That's a great story and a great car.It takes alot of us back to a time that we wish we were a part of.
Thanks Dean,was super great fun riding the way-back machine,reading your stuff,wish I could wright like that. Much enjoyed
Great story Dean. Those were good times. Didn't run in those circles and couldn,t quite afford those parts as I was married already. I was running my Olds powered coupe at Fontana with the rest of the Outlaws at that time.
Dean, thanks for sharing with us your early years of racing the '29. To have experienced the exposure to so many "who's who" in the racing world as you were, one can only imagine. I have yet to see this picture posted of your car prior to another run on familiar territory.
Ryan when you teased us yesterday with this story you were working on, you were understating. Wow. I don't care what else my Alliance membership gets, this is worth the money right there to read this level of storytelling...Ryan's right on , he just has a matter of fact way of saying Ak Miller helped, or Vic, or Weber, without sounding like name dropping, just the way it was. Yeah, Jesus found me a 40 plymouth steering box, and Buddah machined the heads and... And no matter how good all the Christmases were in my childhood, they suck compared to that one. Holy smokes. Dean's dad was awesome and inspirational. This trick of great writing is to make it seem effortless to read, like it just flowed automatically from the author's stream of consciousness. This is exactly that. If this took less than 10 hours to write down, Dean should do a book, cause he's a natural and knows the subject like no one else. How about: I was a teenage lucky bastard as a working title.
Hey Dean, I lived on Vanderwell up the street from Mark and Doug Heinz. I remember seeing you and Buzz down there with the red roadster pickup and the black Model A Tudor a bunch of different times. Didn't your family used to live down the hill on Valinda? Anyways, it was great to read your story, thanks.
Proud to be an OF with guys like Dean and the history they MADE.. Excellent read..some wonderful times..and always just a straight up great guy..
Stories like these are just fantastic. Thanks to Dean and Ryan both. As Paul Harvey used to say, "now for the Rest of the Story", filling in the little details is history we should all want to know.
After reading such an inspirational matter of fact story, I present to you "This is why I suck" 1. My friends are not into cars. 2. My dad has never had a project running. 3. I have never worked on anything with my dad 4. I don't own a hot rod. 5. I have never raced a car. I really need to reevaluate and change my situation! I love the simplicity and purity of that story. Things seem to be much too complicated and dramatic now.
Again, thanks for the kind words and rememberances. No finer praise than compliments from fellow HAMBers. I am not, and do not consider myself a "writer". When ask to tell a story, I just type what I remember, one finger at a time. No "book" in my plans, but I will say a well respected writer of hot rod history has plans in his head for a historical book that I think will be well received by those that appreciate where we came from.
Great story. Those days of drive it all week and race on Sunday were precious. Special purpose built drag cars soon took over the sport.
That picture is from the 1965 HRM Championships at Riverside. That was one of the most succesful weekends in the roadster's racing history. Long time fellow Road Runner, Rollie Gravel was driving. Rollie and the roadster were on their game that day. We won class, went 6 rounds, and won $1500 in cash and merchindise for street eliminator. I have that pic in my scrap book. Can't recall what magazine it was from.
Great stuff! "Uncle Dean" ... when you get a chance, please tell us the "West Covina High School Student Parking Spot #1" story! Dean Lowe is our hero!
That's the hood side I found & sent to England !!!! I even offered to do the restoration myself but no joy !!! Come on Mr Hill , read this link & get the roadster pick up back together !!!!!
I totally agree with Jeffrey's comment! Thanks Dean for taking us back through the journey of your first quest for speed.
Really great story well told, as usual. Only on the HAMB. You have the talent and the knowledge from experience. Thanks.
Here is the genuine article hisself. Squire Lowe and his PU at the GNRS 2009. I had the pleasure of meeting Dean there this year. A true ambassador of hotrodding and the 'real deal', no poser here guys. He's been there, done that, got the magazine articles to prove it. When I grow up, I want to be just like him! Photo by HG hisself...... vroooom
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