Hot Rods are part of my Life too !

OK- many people think that I am only into Motorcycles, and I can understand that, as I have been building Cafe Racers here in California in the last 14 years, but- since I was a youngster, I had the Car bug big time.

I grew up near to many American Air force bases and that’s where I got my first influences from of cool old American cars, I loved everything about the cars, the country and the lifestyle as well as the passion for Hot Rods.

Then, I had my first Hot Rod, a 1932 Deuce Coupe, it was Chopped and channeled and was a Right Hand drive Model, this Deuce meant so much to me and I felt like I was living in the U.S.A. with that ride.

I wish I had kept it now, as we all do when we look back at things we have had.

 This was my ONLY form of transport and I drive it in all weather, I didn’t have a floor in it for a year, the snow and rain used to blast up inside the Coupe, until I lost a couple of cassette tapes and then my keys jumped out of the ignition as I was driving back from work and that’s when I decided it was time for a floor.

 

This used to be so much fun blasting about Brighton and I traveled all over the UK in my 3 window and some super fun memories that’s for sure.

I was a lot thinner back then, maybe from pushing the damn thing when the battery dies or I ran out of gas as my gas meter did not work.

I drove up to Hemsby for the traditional Rock n Roll weekender and then visited some old school mates and friends in that area, it was such a blast to drive, loud old and bumpy but that’s an old traditional Hot Rod in the 1980’s in Britain for poor working class folk like me.

The I-Beam axle was a 4 inch drop and shorty shocks, made sure you didn’t fall asleep at the wheel when ever you drove this Coupe.

 

Watch ya head, this coupe was chopped and channeled and with a 4 inch windshield, not much vision, plus when it rained you couldn’t see anything, and- to get me through the yearly MOT test, you have to have a windshield wiper, so- I took a complete motor and wiper arm off a Volvo Headlight and fitted it indie the coupe, it was perfect.

Such fun times and glad I actually took some photographs, else they would just be my own views in my head.

hemsby

We were all a close knit community and had so much fun at Rock N roll weekenders, especially on the beach etc.

 How about this shot, many many moons ago with my First car, a 1961 Low line Ford Consul, with a 4 banger and a 3 on the tree, I drove the lug nuts off this machine.

 Oh dear- what was I thinking? But this was my 1959 Ford Zephyr that I 2 door-ed and made some mad steel fins on the car, this had Candy Red and white tuck n Roll too, I was in a crazy zone when I did this.

This was me in 1997 when I moved to Australia, and I bought a 195 XP For Falcon, very similar the the American Ranchero, this was a cool ride, they call them Ute’s out there but it was a fun ride that I played about with and really liked that car.


I used to pain the old race style numbers on the doors of my rides back then, I still do on the bikes I build sometimes, this time I painted the car flat black in my mates driveway and then fitted pin line whites and then fitted a cool set of MOON discs.

But I get restless and have to keep trying things out on this machine.

 

I cant leave anything alone for too long, this time I scalloped the car and pin lined it, as well as fitting a steel sun-visor.

I fitted a Black Tarp on the back and later on I located some fender skirts for it too. Then I painted the Coop Devil on the back and added more scallops!

 

But I will always love tinkering with stuff, just the way my Brother and I was bought up, not really had a happy child hood but kept busy.


I started to get into this Roadster when I moved to Australia from the UK in 1997 and then continued over here in the states as I shipped the body over, the photo above is me in New South wales, I was patching the side of the Roadster body as it was completely shot with old bullet holes, but- I wanted the same thickness steel and the contour, so used a 1940 Ford truck door to use and it worked out so well. 

Above, Anthony Castaneda of the Infamous Shifters gave me his old Dodge Dash Board and I spent the next few days cutting my old gas tank and fitting this set up, I was so stoked to have accomplished this and loved the way the dashboard flowed, similar to the 1936 Ford versions.

 

I used a Belgian Flat head in the end and this was a great motor, I love the sound of side valve motors, a very unique sound of their very own.

Jeez, this was a while ago, i was wearing a watch, who wears watches any more?

I chose a eggshell Blue and a Flat white firewall as it reminded me of the Al Sharp Coupe.

I also had My 1958 F150 short bed painted by Anthony Castaneda in his old shop (RIP mate) I stayed up and hand painted the logo and lettering getting ready for me to go with the shifters to Paso Robles back then.

 

I will have to look to see if I have any more photos of this 29 Roadster of mine, I loved that car but had to sell it when everyone moved out to go forward in their lives and I knew I would have another later on.

1932 Truck Grille5

I had so much fun building this in the garage at home in Southern California and sure wished I still had this Roadster.

