July 14 - AJ's Big Saturday: Trompers, Mooneyes, Weesner

What you'd expect at a Mooneyes event.

5:09 AM - Got up after only one hit to the snooze button, showered, dressed.  I put the kettle on, made coffee.  Hit the road for some serious swap shopping.

6:03 AM - Eagle Rock, CA.  I pull up to the Tromper's Car Club swap meet and it is already in full swing!  I'm already late?!?  It's a small parking lot filled with sellers, swappers and some really great hot rods.
I can remember the last Tromper's swap as being very light in sellers and buyers.  But now --super busy!

Lots of sellers means there might be some good buys --and there were.  Friends aslo did well, or so I was told.






7:00 AM - I've already bought a lot and completed a thorough look though of all the sellers.  Do I leave or should I stay?
I start talking to friends about cars & stuff.

8:00 AM - I'm still talking to friends, and I've bought more parts. I start a new conversation with my other friend Michael who owns the Belond roadster; Sandy's Muffler Special.  He has great incite on tuning four carburetors and engine building, so we talk for an hour.





9:00 AM - Friend Dave Steele, finally gets a selling spot.  By now I'm feeling dehydrated and I'm holding even more parts.  Dave and I talk more, and I decide then, "Why not go to the Mooneyes show?".

10:15 AM - I finally leave.  I drive a just a block down Figueroa Ave to the Mobil station to fill up.  I also get an icy fountain drink and a turkey sandwich (breakfast).  I quickly ate in the car as I merged into traffic on the 134 Ventura Freeway. 

NEXT: Mooneyes Open House Party

11:15 AM - Santa Fe Springs; Mooneyes Headquarters.  I arrived at the annual Mooneyes Open-House Party already over two hours in.  And it's only at light-pandemonium levels.
Like the usually quiet Tromper's swap, the usually crazy Mooneyes show is somewhat calmer then in the past.



All the characters are there: Greasers, Burners, Rats, 4-door Customs, Lowriders, Bikers, Street Rods, Yellow Paint Vehicles, and a sprinkling of Japanese people.  The rockabilly music was only at a low scream this time, a pleasant volume level for a change.

I met Keith Weesner at his booth, he's a fellow hot rod owner & a local artist.  He mentioned he was having a gallery show in Santa Monica later that night... sounds like fun.

1:15 PM - Dave Steel finally arrives to the show in the Tommy Sparks roadster, just as the show starts to really die off.
Dave brought the only legitimately old hot rod to the show, everything else there was non-vintage in the literal sense. I'm not saying non-traditional, because a Gasser is traditional, but no other car at this show was actually hot rodded in the 1940s or 50s like the Sparks car was.  If you disagree, let me know.



Mooneyes is a great company, there are few others like it that have survived time so well and still hold tight to their tradition of making brand name parts.  But I have always considered Mooneyes parts as 1960s/70s era look, not 1950s so much.

Mooneyes Open House Party includes a look inside the house; where they make tanks

2:45 PM - The show is 100% over and Dave & I are pretty much the only party attendees left in the empty parking lot.  One last snap shot under the Mooneyes logo and we bid our farewells. And so I head for home.

Dave Steele and the very vintage Tommy Sparks roadster

NEXT: Weesner Show

3:30 PM - I got home in Hollywood and unpacked the car of the earlier swap meet treasures.  I'll take a few minutes to relax after a very sun-filed, car crazy day.  I also took a moment to look up where the Weesner exhibit will show later that night.

6:10 PM - Wife Wendy & I head out to Santa Monica  for dinner and a show.  We eat at Bombay Cafe Indian restaurant on Pico near Bundy. It was very nice, but after this visit we still prefer our Indian place only 3-blocks from home on Sunset blvd.

I'm full of Indian food

8:00 PM - We near the Copro Gallery were Keith Weesner has his show.  The Weesner showing in conjunction with a tattoo artists exhibit and the crowd is lively.  Keith has his pieces widely spaced on dark walls with spot lights --more like in a quiet museum.  While next door the tattoo art is crammed in, the room is brightly lit, and the art is scary to say the least (so were some of the visitors).
The Weesner painting are serene scenes of cars, scantilly clad babes, sometimes topless combined with cars.  It was really great to see the original art by Keith himself, the detail is fantastic.

