Have seen the term "gow job" in a California magazine from 1950 or 51. At the time I thought it meant "go job".
Nothing to do with the conversation at hand, but a quick story about my grandfather. My dad was a bit of a nares-do-well in my grandfathers eye, and hot rods had a lot to do with that attitude. So, when I started babbling about Model "T"s and "A" at about 7, he would roll his eyes and go on a long winded tirade about what a waste of time and talent old cars really are. Then he would tell this story about driving a Model "T" from North Dakota where he was born, to Texas when he was twelve, hoping to find work in the oil fields after his family could no longer afford to feed all their kids. The year was 1922. This story could last literally hours, and was always presented as a cautionary tale as to why ANYBODY would be so dumb as to want to mess with Model "T"s. He would explain that it was in poor shape, and "was so crappy it didn't have a body", and "I couldn't afford mufflers". Trust me, I heard this every time I cracked a Hot rod magazine. After his death in '97, I flew back up to St. Paul to hang out with grandma a bit, and help her take care of his stuff. One evening we were sitting at their dining room table, and she grabbed an OLD scrap book and handed it to me, and said, "look on the fourth page, there is something your grandfather made me promise to never show you"... There was a picture of my grandfather, at age 16 or so, covered in oil from head to toe, smiling and leaning against about the coolest "T" speedster I have ever seen! Buffalo wires, basic seat, basic two place cowl, and a huge pipe running down the side. Oh, and very low for the day! I did love that old bastard!
Eight for show, four to GOW. Also occasionally seen as "six to plow, four for gow". And I endorse the timeline cited by gwhite.
Great story, thanks for sharing it. Kind of funny now, everyone is going to North Dakota to work in the oil fields.
Hot Rodding was not born in California. It came along with the great Western migration of the 1930's. There was a strong interest in circle-track racing in the mid-west, in the teens and twenties. This can be documented in the historical record by number of tracks and attendance records. Many tracks had closed in ten years or so. I say many of those who practiced Hot Rodding in California were Okies, Arkies, etc.
Sounds like a half truth, you are right in the fact that a majority of the early speed equipment was from the Mid West starting in the teens. Argument for the parallel development of 'Hot Rodding' across the US. Ed and Bud Winfield were born and raised in California, Ed ground his first cam in 1919 and was the father of modern cam grinders. His carbs are legendary, run on everything from Indy cars to Jalopies. His Winfield hi-compression heads are still sort after today. Ed is often referred to as the Father of Hot Rodding George Riley is another Californian who developed racing engines, speed equipment, carbs. Harry Miller of course had his Miller race car shop in So-Cal. Fred Offenhauser Jnr was a California native, we know what he, with help from Leo Goossen did after he bought the Miller patterns and shop equipment. Offenhauser also had a hand in building Barney Oldfield's Golden Submarine. The Miller-Schofield 4 port probably the greatest banger OHV head was designed in So-cal by Leo Goossen for Harry Miller, later the patterns were sold to Crane Gartz (Cragar). According to an article by Lee Chapel wrote for the May 1948 issue of HRM, model Ts were running on the lakes as early as 1923 probably in response to an official AAA timing of a stripped down Buick which ran 108mph, the lakes were used for other high speed runs including Frank Lockhart's 91ci supercharged Miller which had run 171mph, two-way av 164mph in 1927 (official AAA timing). 1930 seems to be the first true lakes meet that would be the major focus of rodders for the next twenty years. Cars that ran the board tracks, dirt tracks and ovals are race cars, once the performance parts they ran became obsolete they were sold to people who would use those performance parts on their road going cars this to me is the start of Hot rodding, when performance/race parts were used on everyday passenger vehicles, it grew from there.
In the early days pre ww1 there was a lot of interest in auto racing and a lot of hand built racing cars. There was a lot of money in racing because it drew such big crowds of spectators. But after a while cars became common and auto racing was not such a draw as it had been. For financial reasons, it became necessary to develop cheaper race cars based on stock motors and chassis. This was the birth of speed equipment as we know it, from Roof, Frontenac, and others. From about 1920 on, you could buy special equipment for Ford Model T, Dodge, Essex and others. Their products were meant for the dirt tracks of the day but soon found their way onto the street.
Overhead conversions, better brakes, and the like were also developed to give trucks more power, better handling, etc
This is a very interesting topic and hope to get some more input on it. The first time I ever heard the term GOW JOB was back in the late 50's at the drag races in Great Bend Kansas. Some guy on a race crew used it when ask a question about his hot rod. We all thought it was a great term and it stuck with us from then on.
Awesome speedster with a gas tank seat from 1927 film "Wings." I don't remember if they gave it a specific name as to "jalopy," etc. Good movie that ends up in WWI w/ great aerial action.
my dad was a 14-year-old burbank (ca) boy in 1927 when he drove a chop-top t. no driver license. got t-boned and put a $5 roadster body on it. he had lots of buddies who raced where the burbank studios now sit, but i never heard him use the term "gow job."
Something I just remembered. Oil companies used to make special racing fuel. I don't know what was in it but it was not gasoline or alcohol, it was some blend of gas and other chemicals. In the twenties all the racers used it. I knew an old time motorcycle mechanic who told me how they would pick it up from the Shell depot (not the Shell station, the Shell company warehouse) in 5 gallon cans when they were going to the motorcycle races. He would help on the pit crew, and when the day's racing was over he would pour the leftover fuel in his Model T hot rod. On the way back to the city it would go faster than it ever went on plain gas. I already recalled how "soup" was a name safe crackers used for nitroglycerine. I have never heard of racing fuel called "soup" but consider it possible.
"Cocaine is for horses it's not for men. Doctor says it will kill you but he don't say when" "Stay out of that hop joint and let that cocaine be" hot joint = hop joint = opium den hack = hop = druggie
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