Lil' John's new buggy

Hey John,

Dont give up posting here...

Danny

 

no way
but i'm proud to say he is a friend of mine. he has as much talent as anyone i have ever met or worked with. plus he's got his imagination plugged into a 440 socket somewhere. if that's not enough he is also one of the kindest and most generous person anyone will ever meet. underneath those tatoes in one great human being!!!!!

 

So basically you have a"man crush on Jesse James", I mean, not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

my friends are my wealth and i am a very rich man

 

I was told by one who should know that it'll be in ROD ACTION.

I didn't know that magazine was still around, but I will be looking for it!!

 

More likely Street Rodder

 

a man-crush...hahaha. You are not right.

 

Most of you PUNKS are too young to know. Not my fault, so Fuck You!...Thank you very much!!...........OLDBEET

 

I'm not too young to have a sense of humor.

 

What's most important to remember here is that John didn't post the picture of his car on this post. I'm sure that since he is a H.A.M.B. member that he knows damn well what kind of shit storm that would cause. Many of us here like many types of cars, but I assume that since you are reading on this site that, like me, you love traditional hot rods. There are many pro builders that have taken a beating over the years because someone else has posted pictures of their work on here. I don't go looking on other sites for these kinds of cars because I am not into that type of build. That being said, there are always good ideas to be had and the quality is always right on. It’s just a matter of style, and that my friends is all relative.....

 

im not liking it....its too "chainer" for me.

a pice of art, but nothing I would hang.

 

Andy Bondio could outfab any of you guys too.

 

how bout all you typerwriter cowboy's post pics of YOUR work and give Buttera a chance to critique your work? I think that would get interesting!!

Hell I bet his Daughter Leah is a better fabricator than most of us on here

 

Styling is subjective, so having someone say they don't like the "look" of something isn't (or at least, shouldn't be...) unexpected.
This hobby is perhaps, in that respect anyway, more segregated than any other!

The real test is in the engineering, durability and drivability.
NOBODY is complaining about that stuff!

What people forget is that John originally created the smoothie Hot Rod as a way to build cheap!
OTHERS turned it into the Circus it is now.
He was a HAMBer before the HAMB was even thought of.

Very cool you're on here John.

 

I like the car.
Then again, I'm a sucker for well done one-off stuff and the car is loaded with it.

There's a lot to see, but just pointing out a few details will suffice.

What really caught my eye were the swoopy 4-bars and whittled alloy tie-rod and drag link.
I am kinda curious how the adjusment bit is done.
One full turn of a tie-rod is usually too much.
Probably an adjustment screw in the middle with left and right hand threads.

Izzat a small diameter 'rubber' brake line I see?
Probably a high pressure space age type line.
Nice touch.

The overhead shot showing the seems to be a trademark cowboy boots sticking out has a nice view of a Duvall style windshield.
This particular one has - imo - better lines than the Duvall style windshields that stick way out to the side.

In the same pic, a small step which is probably a necessity with this car.

The aluminum air cleaner is a looker as well.

And lastly, my favorite, the aluminum steering column.
A tilter which has got to be a little tough to do compared to the straight ones I make.

It's interesting how some things will stay with you all your life once you see em.
The white 29 roadster Mr. Buttera built had a lot of interesting touches, but no two stuck with me as strongly as the external - and long - 4-bars front and rear.
To the point that I made up a pair of similar ones for my 32 roadster for the rear.

The other one was the A grille shell which was a nice touch.
Especially since most of us were popping the 32 grille shell on the A's.
And which I've done with my 31 project.

One of the best things Mr. Buttera ever did was the not-long-enough run of how to do it's in Hot Rod magazine.
I picked up a lot of good information there and it's still being used today.
Just simple stuff like making brackets and the like, but like anything else, there's more to it than meets the eye.

