What HOT ROD LEGEND would you like to meet?

Paul Campbell.

He ain't a legend but he oughta be. He's built one of the cleanest '51 (think) Merc Converts I have ever seen and a sectioned shoebox that's flawless.

 

Oh yeah!! And Brandy of course!!!!

 

I'd like to KNOW (as in see them work, understand how they work)

Ed Winfield
Doane Spencer
Sam Barris
Cole Foster

 

Hey! Don't any of you remember Tex Smith? His name was in the Rod & Custom magazine alot back in the late 60's. I met him at the Minnesota Street Rod Nats back in mid 70's. He brought a white 46-47-48? Ford convert up there, was a real nice friendly guy. Heck - would'nt mind meeting him again. Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy

 

Jeez, I've me a bunch of people already, Nads, Denise (i've partaken of the cookies), Evel, and a slew more. Hung out with Norm Grabowski, Linda Vaughn, Jungle Pam ETC.. Worked for Grumpy Jenkins for a very short (no pun intended, story to be written) six days. lots of racers and such. And yet, I have never met GERM. I came close to meeting Bob Bleed, but he never came to New Jersey....

Spike

 

Duh...I gotta add Leonard Emanuelson to my list...my car magazine idol!

(Sure wish he'd come BACK to HOT ROD or some other ***le!!!)

 

I'd like to chat with the infamous editor of Hi-Performance Cars, Super Street Cars, Seymour Balz.

 

I'd like to meet Sherlley Muldowning just to see if she really did race my 34 in the 60's.

 

Sherlley Muldowning may well have raced your 34 in the 60's.

On the other hand, I doubt Shirley Muldowney did.

 

George Trosley. He just signed onto the HAMB so I had to throw that out there.

Bill Mitchell, Harley Earl, Bunkie Knudsen, Walter Chrysler, Iacocca, oh wait, those aren't hot rod guys. They're car guys damn it.

And throw in Barry Meguiar and Dennis Gage for the cheezy car show element. And Tom Hnatiw.

Ed Roth goes without saying.

I already can cross Fat Hack off my list, so that's pretty huge.

I had to talk in a meeting once in front of Dave "Corvette" Hill. He's my generation's Zora Arkus Duntov. I almost ran into Bob Lutz the other day too, not that I'm allowed to talk to him.

Yates, and David E. Davis Jr too. Especially DED. Jean Jennings. The young Asian guy who has the column in Autoweek. He deserves a piece of my mind. My very jealous mind. There's some newer young guy at Automobile too. Same goes for him. Stupid jerk. That shoulda been my job.

Did anyone say Blue Bear?

 

I wondered how you spell it theirs so many different ways to spell things these days.

Actually the guy we got it off of was from Shirly's home town and told us after we bought it that him and his wife was friends with her and that she raced it at the local track. It had a nailhead with a muncie 4 speed and a 55 chevy posi rearend. He might have been making it up ,or it could all be true who knows.

 

Kenneth Howard with my Ouija board at midnight this Halloween..

 

I met Dave Tucci a few weeks ago and he was a real cool guy. He does amazing work too. But yea he was really cool. I've met a lot of dirt track racers like Brett Hearn, Steve kinser, Mark kinser, and I used to race go karts with Sammy Swindell's kid kevin so i met him once too. They're not really hot rod legends but they're somewhat famous car guys so i included them. They were all nice guys and i got to work with Hearn for a while which was really cool.

I'd like to meet Jimmy Shine, Jimmy White, Tim Conder (I wanna see those dragsters in person!), and Jesse James (does he count as a hot rod legend?)

As far as HAMB legends go I'd like to meet them all! I don't think I've met many of the people on here but I've talked with caffeine and he's a pretty cool guy and I wanna meet plowboy so I can check out that lunar lander. that car is sick. And Denise too cause Ive heard those cookies are legendary haha

 

I've met several of the greats like Roth and some others. Sure it's neat to say I met (nothing more than saying hi and praising them) but what would be really cool is to be able to hang out with them and hear their untold stories or the stories they just tell their close friends.

ScaryLarry and I were lucky enough to sit with a bunch of the older circle track legends and hear their stories at Hershey. Names like Foyt were dropped and some of these guys we weren't sure who they were. They could have been famous we just didn't know it. We know Lynn Paxton. He talked highly of the one guy Jimmy McGuire. He said how McGuire was the superstar untill he lost his arm then Foyt got his ride and went on to fame. It was a very cool time to sit there and hear the stories.