1932 truck Grille4

Days of old but soon I will be getting back into another 1929 Roadster that I located in Indiana and My Girlfriend Jennifer Bought for me,I am looking forward to driving it with her in the following months.

1932 truck grille 5

This was a fun build and now resides in the land of the rising sun, sure hope to see photos of it as I sold it to a very cool friend of mine Ken Sakata.

 

 

abone carp

I now have this 29 Roadster at my shop, needs a ton of work but- I will get there eventually, once I have located all the parts I need.

abonecarp23

I have a super amount of work to do to this little A-Bone but it will be worth it and cannot wait until I can get onto El Mirage and of course one day at Bonneville Salt Flats.

abonecarp24

I am not sure what color it will be but I will be running a Flathead, not the 4 Banger that’s in it right now.

abonecarp14

My plan is to locate a cool Vintage dash board, be it a 36 ford, Chrysler, Pontiac or Caddy etc and have a unique look to it with cool Gauges.

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I will be running a 1932 Truck grille, so that will all change but will still use original chassis etc and Kelsey wire wheels of course.

my abone

I have an original Moredrop axle for the front but will need 1940 Ford Hydraulic brakes all around too. And below, I was so fortunate to locate this Original plaque that used to be on the guys Roadster back in the day, a nice bit of history right there.

my abone1

I will be using old plates as well to capture the spirit of the style that I am into and hope that this will make people smile once completed.

my abone2

This will be a cool build but maybe a year before I am halfway there I believe, hard to do on a low budget.

My abone3

But stay tuned, as i will up date when I get more parts together etc.

 

 

GRAND NATIONAL ROADSTER SHOW THIS WEEKEND.

On Sunday, Jennifer and I will be attending the Grand national Roadster show, of which I was lucky to WIN trophy’s Three times for my Cafe Racers, but, I have always been into Hot Rods and back home in the 80’s I had my very own three Window, chopped and channeled 32 Coupe.

050

Well, I now have a stock 1929 Model A Roadster, More Rust than I really had thought and needs a total strip to the frame and will fit a flathead etc and what I have been looking for is a cool color, I love Black but many out there, I love Blue but built  a 29 Roadster in early 2000 and that was Blue.

rods1

This was a great ride but had to sell it when bills at the house got out of control and I sold it and it ended up in Japan where it still is today.

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carpys 29 Rod

 

I am hoping to get the Roadster into a Vintage style by Next year with any luck and of course, in Memory of my Dear Mum of which if it wasn’t for her, I would not be here.

So I have been looking at Car shows with Jennifer and of course any where I see a Color that jumps out at me to try and think of what would look great on my Hot Rod. Jennifer and I both thought a WW2 style Green would be different then I saw a buddy I know has just completed his 32 and painted his Green, and this was the color I looked for over the months, so may have to go a little darker, but this 32 Roadster is so nice I had to share it with you all. I love this Hot Rod and am sure you do too.

 

This weekend and Its going to be a super show with many cool rides for everyone.

 

Mine will never be as cool as this but  will have fun with my ride for sure so, wish me luck.here is mine right now. she needs tons of work but it will be a fun machine later.

Below is what HOT ROD wrote about this super cool set up and I wanted to share this with you today, if you are at the GNRS on Sunday drop me a text or message as I shall be there with Jennifer and would be awesome to see you.

 

Some of the best advice a father can give to his son is the phrase: When you want to learn how to do something correctly, watch a professional do it. The “right way” is nothing that can be taught by reading a technical book or even watching a YouTube video, but rather hands-on immersion and a learn-by-doing mentality.

Darryl Hollenbeck, a 48-year-old automotive painter who grew up in Concord, California, had a distinct advantage when it came to learning his craft: his grandfather, uncle, and father were all car painters, with Dale (Darryl’s dad) carving out a respectable niche in the custom car world before he died in 2003.

Now known as the “go-to” guy in Northern California for many of the country’s top rod builders, Darryl’s paintjobs have been found on an America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award winner, dozens of STREET RODDER and Rodder’s Journal cover and feature vehicles, and well as a handful of Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance show winners.

But Darryl’s approach to all these cars is the same: it’s all in the details. As owner/operator of his Vintage Color Studio in his hometown, Darryl usually works by himself, perfecting any given body long before the color ever leaves his spray gun. But he’s also a car enthusiast and, after working on dozens of vehicles over the years, he really wanted a hot rod for himself, but time, the job, and money always seemed to get in the way. He did get close a few years back, starting a 1932 roadster project, but he ended up having to sell the car well before it got finished.

