Who was your Hot Rod mentor?

Howdy guys n gals,

Just thought I would ask you all who inticed you or gave you the drive and knowledge to take the big jump into the Hot Rod lifestyle.

My grandpa was by far the biggest influence on me as a child and as an early teen my friends older brother helped me catch the racing bug. I raced a 1989 2.3 litre Ford Mustang Nimrod race car for 3 years and took track champ 2 years in a row. Recently my buddy Pat has taught me alot about the older rods and i am greatful for that. He is basically the Hot Rod Dad I never had. And to think I could grown up a coke head Porsche Lambo metro sexual man bag carrying exotic car lover (YUCK!!!). THANK GOD FOR GRAMPS!!!!!!!!!

Kyle

 

Same here buddy, my Grandpa. When he got back from WW2, he settled with my Grandmother for a few years in Paso Robles, then eventually came back to the Detroit area. He was a die hard hot-rodder. He taught me everything I know. He had me welding up go kart frames in his garage when I was about 10 or so, that way I would learn to make things myself and be able to troubleshoot problems. He always had me come over to work on cars with him. He was a really cool cat. He helped me buy my first regular car, and helped me buy my first custom and get it road ready, my 53 Chevy Bel Air Hardtop. He helped my with my 53 every day until it ran and it looked cool....he even helped me lower it and do an engine swap. This was about 7 years ago. He died 3 years ago, and with all of the wrench time he put into that car with me, I'll never sell it........ever. I'll live homeless in that car before I'd ever sell it.

 

Monogram, Ertle, Aurora and some Testors glue.....before it became "child safe".

 

Rick.

I don't even know his last name.

He lived in San Diego, and put a business card on my windshield one day that had his phone number, and his name. no last name, he was like Prince, or Madonna or something.

My first kustom was a 53 buick. I was able to get it running, but that was about it.

He let me use the yard at his shop.
He let me use his tools,
He did some work helping me lower, and swap engines.
He taught me the basiscs of welding...

As long as I did the grunt work, he'd do the "tougher" stuff.

Haven't seen him in years,,, but he definitely got me started down the right path.

 

He dont even build hot rods he is an artist named Clayton Bailey and he builds robots outa found junk

 

My Dad

 

Same.

Luckly, I'm young... so we still get to go to shows and stuff together and bullshit around in the garage. He hasn't worked on his project car in quite a while, but I think I'm motivating him this time, instead of the other way around.


- Matt

 

me pops as well....I can remember handing my dad tools while he was working on the 57 chevy before I went to kindergarden....now if dad tells the story he'll tell ya I had no flippen clue what the hell I was handing him, but he would just keep askin until he got something he could use....The man had patience I tell ya, I hope I have the same patience with my son....

 

The HAMB (and the Internet- but mostly the HAMB). Seriously! Somehow I stumbled on the Mad Fabricator's DVD and kept seeing references to the "HAMB". I had to check it out and I haven't looked back.

My Dad loves cars, but he's not "mechanically inclined". I know more about all this shit than all my friends and I mentor them to some degree. There's not really anybody local that has a shop full of cool projects going on that I can pop into and learn something. I guess my intention is to be that guy one day.

Too bad the bug didn't really bite me until after I lived in Chicago, San Diego or Seattle.

 

no one really, i just started to get into cars when my grandpa died. i remember listening to big band music when i was a kid in the 70's/80's and then moved to rock and roll (early elvis, gene vincent.....). used to watch the 50's b movies and there were hot rods in them......so when i could afford one i got it. taught myself (with some help from a few co-workers at a service station over the years) to do repairs on the car i had (mullet wagon). then i lived through my customers cars, as i slowly moved back in years of cars. took a few body and auto classes along the way, with reading a lot of mags/books. would have been quicker if i wasn't sucha loner........

 

I remember EXACTLY when I got bit. It was a cold fall mornin in Alaska. My mom, brother and I were waiting to turn left and this black 55 chevy pulls upat the intersection to our right. My mom and older bro both let out a gasp, and my mom says" now thats a beatiful car. I was 12 years old. The following summer I got to ride in a blown 57 chevy with my uncle. Those 2 events ruined me. I LIKE CARS!!!!! I guess the driver of that 55 got me into cars, but revell, and monogram kept me there until I ws old enough to get one of my own.

 

My grampa (god rest his soul). I never saw this man buy anything mechanical, he built it. Even my manual tire changer I still have AND USE, came from his back yard. Even after I knew how to use it, and he could barely help manually, he still came out back to "help". You know what, maybe it wasn't appreciated then at 16 as much as it should have, but at 39, I know what he was doing,,,,,,,,, passing the torch.

 

Harry Bradley. he designed the first HOT WHEEL I ever got. a purple el camino. I still got it.

