A few here know that I lived & worked in SoCal in the Early '90's. My boss & a few others there wanted to help me get involved in the SoCal scene. My Deuce 5wd was still at home in Tennessee but they recommended that I meet a few members of the Early Times club. I never did & it is something that I regret to this day. Looking back, I wouldn't change a thing, but a lot of what I left out there undone left me wondering "might have been". 15 years later I'm pondering my "interstate-eating Deuce Fordor" & a '37 PU build & I keep thinking back to those Early Times cars. TRJ did a great article on the club not long ago. JimA what about the book? Does anyone have pics of ET members' cars? If so, I'd love to see them. JH
They put a show on every year in Temecula. It's a pretty good show. There's always alot of cars. My buddy knows a bunch of the members. I remember one of the guys owns a body shop in Siignal Hill who builds these awsome Midget pedal cars. John orce has one in his lobby,with all his other stuff. Don something...
Info on their annual show is all I've been able to find on the web & here on the HAMB. I'm not necessarily interested in what shows up there (anyone wanting to register) but am very interested in members' cars specifically. Bad Bob, you're a SoCal pimp. I don't believe for a minute that you don't have some good ET member car pics. JH
They have and show some of the best cars in SoCal in my opinion. I really enjoyed the RJ article. I've met and know a few of the old timers and try to make it to as many of their functions as I can. Here's a link to a run that happenned on New Years Day: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=232534&highlight=Larry+Wood Alot of Early Timer's cars here. Also, they have a picnic every summer at the Compton Rod and Gun Club...I have phoitos, but I'm too tireds to post right now...Email me and I'll send you some...or if i remember i'll post tomorrow.
I think Jake Jacobs, who was a year ahead of me in school in Compton, was one of the founding members of the Early Times. A good friend of mine and my brother's business partner, the late Neil Henderson, was treasurer of the club for years, and I attended many of their events and some of their meetings with him. I think their cars were always considered the equivalent of the L.A. Roadsters but mainly closed cars- just the really good stuff, done right. I don't ever remember any stuff that wouldn't be HAMB friendly. I've got some older pics packed away, I'll try to dig them out.
I would also like to see some photos from "back in the day"! Richard Graves 27T tourning is the stuff!!! Basic strip a 67-68 'tang and put all the good stuff under a T throw on some goodyear bluestreaks. Love those square edge tires.
I was a member from 1981-92. Couldn't find many pics of members cars but here's a couple... My Vicky 1992 and club cars 1982....
I hung out with the Early Times during the mid-60's. Have many photos that I will post when I get the scanner hooked up. I was to young to join. I was 16 at the time and you had to be 18, but I attended lots of meetings, first at Dana Chevrolet and then at a large shop on Minnesota Ave., in Paramount. We were all in the Motorama at the Great Western Exhibit Hall in '67, then took many cars to Eugene Oregon in Oct. '67 for a three day show. I was a senior in high school and my parents let me out of school to go. I rode with Leroy Smith in his Caddy powered Fiat Topolino and then with Bob Darrah in his Barris-built '32 channeled roadster. Don Thelan took his jacked up Lincoln powered Vicky, Bob Witt crashed his Model A roadster (that we rebuilt in the show!), Booths deuce sedan, Jake's pickup with the cobwebbed fenders, and on an on. ET's had their annual picnic at Newport Dunes in Newport Beach. We also had picnics at Hillcrest Park in Fullerton and Lake Irvine, when that part of Orange County was just of dirt. Some real legends came out of the club, along with Jim Jacobs, there was Thelan and Ron Week's blown Olds powered '34 sedan. It was Weeks car that stuck in my mind for over 30 years and thats one of the reason that I drive a '34 sedan today. Jim Aust is the real historian of this club. Leroy Smith and I met with him about 6-8 years ago to trade stories about the club. Maybe he will chime in. Anyway, I post some photos when I get the hang of this gizmo... More later......
I would LOVE to see a picture book of the Early Times club cars, events, etc. over the years. Something reminiscent of the Andy Southard books would be perfect.
Theres a book out there called Pete and Jakes. It tells the story of both Pete and Jake. Lots of early photos of their cars and the founding members of Early Times. I saw a copy at the Petesen Museum.
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