Recently Darryl’s friend, Brandon Flaner of East Bay Speed & Custom, told him about a project that someone had lost interest in. It was another Deuce highboy roadster, with a standard street rod build started but not finished. Darryl bought the car but soon realized, considering his workload, this one may not get finished either.

As fate would have it, one of the cars slated to roll into Vintage’s paint booth was a Deuce highboy from Cory Taulbert. The Michigan native is a part-time rod builder and married to the former Ashley Webb, she’s the daughter of fabricator (and former Ridler winner) Dan Webb. As anyone who knows Dan can attest, he likes a good joke, and when dialing in the drop-off times for the roadster to get painted, Dan half-heartedly suggested Darryl trade the paint- and bodywork on Cory and Ashley’s roadster for the build and fab work on Darryl’s ride.

 

Not wanting to potentially ruin a good friendship with Cory (as it happens sometimes in these situations), Darryl discussed the trade with his wife, Terri, and the pair decided it was probably the best way to get his car finished, so they said yes and, in February of 2014, the swap was made. Once at Darryl’s shop, he started working on laying down a perfect single-stage black paintjob on Cory’s ride, and Darryl’s roadster ended up in Michigan at Webb Automotive Art and up on Dan’s chassis jig.

Though sufficient for a basic street rod, most of the items on the chassis would be out of place on the style of car Darryl wanted to have, so the SO-CAL framerails were left, but just about everything else, including the X-member, was removed. In went a 1940 Ford X-member, which already had provisions for the correct pedal assembly Hollenbeck wanted, and the rear was kicked a little to lower its stance and accommodate the Model T spring.

Dan and Cory also installed a Rodsville Halibrand-type rear (4.47:1), which was prepped and painted by Brandon Flaner. The rear featured Dutchman axles, and is located with a custom three-bar system (two lower outer rods along with an upper center rod) built out of split 1940 wishbones by Cory, who also fab’d the Panhard bar.

017 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

MT Products’ 1940 Lincoln-type drum brakes are on each corner, and a transverse spring and SO-CAL shocks smooth out the ride. Steering is handled by a Vega box and a LimeWorks column, and original 1940 Ford 16×4 wheels (wrapped in Firestone 500×525 rubber) were used up front while 18×4.25 wheels were shod with 700-18 tires.

015 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

Darryl turned to Edelbrock for one of their 380-horse crate motors, which was outfitted with an Edelbrock 2×4 intake manifold, a PowerGen alternator, and an MSD ignition with Taylor wires. Cooling is cured with a Walker radiator and Cooling Components fan while stock ram horn headers and a custom 2-inch stainless steel exhaust removes unwanted gases. The V-8 bolts to a T5 BorgWarner transmission, prepped by Astro Performance. What chrome there is on the car was handled by both Tennessee’s Advanced Plating and California’s Sherm’s Custom Plating.

005 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

The 1932 body originally came from Brookville Roadsters, and Dan and Cory fit it with Rootlieb 25-louver hood sides, a sectioned hood, and a Brookville Deuce grille shell and insert (with a custom center bar). More custom fabwork can be found inside the cockpit, with Dan fab’ing gloveboxes for the ends of the Deuce roadster dash, which was also lengthened for the Stewart-Warner Hollywood five-gauge insert that features a big Police speedo. Cory also modified a Model A shifter to work with a Pro 5.0 shift tower, and DynoTech supplied the driveshaft.

Once all of the fabrication was complete, the roadster was returned to its owner where he and Darrell Schneider prepped the ride before Darryl added the color, which, along with its stance, may be the most important thing about the car. Most folks toil with the choice of color for their rides but, with Hollenbeck being a well-known painter whose choice would also make an obvious statement, color choice became critical.

Not wanting what someone else already had entered into the decision picture, as did making sure the wife liked it, too. The roadster had a lot of traditional elements, so something that looked like it could have rolled out on a Lincoln in 1940 would be going in the right direction. All said and done, Darryl mixed up his own unique shade of brown with PPG Envirobase waterborne paints to cover his car.

016 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

Once out of the paint booth, construction continued with help from Joe Compani and Ryan Campi of Compani Color (who prepped and painted the chassis), as well as Jack Stratton, plus Bill Ganahl and his team at South City Rod & Custom, who helped with final assembly. Next came the addition of a one-of-one Bop Top from Sid Chavers (the bows were repositioned), the chopped windshield posts from Cory, a set of Guide headlamps, and a pair of taillights and door handles from a Chrysler Airflow. A LimeWorks Crestline steering wheel fits the car’s profile, and a multilayered chunk of paint from Darryl’s father’s paint booth was turned down on a lathe to produce a one-off shift knob.

