Thread: What Was The First Car To Inspire You To Hot Rod

Tweet

The 53 Corvette was what got me.The local Chevy Dealers son drove a red one to school (my fresh man yr.).I knew I could not afford a new one,so my dad (trade off)got a bank loan for me and I bought a 1939 Ford 2 dr. for 150.00 dol.I traded that for a 59 Olds. Std. column shift.I was hooked.I dechromed,lowered,painted,upholstered and added 3 deuces.I was now one of the boys.Dragracing and cruising the local Drive Ins.A friend had a 32Ford 3/w cpe. stock v/8 immaculate.I had to have it.I traded him the Olds.,32 Owl Hd.Pistol,and 20.00 Dol.for the car.I added a 57 Chev.engine w/Duntov FI cam and other goodies and the rest is Another story (got married,sold the car).The Deuce is still in show condition and I see it occasionally when I go back to Tennessee.All is not lost,since finishing the 34.

My brother-in-law did a little bootlegging when Iowa was still liquor by the drink in the late 50's. One day he and my sister pulled in our driveway in a 57 T-bird, with a paxton supercharger on a built 312. He took my brother and I for rides and we were both hooked. BTW, he later totaled it crossing the bridge from Iowa to Illinois, while trying to evade the police.

Originally Posted by 41willys

My brother-in-law did a little bootlegging when Iowa was still liquor by the drink in the late 50's. One day he and my sister pulled in our driveway in a 57 T-bird, with a paxton supercharger on a built 312. He took my brother and I for rides and we were both hooked. BTW, he later totaled it crossing the bridge from Iowa to Illinois, while trying to evade the police.

My father use to tell me stories about a bunch of guys from the Tama/Vining area that use to "boot-leg"" a little.
The use meet to meet at some supper-club west of Cedar Rapids.
Who knows maybe it was true??

I heard a lot of stories from my folks about the hey day of bootlegging in Iowa. Some of which were about the CedRel Supper Club west of CR on Highway 30. My brother-in-law used to go to Rock Island and buy cases of liquor (pints because they were easier to distribute), and sell them out of his trunk at various nights spots, like the CedRel. He was doing just that in Clinton the night he totaled the bird.

Eric,
I guess I never noticed you were in DM. I lived in West DM back in the 70's and frequented both Couch's and Racers Den. Are either of them still in existence? As I recall Couch had his business in an old school bldg. on the north side for a while.
John

Like many guys my age, I was glued to the TV set every Friday night hoping to catch a glimpse of Grabowskis T on 77 Sunset Strip. I was about 12 at the time, and if they used it in that week's episode it was the buzz at school all the next week. I think that is why I am a roadster guy to this day.

A few local cars formed my earliest memories too, and I was lucky enough to grow up in a time when $ 25 was the going rate for numerous model A's, '50 Fords, early Dodges, etc. By the time I was 16 I had gone through maybe 20 cars, ranging from Crosleys to '32 Fords.

But I still have a soft spot for Norms T, and that will always be the one that really got me into this hobby.

Don

Originally Posted by 41willys

Eric,
I guess I never noticed you were in DM. I lived in West DM back in the 70's and frequented both Couch's and Racers Den. Are either of them still in existence? As I recall Couch had his business in an old school bldg. on the north side for a while.
John

As far as I know those bars are long gone.
There was a motorsports bar out on Ingersoll.
The last time I went in there it was all early twenties kids talking about having a "super-chip" burned for their import.
I drank one beer with my buddies and then left rather quickly.

Originally Posted by 41willys

I heard a lot of stories from my folks about the hey day of bootlegging in Iowa. Some of which were about the CedRel Supper Club west of CR on Highway 30. My brother-in-law used to go to Rock Island and buy cases of liquor (pints because they were easier to distribute), and sell them out of his trunk at various nights spots, like the CedRel. He was doing just that in Clinton the night he totaled the bird.

We have eaten at CedRel but it must of been over ten years ago.
The food at that time was some of the best.

Let's talk about the Bart Root '29/'32 again. For me my memories of Hot Rod magazine articles read as a 15 year old teenager had to do with the shape of the '29 Ford cowl. It blends the engine compartment into the body in a way similar to a track roadster and it has always facinated me, even today. Thus I would have to say that reading articles with pictures of '29 Fords had a large effect on what I think a rod should look like ('41 Ford Coupes look good too! Hey, a nice '40 Ford convert. with a Carson top can be dynamite as well!). Here is a picture I have posted before from the 2006 NHRA Richmond Nats which shows that sweet cowl! Whoever has those old pictures of the Root Roadster could post them again for me! The Root roadster was included in one of the anniversary issues of HRM, the 20th I believe.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Originally Posted by Don Shillady

Let's talk about the Bart Root '29/'32 again. For me my memories of Hot Rod magazine articles read as a 15 year old teenager had to do with the shape of the '29 Ford cowl. It blends the engine compartment into the body in a way similar to a track roadster and it has always facinated me, even today. Thus I would have to say that reading articles with pictures of '29 Fords had a large effect on what I think a rod should look like ('41 Ford Coupes look good too! Hey, a nice '40 Ford convert. with a Carson top can be dynamite as well!). Here is a picture I have posted before from the 2006 NHRA Richmond Nats which shows that sweet cowl! Whoever has those old pictures of the Root Roadster could post them again for me! The Root roadster was included in one of the anniversary issues of HRM, the 20th I believe.

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Don is it the picture or have they extended the "wheel- base on the car??