Hi: My name is Jim, and I live in central Wisconsin, out in the country on ten acres, north of Waupaca. I am originally from Ashland, WI. I moved down here 22 years ago. I am 66 almost 67 years old. Still love hotrodding. I have been into cars since I was about 5 or 6 years old. My dad was a mechanic at the Ford garage up in Ashland. I used to help him fix his own cars at home when I was growing up. He went railroading when I was about 16. But by then the bug had already bitten me. I built my first "car?" when I was 12 years old. It was a motorized go cart. Old Maytag washing machine motor. I don't know how I didn't kill myself and others on it. LOL. Then I went into motorbikes at 14, motorscooters at age 16, got my first car when I was 17, raced everyone and their brother, and have never looked back. Though the body was still good, I destroyed the drive train of my first car, a 49 Ford, in three months. Wish I had the car today. Think I got ten dollars for it from the scrap man. Nothing wrong with the body, just faded paint. Interior was nice shape original. Then bought a 47 Pontiac that ONLY started if you pushed it. That one only lasted a few months too. Then bought a 52 plymouth, nice shape and flipped it end over end racing my buddy, drunk, back from the tavern. Didn't make the corner. Put me in the hospital for seven (7), weeks. This was back in 1959. I had just turned 18. I was in traction for 6 weeks, then in a cast for several months. (When I do a job, I do it good). Then I bought a 1951 Ford Victoria Hardtop. Put about $3,000 into that car, customizing, rebuilt 53 Ford engine, put on Offy heads, three dueces, etc., etc.. Great car. Got married in 1961 and bought a Model A coupe and took the drivetrain from the Vicky and put it into the Coupe. Cut the top off the 51 and installed it on the coupe instead of cloth top. Learned to do body work, and paint and did a nice job with lacquer. Of course destroyed the Vicky. But I was never satisfied, so took off the stock fenders, channeled it seven inches, put on motorcycle type fenders, 32 grille, made some bucket seats, repainted and enjoyed it for awhile, but like I said, never satisfied, so cut the top off and made it into a roadster, which was nice, but a mistake as I couldn't drive it as much then. I have had many more streetrod cars and trucks through the years. And also raced stockcars for nine years and drag raced for two years. Racing was expensive, even though I did all the work myself. So gave it up at age 40. The last year I raced was 1981, an 81 T-Bird. I built a special 400-C engine for that. I built up a set of 2 bbl 351-C "quench" heads, with slightly cut down 4 bbl valves, 2.10" intakes. Hogged out the ports, milled them .030", milled the block for zero deck height, ran 1971 stock Flattop pistons, (had a true 12.0:1 compression ratio), cc'd the heads, built my own oil pan, high volume pump, Holley 800 double pumper. (they tried to outlaw my intake manifold, as I built it myself, and it was a single 4 bbl tunnel ram). I had a Crane cam with anti pump up lifters and Isky adjustable push rods. I limited the engine to 6500 rpm's. Was one torquing motor, let me tell ya. It was much more powerful than the 4 bbl 351-C engines I built. I have saved the heads and intake and am going to put them on a 400-C I am building for my 1953 Ford F100 custom truck project here, now. I have been gathering parts for it for the past four years. Have most all I need now to start building. I am detuning the engine for driving on the street on pump gas. IT will have a Comp Cams towing cam, and 650 Holley. Debating on headers or modified stock cast iron manifolds. I have two cabs and four doors as I plan to stretch the cab about 6 inches, it will be channeled 5 inches. The hood is already pancaked and welded to the front fenders. It will be a flip front. Total custom frame with Pinto frontend; 9 inch rear. these are already installed, as are new 5 stud rotors up front and wheels and tires are on. It will have stainless stacks, four glass packs, I am using a 59 Chev dash, modified, Haneline gauges, 2006 Escape leather buckets, 53 Buick headlites, canted 18 degrees, custom grille, combo of 58 Impala and 59 Buick tailights. Custom flat bed, round aluminum gas tank on it. All of my streetrods have had 4 speeds, but I am getting old, so this one will have a C-6. Posi rear with either 3:89 or 4:11's in the rear. I have both, with the "N" case. I built a 1941 Ford half ton, with a cool flatbed back in the 70's. Won lots of trohies both in car shows and at the drag strip with it. I had a flathead in it at first, but need more power so went to a 351-C 4bbl in it, with 4 speed top loader, 3:89 detroit locker, etc.. At my age, things go a lot slower, so will probably take me two years to build the new 53 custom. Or more. May RatRod it for awhile. My favorite car of all time was my 1970 Boss 302. I won't tell you what I did with that right now, you might faint. LOL. More later, JimBoB. ###
Hi Jim, That was a very interesting read. It sounds like you belong here, that's for sure. Welcome to the HAMB (even though I just got back on myself). I'm up in Cable. Where did you race? ABC in Ashland? I did some ice racing up on Chequamegon Bay for a few years... though I doubt if that was around when you were still up this way (the racing, not the bay). At the bottom of my post will be a link to our show in Fond du Lac. Love to have you if you can make it. The site is still being updated but watch it to see the new details. Hope you're high and dry with all the rain and flooding down that way too... JOE
Welcome, JB ! I spent some time in Ashland in '63.....worked for Beloit Corp. Woodlands Div. designing timber harvesting machinery. I also was drag racing back then....in my first A/D.
Welcome from another Jim from Wisconsin. Do you know HAMBers Krooser and Moe Power who are also in Waupaca?
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