 

011 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

Cory Taulbert flew out to NorCal to wire up the roadster using pieces from Rhode Island Wiring Service harness and an Enos panel, and Sid Chavers created the bench seat in the car before covering it with sections of leather as well as a fabric insert piece from a 1969 Cadillac.

006 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

Both Darryl’s and Cory’s roadsters were finished up (Taulbert got his dream paintjob—an inky black one-stage for his Deuce) and the pair decided to debut their rides by driving them from their respective states to the Roadster Roundup in Austin, Texas (a 3,400-mile roundtrip for Darryl), in 2015.

But for Darryl, just as important as delivering a world-class paintjob is making and maintaining the friendships he’s fostered throughout the years. For him, he wouldn’t want one at the expense of the other and, luckily for the rest of us, he’s really good at both!

003 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster Hollenbeck

Grand National Roadster Show:

POMONA FAIRGROUNDS

CALIFORNIA

Roadster up on the Auction Blocks.

 

 

Now, this is a Cool Piece of Little Nostalgia that i would love to own, but its all available to the public if you make a bid on the Auction that is coming up, The Rodders Journal did a write up on this cool Flathead powerd Roadster and I wanted to share it with you lot.

 



The Unknown Roadster Auction

It’s a rare opportunity to own a bona fide hot rod survivor. But that’s just what Auctions America is offering when the flathead-powered Model A Ford “Unknown Roadster” (TRJ #61) crosses the block at their upcoming California auction. It’s one of several historic rods and customs (some of which have also graced our pages) consigned for the event. If you have the opportunity to be there July 31st through August 2nd at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel, it’s one you won’t want to miss.

 

The Unknown Roadster earned its moniker because despite its early- to mid-’50s design and construction, no one has uncovered any history prior to 1962. Styling cues like the deeply channeled body and cycle fenders lend an East Coast flavor, while other details like the ’40 Ford dash, roll pans, louvers, and nerf bars hint at a West Coast ’50s show rod past. To add to the mystery, a 1955-issue dime is affixed to the center of the steering wheel, possibly marking the date of the little roadster’s completion.

 

 

Bob Conner originally discovered it in a lean-to in Colorado around 1970. It took nearly 20 years for him to purchase the old Ford, and shortly thereafter Colorado hot rodder Gary Vahling took ownership. Gary was able to piece together a little bit of history, including the possible identity of a previous owner, a man named Bob Flager, and a 1962 photograph taken by Fort Collins hot rodder Ed Koski. Before long Gary’s brother Frank bought the car and installed a fresh flathead before selling it to Greg Hopkins of Dothan, Alabama.

 

 

 

Our feature in TRJ #61 chronicled Greg’s journey driving the roadster on its solo maiden voyage from Colorado to Alabama. He snapped dozens of artful photographs as he traversed the states on the back roads and “blue highways.” We had the opportunity to see the Unknown Roadster in action when Greg brought it to Baltimore for our TRJ Revival last year. He drove it to every rod run, cruise, and party we hosted–and the crowds gathered everywhere he went. More recently he installed a Vern Tardel-built 286-inch flathead with a Cyclone 3×2 intake and heads, a four-inch Merc crank, and an Isky full-race cam–all hooked to a venerable 3-speed toploader.

In addition to our story in TRJ, the roadster was featured in Pat Ganahl’s Lost Hot Rods II and Volume 10 of Mark Morton’s Hop Up annual. But the next chapter will be written in just a few weeks when it crosses the auction block in Southern California. We’re excited to see where it ends up, and hope to see it out on the road again in the near future. And in this day and age, we don’t doubt more of its history will come to light as time goes on.

 

The Auctions America California sale is quickly earning a reputation for featuring hot rods and customs fitting of its Southern California location. In addition to the Unknown Roadster, Gene Winfield’s custom ’35 Ford shop truck is being offered following its well-documented resurrection by Texas’ Hatfield Restorations. And there are a number of other former TRJ feature cars crossing the block as well, including Bill Layman’s Ronnie Dragoo-style chopped, Cad-powered ’54 Merc and the Jackman Brothers’ famous Deuce sport coupe clone, built by Harry and Tom Jackman.

Over 400 cars will cross the block at Auctions America’s California sale, and you can click here to see a complete list and photos of them. There are offerings representing a broad range of eras and styles–and fitting a broad range of budgets to match. We hope to see you in Burbank later this month, and if you won’t be there to see the excitement firsthand, you can catch the highlights by tuning in to NBC Sports Network August 1st and 2nd.

 

 

Cheers!
Your Friends at The Rodder’s Journal