Wednesday’s Work

I finally have Andre packed and ready to go so I can work on Pepe who has developed a leak from the P/S reservoir hose. I can’t seem to pinpoint the exact spot. I will need to put it on a lift and turn the steering wheel. Frantic has been real busy so I may jack the car up and have the wife turn the wheel. She is wonderful about helping me. Everything else seems to be working fine and I should be all set to go to the Road Kings this weekend at JCP. This pre-LARS event attracts over 500 cars and is always a nice warm up for the show. I believe the Early Times picnic at the Compton Rod and Gun club is also this weekend. We have the most events that I attend happening in June. If I practice what I preach, I will have Pepe all fine tuned for driving and enjoy a trouble free month.

I enjoyed hearing from some of you on my roadster tale. It seems several of you had some rough ones also. I did receive a follow-up from my friend John who purchased my first roadster. He filled me in on the remaining history and I was really amazed to find out that the car turned out to be a wonderful roadster. The car was in the Detroit Autorama this year. Thanks John for the update. I don’t know how I still have those old photos but I do. I have always been a shutterbug and kept books filled with my photos. I am still collecting photos after all of these years. The fire continues to burn.

If you follow the business news you will note that the housing market is back big time, which to me, explains why the old car market is still soft in our area. Investing for flipping works well in the housing market until the bubble burst. Flipping cars seems to be at a stand still for some segments and strong for others. We have a friend who makes a good living buying from Craigslist (non hot rods) and selling by word of mouth. On the other hand, I have several friends who are sitting on some really nice hot rods and are praying for a lot of buyers to show up for the LARS. Supply and demand comes into the picture which is causing the housing boom (low to no inventory) while the Hot Rod market is filled with quality cars and quality prices, but the demand is no longer high. People are still remembering the recent economic slump and are lacking confidence in our staying power. Cash is king right now and investors are cherry picking the good deals and enjoying nice profits. While I don’t normally talk about the economy, I feel the upcoming LARS will be a true test of how the enthusiasts spend at the show. In the past, prices on cars and in the swap meet were well above market. All sellers were hoping for the well healed buyer on Friday and Saturday. We will soon know the answer. I think the cash in pocket buyer will be looking for his dream car and the wholesaler will be looking for a flipper. (buy on Friday and sell on Saturday) I love to listen to the bartering that goes on and the final transaction  when the dealing is done. Such is the life of the swapper and car dealer.

I hope to see many of you at the show.

Stay Tooned!

Lynn

Andre is rolling on all fours and is glad to take in some CA sunshine prior to leaving for Nashville.

This was my first roadster that was just finished after 40 years in various garages. Patience pays off. Thanks John for the photos.

Tom sent in his garage shot. He was visiting Bill who has a perfect pair waiting to drive the short distance to Pomona.

Gary has built several different styles in his Cornhusker shop. This one has the Spencer look.

Gary drove out in the 80’s in this one and stopped for a photo of our beautiful ocean. His lovely wife must have enjoyed the long trip in this little car. Mine said she will meet me in P-Town.

Darrel had a model 40 in high school and has built himself another one. What a great photo of two roadsters parked for a photo shoot. He is heading to Pomona for Father’s Day. How can you not say this is one of Henry’s best designs??

Here is another nice photo of the roadster on the road without the top.

Darrel’s looks a lot like this Brizio creation from 2008. I looked twice as I thought it was the same car. Darrel’s is a SAR body and this one is a Wescott.

You might not recognize this phaeton as Richard Graves Rod & Custom cover car but it is. Glenn restored it and the car was one of the Top 75 selected Deuces for the 75th anniversary.

 Today’s Non-Roadster!

This was my first Deuce I purchased upon arriving in Detroit. The wife again said, “Go for it”. The Detroit News was the place to find your cars. The height was due to my desire to challenge Henry Luzader to match race. Logghe Stampings Rich Riddel did the work. I had a coil over front and rear suspension with a 57 Olds rear end. John, who finished this one?