I think Roth would have some great stories. Jim Jacobs would be another. I met Jake but he didn't want to talk. I was young and sorta dissapointed in one of my heros. At the same time I met Pete Eastwood and he was very cool.
Clark

 

Eh, I'm with you. I met Mario Andretti and a whole ****load of CART (remember CART?) drivers once, we were racing in a support race to the CART weekend at Road America. Saw Mario standing on the pit wall watching our practice and walked over to shake his hand. About that time, my driver pulled into the pits, and I started jumping up and down, grabbed Marios arm and said, "OH MY GOD!! Do you know who's driving that car???" Kinda broke the ice, and he appreciated that I did that rather than ask for an autograph or something...

Famous hotrod guys? I'd punch Boyd in the balls, just for acting superior. I'd like to say hi to George Barris, but unless you catch him at breakast, it'll cost $20, at least you get a picture outta the deal.

I guess I'd have to pick drinking a ****load of beer with Mr. Shine.

 

****era & Linda Vaughn

 

Flattered...........

**x

 

You all missed the obvious HAMB legend, Ryan!

 

I've met

Milner
George Barris
Ed "Big Daddy" Roth (If I told you what he said to me, you'd think I was ********ting you)
Corky Coker (awesome guy)
The famous Bob Bleed (and swindled him on a rearend & steering box)

I'd like to meet (already mentioned)
Virgil Exner
Bluebear
Westerguard
Jesse James
Tex Smith
Dennis Gage

And a few more for your consideration
Dean Jeffries (Monkeemobile, beeotch!)
Jay Leno (he called and left a message on our tech school answering machine, does that count?)
And my #1 guy I'd love to meet, Preston Tucker, because deep down, we all want a helicopter powered triclops!

 

Like Stan told you guys, go to the Hot Rod Reunions and meet these folks while the still walk the earth. I sat down to lunch with Otto Reisen at the CHRR this year. Man, that was an honor. Check out the SCTA Hall of Fame and see who he is. Got to ride in the old Caddy with Don and Pat Garlits. I was stoked to have the Golden Greek say he liked my chili, it wasn't too hot for him and I respect that. Every morning at the hotel we stay at for the Bako reunion I have coffee with the Ewald brothers, sometimes Olin Davis is there too. Really, EVERY HAMBer needs to attend the Hot Rod Reunion. There are two of them now so you have NO EXCUSE not to go.

It strikes me as CRAZY that Cole Foster was mentioned numerous times and nobody wanted to meet his POP. Patty Foster is GODHEAD. He's the reason that Cole has the skills and TASTE that he has.

My ultimate goal was to get a speeding ticket from Barney Fife or Buford T. Justice, but that is too late.

 

Wild Willy
Hayden Profitt and/or Dyno Don
Bill Hines
Ngo Long Dong
Germ
Vern Tardel

One last one was a local fellow here who died in a train crash 30 years ago, just to talk to him about the construction of his 57 Skyliner. It had canted Lincoln quads, and early vette grille, two sets of two Packard taillights set in homemade 45 degree fins, a continental kit, skirts, Peaked and louvered hood. All done on a homemade beater bag, a sort of e-wheel, and about 1500 pounds of lead. It's original color was white with blue flames, chrome reverses with real spiders, and black tuck and roll. This was the only real custom around here, and it's one that would be damn near impossible to reproduce today withouot a wheelbarrowful of money. R.I.P. Swanny Cox.

 

Dang" Thats my new pinup pic of the month"

WOW ' Shes my Fav a rite

 

"Billy Sideburns" he's burned everyone in S.A.. I'm drunk f@#k it, i'm drunk....

 

Sam Barris and Gene Winfield for the style, Smokey Yunick and Vic Edelbrock for the motivation

 

Bill Hines

Richard Petty

RF & KIRK! (Oh wait, I've met them..wasn't that exciting )

 

Mud.

 

"Ohio George" Montgomery - the king of the g***ers.
He built and drove his own cars. Was also known to hand fabricate racing parts before you could buy them.

 

Doane Spencer, cuz that roadster was spot on
Dean Moon
Ed Roth
Sam Barris
Kenneth Howard
Bob Hirohata....that was the *****inest Merc ever
Billy Gibbons....Cadzzilla...the Eliminator coupe...
Harley Earl
Ed Cole ...designed the Cadillac ohv mills and the small block chevy
Preston Tucker....this guy really was a hot rodder
James Dean
Howard Hughes...hot rod airplanes...
and of course our fearless leader Ryan!

 

Grumpy Jenkins