Whatever happened to "Fat Jack" Robinson?

Back in the 80s, when I was getting into cars with all the enthusiasm of a high-school gearhead, one of my car-building heroes was Fat Jack (or Rotund Robinson). He ran a shop out in Hawaiian Gardens, CA and churned out some cool rods back then.

Pictured here with Buttera posed next to a cool little modified they worked together on for Strohs and Hot Rod magazine back in 1983, the two gurus graced the pages of Hot Rod magazine. Buttera is still around and gets some ink in the mags now and then...but whatever happened to Fat Jack?

<img src=http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid87/p2c874e08fb3fd81de83eca16de5910c1/faa6c230.jpg>

Anyone know????

 

didnt he build a SWEET 46-48ish ford coupe? i think it was tourquise and did the magazine circuit thing??? very sweet,

 

Don't know him too well, but I see him at a lot of shows out here... I can't put my finger on any of his work...

 

His Fat Attack 47? was redish orange and was on the cover of Hot Rod with the worlds fastest street rod, it was a black 40 Ford sedan with a blower. Those boy`s didnt mess around. I think that Hot Rod cover was in 85, I still have it in one of my magazine piles....somewhere>>>?

 

What's Buttera up to lately? Still building bikes?

 

He's still building awesome cars. He's also one of the "Second Generation" Early Times members (which was the most productive). Shame on "FrameDragger" for not knowing one of the E.T.'s most famous former members (check out the plaque in the bathroom at the next meeting- it was on his car on it's last run upside down through the lights). But to quote one current E.T. member as said to one of the former members who tired of the B.S.- "You should come to a meeting- we don't even talk about cars some times!" The guy thought to himself- "EXACTLY why I'm not a member anymore!"

 

Seems like after Fat Jack wadded his orange 46 up in a ball on the "big end" of the dragstrip, we never heard anything more from him....I liked his approach to building a fat fendered ford.....all cattle and no hat.

 

Jim - "Fat Jack's Dues" I've seen it... If I can remember the lore... I believe he flipped out on one of the wives in the club for letting a '55 Chevy into a Pre-'48 Event... Is that right?

M-

 

Someone posted Fat Jack's latest twin engined flathead dragster here at a recent event coverage. He has a going business evolving around flathead performance.

Frank

 

Fat Jack is a different guy than Flathead Jack who owns the dragster

 

I keep a picture of two great friends and two of my greatest idols together on my desk- Fat Jack and Gray Baskerville- chillin' at the L.A. Roadsters Show. Meeting them both as a kid was like meeting Pete Rose &amp; Reggie Jackson. Every other word from Fat Jack's mouth is the F-Word, and the greatest sport of the Early Times Club in the 70's (at the time the builders of the greatest cars in the country) would be to rip a car to death right in front of the owner. Those guys were ruthless!!! Fat Jack &amp; John Buttera went the "most billet", but Fat Jack's car were always traditional on the outside, and always the LOWEST in the country- WAYYYY before airbags. Most of his cars had steelies when Cragers and Tru-Spokes were the deal.

 

Yes, FD, there are enough Fat Jack stories to fill a few books!

 

OOPS!!! Wrong Jack. Sorry for the mistake;

Frank

 

E.T. still has some players... most notably Richard Graves and Mark Morton... while I am not a member (I go to a bunch of their meetings though)for the record, I have really never heard anything non-car related come out of any of the meetings, except for the never ending obituaries of the greats of the Hot Rod World, who were either members or friends of the club...

M-

 

Did I read in the late 80's that he was also doing some really high end ($$$) paint jobs on some exotic sports cars (Ferrari's, Lambos, etc.)?


Wonder if most younger HAMBers know what the name of the Early Times club is supposedly really all about?

 

FD- I obviously mean no disrespect to my greatest heroes (having even urged my dad to recently FINALLY join)- but these are the guys that in the '70s were setting the style of street rodding across the entire country. Those members from the "hey day" all built their own cars and were put under a microscope constantly. With guys like Don Thelen (builder of many Oakland winners and the ZZ Top "Eliminator" Coupe), Jim "Jake" Jacobs of obvious Pete &amp; Jake fame, "Lil" John Buttera, "Fat Jack" Robinson, Del Austin and a few more guys that Boyd copied or had them build behind the scenes made the E.T.s "THE" guys.

 

Jim - None Taken. You outta come by yourself... Beers are $.50.

 

I've been by MANY times (like the week Bill died) but working up North now keeps me from hanging out. My new editorial is about Bill, there's a picture of the church with your car in it. I always thought you didn't really know who I was, but this confirms it Sorry I didn't clear it up earlier. My dad is the fire chief, Pat Aust, we've hung out with the Early Times my entire life.

 

I just thought the last name was a coincidence until now...

I know who you are now...

Sorry...

M-

 

he's just as feisty as ever he's still an outrider (mabey the oldest car club alive est. 1932) still builden em on the ground and bad as you can get em. far as justifiably rippen bunk apart johnny rotten robinson can handle that aspect no problem thank you very much.

 

Do a search,he's a HAMB member.(lil' john)We're still lucky to have him,since he's still recovering from a brain tumor.Very talented genius,who's influenced so many of us,hope all is going well.

 

You may be thinking of Junior Conway@Juniors House of Color.

 

He moved to Defuckintroit, and goes by the name of Fat Hack....

 

Fat Jack and son John were on an episode of Monster Garage. The one where they chopped and sectioned an early 50's Chevy. Bill Hines, Gene Winfield and Dick Dean were also in on the build. Jack and son did the chassis work. Jack's shop also turned out a 40 Ford phaeton that was in The RJ a while back.

 

I've still got my T shirt with the orange coupe on it. The Fat Attack!!

 

I've still have mine as well. Bought it at the 88 Nats in St.Paul Mn. Jack had his 46 Ford chopped slammed sedan delivery there, built with the salvaged parts from the crashed coupe. I don't think it was ever finished.

 

i was going to ask the same thing....i remember seeing the delivery in primer at super chevy indy in maybe 88....had a shirt with the delivery on it that i bought from him .....the crash of the coupe is on the jackson bros gasser video....also remember some guy with him call uncle wik wik ..???? another whatever happened to deal.....jerry moreland...? seems like he was in hot rod back in the mid 80's every month with some cool stuff....the 40 was one thing.....but seems like he own ohio georges mustang as well...... brandon

 

Fat Jack is still in business, Fat Jacks real Hot Rods, I believe in the Long Beach area, his son John(aka Johnny Rotten's) 37 Ford P.U. is on the cover of the recent fall edition of the world of RODS....cool truck! Jack still builds really cool real hot rods.

 

HAHAHA.............is it one of those sweet '80's style ones with the contrasting color top and stripes around the biceps?

 

I was at the 85 Nostalgia Nationals in Fremont where Fat Jack & Moreland bought both cars out for the first time to race. Moreland won with the 40 running 9.90's