I wonder what the dates are that these were taken? must be pre 54? I know he messed with small block chev stuff as soon as it came out. I think those cylinder heads look like Olds ? Pretty cool group of shots. I am glad that you ended up with these files so people will get to see and enjoy them.
Ryan, I really enjoy reading your stories, and your writing style, and for some reason when I’m reading them, I hear it in my mind as Jack Webb narrating Dragnet. Weird, I know, but that’s just how it hits me. Great photos btw. Is the Buddy Fox the same as in the Fox and Cobbs entries I’ve seen mentioned in results of land speed racing back in the 50’s? I’m ***uming it is, but didn’t know for sure.
I have no way of knowing the years. Obviously, they were taken in very different time periods and then organized sometime later. I have been told that Tom organized the archive himself, so it’s possible the archive directories are of his own structure. I wish I knew for sure… I don’t own the archive… and I think that’s important… These aren’t my photos. These are OUR photos. But it has been a complete honor to ***imilate the contents. Truly. I have a deeply conflicted relationship with writing. When the mood is right and the engine is firing, it is the best drug I know. Better than speed, cheaper than therapy. It is vain, sure, but it is also painfully personal, like leaving fingerprints of your own brain for other people to discern. I cannot really explain it beyond that. Then there are the other days. No spark. High stakes. Dead air. Sitting there hammering at the keys feels like punishment handed down by a cruel and humorless judge. Every sentence is a fight. I hate it. I resent it. I would rather do almost anything else. The strange part is that I can go back and read my own work later and immediately know which version of me wrote it, even if I have no memory of putting the words down. And the voice in your head when you read it is probalby different too, depending on which side of that line I was standing on when I wrote it. In the immortal words of Ice Cube, TODAY WAS A GOOD DAY!
Well, it only took a quick search to answer my own question about Buddy Fox and Tom. Guess I should’ve done that first.
Great stuff as usual. I can’t imagine using that die grinder, bulky to say the least. A boy, his dog and go cart cool. Dan
Hahaa… no harm, no foul. I’m pretty bad about asking questions before even looking for an answer. At least that’s what the wife tells me.
I agree as a die grinder it would be unwieldy! It is actually a porting tool, possibly a "Dumore"? specifically for porting cylinder heads, intake manifolds etc...
Thank you again @Ryan for your work-slash-mission in putting these slices of history out here. Couple thoughts: looks like the "Cobbs family '40" has been dechromed? Side trim con****uously gone. And when I saw the rear 3/4 view of that '40 (I think photo #27 in the batch?) - Man, I wanna open the door, slide behind the wheel and head down that road right there. Great stuff.
love the whole series especially the tools laid out and the before and after pictures of the 303 Olds port job built that cart at 12 years old? amazing
Here's a photo of the Fox & Cobbs 40. It has the same filled and peaked hood as the 40 in the story. Pretty sure it's the same car. Mick
Interesting. So this pic would be prior to the pics in the original post, still having the trim and no hole visible for a spotlight I’m guessing. Note the solid panels beside the center grille instead of the stock louvers. Wind drag reduction I’m sure. Sure looks like the same car.
Great historical shots, my Great Grandpa and Grandpa loved to search the Mojave and Death Valley for silver and had numerous claims that they established. Those are wonderful shots of Scotty's Castle and the desert is still an amazing place to visit.
While the snapshots of the Death Valley area and the go-kart are interesting, the composition pictures give more insight into Cobb's thought processes about photography, and maybe it's how he sorted out everything he did. It looks like you approach your photographic efforts with the same questions about what's going to work best.
Is it me or is that the ghost of a frenched license plate under the stock handle? I think the 40 was an old semi custom that just got put back into normal service, but I’m not sure it’s the fox car there is enough difference to say no. And in 52 they were running their 36 5 window which is when those photos are from. But I wonder if the “Fox” 40 is the ex one of John wolf, who was the guy Fox and Cobb borrowed the 36 3 window that they totalled at el mirage *Edit. And now I’ve just seen those two photos next to each other and noticed the antenna placement on both, I have no idea what’s happening anymore!
More mud in the water. Continuing the amateur investigation looking back through the archive posts 1950 the Cobb coupe is lacking running boards being swapped out for fabricated covers, trunk handle is gone. And a Chevy license plate light fitted above the plate, No grill insert ( I wonder if this was a filled one too and was removed because it ran too hot) So it seems further down the time line the more he brought the 40 back to stock from custom. but does that mean the fenders/running boards from the stripped down fox car went onto Cobb street car.
Is that the family's loaded, 2-tone, Dual Spots, Radio w/roof antenna, "Big"Hub Caps, skirts 1946 Chevy delux Coupe behind the "A" ch***is w/Olds motor... or an early "Chrome" '42 ??
Bear with me here, as I may be going down a rabbit hole to a dead end, but this seems to put another twist in the 40 mystery. First off, I found these pics in the September ‘52 Hop Up coverage of the June 52 Rusetta Timing meet. Car 142 b is a 40 coupe that has that little short trim on the hood as seen in an earlier post and in the results, it shows in 2nd place, the Fox-Cobbs entry. Also mentions in the article about them finishing second in their blown 40 Ford Coupe. Now that’s all fine, except if you notice the caption under the pic of car 142b it say that this car was the Hop Up road test car the previous month. Well I dug out the August 52 Hop Up and find that article, only to see that it was owned by **** Martin of Inglewood Ca. The short trim on the hood is present, as is a left front fender mounted antenna. It states in the article that he bought the car two years earlier, in a “rather thrashed condition”. Could this be the same car?
Now it’s getting super confusing, but have some more to make it worse, all from the Bill Boren collection. One 40 coupe with a short hood spear, and one completely smoothed out! I’m going to have a lay down now!
The Jalopy Journal