8:50 PM - Wendy & I stopped for Ben & Jerry's ice cream on Main Street near the beach.  Then we left for home.  Boy, was I tired.

2012 Pasadena Roadster Club Picnic

Goldie, fresh with shirts on, ready for an exit --27 miles of windy roads ahead.

I never got the chance to do the Pasadena Roadster Club Reliability Run, the last run being 2010's.  This year I got word early that there would be a picnic for invited cars only.  I wasn't going to miss it this time!

Pasadena Roadster Club Picnic at Newcomb's Ranch 2012

myself, Frank, Chuck

PRC, unable to continue the the very popular reliability/poker run due to "clerical issues", settled on a picnic rather then skip another year with no events like 2011.

In my mind, I was thinking it was going to be something like the Throttler's Picnic --a shaded local park, pancake breakfast, lots of spectators, cool cars all around.

I found out later after contacting members of the club and excitedly telling them, "I so want to be a part of it!", that it was 27 miles inside the Angeles Nation Forest.  At a secluded rest stop, also known as Newcomb's Ranch.

David Steele musician/hot rodder drives the Sparks roadster

Oh, I was still looking forward to the event.  But I would have preferred it maybe not so far from civilization.  I knew that it being so far inside the forest would keep spectators away... and it did... very much so.  I have to tell you, I like spectators.  They make a show fun, busy, buzzing.

It didn't stop the fun we had.  I took my wife Wendy, she always makes anything more fun.

Wendy bored, shoots us in a reflection

I was already familiar with Newcomb's Ranch, I spent two weeks there on a low-budget movie shoot (nothing you'd ever heard of), shuttling actors back and forth from LA.  This was years ago when gas was $1.50.

But what I wasn't familiar with was the forest anymore.  I was a little blown away when I saw for the first time since the fire ravaged these hills for miles all around.  I can remember the fires of 2009, it was bad that year.  The one in Angeles was called the Station Fire; 160,577 acres burned & killed two firefighters. 

After lunch, more talk, European austerity I believe was the topic

 

So sad to see so much destruction, nearly every mile we drove was burned.  I want to fondly remember it as it used to be, because it will take a lifetime for the forest to return to the green-emerald like place it was.

The drive to Newcomb's was a blast.  Although Wendy & I got off to a bit of a late start because I was still working under the car at 7AM at morning making suspension adjustments.

The love of my life, and my wife

We left home at about 9:00, stopping for a bagel nearby.  We reached La Canada at 9:40 and topped the tank off.  There was a '29 tub filling up too, so I knew I was on the right road.

The forest, not as I remember it.  Result of the Station Fire.

After a pleasant drive through the windy roads, we finally pulled into Newcomb's at 10:30.  Third to last to arrive I beleive.

Lots of chatting with pals, staring at cars, hot rod parts talk of course.  Lunch was nice.  I made some new friends.  Wendy discovered Lilacs grow there (because it snows, Lilacs need a frost).  And then we were off by 2 PM, satisfied.









FOR MORE, visit the HAMB's coverage including great photos of the cars: click here

Vintage Sprint/Midget Dirt Track Meet at Willow Springs

It's a rare opportunity to get to see vintage sprint cars race around a track.  And for me, it was my first time seeing sprints or midgets run, ever.

November 25-26 was the 19th Annual Walt James Classic hosted by the Western Racing Association (WRA).  It's held every year at Willow Spring Motorsport Park in beautiful Rosamond, CA, just over the Kern County line.  Among the 7 races courses at the venerable Willow Springs is Walt James Stadium --a 3/8-mile clay surfaced track with no walls, perfect for track-roadsters, Sprints, and Midgets.





This was an awesome sight to see.  Although it wasn't  a real competition, all these people were really here to do was celebrate these old racing cars with a go around just for show & fun. Owners get to drive their pride-and-joy for about 10 minutes before another class of car gets their turn, in a rotation that lasts until dark  Nobody get hurt and the cars get to do what was meant of them: get dirty, or at least that's the plan.








