BY: Kevin Preciado

It’s kind of funny when one picks up some Kool tin in a roundabout kinda way.

This vey deal happened to me about 19 years ago. I was working on building Cyclone 24 Stud heads and intakes for a couple of customers.

A friend of mine knew that I was doing this and he being an old Hot Rodder from back in the day said that his daughter picked and old 29 roadster from a mutual friend of ours named Jim Palmer. She also had a 32 Roadster that her dad had kept in his possession since I don’t remember when?

Well she wanted speed equipment and I had it and she had the 29 body and I wanted that.

She got a little bit of cash on top of the deal, and I remember taking just a little bit of time to get that together. Money’s tight when you’re rebuilding a company.

So that all happened 19 years ago as I said above, and I really never had a moment to research where the 29 had been.

Jim Palmer knew that I had the body and sent me a little care package that had pictures of it when he bought it several decades back.

He bought it out of Gilroy, CA. And basically bought another 30 roadster that had some kind of racing history, but the seller said if he wanted the one, he had to take the other.

The 29 was originally cruising around in the 40’s on a 32 Chassis, but someone wanted it for a Deuce 3 window coupe.

Not much happened during this time and really no body knew its history. Until 2004…

So the pix that Jim sent along with some that I had taken had made a trip with me to one of our PRC meetings when we used to meet @ Marie Calendar’s, Pasadena.

Well a fellow club member Eric Loe was having a look see over the pix, studied them pretty hard especially the mods to the cowl and wheel well area.

At the next meeting he walked up and hands me a picture of the car on May 25, 1947 at the SCTA meet= the largest of them all!!!

Ok, so that’s actually about 2003???? So I decided to kind of look around in the programs for this car/owner. In 2010 I found something on him, but I didn’t have a way to photograph the program😔.

Here we are in 2015 and I decided that it was time to really work on this project. So I hired childhood friend who does body work to help me fix the rust, and generally just straighten it out, 2018, and he’s still not done.

Well I really decided to hunt down this former owner who was in the program. A friend is building a recreation of his grandfather Elmer’s 32 and he also was an early PRC member.

Well a few CTA & SCTA program pages were sent to him so I contacted the sender to find out if he had any info on Clem Waske-to my surprise not only did he have info, but a picture.  

Pow! Right in the kisser!!!! Now these were sent to me, I started to diligently look for Clem only to learn that he passed on in 1993😔.

I figured, this guy had to have family, wife, kids, perhaps a dog or few😉😄😄!!!  

I Started really looking up the name and it went back to Detroit-Motor City!!!! Well I needed to find someone down San Diego way. Low and behold, I find a name at an address in La Mesa.

Home Run! To me that’s SD so I wrote to him, sent him car info and sure enough it turned out to be his only offspring.

This guy was so stoked to know about his dad’s former racer, that he came up a coupe of days later and checked out what I had right then and there.

He saw the body off of the rails and the frame over in Alhambra at the OK Car-ral. Well the next time he saw it, it was roller. 

So it’s been getting its parts back on it almost daily, reworking of some chassis metal and removal of brackets that were either hot wrenched (torched) off or welding cracks, holes and replacing pieces cut off over 84 years of existence.

Had to source that frame mentioned above, it came out from under a Deuce 3W that came from Nor-Cal and allegedly from Gilroy back in 1972.

So here’s the kicker…. Before I mated this body/frame, I was looking at the welds, workmanship and thought process that went in the build of this frame and body, Surely this had to be fabbed by the same guy.

I go to measure this frame and it’s not the same in the cowl area as a stock 32. Nope it’s been pinched for a 29….

So now I’m really kinda thinking, is this really the frame? Heck it has the exact same faded blue on the side rails as the body had and mourning holes for the body to the frame in the same location.  

Now, could’ve been coincidence, but I now was way intrigued and had to test fit that body to the frame….

It was a perfect fit!!!!!!

STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO

Share this:

Posted By: Phil Salvatti

Hot Rod Pioneer Bill Burke passed away on Thanksgiving day as confirmed by his son Steve.

A sad day for Hot Rodders’ world wide who share a passion for history and the pioneers who helped form the legacy of the SCTA, Hot Rod Magazine, Street Rodder Magazine and The Road Runners lakes club, so long ago.

Burke was originally and famously known as the father of the ‘Belly Tank’ lakester setting many records both at The Bonneville Salt Flats and at the El Mirage dry lakes in California.

Burke was also innovative in Fiberglass

construction and innovative designs. In partnership with Micky Thompson, he built the first fiberglass sports car. As an avid backyard builder his home was truly his canvas, even infamously building one of his famous Streamliner bodies in the back den of his San Gabriel California home in the early 1960’s.  In order to get the car out, he had to remove  most of the dens wall and became a local media event. Today a sliding glass door serves as a reminder.  (it has been reported Henry Ford did the same thing getting the Quadricycle out of his shop as well).