 

my famiy has always been into cars, my grandfather has had a 57 chevy pu for years and my uncle has had a 57 2 door for years 2.. when i was about 7 i helped my uncle restore his 67 rs ss 396 camaro convt from ground up.. so i was always into muscle cars got a 69 z28 when i was 16 for a daily driver.. but i can say the person that turned me on to hot rods was my xs dad he has a 39 poncho coupe, a 53 studi, and a 34 ford pu traditional.. but he wont talk to me.. hes the one that got me to paint my 69 flat black with white flames... but i look up to anyone that is willing to teach me... so look out out it could be you

thanks
harmon

 

Still looking for one.... Accepting applications.

 

My Dad.

 

my grandfather,my family has been in the auto repair biz since1918,my grandfather raced a hudson hornet at hatfeild and the infamous langhorne speed way also drove the pace car at both tracks!use to be right by has side when he was working on cars-

 

Definitely my Dad. He has taught me almost everything I know about cars plus a lot of things I still don't know! Even from 1100 miles away, he continues to do so.

Thanks, Dad!

I hope to be able to do the same for my son.

 

BB K

 

my big bro . i remember back in the 70's he pesterd the crap outta mom & dad to take us to the drag strip (coles county dragstrip , charleston , ill. ) to see big daddy run steve carbone . it was bigs first rear engine rail ......i remember it like it was yesterday

 

A man named JL from St Joe Mo. A local machinist sent me his way to get some flathead work done. Turned out he was pretty much "the man" in the local area when it came to flatheads. Did an excellent job on the 8BA. Dirt track racer from the 50s, car owner, etc. I have not talked to him in a couple of years. I should try to look him up. I heard he lost his wife.

 

Dan Fink.....aka Dan Fink Metal Works did it to me.

 

My Grampa and my Uncle Gene who always had issues of Hot Rod and Motot Trend and his 57 Vette and 53 Studebaker ( new). Also AMT when you could get 32 and 40 Ford kits for a $1.49. Along with the other model companies like Monogram (34 Fords, Black Widows, Long John Silvers and Green Hornet) just to name a few. Would collect pop bottles (soda) to get money for a nrw kit.

 

What got me into hot rods was in the early 60's when I was a kid, after school I'd hang around the Texaco station and Diner that were next door to my fathers store. That's where the older car guys and local club the "Rear Gears" used to hang. That along with my dads influence, car shows at the Hartford Armory, AMT, magazines, Ed Roth and all the other stuff going on at the time hooked me for life.

 

a un remembered name with a 32 roadster, my dad, several deceased members of th Rebel Road Ramblers, Rocco, Cheater Sanflipo. those were the ones that have kept the flame alive for over 50 yrs.

 

it was my pops,i remember helping him work on his cars when i was young, holding the drop light for him,but looking all around at stuff and not where he wanted the light he had a 49 merc lowered in the back, raised in the front, fender skirts, spot lights, and coats and coats of blk laq paint...he named the car blk annie....

 

my grandpa.......big surprise!

 

The HAMB pages.
I am a retired road racer, and sports car person, and was a street rod lurker, Then I stumbled upon the HAMB and lucky for me I have not finished the 54F100 because now I'm am finishing it as a hot rod not a street rod. ( any one need some billet wheels )

 

I had always been into cars of all sorts, but when I was 19 I got to talking to an older guy at my job about my '69 Impala. The car was a roach, but I liked it and I was working on it as my skills and budget allowed. Turns out Mario was a hot rodder and had a '35 Chevy coupe. His car was originally rodded in the 60's and sometime in the 70's was crashed at a dragstrip in Florida, disassembled and left for dead. Mario got a line on the car from a buddy of his, drove down to Florida and trailered the car (still in boxes) back to Long Island, and rebuilt it. He'd invite me over after work and on weekends to help him work on the car (hand him tools!), and he'd help me with my Impala. I learned a load from him. I moved away from NY ten years ago, but still stay in touch with Mario. He is now rebuilding the '35 again because two years ago some jackass rearended him at a stop sign - hit him so hard it flipped the car over on its side. Bent frame, completely destroyed the rear of the body, etc. He's bringing the car back though - straightened the frame and is banging the panels and shrinking the sheet metal all at home in his two car garage. By next summer he should be back at Englishtown banging out 11.00 time slips again (car runs a '70 LT1 motor). Man, I miss that guy. Gonna shoot him an email now.

 

My dad. I got bit by the bug in 1958. When while at the drags in San Antonio, TX my dads driver didn't show up. My mom would not allow my dad to drive anymore since his very serious wreck a year earlier. He told me to get and see what I could do. Damn,,,this was a 671 blown and injected 430 CI MEL sitting in a rail. First run...144 at 9.82. I was stung bad,,,real bad.