I don't know Mr. Buttera personally, but I'm pretty sure he's the guy I talked to in a San Fernando Valley hot rod shop when I went in to see about a pair of 39 taillights for my under construction 32.
He took the time to point out that I'd more than likely have to section the taillight body so the rumble seat could swing.
A small point I hadn't thought about, but much appreciated information for a guy new to the world of building roadsters and the like.

This isn't a hero worship write-up or anything along those lines, just a few small points to show how one guys life work can affect a lot of other guys interested in the same kinda stuff.

Opinions are ok . . . no matter which way they go.
Something I've run into now and then and something Mr. Buttera has probably run into a whole lot.
And like some have said, the great majority of whiners and complainers don't really take part in the hobby, but they're sure not bashful about pointing out things on your car that they don't like.

Which makes me wonder . . . where were these dipwads when the car was being built?

Thing is - again imo - we're looking at a future icon in the world of hot rodding when we view this little car Mr. Buttera has built and we just don't know it yet....

 

Yah what ever, it would be nice to get a real opinion from a REAL guy like Mr. Boyd or maybe the Tuetels, real artists?

 

I used to love wire wheels because of Lil' John.

 

Wasn't Mr. Boyds first semi-famous car - the silver roadster - pretty much a copy of Mr. Buttera's white roadster?

Strikes me that copying something is laying your opinion out for the world to see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuetels?
Is that the Orange County Chopper gang?

Hard to argue with success....

 

I'm surprised Nads hasn't got on this guy's ass yet.

 

The guy's being sarcastic.

 

Yep, that's it!

Ha Ha...when I heard the title "ROD ACTION" it really took me back...hadn't seen it in YEARS...but was kinda hoping that it was on the comeback trail!

STREET RODDER it is!!

Long overdue, but very welcomed!!!

 

Lil' John, please convey to Jimmy Kilroy that any comments that I have are in no way disrespectful of his talent. The quality of his work, and yours, is beyond dispute. I would be less than honest if I didn't relay my thoughts when I first saw the car. I think the bulk of the posters here have given you, and your cohorts, accolades for your talents. So, there you have it, a beautiful machine and great friends, and I personally would love to hang out in that shop and sweep the floor just to be there during one of your builds. I would probably screw up the sweeping.

 

I'm a machinist, plastic injection mold maker to be exact, well I was before I blew out my back.(<--- not important)
I'm used to machining parts to within .0001 of an inch, and details are EVERYTHING in my trade.
I am a perfectionest. No lie, just ask EVILT. Things are never perfect to me, just really freakin close. There's always room for improvment.

To me,
and I could give a shit about whether or not it's a popular view, this car is UN-BU-FUCKING-LEAVABLE!

John, you have been a BIG influence in my life and my career.


I grew up drooling over the mags that housed your creations, and though I never spanked it to those mags, they sure gave me car wood


Thanks for all you've done for hot-rodding over the years.

If you're ever up in the San Luis Obispo, look me up so you can teach me some metal working skills , or, just have a beer



Eric

 

I cant believe you guys even give this Buttera a chance? I mean if he was a real hot rod guy? he would have a TV show by now, where he could cuss and throw things.....
then i would pay attention to his craftyness? If I was him I would get a hobby.

 

John's new "modified" is pretty un-inspirational. He is obviously a true craftsman but this one just misses the point. I always thought that his 3 window, 32 high boy coupe was his neatest car.

Rex

 

.... maybe a little color and some Halibrands

 

A fellow hamber posted a pic of it to start a conversation about the car. This leads to opinions about the car. That is ok we are all men here right? Anybody can miss the mark now and then. That's ok, it doesn't take away from his life's work. Has anyone here read "The emporer's new clothes?"

 

Exactly, the thing about it is, legend or not, one oughta have a thick skin about these things. It's only cars, it can't be quantified. You can win a 300 meter race but you don't get points for doing it with style. Gymnastics? How in the hell do they judge that?

 

bring back hairy muff! LMAO!

 

John has a daughter????