Had the distinct pleasure of running into **** Kraft this morning. (My friends Pumper Jeff and Big Dummy Markwerth are putting another Flathead in his Bug.) While the entire conversation was memorable (from cars he'd chopped for Barris to he and his nephew Stan Betz's first louver press in CA), the one thing that will stick in my mind forever is the comment he made about the engine in my '53... "I'd rather have a pros***ute for a sister than a brother with a small-block Chevy!" That's definitely worth printing on a t-shirt!
Run it in the magazine! That is the kind of stuff I would love to read. And by the way: If you dont want to run it in your magazine you are always welcome to run it in mine! BTW here´s some about **** Kraft from a R&C
<font color="green">I guess since my sister was a pros***ute I was destined to love the SBC's? </font>
"I'd rather have a pros***ute for a sister than a brother with a small-block Chevy!" Kraft isnt that a cheese company. What does a cheese guy know about pros***utes and engines anyway, nothing. Like some one said opinions are like **** holes and his stinks
[ QUOTE ] "I'd rather have a pros***ute for a sister than a brother with a small-block Chevy!" Kraft isnt that a cheese company. What does a cheese guy know about pros***utes and engines anyway, nothing. Like some one said opinions are like **** holes and his stinks [/ QUOTE ] You my friend obviously have zero idea who **** Kraft is, wether you like his opinion or not, he's a ****ing ruler in the hotrod world, go back to Fresneck Love Skip
Well Jay...Id say that this just shows that everyone, even well known, respected, famous, even celebrity-like, oldtime pioneer hotrodders are capable of inserting foot-in-mouth(or head-up-***). Why does it seem that NO ONE EVER stands around going thru a litany of reasons why a jimmy6/hemi/nailhead/poncho/rocket/stude/banger/flathead(hell,even a Y-BLOCK!) powerplant was a dumb*** thing to do(for any number of reasons...scarcity,unreliabilty,underpowered,$$$$), yet theres no shortage of wise***'(even famous ones) who'll tell anyone how little they think of the chevy smallblock?? My car, and your car, are personal expressions of taste, style, talent, expertise, wealth, etc..., but they are personal. When someone says something like that, aimed in this case at no one in particular but just in general, they might as well make a general insult directed towards a persons clothes, looks, intelligence, social status, spouse, etc. **** Kraft' comment is especially endearing cuz it not only insults your engine but your sister TOO! Not to hijack Rob's post about the compliment he can be rightfully proud of, its just a shame it didnt come out as "Thats a really nice flathead. I always like nicely done flatheads." If you cant tell, I'll be running a 283, and dont give a damn whether **** Kraft or Henry-frickin-Ford likes it or not. Maybe theyd like a date with my trashy sister.
Correction- Forget the 'Jay'...Jivetalker, Jivebomber, Jiveturkey, what the hell! You garshdurn kids are confusing the heck out of us oldfarts...
Fresno dude, you're an idiot. Homer, don't take it personally. Small-block Chevys are cool...I love early ones. But they're almost too easy, and I can see the reasoning coming from someone like ****, who has literally "been there, done that" since practically day one. Of course, there was humor behind the remark...
Hello, my name is Sam... and I'm a Small Block Chevy Lover. "Hi Sam!" Homer, I'm with you man... but I'm thinking it's a little hard to get the body language and a facial expressions over the computer... so, I'm gonna chalk it up as a funny-*** story and give all that reply my sister's street corner location. Funny thing is... my older brother John is a Fordlover! (so I'm gonna p*** this saying on to him so he can use it!) Thanks for sharing Rob! Sam.
