Li'l John ****era built award-winning Funny Cars, hot rods, an Indy car and motorcycles. Let's share some pictures, articles and stories in one place. I'll start:
One of the all-time greats. I got to meet him once at Michigan International Speedway in the ‘90’s. I heard all the stories about him being gruff, but I told him I’d been a fan for a long time. He said “yeah?”. I said all the way back to R&B. I guess that was a new one because he stopped what he was doing and chatted for a few minutes. Then he went back to working on his Harley.
I never tire of Johns quotes, especially the ones that relate to machine work as I too was a machinist for 30 years........I couldn't hold a candle to Johns' work though. The early Nova that John helped son Chris build was the inspiration for the "modern" upgrades I did to my 67 Nova, notably the IRS.
I remember the Vauxhall/Opel Astra hatchback that came out a little after this Willys appeared, with a su****iously similar design to the wheels. Someone was watching.
On one trip to “The Coast” we stopped in at ‘Lil John’s place to say hello. John was busy making chips with the Bridgeport but took time to visit. As I looked around his shop I was amazed at what I saw, the guy built everything probably because he could and he didn’t like what was commercially available. Things like a billet aluminum floor jack, and billet aluminum torch cart, the cool stuff was everywhere. He was a master innovator, he made the rules that others followed. His creations set the standard for the hobby.
Thanks. I've always been a Lil' John fan. I was in High School taking shop cl***es and building my first hot rod when his stuff was featured in Hot Rod. Like him, growing up in the Midwest, I didn't have much Hot Rod influence around me, so his work always lured me in. That article about the 3 most important tools (drill press, band saw & belt sander) convinced me to work toward getting them as early as possible. I've been fabricating parts and channeling ****era all my adult life with them. Long ago I got to see one of his dragsters up close. Everything just flows together, makes sense, and works.
He also won the Clint Brawnwer award at the Indy 500 one year. He basically made the entire back half of an old March Indy Car. It made the show too.
I got to see the 64 Nova he & his son built when it was fairly fresh. The level of detail and craftsmanship was absolutely jaw-dropping. 'Lil took things to a completely different level. Legend, and rightfully so.....
A true craftsman in every sense of the word. He was so forward thinking, it makes me wonder what he would be building today.
The Jalopy Journal
