Who was your Hot Rod mentor?

My fucking ass hole step father. He tought me about cars and how to wrench on them. We were poor growing up and my first car was a 68 guttless. I had to change the motor in it and he showed me how. He knew chevys inside and out. He tought me about cars. My dad used to take me to the drags when i was a kid too. I remember seeing Jungle Jim and Don Perdome in Epping NH.

 

Art Himsl, Mickey Himsl, Dennis Abbas

I fell into a job working for Art Himsl while I was in high school. I stayed for 3 years and read all the car magazines he had stacked in the office every day at lunch time. I've been hooked ever since...

 

My Dad, Pete Fitzgerald a backwoods hot rodder that believed that too much engine was just enough to get by with and Bud Miles an amazing mechanic, engineer and fabicator, who could get more done with a hammer than most guys with a full machine shop.
God rest their souls.

 

Two guys...Tony Tellier and Roy Delaney. Delaney has had some good press in here last year regarding a custom truck he built long ago and was then reunited with by way of the current owner (a Hamb'r). Tellier was a smart dude (he's now involved heavily in offroad racing in AZ).

dj

 

The old man. We allways had something old around the house even if is was an old parts car. I remember knowing the years of old Fords by the time I was in 5th or 6th grade.

 

definitely my Dad

 

Orville Wright
Charles Lindbergh
And
Walter P. Chrysler

Believe it or not, I can trace my Hot-Rod addiction back to these 3 men.

My Grandfather was born and grew up in Dayton Ohio, and was neighbors with the Wright family. As a child, he played on the original Wright Flyer when it was "abandoned" behind the Wright's family shed. Orvill Wright himself got my Grandfather interested in flying. He served as a pilot trainer in WWI, then re-enlisted for WWII where he was partnered with Charles Lindbergh, and later in the navy, he was insturmental in the development of the modern aircraft carrier. He was a fabulous engineer.

Many years later [1970's] when my father was in the Army, we were stationed in Hawaii. My grandfather came over to visit us, and he took me with him to meet Charles Lindbergh. Tho I was just a teen, I was well aware of the incredible man I was in the presence of. It is FOREVER embedded in my mind the warm hug those 2 men shared when they first met at the airport.

My fascination for all things mechanical came from my Grandfather -via- Wright and Lindburgh.

My connection to Chrysler came -via- one of my best friends when I was in my 20's and 30's. He was Bob Dupin, who was one of the original founders of the Chrysler 300 club. His nick-name was "Midnight Racer". His Grandfather had worked hand in hand with Walter P.

Bob's love for cars was passed thru his father, who was quite the local stock car racer in his youth, down to him, and later to me.
http://www.chrysler300country.com/bob_dupin.htm

Anyone familiar with Bob Dupin knows of his stories of street racing. I'm here to tell you they are absolutely TRUE! I held the $$$ when he raced the Trans-Am in '79, and I was in the front seat with him when he exploded the transmission behind the [factory] daytona motor. He was an incredible character.

Both Bob and my Grandfather passed away in 1996, and I miss them dearly.... Tho I am incredibly greatfull to both of these men for the connection to history that they both gave me.

Thanks Grandpaw and Bob... R.I.P.

 

This old guy, and he still is. I had breakfast with him today so I'm pretty sure he's still on the right side of the grass Throw FuelPump and Hatch on the list too.

 

My dad and my grandpa. My grandpa was one of the pioneers of drag racing in SoCal. Raced at Santa Ana and Lions in the 40's through the early sixties. Diabetes and blindness forced him out of the sport in about '63. I would go to his house when I was a kid and he would tell me stories of all the guys he raced with and against and I didn't know it at the time but that probably got me started with my love of cars. My dad had a model A since I was a baby but I never thought much of it but then in high school I took an autobody class and the next thing you know we were tearing that down and chopping the top, filling the roof, etc. He always had confidence that I could do whatever anybody else did. Most of the time I didn't know what I was doing but I was always willing to try. Since then we have done 6 or 7 cars together and I just opened my own shop and hopefully soon I'll convice him to retire and come to work with me. Both of those guys are my heroes and I hope someday my 3 year old will look back and say the same thing about me. I've tried to convice my wife to let him work with me (who needs school, right). He'd be a kick ass painter by the time he's ten!

 

my friend/ neighbor and his 40 ford convertable. when i was about 5 years old we moved in next door and it was sitting in the drive way i just fell for it. in the years to fallow he tought me just about everything i know about cars and shown me how i want to be when i get older. with out him i dont even know were i would be- Geoffrey

 

I think it's my dad's falt.

