Billy Crewl has been sharing some really great photos from the amazing Jack Calori photo album. Jack has taken many photos in the later part of the 1940's and has created a really amazing photo album which has survived all these years. The first photos Billy showed me are of this mild 1936 Ford coupe of Jack's friend Bob Gill. Next up was this early shot of Jack's 1936 Ford which was still having its stock height top when this photo was taken. We can see Jack getting his roadster ready for another run at the dry lakes. This photo shows the car shortly after Herb Reneau was done with the body work on the car. He had chopped the top, smoothed the rear fenders, created the set in license plate, added the 1941 Hudson taillights close to the plate, and added the 1939 LaSalle grille in the newly shaped front and molded in a set of 1940 Chevy headlights. But the car was still in primer in this photo, and the 1941 Ford bumpers have not yet been installed here either.
This album is mindblowing !! I was lucky enough to see,touch,hold and just try to take this in.Wow, this collection is just unbelievable.Thanks for sharing
jeff your one of just a few my friend. i'm glad you got to see it. even at el mirage where a lot of those photos were taking. billy
Yes !!! Thank you Billy.That is what was even more sacred about that.Looking thru those pics where a lot of em were takin. I hope to see em again sometime,it seemed to quick last time.
Awesome Rik! Thank you Billy! I'm looking forward to what goodies lay ahead. I have been watching your posting of Jack Calori pics on fb.
he did the body mods on the roadster in 46 then the 36 in late 47 and into 48. jack was still using it as a tow car. then sold his roadster kept the motor then put it in the 36 then ran russetta with it. he ruled.
This is the cover of the photo album... I love these old albums, and I always get very excited if some new once are being discovered, or shared.
Did you notice that the sunken license and Hudson taillights that I have always associated with Calori's car were also on Bob Gill's? I wonder which was the chicken and which was the egg.
Thanx for some more iconic info bro, you are so cool to share all this with us. His buddys rig is also off the hook, I noticed the tailight and license plate details being similar, very hip. That album cover is totally rightous, as I am afflicted with "old anything disease". Your constant generous contributions to all this history is so appreciated. ~sololobo~
from a photographer's standpoint; there is nothing more exciting than this type of stuff! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks again, Rikster, you always have new and interesting stuff that takes us back to a fascinating time.
I wondered exactly the same thing..! Friends influencing friends - cool stuff Rik (once again!). Dave
Here are two more photos of Jack's 36 Ford from the album. This photo shows the front of Jack's 1936 Ford shortly after all the body work was done by Herb Reneau. This a bit blurry photo shows the work that Herb did to the front. Here he removed the original 1936 Ford grille, shaped a new steel panel to fill the hole and made a new opening to fit the 1939 La Salle grille. Herb also set a set of 1940 Chevy headlights low on the front fenders and removed the hinge in the hood top and welded the two pieces together to form a solid hood. The hood sides are all smooth units. Possibly aftermarket units. Later a set of louvres was punched into them, but they are not there yet in this photo. This front view also shows that the 1941 Ford bumpers have not yet been installed at this time. And this photo shows Jack's 1936 Ford from the side when it was still in primer. This photo shows that the hood sides are still smooth and solid and have not been punched with louvres yet. I guess after a while the engine started to run hot and besides the louvres they also added the scoop underneath the grille to be able to cool the engine a bit better. The car is also running without the fender skirts at this point. But since there are no hubcaps on the rear wheels I guess the skirts were always planned, but just not on it in this photo.
Calori's ride is such a iconic car. It's a master piece of fabrication, stance and restraint.i am happy that its still around today.
Hey Tony, Maybe Reneau did the metalwork on both builds, he was the ''go to guy'' for custom metalwork in the area? " A government by the people, for the people " my ass!
Rik, thanks for posting, like others have said, glad the coupe is still around, really a classic from a small body shop with a dirt floor, wonder how many other customs Herb Reneau did, agree he might well have done the Gill coupe as well...
Great photos. Interesting that in both of these shots, with the car in primer, that it looks like the hood line runs upward at the filled grille area. I've never noticed that break in the hood line before...was it fixed later on, or have I never noticed it because it doesn't show up in the black paint the car wears?
Hey Rex, Does that street with the palm trees and those houses look like the streets around Ocean Ave. near downtown? Wasn't Jack and Herb from your neighbor hood? The L.B.? Have a great Thanksgiving.......
Mike, I think you're thinking of the Bluff Park area--the streets just north of Ocean Boulevard, including First Street, and running between maybe roughly Redondo and Junipero? That's exactly what I thought when I saw these photos--lots of streets sort of looked like this, but the street is so wide, it almost has to be something like First Street in Bluff Park. Hellmet, let's see those shots. Be interesting to see what the city looked like then.
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