Thread: The last hot rod..........

Tweet

.........he'll ever build.

Twenty plus years ago I got the itch to build a ’32 3 window coupe. I looked for a good steel body for some time without success and decided to go glass. At that time there weren’t very many folks building that style body, and even fewer that had a reputation for quality. I narrowed my list down to Downs and Gibbon. One day I called Jim Downs, we talked for awhile, and then I asked if there was anyone in the Seattle area who had one of his bodies in the raw that I could look at to see the quality for myself. He said he had a customer who had recently bought a ’33 3 window body and gave me the guy’s name and number. Coincidentally his name was Bob also, and surprise, surprise, he only lived about a mile from me. We agreed on a time to meet at his garage and life went on from there.

Turned out we had some very similar views on things in general, hot rods in particular, were about the same age, and well, just hit it off pretty well. Over time we’d end up helping each other with car and house projects. He encouraged me to do the “long” haul to Pleasanton……..even convinced me to sell my car while we were there even though I hadn’t planned on it, didn’t even have the title. His line when I said I wasn’t sure I wanted to sell at that time was, “well……then ask too much!” Not sure I’ve done as well percentage wise on any car before or since.. .

His skills were much greater than mine, though on some things my eye was better than his. Actually ended up as a pretty good “team”. He was a wizard with unique dash designs, and could make an updated engine look period perfect in a car. One of the biggest laughs we had was with a ’40 Ford sedan he put together with a small block chev engine. He put Oldsmobile valve covers on it, with an Olds aircleaner. It looked great, but the real payoff was when one guy looking at it said “Geez it’s nice to see an Olds engine in one of these for a change”. He was wearing an “Oldsmobile Club” jacket…………….you’d have thought he’d known better!!

Somewhere along the way our both being named Bob made for some confusing moments, so I came to calling him Bubba. As you might expect, he started calling me Bubba as well…………….so much for ending confusion! Even better, we nicknamed the wives “Bubbaette”……………..somehow they didn’t see the humor in that.

When we met he was working as a field rep for PPG. During one of our conversations he was lamenting how tough the body shop business had become, and how tough it was for the shop owners to make a living. The conditions he described didn’t sound so much as awful to me, but rather that most of the operators weren’t very good businessmen. My thought was……………….”sounds like an opportunity to me!” and what do you know. About a year later I was in the business!

Shortly after that he decided to move on in life and relocated about 150 miles away. He even conned me into driving the big moving truck since he’d learned I’d done some of that in my youth. Even though we were many miles apart we still stayed in close contact via phone, then email, and occasional trips back and forth to do car events.

A few years ago he developed a tumor on the bottom of his stomach/top of the intestine. Because of the high number of blood vessels involved it was inoperable. The doctors wouldn’t give him a prognosis for life expectancy, but it didn’t sound good. They tried a number of treatments, some worked for awhile, others didn’t. As the tumor grew and became more intrusive in is physiology he worked up his “Bucket List”. We spent the last couple years working off the events and locations he’d enumerated (not sure I’d ever have made the time to get to Bonneville if it weren’t for him). Fortunately he maintained a good attitude through it all and we had great times along the way.

Just over a month ago it all finally caught up. The treatments, the loss of white blood cells, the pain, it all took its toll and he spent the last 4 weeks of his life in hospice care. He didn’t go down without a fight.

Well meaning folks will often kindly say something like “I’m sorry for your loss”. Well, I prefer to see it in a different way. I’m glad to have had the chance to earn his friendship, share the good and the bad, learn from him, and grow because of it all. I feel no loss, only gain.

In his final couple of years he needed a distraction and something to help give him purpose each day. He chose to build a ’32 Roadster. Sometimes it was hard to get the work done, but other friends near him pitched in whenever necessary. He almost got it done in time. The last of the work to make it drivable was done a week before he passed. Sadly, by then he was too weak to take a last ride as I wish he could have. But the car will remain a tribute to his skill and passion for hot rods. For now his wife plans to keep the car as one of her mementos.

I’ll miss you Bubba, but you’re in a better place……no more pain, no more worry……..and just maybe endless fields of vintage tin. Wouldn’t that be great!!