There were some in the late 50s an early 60s. The local Police" Coral Gable,Police Station gave us a room once a month to hold our hodrod car club meeting in. Most time there would 3 or more cops enjoying our meeting. One owned a custom as well..
Greg Sharp was an LAPD motorcycle cop. For years he was a L A Roadster club member, and the first curator of the NHRA Museum. One of the most amazing hot rod historians on the planet. He has had some medical challenges lately. I have dinner with him regularly.
Was a local Highway Patrolman here, Henry Jacobson. He was into Mopars big time and raced circle track with a 440 powered Coronet? Talked myself out of a speeding ticket once by bench racing with him. The good old days....
Me Drag raced from 1965 through 1993. At Lebanon Valley Dragway they had a program at intermission that challenged anybody to race me.
There are several in my area, 2 even drag race. They like my coupe, in 24 years of driving her on the street I have never gotten a ticket. But, that could change this season. LOL.
My Buddy Sean and HAMB member is a police officer, him with his wife son and his 34 Chevy sedan. My buddy Ian Jackson New York State Trooper and hot rodder... his roadster
Friend of mine has this ‘27 roadster p/u. He’s an LAPD Sergeant. Only pic I have of his hot rod. This is me about to tow him home after his clutch linkage broke.
One of my close friends dad was a police officer and a street rodder. He had to take a medical retirement when he flipped his car during a pursuit but never stopped messing with the cars. He was a Mopar guy to his heart and had several muscle cars and street rods that were really sweet. He worked for our buddy George Poteet driving around the country picking up and delivering cars to various builders and Camel Toe Racing headquarters.
Me, 33 years law enforcement, retired 5 years ago. I've drag raced since I was 16 and grew up with my Dad drag racing and building hot rods. Lots of cops are into cars, in fact my old department has a car show for its members every year.
A few years ago around 7:30 am Sunday morning with no one else on a quiet road near me I opened it up in my roadster coming down the back of Hunter mountain. I was doing more than double the posted 55mph. At the bottom of the straightaway sat a NY State Trooper. He pulled out and lit me up. When he asked me if I knew why he pulled me over, I said yes and shut up. He then began asking me about the roadster. The whole time he was talking to me, I sat there shaking waiting for the hammer to drop. He ended the stop/conversation and said I needed to obey the speed limit and pulled away. I couldn't believe what just happened. I guess he was a kind hot rodder with a cool uniform.
I used to get pulled over a few times a year whenever I was driving my custom around. At first it was what year and can I get a look at her, then it became what have you done to it lately For the most part officers are car guys deep down and appreciate the opportunity to hangout bench racing with you, even if it’s in a parking lot with the lights on
My wife Sandy and I were at the annual Port Huron hot rod cruise. We were sitting on the gr*** alongside the main thoroughfare with a bunch of others, enjoying watching as a fella continually poured a little water on the pavement and folks pulled up and did a quick little burnout directly in front of us. Suddenly, a cop car pulled up and stopped right there. The officer got out of the car and approached the crowd we were sitting with. I thought we were in trouble for the burnouts but he had a friendly at***ude and explained that he was just scanning for alcohol. He hardly spent 30 seconds there and then got back in his car, put it in gear, brake torqued it and did a burnout. Had to be a hot rodder. At least at heart.
I Was Pulled Over In My Delivery One Saturday Afternoon At A Local Park And The Officer Apologized And Asked To See My Engine Compartment Details Since He Was Building A 40 Coupe....WHEW!!!...
So I'm sure a lot of guys here aren't familiar with the show "trailer Park boys" but in the show there's a character Ricky that despite otherwise being an idiot has a talent of bs'ing with police so they forget why they were stopping him so he can get away. Actually a talent I have. Countless times I've gotten out of traffic tickets by talking hot rods with police till they forgot why they pulled me over lol. Also the sheriff in the town in Arkansas where I used to live actually has a 383 SBC in an 80s pickup me and a buddy built for him years ago. Honestly I think most police are actually big into hot rods. Most just aren't very knowledgeable about them
A good friend of mine has a son Nik who is a policeman, both of them are hot Rodders, I don't know what's under the hood but it's bad to the bone. HRP
[QUOTE="nickthebandit, post: 15791373, member: 23620" My son, Joe, here on the HAMB ( dual quad 55 ) has his 1955 Buick, 401" powered, as well as my former Avatar roadster.
I have a good buddy that was in his T bucket and a cop came up sirens and lights blazing, oh **** what have I done . Gidday mate nice Bucket, I am building one too , just wanted to check it out. They have been close friends for 40 years now. My son was riding his stripped down clearly not legal TROG 46 Harley . Oh here we go, lights on and sirens. Nice bike mate, he told the cop how he raced it at TROG and brought it back to NZ . Cool story buddy ,have a nice day . Not even a hint of a citation. So they do have a certain level of tolerance.
I got pulled over a couple times after doing burnouts in the t-bucket, both times no tickets, one even said "nice car" as he was pulling away. 15 yrs ago I took my t-bucket to a local town park show 2 blocks from the house. I was just finishing up the Henry J and had it running and driving, everybody wanted to know where it was so they could see it in person. So I did what any responsible car guy would do, walked back home and opened the garage door. Now I didn't have any plates on it, open fenderwell headers, slicks out back and no hood, letting the tunnel rammed sbc shine in all it's glory. I drive it over, everyone is all around it, the "race car" that pulled in making noise. After fielding many questions I walked off to look at the other cars, it's starting to get late so I figured I better get that Henry J home since it didn't have any headlights yet. I walk back to it only to find two cops walking around it, looking it over real good. I hang back waiting on them to leave but my idiot friend yells "hey Phil, the Henry J looks great" they both look my way and start walking to me. One starts asking me motorhead questions about the car, told me he'd even follow me home, John's been a good friend since that day. Another time I had a cop car follow me into the parts store parking lot while driving the 41. Here I think it's John but it was 2 others just wanting to check it out, pretty funny stuff.
Got the cops called on us for doing burnouts in the neighborhood 30+ years ago. Cop: ‘We got a call that white car and that orange truck (o/t cars) were doing burnouts. Us: ‘Well…yeah.’ Cop: ‘Let’s see what you guys have in there!’ Neighbor very loudly: ‘Motherf***er!’
Fremont has a 1958 Chevy police car that had some work done at a friends shop. the officer who was in charge of getting it done also had the guy build him a 27 Ford RPU "T bucket" kind of car. he had another shop build something else, I think a Henry J. I still see the cop car at local shows but he most likely has retired.
I would have gotten his badge number and reported him!! I have a neighbor who’s is rising hell all hours of the day and night with an off topic lifted 4 wheel drive truck, snowmobiles, and a side by side, diving full highway speeds on a dead end road marked 15 M.P.H. with 13 houses and families with children and in town! He had been asked and then told to calm down! He was doing doughnuts in the lost in hooked the ditch and flipped it in the road with his son who is a toddler riding with him! He was confronted after that and told if he didn’t knock off the ******** the New York State police would be called! I have never understood smoke shows doughnuts etc… tire smoke is wasted horse power! I would be God damned embarr***ed if someone called the police on me because of my behavior and actions! If you are going to do that kind of anti-social dip****ness go out away form people, but then if you did that you couldn’t make a spectacle of yourself, which is what that **** is all about!
The Jalopy Journal
