You can't help but love Jeff Norwell. We all do... And as if he hasn't done enough for us already, here is his guest editorial spot: The year was 1946 and a young man returns from the service, honorably discharged and riding on the long road... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
AWESOME READ!!! i love knowing the history of hot rods our fore fathers built,glad to see roy is still at it!
Fantastic story Jeff, nice job. I've never met Roy, but I do know Sid pretty well and Roy should be very proud.
Wow, super cool story. You can't help but love that car! What ingenuity. Just goes to show you that there was alot of ingenuity back in the 50's. I particularly like the cycle fenders, very interesting how he did that. Thanks for the story and pics.
More proof that guys actually finished their cars back in the day. Maybe this will start a new trend.....shiny paint!
This can do attitude is a fine example of how we all should be. How often do we take the eazy way out and our cars look like the next one. The fenders are a great example of creativity. But I have to wonder if some one built the continatal kit on the back of their A on the HAMB how it would go over???
that's really really awesome. I can't say he stole my idea for the grille shell, because he did it 50 years ago I like how it looks though. Imagine how quiet it must have been working on that car...
Amazing... I actually Pm'ed Sid after seeing pictures on the "Favorite Model A" post and hoping I can make the trec to meet Roy and shoot his fine piece of Hot Rod history... Me and a few of my pals sat in Awe when we saw the pix... my favorite is how the front nerf bar mounts thru the grille.... fantastic!!! one of my favorite Hot Rods for sure.. Thank you Roy, Sid and Jeff..
That's a car I could sit and look at all day. The history behind it and craftsmanship just make it a wonderful example of what a real traditional hot rod is. It also makes me feel a little like a wimp when I snap on the airtools and drill a hole or finish a weld. Can you imagine drilling all your holes with a hand drill? Or making all your cuts with a hacksaw. This man is a hotrodder and my hats off to him. Great Story.
Great story l love survivor cars from the past! I was on the tail end of a lot of this. I hung out at our shop when I was a kid in the mid sixties, there were still a lot of 50's hot rods around then still in thier original form I really miss those days!
Great story Jeff. I have been friends with Sid for about 20 years now and have been to Roy's a few times. His place is pretty amazing...basically a museum. As mentioned in an earlier post, the Drapals are good people. The first time Sid took me to Roy's house, I was in awe the whole time. Even though Roy and Sid both have told me the story of his Model A (and many others), I learned quite a bit more from this story. Thanks again...
Great story & pix, Yep, a lot of "daydreaming" went on in those days on how you wanted to have your ride look! Since body filler was not invented yet (bondo), the artists in metal created works of art with lead!! Most body men cut a desired shape out of mahogany wood to use as a lead paddle along with bees wax,-----------I watched quite a few, doing their "thing"back then------Don
Thanks Jeff; Yep, GO ROY GO!!!!!! Thats enough inspiration for at least a week, no a month. That's real hot rodding. not many mailorder houses back then, did it himself. Oly The cancer car lives Give to cancer research
This may be a stupid question, but how do you stick weld without electricity? I'm constantly amazed at the ingenuity of the "old timers". My great-granfather was the first to have electricity on his farm in Page, ND. This was before rural electrification. He used a wind mill and a shed full of batteries. Amazing story.
I met Roy about 10 years ago chasing old car parts. He's a tremendous man with tremendous stories to tell. That car captivated me then, sitting in the garage with plastic covering it. I believe the frame is a early 30's chevy frame that was turned over to get the kickup in the front. I my memory is correct, he told me that he and his friend took turns running the foot powered generator while the other welded. Door solenoids were early starter solenoids. Lots of cool stuff like that. He's cool, that car is cool.....oh yeah, his son Sid is pretty cool too!!
By the way, I think there is such a thing as Model A hydraulics. This is the 3rd car I've seen them on. El Jefe's Waco Kid has them in the rear. Appears to be an aftermarket adapter kit that was probably done in in '39 or later. It uses '39 wheel cylinders mounted inside of the model A drums. I'd bet they were actually called - "Model A Hydraulic Brake Kits".
What a kool guy. Great work done the old school way, with bloody knuckles and ingenuity. Not a catalog to be seen, this generation really is the soft generation. And the result, a fantastic car that's stood the test of time. Nice little sneak peak of Roy's plane too.
Thanks for takin' the time to put up the story Jeff!! This is what I watch the HAMB for. You can see the mind-work in a car like that, not accepting the 'stock' look, and finishing out a nice lookin' rod. I believe it's what keeps you young, using your brain. Glad to hear he's still goin'. Gotta love it!!
Would have been a good car to see come together on the HAMB. Still quite a treat to see his pics and a great story too. Thanks.
The Jalopy Journal
