Toppers Tuesday

I sometimes go to the Corvette breakfast on Tuesday mornings to see my college buddy Chip.  I knew from my previous attempts that I needed to leave early to beat the traffic.  I left at  7:00 am and made the trip with plenty of time to spare.  I was the first to arrive and was the only one in Flooky’s.  Yes, the name of the restaurant is Flooky’s and they serve a decent breakfast.  Chip arrived a little later hauling his latest Corvette project, a 1957 Inca Silver model that he had just completed a full restoration for a customer.  The car is stunning in a seldom seen color.  I still love the Corvetts but I can only have one hobby and the old Ford is my favorite.  Chip also has a 1937 Ford phaeton that he is waiting to redo one of these days.  The conversation at the table was about the same as our group but centered more on Corvettes with a brief mention of a nice black 40 convert that someone knew of.  Vic and Tom had photos of their trip to Ohio to look at a 57 Chevy that turned out to be not so nice.  I guess car guys gather all over the country daily to share stories of their past, current and future  automobile endeavors.  I have gone to some Saturday morning coffee shop/restaurant where car enthusiasts hang out for a long time.  I don’t care if you are a regular or just a casual observer you will always be welcomed into their “Office”.

After stopping by our new “Office” I headed home to get ready for Toppers. Retirement is about keeping your mind and body in motion. I seem to find something to do everyday and if I look like I am bored, my wife has plenty for me to do on her “Honey Do List”.

Stay Tooned!

Lynn

The classic look of any early hot rod motor is shown in this photo of a nice 40 sedan.  Note the camel hump heads, early exhaust manifolds and generator on the forty.  The Columbia hook up can be seen on the right side of the firewall.

Woodgraining seems to be showing up more and more in hot rods.  Stock forties had woodgrained garnish moldings but not the dash as shown in this photo.  I think it looks good.

Customizing a 1940 is frowned upon by most but sometimes the builder expresses himself by taking liberty with the design.  This pickup was done to reflect the owner’s taste in building his forty.  The 40 coupe was also very nice utilizing whitewalls and mag wheels which is also seldom seen.  Both cars were very high end vehicles.

I am a big fan of 40 converts and this one was a photographer’s dream.  The bright red body and darker red top contrasted against the whitewall tires really stood out in the field of forties.  Note the top bows have been flattened to improve the profile.

Black 40 coupes were everywhere so I was selective in my choices.  All were nice but this one had some different touches.

All of the aluminum engine components were bead blasted to give the Lil’John 80’s look.  Of interest is the radiator hose.  One way to prevent the hose routing problem is to have the inlet neck placed in the center of the radiator.  Walker will do this for you.

The Hemi is seldom seen in 40’s today but several were present at the this years event.  The blower is a nice racer’s touch on this old hot rod 39 coupe.

Walt and I were resting under the trees when this sedan delivery was heading home after a fun filled day.  The license plate read “Delivery” (IL).

I normally don’t photograph Chevrolets but this 38 convertible was a very nice car with a BBC and a magenta paint job that was really stunning.

The boys from Elco welding, Bob & Ben, had to send me this clever photo showing two of Henrys best.

Both cars showed up at Forty Ford day and looked good on the lawn.  Bob’s 40 coupe has a new nailhead installed for the needed torque a Buick can provide.  Ben’s delivery has been made roadworthy after storage in a LA backyard for a period of time.  I am happy to report they both have a new Pewsplace T-Shirts to wear around the welding shop.

Todays Roadster….Dreaming!

The little Deuce with a big 55 Dodge 354 Hemi installed was tired after the LARS and had to be carried home and that’s O.K. by me.

The Hemi is a tight fit in the Deuce hiboy but it can be done and still use a belt driven fan.  The owner likes to go fast.