Projects The bucket of ugly! A de-uglifying thread...

Okay Paul you mentioned my roadster which has a 96" wheelbase. Spring behind rear axle. Spring over front axle. Dropped and lengthened front perch. I was so locked into achieving "the look" I didn't deviate much from Grabowski's numbers. Anything between 95" and 101" is pretty normal. Anything shorter or longer you are making a statement. Whatever that may be. Either Tweety Pie or long and low. Norms second blue version had a 96" W.B. with spring behind axle as in '57 R&C. Ivo told me his T had a 101" with rear spring over axle as was Norms earlier black version when he copied it.

 

Paul do you remember a yellow 32 -3 window(I think) running a P76 alloy V8 in the Wellington area. It would have been very late 70's early 80's when Magoo was living up in Newlands. I remember it cause we were on a run on the Johnsonville motorway (I had my 29 RPU) and he got stopped by the local 5 0

 

Hey guys! Been dealing with very limited internet the last few days here, but I'm back.

We held our annual New Year's Day Cruise this morning, and our original destination, about a 100 miles up in the mountains to Prescott became thoroughly snowed in yesterday. we decided to go back to our original trip, which is the last remaining stage stop on the Apache Trail, Tortilla Flats. Long story short, the Superstition Mountains were blanketed I snow right down to the road level all day! Cold as hell, I wore most everything I owned and had a hell of a good time!

...And, what a Swedish Ninja looks like on a 30something day cruise...
A couple of the previous photos are courtesy of my passenger, 1931fordtruck, out of Indiana. Had a ball man, thanks for tagging along today!

 

I bet there is a mile wide grin under that scarf too Chip. Some darn nice photo's of the Bucket there too and certainly not much I would ever thing ti change.

 

Where's Fred, tfeverfred?
Last seen 11-1-14, 2 months.

 

As I snapped the 3/4 rear shot of the "T", a youngish family from Israel walked up to me and in a very broken English asked what my car was all about. The pre-teen son thought it was cool, and the father asked very sheepishly if he could take his son's picture next to the car. I responded by reaching in, popping the wheel off and inviting him to sit in the car for his photo op! I wish I had thought to take his picture when his dad did... The kid's smile was awesome!

I'm missing Fred a bit too. I hope all is well with him. Anybody down in Houston know him and can check on him for us?

 

A few days late, but sneak it in your carry on luggage!

 

Man Kiwi, that is one of my favorites too! Most of my collection I have had almost all of my life, and I really didn't start collecting east coast publishing stuff until I ran out of west coast stuff to collect about ten years ago. Imagine my surprise when most of the stuff in it was from the west coast! Matter of fact, in my little "internet blackout" last few days, that particular magazine has been out in general population and being fiendishly re-read all week... Some times I just miss paper.

 

Great photos, guess we all need to see more of Arizona. Happy New Year! Bob

 

I will get to have a look there in August. JW

 

The only 32 3w that I remember was Mousie`s when Mike Tripae owned it. Don`t remember any other. Don`t remember your RPU, Don`t remember what I had for Breakfast.....What year is it?

Hey Chip...Great Shots! I was out working on the Fence today. I think it got to 37 degrees here--so I feel ya! I`m a paper guy as well. Call me crazy--but I even love the smell of it. Cracks my wife up when I open a new Rodders Journal and bury my nose in it first thing.....I`m on the trail of a rearend, and hope to get it this weekend. Have to thank Gege for some great ideas there...

I remember Magoos Newlands house though...visited him there quite a few times...

 

We all get the opportunity to be "ambassadors of hot rodding" on a regular basis, but how often do we actually rise to the occasion? Good on ya', Chip.

 

Cool pics Chip, something about a cold cruise in a roadster.
Paul, I lived not far from Lloyd and you never called in on me
JW

 

FalconGeorge has been off the radar too, anyone heard from him lately?

 

Yes, I had a "Conversation" with him a few days ago, he's on vacation. Bob

 

I think George is over in Asia with family right now.

 

I don't know if I ever told you guys this story, But about twenty years ago when I first got the Plymouth together, I was at a very high profile cruise night out in Scottsdale. This was the era and definitely the place where Primer was a crime, and I was a few weeks later asked to leave because my car wasn't "finished" enough. Well, this particular night, everybody else had their "do Not touch" signs out in full force, and a cute gal about my age walked past with her 12 year old or so son in tow. He reached out and ran his hand over the Plym's fender after carefully scanning and seeing no sign telling him not to. His mom saw me, looked at him and started to yell that you never touch these cars. I stopped her politely, and told her I watched her son look for a sign, and seeing none felt it was okay to touch my car, and it was fine with me anytime he saw it! In talking with the mom a bit more (okay, flirting a bit...) I asked the boy if he would like to have his mom take his picture sitting in my car. His eyes went wide open, and his mom agreed. He jumped into the drivers seat, mom snapped the picture, the kid smiled, I finally noticed the wedding band on mom's hand... All parted happy, not thinking about the deal again, I was sure.