RF, Are you talkin' bout ' the same **** Kraft that built and drag raced " The Bug " (very early Santa Ana dragster) ? If so , How old is the man now ? He's gotta be near 90..I was fortunate enough to have spent some lunch time at the Hotrod Reunion Bob-Q with him a few years back and heard the dope stories as well.. L B
Good friend of mine had Ron Fournier clone **** Krafts V8-60 roadster a few years back...dead nuts perfect,****ing beautiful...the original was in Fourniers shop at the time,so they cloned it exactly...Clone was pictured in garage scene in R&C one time,but my buddy did not want any other coverage of the car,so nobodies seen it since,except when he drives it.While building it,he got to know **** Kraft pretty well.In 95 we made a pilgrimage to CA,hung out with ****,Stan Betz,went to Mooneyes,Gene Scotts place,etc.Saw Betz cars,his Von Dutch stuff(the REAL ****),his model movie cars,the 1/4 scale metal cars from the 40s.I felt like the most unworthy ***hole on earth,or a giggling idiot.Best vacation I've ever had...stayed for 5 days.Since then,**** has sent cards,pics,etc,to my buddy,and even to me.Does he still have his lovely wife,40 years younger than him?Very nice guy,GREAT stories,hell of a nice host,even though his wifes cooking was a little too much for me.When I saw the ***le of the post,I was afraid that something had happened to him....Yes,I am a Tennessee **** Kraft groupie namedropper
You my friend obviously have zero idea who **** Kraft is, wether you like his opinion or not, he's a ****ing ruler in the hotrod world, go back to Fresneck Love Skip [/ QUOTE ] I have zero tolerance for people who make outlandish statements like that, I do not care if there name is Smokey, Grumpy, Dyno Don, **** Landy or the aforementioned Mr Kraft. Anyone who has a sister and a small block Chevy is going to be offended. Yes I Will stay in Fresno the land of the Most Beautiful Roaster (more from here than any other burg cause we are too small in your little mind to be a Town). I was insulted by that remark and even more so by yours. Love Tom p.s. My 57 Chevy will kick the *** of any Ford you own.
[ QUOTE ] Well Jay...Id say that this just shows that everyone, even well known, respected, famous, even celebrity-like, oldtime pioneer hotrodders are capable of inserting foot-in-mouth(or head-up-***). Why does it seem that NO ONE EVER stands around going thru a litany of reasons why a jimmy6/hemi/nailhead/poncho/rocket/stude/banger/flathead(hell,even a Y-BLOCK!) powerplant was a dumb*** thing to do(for any number of reasons...scarcity,unreliabilty,underpowered,$$$$), yet theres no shortage of wise***'(even famous ones) who'll tell anyone how little they think of the chevy smallblock?? My car, and your car, are personal expressions of taste, style, talent, expertise, wealth, etc..., but they are personal. When someone says something like that, aimed in this case at no one in particular but just in general, they might as well make a general insult directed towards a persons clothes, looks, intelligence, social status, spouse, etc. **** Kraft' comment is especially endearing cuz it not only insults your engine but your sister TOO! Not to hijack Rob's post about the compliment he can be rightfully proud of, its just a shame it didnt come out as "Thats a really nice flathead. I always like nicely done flatheads." If you cant tell, I'll be running a 283, and dont give a damn whether **** Kraft or Henry-frickin-Ford likes it or not. Maybe theyd like a date with my trashy sister. [/ QUOTE ] Very nicely said sir. I wish i had you way with words.
DAMN,sensitive people...I may be wrong,but I think it was a ****ING JOKE.......If there were 50 gazillion black 32 3 window coupes around,every****ingwhere,there would soon be a group of people who hated black 32 3 windows.If you saw 5000 chopped Mercs on your daily commute,pretty soon you probably wouldn't give a **** about them,even if you like them now.Because SBCs are cheap and easy,relatively,I don't notice them.....I'm neutral.But if I see a cool car,and then see a hemi,rocket,nailhead,etc., under the hood,I appreciate the extra BS the guy went through to use it.It cost more to build,may be harder to swap,but the builder did it anyway.Lighten up,what **** Kraft said is funnier than all those stupid stickers showing the kid ******* on a chevy or a ford.
Good on ya, Homer! Well said and true. Because of my trumpeting the flathead cause since the early '90s in stories and books, and because I'm involved in performance modifications to these lovable relics on a paid-for basis it would be easy to conclude that I was less than charitable in my views toward the SBC. 'Tain't so! The SBC is without question the most wonderful production engine design ever in terms of its potential and the realization of that potential. Stock block SBCs have led more laps and won more races than all other American-made motors combined. I had my first SBC in 1955, in a new BelAir two-door post, and have had a couple dozen of them since, both grocery-getters and racecars, and I can't imagine that there has ever been more bang for the buck than that the SBC has provided us. The SBC did in its day what the Ford flathead did in its own special time. Each was the outstanding plot in its era, quickly dominating the performance field. Oh well, just a thought . . .
[ QUOTE ] I was insulted by that remark and even more so by yours. Love Tom [/ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] **** Kraft' comment is especially endearing cuz it not only insults your engine but your sister TOO! [/ QUOTE ] hotrodsnguns and homer, Get a ****ing life man. If that tongue in cheek comment troubles you then your stay here will be shortlived. Personally, I like when people make outlandish comments!!!
