Can I just say this is one of the coolest roadster being driven today. There is something very authentic about this one that I love.
I'm lovin this car, Bob - I'll bet you don't feel old when you're driving it. How about a vid of what it sounds like?? I'd love to hear it
Take a couple of days off from the computer to work on the car and look what happens! Chris got the story pretty close I think. I'll give some history of the build and the background of why it was built in the way that it is. In 1971 I had been out of Hot Rods for 6 or 7 years. Tex Smith was doing articles for someone and did a retro lookback on track roadsters. I also had a copy of the Clymer printing of Veda Orrs Dry Lakes Pictorial. I had never actually seen a pure track roadster style car at that time but had drooled over the pictures of the McGraff and Manny Ayuala 27 Ts for years. I had enough of the key pieces ratholed away. A pile of 32 frame parts , the tube axle , a chopped Deuce grill shell. I found a pretty decent roadster body . Actually an OLD hot rod on a A frame. These days I would be all over it trying to get it's history but then it was just a body to put on a 32 frame. At that time people wern't building that kind or car. I was getting really f-king sick of explaining to people who thought a T hot rod should have a motometer , Chrome wires and a 8ft high windshield. Anyway one night this guy comes over with a new R&C and says " I know what you're doing . Your building a car like Jim Jacobs" Now instead of an old track roadster, I'm going to have a car like Jim Jacobs? I owed a guy a favor and gave him the car. Fast foward to 1996 . I'm in Italy and come up with the new R&C where Tom Malloy has bought the Mack T. Always my favorite car. This sets the wheels turning on building another T roadster some time. Next scene is 2002 at Louisville NSRA . Nats. Theres these guys there with real hot rods having fun! Maybe they were Rats or traditional it doesn't matter It was refreshing to say the least. Thats when I actually decided to build another one , but somehow on the drive back to Spokane I decided to try and get the other one back if possible. The guy who I gave it to was the kind of guy who never finishes anything and never got rid of anything.so it was a good chance he might still have it even after 27 yrs. Turns out he did and was going to "get it running. one of these years". It took a couple of years of pestering but he did give it back. After that, the die was cast and all sorts of bad Karma would have fallen on me if I hadn't finished it off. As Chris noted when I went down to get it it was setting in the back of the same dumptruck we had unloaded it into 29 yrs previously. He had never touched it. Thank goodness no one had looked in the back of that truck. By the time I got it, I pretty much had the build figured out. The Traditional thing was coming on pretty strong . I figured if I could build it in the spirit of what was being done in the late 40's that would work for what I wanted. I just kept imagining 3 young guys in Glendale were building it after work at a service station. A lot of stuff and expertise would have been availible if they had wanted to use it. Anyway it was a fun build and a lot of people enjoy it. It's sort of a work in progress and changes slightly from time to time depending on what the "voices" say. This time they said "if you want to drive in traffic put a damn electric fan on it somehow". By the time I got it in, I had the engine moved back 1 inch with all that entails. Pics are how it looks tonite. One for ****gy of the A rear crossmember.
Bob, you know I love your car. Hope that fan helps. I'm not a fan of electric fans, but having a car that gets hot after a couple blocks is no fun at all! My roadster is damn near done, so we gotta get out and terrorize this town
another feel good story on a great build by an interesting' old guy ' [ about my age,68], who went thru the deal over a long time span and never lost track of what he wanted to have when he was finished. and he ended up with what can only be described as one mans hot rod, and a damn fine hot rod too! congratulations on a job well done, enjoy it and drive the livin' **** out of it! Waldo
Thought I'd add this to the thread. Interesting comparison. My friend (sitting in my car) Tom's T in the background. Winning car in this years "Montana 500" mi endurance race for Model T's. No small feat. I think his would make a good Hot Rod though.
My avatar shows this winters change to the roadster. Duece grill insert in place of the expanded metal one pictured in the thread. The primered BLC headlights painted gloss black and moved fwd an inch.
Chris, My hat is off to Bob. He has created/saved a very nicely designed roadster. I also agree that he seems to be enjoying it !
At 65 these are the kinds of stories I really enjoy. Thanks for putting your story here for all to enjoy. Frank
The Jalopy Journal
