1st Hot Rod

Looked for a thread for something like this in search but struck out so thought I would start this. These are pics of my 1st hot rod circa 1961. Just got back from Tijuana where I had my 35 4 door sedan upholstered top to bottom/front to back for $100. The kid holding the door open was my brother; I should have had him take the pic while I held the door.:rolleyes:;) I drove down to TJ from Sunnyvale Ca. after dinner friday night and got to TJ about 7:00 AM sat, shopped for the cheapest shop and they started right then and there. I stayed there and watched the whole job, I was told by friends that if you aren't there to watch they will stuff the pleats with "used" barn straw. They used cotton fiber.:) I did leave for about 20 min to get something to eat and no, I didn't see any girly shows, didn't have time.:(:rolleyes: They finished about 7pm that evening and I started right back, got home in the wee hours Sunday. The shot of the Plymouth was my cousins first hot rod circa 1959. It had a Studi V8.

cool old pics.i could look at em all day.very nice to see.

Wow, wished I could get a $100 upholstery job now. Cool story Jack. I lived in Gilroy and worked in San Jose for years.

TJ tuck and roll..................how cool is that..........................:D

I don`t have any pics of the tear apart , but my `33 interior was done in Mexico, the guy I bought from said so, and low and behold, straw and newspapers...:LOL:

Jack, you are living my dream. A TJ upholstery job is something I have always wanted. Wish I had gotten one when I lived in So Cal, but now it is just too far to go from Florida. That had to be a great experience and that interior looks fantastic.

Don

Thanks guys,

Let's see some more.**):) Pics of other's first hot rods I mean.:cool:

Jack.

Does look very cool,can't beat those old pictures.

A friend who has since passed on left Upstate NY for Tijuana for an upholstery job on his '54 Ford Victoria. He was gone a week or so and when he returned, there was this "beautiful"(?) roll and pleat - bright red and white covering everything inside his maroon and white car. The entire trip including the upholstery was about $250 with .23 cent a gallon gas and $5/night motels.

Go to Tijuana these days, you might return "headless".

Dave,

I hear you about the danger now days. I would not go down there now for any amount of money. One thing I remember about Tj was insane way the natives drove and the condition of the streets. The potholes were so big that complete cars would disappearin them.:eek::rolleyes::LOL:

Jack.

I was raised in Orange county. Had my 1st car, 34 ford tj upolstry done in 55. Second car a 50 olds done in tj, 57. Third car 40 ford done in tj, 58.

I now live in Humboldt county CA, but a friend told me that all the low riders now go to Union city (near San Dego) for all their upolstry needs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bruce lee

.................. now go to Union city (near San Dego) for all their upolstry needs.

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It was announced yesterday that Presidente Calderon is moving the capital of Mexico from Mexico City to San Diego................................he said they wanted to be closer to their population.:eek:



:LOL:

Bruce,

I was born in Eureka and the pic of that Plymouth was taken at my cousins parents place in Mitchell Heights just outside Eureka. He still lives in Eureka.

Jack.

Man, that is a beautiful car. I am so jealous!

Welcome Pop,

Bought that car for $30 from a friend of mine. Took out the original 35 V8 and put in a 50 V8, got a 39 box with zephyr gears, truck tail housing and tail shaft from the same guy I bought the car from and put a 50 merc rear end in it with open drive. It ran like a top and got 20+ mpg.

Jack.

My first real Hotrod, A glassfibre Jago 32 5W in 1974, bought it back in 1990 and replaced the body with a 32 roadster and sold it minus the 289 which ended up on my T bucket in 1999, that engine which i built in 1972 for the 5W is still going strong 37 years later !!!


http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...stuff/jago.jpg

:HMMM::DSteve,

That is one "hot" 1st. hot rod.:):cool:

Jack.

BTW, where can we get a larger pic of your avitar.

My first hot rod was a '29 Ford roadster with one of the first Gibbon fiberglass bodies. I finished it in 1988 and sold it in 2000. It is still going strong in upper New York state.

Lynn,

Another beautiful 1st hot rod.:cool:

Jack.

My first hot rod was a '53 Ford Tudor Customline that I put a full race flathead in after I blew the original. That flattie was destined for another car, but that one became someones stock car in a "good" deal. The flathead eventually gave way for a built 312 Y block, well warmed with a blower cam and heads, Mallory ignition, huge AFB and the sweetest sounding set of glass packs. Then came "Snaggle Tooth", my ex and it along with my 'hot' cars disappeared for quite a few years:CRY::CRY: I have a few pictures somewhere, but no clue as to where.

This 312Y engine looked like a sleeper - with '54 239cid valve covers and paint color. This has to be one of the easiest engine transplants ever - Hurst(?) motor mount, dropped drag link and slightly modified oil pan - everything else '54-'56 was bolt on.

Neat story Dave,

Keep looking for those pics.:3dSMILE:;)

Jack.

(Sorry. Only picture I have.) When I was a senior in an Illinois high school (65-66), one of my two best "motorhead" buddies wanted to go partners on building a street rod. The idea of being partners on a car sounded like a problem, so I told him we would build it together, but it would be his money and his car. We spent approximately the next three years getting it together and running.

It started out as a dirt tracker with an early 30s Ford pickup chassis and 33 Plymouth coupe body.... until we cut the tack welds on the doors that held them shut, and found out they were just skins!!!

We found a 'glass Fiat coupe, with one functional door, being made in Ohio... so we drove over and got it! We chopped the nose off and used a Model A Ford grillshell.

The engine was a '57 Olds that we punched to 383, balanced it, added an Isky Hydraulic, McGurk pushrods, Weiand Manifold, and two AFBs. That bolted up to an Olds bellhousing, with an adapter to a Muncie 4-speed. We built the headers ourselves, using a flange kit and collectors. Those are small mufflers out back, with an angle-cut extension welded on. (It was the only place they fit!) :-)

The rear was pulled out of a '58 Plymouth drag car, and had a 4-something gear and
positrac. We built some box tube traction bars, and added a set of recap slicks out back.

I wasn't painting yet, but a friend my buddy worked with painted it a chocolate matallic, with gold fogging and gold lace covering the sides.

Not bad for "home brewed". We would back it all the way to the back of his dad's barn... sweep the concrete floor.... and lay stripes the length of the barn!!! The only problem was that we lived on dirt roads, and once you left the barn door, you would slide down the dirt drive, and across the road into the ditch! ...but it was a ball!!! :-) Good times!