This is pretty cool ! Thanks J Ukrop for the discussion ...I never planned on making Bob's Hotrod a "Drag Car" but in his early days of hot rodding he was a member of the Piston Pushers CC. The club that Pre-dated the Ty-RodsCC . They were the hell raising "street racers" according to the Late Paul Aldrich. He didn't remember Bob or his coupe, but he said if he was a Piston Pusher he was a hoodlum ! I sure hope they're both looking down in approval of the coupsters near future. Mike
You know, you find a neat old car, collect some history on it, make it available for someone to buy and resurrect, and when no one bites for 3 YEARS (!) you decide to do something with it, you get slagged. Pure insanity. I'm stoked to see this car come together and if it's anything like the inspiration in the video thumbnail, it'll kick ass. Way to go Mike.
@general gow hit the nail on the head about the irony here. I have been watching people turning (ruining in my opinion) sometimes historic complete running oval track cars as well as the occasional drag car and turning them into street cars and people praised and cheered. Now Mike is turning a non running incomplete car that no one wanted to buy and is turning it into a race car, (which was the natural order of hot rods in period) and people wince and have disdain for it.
I’m just here to fight on the internet so…It seems like the dragster will not retain much of the original car anyway so why not use a different body? That being said, it’s obviously his car to do with what he wants but it seems like the appeal of it was that it was fairly complete in all its goofy/quirky details included and pics of what it once was. Opinions are like assholes and I am one!
If you have one available, I will happily take a donated body in similar condition and completeness. I’ll happily move this one along to someone who will build it. Maybe I should just use my 32 roadster body like I was going to do. Maybe that would make people happy.
I don’t or I would?! And like I tried to say earlier, not here to upset anyone. When you get it done I’ll race you in my goofy, blue, Olds powered, single family owned, survivor, hotrod! (The similarities still blow me away! Bob and Lanny must have been looking at the same magazines!)
Cactus - yes there are certainly similarities. the kids back in the day were all reading the same mags and following the same trends. I’ve seen several cars that share the same paint color and style. I tried to sell off this project for years with a title, a frame, good complete axles, wheels and tires and all the parts I purchased with the body. Just about every major component and no one had any interest (or made an offer or even looked at it in person). All I got was questioned why out the roof off and why I ruined a good coupe. I have a (self proclaimed) “good track record” of building proper period correct cars since I started building Hotrod’s. Every one of the race cars that graced the airstrips in the 50’s -60’s started life as a street car. Went on to be a street/strip car and then in the pursuit of speed went to a full drag car. To the sensitive and easily offended crowd in todays world, I guess that’s a tough pill to swallow. Some folks are excited to see this car transform into a full drag car, some aren’t. I’m not the keeper of other peoples feelings … My Car Club hosts 2 vintage drag race events annually and the “Coupster” will get used like a Hotrod should. Instead of sitting on a shelf because no one wanted to step up and spend their time and money to put it back on the road. Follow Northeast Vintage Drags on FB and IG to follow along. Neat little roadster BTW. Mike
The Jalopy Journal
