drive-in in Vallejo or cruising ‘the strip’ in San Jose or in the summer at the Santa Cruz beach/boardwalk. Thanks to the coupe I met my wife, Dolores, at Patches. She’s still in my life after 44 years.

All the memories. Indelible. All the girls, “Oh please take me for a ride in your car.” The burgundy and white fuzzy dice which we had to make from scratch and all the little speckles on the burgundy naugahyde headliner which could only be seen in just the right light, from opening all the cans of Oly and Bud. Never a scratch. Never a dent. Just recollections of a 70 year old hot rodder.


Now when I get “the hot rodding urge,“ I visit our daughter. Following in her daddy’s footsteps, she owns an impeccable 1994 Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Had it ten years. No tickets or accidents. She’s good, very good, but she still can’t match her daddy on the twisty, turny back roads. The fire is still burning.

 

Wow!!

 

I just read through this whole thread and say WOW!! Larry, good to see you joined and responded to this great story. Hope that Diana is well. Would you ever consider doing a clone of your car?

 

Welcome Larry!!! Thanks for posting up.

 

I know this is an old thread, but does anyone know why she left, and never came back?
Why here dad who did'nt know about computers join on here?

So cool that he did!
Is there anybody on here who is a bigger copy/picture horder then I'm, and have kept the pictures?
The only one that shows up is the IMDB picture of the unweiling of the car in HK.
Okay, the three pictures of the cars who is Getting sold of as the HK forty, comes up too. But that has it's own thread, and actualy belonged to somebody else.

Like the movie; loves the car!

 

The thread is 9 years old and her Daddy joined,posted on this thread one time and has never logged back on.

Dead thread.HRP

 

Yes HRP. You answered the two un important with Q with one A. Thanks

But somebody might have the picture of the car, and there is no need to start a new thread to ask for pictures of this car elseware.
Because some af the guys being part of this, and Subscribed, might have those pictures.

This is a car I Think looks so nice, but I can only find on single frame shot of it.

 

This 40 came up in conversation the other night, and a buddy of mine mentioned this thread. I did'nt know it was up, and after a day of power reading I am shocked. I am from Napa, the body shop that did the interior garnesh's was owned by my High School auto body teacher, Ray Burnsed. "Burney" as we all knew him never mentioned it in the years I knew him, and none of the other Old Timers from Napa never piped up either. Its sad that the car wont be returning. I've thought about this quest as my Dad still lives in Napa, and has had a bunch of wicked cars thru the years, none of which were ever movie cars, but he did get into a magazine. This is a great thread, sorry I caught on so late.

 

Someone sent me a link with more pictures as I only had the unveiling scene pic..If I wasn't a dumass I saved the link but where is where I am a dumass....If I find it I will post it..

 

Here are a couple photos of both cars.......

Street Rod Nationals West , Merced 1978


Oakland Calif, Early 1980'S

 

Here’s some pictures







Sent from KUSTOMS

 

Looks like the Hollywood nights wannebe 40 (green one) is up for sale
In a package deal on Craigslist

 

Well I can appreciate the effort and work that went into this particular car BUT... in my estimation the only things that should be done to a ‘40 coupe are stance, upholstery, paint, wheels, and engine and those aren’t really needed! The ‘40 DeLuxe coupe is as close to perfect as Detroit ever got....

 

Well I'm PISSED. Just read the whole thread and We're left with NOTHING...she used the hell out of a lot of HAMBers in her 6 month run...all sweet and nice...and we fell for it. She no longer has any use for us...and she's gone.

 

Hey HRJack33,
At least it was for a good cause and not to just use the HAMB to sell a car. It made for a good ride for a while, right?

 

What is there to be upset about? We manage to piece together the story, gave me a chance to search old issues of R&C, and helped a young lady. Seems all good to me.