Awesome cars were all around. Vintage racers from the 30s to the 60s.  With Halibrands, V8-60s, Hilborn injectors, long tail pipes, nerf bars, chrome & aluminum galore!

I really went to see how they were made, but I saw so much more.

1936-1940 Ford V8 60hp, here with dual intake, 81 carbs, and magneto.

Fortunately there was one vintage track roadster there.  It's a '27 Ford with Dodge turtle-deck, on an Model A frame, Ford suspension parts, ans a highly modified Ford 4-banger.  It had an airplane seat and a real Bell steering wheel.

The owner also owns the vintage sprint car behind it.  These were the two roughest cars there, can you believe it?

The driving was intense!  Not really.

The cars had to maintain distance from one another or be black-flagged.  But that didn't stop them from going fast and kicking up some dust!

 
Even with all the cautiousness an accident did accrue.  Late in the day two sprints tangle tires, spun around and got airborne for a short distance.  Flattening the tire on one car at least, denting the other.  No one was hurt, just some bruised egos I guess.

"Everyone's Dream Find", I Got It!

You know how you're not really sure about something until somebody else says it too?  Well that's how I felt.

Issue 37 of Rolls & Pleats Magazine, out this month, features Daytons --it's the first car you see inside!  I'm very honored to have a car I own published.
Local hot rodder and friend, Chris Casny shot the photos at the Throttler Picnic in secret --the photos look great Chris!  In fact it might be a better representation of how the car really looks then it did in Little Pages.  These pictures aren't photo-shopped --more au natural, you might say.
And maybe that's the way like it in France, where Rolls & Pleats is published.  Jerry Desvaux, Editor in Chief, hails from across the pond.  Jerry corresponded with me via email for details about the car.  Also visiting this blog for some vital statistics.

Now I know a few of you don't get Rolls & Pleats where you are.  So I'll just go ahead and show you the few pages with Daytons only.  But believe me, if you can get your paws on R&P, it's a really good magazine. 

The last paragraph is my favorite part.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

 

Coincidentally Daytons made a sneak appearance in R&P's last issue, the one covering Grand National Roadster Show.

There he is, poking out from behind the Suede Palace's "Best Custom"

BLACK WIDOW Model T Signing with Troy Ladd at The Petersen

Yet another Troy Ladd sighting on May 28th, this time at The Petersen Automotive Museum.  He, the designer of the original Monogram model kit Rodger Harney, and Micheal Feinstein, the creator/financier of the full-scale hot rod model project were all on hand for a box kit signing with a question & answer secession.

There were limited number of the newly reissued 1960 Black Widow 1/24 scale kits to buy, and people were clambering to get their hands on them for $30 a pop, proceeds went to the museum.

The Black Widow Team garage shirts.

During the Q&A, I asked what challenges Troy and his shop had in building this up-scale scale-model and make it a running, driving, real hot rod. He said, "It was about making it true to the original kit." He went on to say,"Parts were also a challenge to find.".

Original box, model, and dealer sales display.

I visited Hollywood Hot Rods during the construction of the 1926 Model T, and I have to say it looked as good unpainted and unchromed then it does finished now.  HHR had to make the left side panel, the one directly behind the door, because of a lack of good vintage ones.  Plus there were numerous other hand made parts.  And everything had to be massaged to better then factory condition in order to get a best final outcome.








Troy said, "Going off the original model, some of the proportion of the stock car had to be modified."  They stretched the frame 2" to get it closer to the look of the scale-model.
Rodger Harney, who was on the original Monogram design team in '58/'59 says, "We used popular car magazines of the time because we wanted the best look.", "We didn't have an actual car to measure from and scale wasn't the biggest concern." Which might explain the longer then normal chassis length.

Left to right; Troy Ladd, Michael Fienstein, Rodger Harney

After a short Q&A, Troy, Michael, and Rodger sat down for box signing.  Not to be left out, I had them sign one for me.
As you can see, the box differs from the 1960 issue.  But designer Rodger Harney says the model kit it true to the original, only the tires differ from the '60 version.