=1956 socal=

 

My Dad, no doubt. He was a master mechanic in the Operating Engineers. Had a sixth grade education and was one of the smartest men I've ever known.
When my older brother turned 16, and went to the drags with a friend's sectioned 'A' coupe (we were east coasters') my Dad decided it would be better for us to race at supervised events rather than on the street. My brother was dating the daughter of the guy who owned the local Chevy dealer, and he wanted a new, '63 split window 'Vette. My Dad, being a Mopar guy, suggested we go to the local Dodge dealer and see what they had. We of course they had a max wedge super stocker; which made the vette like a dog. So he helped my brother buy the max wedge; and we went on from there. My brother moved up to a hemi 990 car, I turned 16; and the max wedge was mine. We raced as a family until the Chrysler boycott of pro stock.
My Dad was a hard man to deal with most times, I often say how we were so lucky to have a Dad that wanted to help us race, but what a drag it was that Dad wanted to race with us. He was just a tough man to his kids, but he loved everyone; and did so much to help folks who needed it. He taught me what it was like to be a friend to people, how to treat them, etc. I miss him.

 

had a couple of 'em, a guy by the name of bill ananias had a bitchin 440 4 speed 67 gtx when i was a kid, helped me swap my i-6 for a 327 in my 1st car('66 chevy 2) and another dirt tracker name of joe meyers. was forever wakin the neighbors at midnite with his latest krass n bernie style motors. sometimes before they even made it into a chassis!

 

There was an interest in the latest NEW car on both sides of my y chromosome. But it was my Uncle Ken that kept my early beaters running down the road with some tunes to listen to. I have him to blame for every car in my driveway ('63 Ranchero, '65 Rambler, even my wife's '92 miata which we fixed up from a $1000 ebay purchase) and one in his driveway ('66 A100 5 window p/u). Speed parts somehow (still) always manage to wind up under my hood and even though he doesn't particularly like the style of car I want to build, he will happily assist me in getting them together. Even though I feel like I found my interest in custom cars on my own and my education has taken me away from where I grew up, building a car keeps me in close contact with him. Even if I didn't like cars, that would be a good enough reason to build them anyhow.

 

My Grandpa(Geo. Keywood),My Dad(Ron Leshane)My dad's Friend(Richard Miller),And my friend(Paul Borrmann),I thank then all.

 

My Father...
Now he likes himself some boats, though...but they still have inboards...

 

My greatest Hot rod influence was my Dad's best friend my "Unkl' Frank".

He trained my father when Dad joined the police force in Winnipeg in 1962. He had been working on rodding a 34 ford truck (that was absolutely perfect)at that time afor a few years, and even at the time of his passing almost 40 years later, he still had the truck and it had not seen the road, it was a "work in progress" ... he was hit head on by a drunk kid on a 2 lane highway and made it through the accident, but had a stroke while undergoing an operation due to the injuries he suffered from said accident.

Alot of his influence and advice was evident in the 74 Monco police car i built as well will be seen in my 55 Dodge 1/2 ton currently underway.

I hope his oldest son will finish his 34 p/u like he promised he would, it deserves to be shining in the sun !


His advice " Do it right . "
Thanks, great post!
Derek

 

Gene Mckinney from Gene's Hot Rod Parts, and the late Fran Bannister...

 

I have two, Dick Kraft, my uncle and Chet Herbert.

 

Dad told me a couple stories about when he was younger, which I'm sure is what sparked it, but for the most part, I did my own mentoring.

 

I like your attitude.

 

My uncle Charlie who just passed in January. Winner of many AACA 1st place prizes. Although he was a restorer, he had a soft spot for old school rods and believed that a car well built regardless of make/style was worth the effort of checking out. He taught me how to survive Hershey for a week living in a car trailer right down to doing metal flake. I still am dealing with his untimely departure. At his funeral the preacher read a passage called Why does God always take the good ones. I couldn't agree that too many great ones are gone too soon. RIP uncle Charlie.

 

I know Gene.

 

my pops!!! if it was not for him id probably be hook on all kinds of drugs and not care about cars at all. he started me off young tho. i went to my first rod run when i was only a few months old. still have the tshirt from the sedona fun run in 84. he quized me about cars and what year they were. he told stories of the cars he owned and what he has done to them to make the car his own. i owe everything that i know about cars to him and can never repay him for the knowledge he has shared. well i guess i can by being a good son and a good person. i told him recently that i want to be just like him, maybe not the mistakes he as made but the kind of man and father he is.
tom

 

them other vagabonds like fiddy and the louver dude zman tman halfcockedcustoms zeke all of em learn me lots

can't forget my friend Jim either he kicks some ass

 

My hot rod mentor was this guy named Eddie Ward.For my 16th birth day he took me for a ride in his 34 Plymouth.(looking back,I think he just wanted to hook up with my mom.)I was hooked.He taught me how to do all kinds of shit.Later I learned how to do them right.We later had a falling out over a drag race of all things.My personal opinion of his is not good,but none the less,I must admit if it were not for him,who knows where I would be.Im now the owner of a custom paint and body shop.Im not sure if I should thank him of kick his ass.....lol

 

My Dad taught me everything I know..

 

The Knezevich brothers, Nick and Dan, of Pueblo Colorado. Nick's son Nick now runs SoCal colorado.

 

My dad by far. I have a photo of me in a diaper with wrench in hand,standing on the floor in the trunk of his Hemi 34 Dodge coupe. The year was 1962. I'm now 47 years old.

 

I didn't have one, I guess the internet taught me all I know.