Let me get this straight, a SBC aficionado feels picked on?! That's funny considering we live on Planet Small Block Chevy. boohoo
So, would you say that Mr. Kraft was the GODFATHER of drag racing? Or just the inventor of the "dragster?" Or both? and yeah, jeez, how the **** old is he??? So, someone like that can say anything they want, freakin pioneers have a right to whatever opinion... I like small block chevy's they are cheep, run great, are evrywhere, and even a dummy like me cant **** one up....
I had some guy pull up next to me in a Duesenberg and said "He'd rather have his sister lick the toe jam out of Harry Houdini's feet than have a brother driving a Packard." I took it as a joke but I was deeply insulted inside. BTW, I know one of the mechanics at Garlit's Museum and he told me that there's some real contoversy about the authenticity of The Bug they have on display there. It seems that some or a lot of the parts on it aren't the original ones. I don't give a ****, I get goosepumps just looking at it. Nice story Rob.
Yes yes, I get it. Its a funny quip. I believe the hazy point of my drivel was, "If you cant say something nice, keep it to yourself", but manners seem to be forgotten when small block chevys are involved. The logic of 'well, theres a bazillion of em' is valid, but there used to be a bazillion flatheads too(yes Jeem,flatheads used to be boring too when it was a 'ford-world'). The point is, like Nads said, it may be funny but youre still insulting somebodys pride-and-joy, and that aint cool. Uh, Mr. Midnite...Look at your registration date, then look at mine. My ****ing life is none of your concern, Man, but thanks anyway. Is that outlandish enough for you?
[ QUOTE ] Yes yes, I get it. Its a funny quip. I believe the hazy point of my drivel was, "If you cant say something nice, keep it to yourself", but manners seem to be forgotten when small block chevys are involved. The logic of 'well, theres a bazillion of em' is valid, but there used to be a bazillion flatheads too(yes Jeem,flatheads used to be boring too when it was a 'ford-world'). The point is, like Nads said, it may be funny but youre still insulting somebodys pride-and-joy, and that aint cool. Uh, Mr. Midnite...Look at your registration date, then look at mine. My ****ing life is none of your concern, Man, but thanks anyway. Is that outlandish enough for you? [/ QUOTE ] Again sir extremely well said. I still wish i had you way with words.
Didn't mean no disrespect with that...it was just a great comment, which, obviously, was said with humor in mind. I wasn't insulted at all...it's a Chevy, it deserves to have a Chevy under the hood, I know that! hotrodsnbuns, get a clue...you could "have you way with words" if you went to school. Guess Fresno's not known for its education system, huh? Anyway, ****'s pushing it in years, but I'll tell you, his memory is 20 times sharper than mine, and he's probably 60 years my senior! His accounts of the things he's done in the past are more accurate than any magazine or book could ever accurately depict. The Bug he's working on now is obviously a "remake", so I don't see why the one @ Garlits wouldn't have some questionable items on it...just ****s if anyone's trying to pull it off as "100% authentic". Okay, I'm done for now...
[Okay, I'm done for now...] Me Too! ...And I aint no 'SBC aficionado'. My new project does have a 283, but my other has a virgin unrebuilt, RUNNING, stocker '51 merc flatty in it, and my last deuce used to have a 276 Desoto hemi. Im a universal *****!
If the "If you cant say something nice, keep it to yourself", rule was in effect most of the posts would cease to exist. And if such an off-the-cuff statement works you or anyone else up you'll need to get a thicker skin especially when it comes to cars and particularly this place. How anyone could take that statement literally and get upset is beyond me.
Hot Rod legend makes a crack and everyone gets in a huff and starts whining and crying because he insulted Chevys. I'm sure those whining the loudest would be laughing if he had said Rocket or Nailhead or Hemi or Yblock. Take the comment for what it was, a joke, and GET OVER IT. It's Whinefest 2004 in here. Shutup.
****! I was way more interested in the historic recollections, but for some reason, the Chevy statement seems to have taken precedence. From now on, I'll keep my stories to myself...besides, I don't get in many arguments when I talk to myself!
Hey midnight - I think he was refering to your comment about him not lasting long around here with his thin skin. This was a FUNNY story. Rob got it, Sam got it, and av8 and some others got it....I got it. Don't you GET IT? Homer - If you really didn't care what **** Kraft or Henry Ford thought of your motor you wouldn't have bothered to reply defending it. I hate Robs motor too and I've never seen it - get it?
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