'Bout fifteen years later, I rolled into the same cruise night for the first time in a couple of years at least, and park the Plymouth. A friend stopped me at the front of the car, and we talked for a few minutes. During that time, a youngish guy pulled in next to my car in a VERY nice '67 Camaro. He walked up to my friend and I, and very politely waited for our conversation to be over before speaking. "I bet you have no way knowing who I am" said the twenty something guy. "You let me sit in this car one night out here, and have my mom take my picture, when I was twelve!" "That was the night that I decided I wanted to be a hot rodder... Thank You!"

Ya just never know who's life you will effect with your actions, or how profoundly...

 

Jeremy...How stunningly impolite of me....
Chip...Forgot to tell you how good your car looks with the Americans on it...but the 6ft Shifter I still can`t handle (pun intended...)...What`s next on the De-Uglifying Agenda?

 

That shifter looks weird, but I like the long sweivy (sp?) shape of you rod, pun intended.
That gentle swan neck shape is the way to go. I've heart that people used to shift the old pre-war unsyncroed cars, from lower down on the shifter, to awoid bang shifting and overtaking the synchro on them who had them on second and thirdt.
Is there some trues to this, and is that the explenation why you keep it? Or is your a cykle car, with only two pedals?
I dont remember you talking about your gearbox.
Did you make the steering collum? I like that its so long and at an glat angle,that makes it look good to me, aposed to the mast style of some buckets.

Is there a build threat for you Plymouth? I like the picture in you avatar a lot and wants to know more!

 

Paul, you mentioned Rob Campbells Project T, well its up for sale on Trade Me at present at $28K. JW

 

NZHRMs Project T gets my vote as the best magazine project of all time. How many Kiwi jokers back in the 70s were inspired to build their own versions?

 

I would have to agree, so many were built and still are from those month by month plans. a mate used the plans to build his in 82 except he used an accurate glass T body ( not the longer made up thing they used) and found the vertical steering column came up where he sat !!! JW

 

Chip
I've let children sit in my roadster and their parents take pictures a few times but it can backfire. A woman with a little girl toddler was walking around my roadster and looking in. I asked if she wanted to take a photo of the child in the car. She was almost giddy with anticipation. The mother that is. Well I had a hard time getting rid of them. She kept taking picture after picture. As it turns out she thought her daughter was the reincarnation of Shirley Temple and wanted to use the pictures to get the little girl into movies. Anyway it usually turns out good.
Gary

 

That's pretty funny Gary. A big part of the reason why I don't attend a lot of local shows. Being a parts schlub at a local dealer, the pain-in-the-ass guys ALWAYS manage to find me.

 

I let some get in my hotrod for a photos if they asked nice most of the time,I admit I turndown over size that ask,but if they could fix,found over the years I first have to tell them a few things and look at what there wearing{ high heels,ask if colors look brandnew,had they been washed yet=comes off on seats or doorpanels,be sure there no sharp stuff in pockets ect. and tell them the ex pipes are not a step and if we just parked besure to tell them that ex is very hot do not get near them,don't push or pull anything at all but you can move steering wheel.
As long as it is said with a smile. I do hate it if some one just trys to get in with out asking,that is over my line.

 

Actually, I never liked the redo of Project T with the blown 318. Call me old fashioned, but the initial Y Block build had much more soul....I`ve also let people sit in my cars..in face I used to let anyone borrow my A at Bonneville that wanted to. Loaned it to the Huntimers one year, they used it to shuttle around taking pics for their Salt Calendar-- another year it was a pit car for my pals from Texas when they ran their Mustang. Even let a couple of girls drive it around the block at a good friends funeral some years back....It`s even in Peter Vincent`s Bonneville Book....(p185)

Hey Gary...Maybe that Lady who thought her daughter was Shirley Temple thought you were Edd Byrnes........

 

Most non-rodder civilians who wander into an outdoor car show or cruise night are totally unaware of polite spectator protocols. They don't mean any harm, they just don't know any better. Even adults, who should know the cardinal "don't-ever-touch-anybody-else's-stuff" rule, sometimes just can't help themselves. I just take it one situation at a time and hope that, by being a good ambassador, I can help improve the public's awareness of our hobby.

 

Happy New Year, Guys! Been in an internet black hole out on the ranch here in deep south Texas (about 10 miles outside of Big Wells, if anybody is interested). We had good weather all the way down, but as soon as we got down here it's rained pretty much non-stop. Hope to be back in a couple of days.

 

Back in the seventies our club(no longer running) built a T bucket and raffled it off to raise funds, Someone up Gisborne/Whakatane won it I think a girl. It ran a 272/auto combo. Ran really well. I think that's where my desire to have one started. Can't remember what body was on it.

 

Well I did the Goggle Earth thingy and yes, Big Wells TX is certainly what one would call a "Black Hole" in the grand picture of things. What would people do for entertainment in aplace like that ? But in saying that, I do enjoy have a look on the computer to see all these different places. I followed along with Brian Bass on his road trip upto Washington State in his Coupe when he did that by looking up each place he mentioned on his trip and I felt as if I was there with him. Another trip I enjoyed was the Rollin'Bones trip from New york across to the Salt one year , absolutely amazing been able to zoom in using Goggle earth etc.