Art & Inspiration The **OFFICIAL** door lettering thread

here's mine......

 

If I had an old pickup I'd letter it with this for sure

 

Itow’s Automotive 5201 S. Normandie Avenue Los Angeles, Calif.

Hello,

When we saw photos of anything that had Itow’s Automotive on the side, we knew it has some quality to the build. The whole area of the Los Angeles community was packed full of old time hot rod repair, sales and build shops in the 1930s to the 1950s. It was not called “South Central,” although, it was located South of downtown city center Los Angeles.
Old Friday Art
One of the most popular and winning drag racers was the Herman Brothers blown Oldsmobile powered 1929 roadster… (which is now being rebuilt from @wheeltramp brian and his great working skills… yea!)
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-altered-with-an-injected-olds-motor.1248739/

Then:



Lion’s Dragstrip Reath Automotive vs Itow's Automotive

Clay Smith Engineering was located at 1301 W. Gaylord Street in Long Beach. It was a half mile away from our Westside of Long Beach house. The history of the 1929 roadster was well documented in magazines and the weekly Drag News paper when the results of competition was posted from each of the dragstrips in So Cal and elsewhere. Joe Itow Automotive was front and center in this roadster build.


"The Herman Brothers, blown Olds gas burning roadster...like many drag roadsters, it started out as a street roadster, still had the holes for the '39 Ford taillights...ran high 140s, pretty good for the time, '61-61..."


Wheeltramp Brian

Again, what a fabulous find and history of the local racers from that era. It was a great time to be a teenager, hot rod enthusiast and active drag racer. this current build is exciting as the day it was seen at Lion's Dragstrip back in those early drag racing days.

A 671 supercharged Oldsmobile version for the drags and a Potvin front supercharger for Bonneville. (Moon Discs with a more streamlined hood and sheet metal cowl area) ...drawing ideas only...

It just amazes me that such a find existed. Now, it will get some of its glory and coolness back into today’s historic information. My brother would have thoroughly enjoyed this information and that the blue roadster has survived this long.


all build photos from Wheeltramp Brian...
Thanks, @wheeltramp brian for all of the discovery, intuition, great work building and effort… Now, it is the new guy’s job to get the iconic door lettering correct.

 

Just finished the 61 econoline doors when a pushrod decided to bend.

 

Here's one I had painted for my son, Uriah's garage wall

 

Lettering by Jim the Painter

 

That’s funny!

 

Does this count

 

Not sure if this has previously been posted:

 

Those of you from the San Jose Ca area may remember this local sign painting legend Rey Giese. When I worked at Billings Chevrolet on N. 1st Street he hand lettered all the parts trucks. If you saw a hand painted sign anywhere is the San Jose area in the from the late 40s to the 70s chance are Rey painted it.

 

Big doors , cool art ..

 

Double cola truck

 

My '38 Plymouth truck used to be a plumbing and stove truck out of Boulder Creek, CA.



Even found them mentioned in the Santa Cruz Sentinel from 1947 and a few other times...

 

My ‘31 RPU has a bed from a nursery that offered free delivery… haven’t done any cleaning or research yet..

 

Some original hot rod door lettering......Dick Kraft's The Bug.

 

From almost day one the vision for the pickup was to have some artwork on the side.

A big shout out and thanks to Lock Leers (a new guy starting out in this field - Instagram Belair__44) I now have hand painted art on the doors

Lock also happens to be the son of forum member Barrelnose pickup

 

Picked up from a buddy yesterday

 

This was on the back of my friends roadster....

 

Southeast Gassers race today

 

You been holdin out on us?