Burke initially was instrumental in building “Gow “Jobs, “Hop Ups”-(a 32 Roadster before his Naval Stint), (two) production bodied -1962-63 Studebaker Avanti’s. A 1967 Nicky Chevrolet-Bill Thomas Camaro, a 1968 Corvette Roadster & his son Steve’s Chopped RX-7.
Lakesters included- (Multiple Belly Tanks) and Streamliners- (The’Pumkin Seed’ and ‘Botany 500’).
He was passionate back then of attaining the multi-generational 200 MPH Burke Club membership.

Among all of this, he was also a charter member of the Road Runners Car Club-SCTA.
It was a sight if you were a San Gabriel resident seeing all the different kinds of cars that once set records on the street in front of his house.

Burke also was also known as Hot Rod Magazine’s original MADMAN and later did the same over at Mc Mullen Publishing in the 70’s until his retirement. But the real question is, does a Hot Rodder ever retire? I think not, but time retires the Hot Rodder.

There is so much more to the Burke story that in time will all be told.

Godspeed Mr. Burke.

Share this:

Post by: Phil Salvatti

In celebration of this years 50th anniversary of the Pontiac GTO.  ROD WRITERS is proud to present from its ‘LEGENDs Series’, Pontiac ‘Ad /PR genius’ Jim Wangers  (AKA the ‘Godfather’ of the GTO),  RW exclusive interview with Kevin Preciado.  Kevin and Jim chat next to Jim’s beloved classic gold/white 1965 GTO Tiger.

 It was Wangers maverick marketing and advertising campaigns that put Pontiac on the map as “THE Car” to have for performance and style.  

The GTO, together with Jim and Pontiac created a new category of  “Super Cars” during the 1960’s which morphed into the Muscle Cars of the 1970’s as we know them today. 

Also, Jim talks about the history of how the GTO ‘Monkeemobile’ came to be for the Monkee’s TV show with designer / creator Dean Jeffries at the helm. And the clearing up the truth about George Barris’s claim he built the famous TV Hot Rod.

Share this:

By Kevin Preciado
with Phil Salvatti

A few years ago, my former High School Auto Shop teacher and I were talking about manufacturing automotive products in America. As I recall back in 1978 our local high school had a full industrial arts department. Something that was quite common all throughout America back in the day. Important for everyday knowledge and in many cases the open doors for many trades. Example, the following listed below are the classes that were offered where I had attended.

Vocational Auto Shop 1-2 & 3-4.   Which was the top tier automotive class that educated students to perform engine rebuilds, from hot tanking a block to sizing/balancing connecting rods, boring & honing cylinders, turning crankshafts, decking blocks & heads, knuriling valve guides, facing valves & seats.

Advanced Auto Shop where one performed brake jobs, carb rebuilds, electrical diagnosis, cooling system service etc,

Beginning Auto Shop where a student is introduced to 2& 4 cycle engines, operation and failure, diagnosis & repair.

Stay with me, I’m making a point here…

Machine Shop: introduction to blue print reading, measuring tools, files, metal lathes, dykem, Bridgeport style vertical mills, cutting tools, end mills, spot facing tools, fly cutters,
Taps & Dies. Projects included tack hammers to machining complete automotive projects.

Wood shop:
Similar to machine shop, but with wood,
Albeit with planers and joiners were used as well, routers, finger joints etc, any projects from address boards to custom built skate boards and hope chests were built in that class.

            Just a couple more….

Metal shop:
Now here is one where I was really interested in and should have paid even more attention.

This was a very interesting class. We dealt with many different alloys and metals. Learned to braze, arc, mig & tig weld. Did some metal casting and learned how many products we use everyday were made.

  Electrical:
This class dealt with everyday electronics which had progressed to solid state instead of vacuum tubes by this time, fixed many a TV and transistor radio while in this class, learned about alternating and direct current, multi meters, types and gauge of electrical wire. “Wasn’t one of my faves but learned a lot…that I used everyday since that class”.

Lastly…Drafting:
OMG, where do I begin here? Without a drawing, nothing could ever be mass produced, from cylinder heads, quick changes to houses, commercial buildings & even educational institutions.
This class I liked and use most of what I learned whenever I’m working on an important project.
Many types of tools were used in this class, some produced locally.

Ok. Here’s the point…

It is of most importance that these classes remain in our children’s high school curriculum. The disappearance of manufacturing in America in general says a lot. Not teaching, engaging or inspiring the minds and the talent of our kids in American high schools industry is tragic.

 History has already shown us what can be accomplished in a garage with concepts, inspiration, garnered knowledge, the basic teachings that these types of curriculum’s spawn. It happened with hot rods and racing from the 1920’-80’s. It also happened in the tech world, ie; Apples Steve Jobs and Steve Walzniak, as did many out in the silicon valley in the 80’s. It is also the same story for jazz and rock n roll as many great musicians got their starts in high school music curriculum’s, which too are sadly disappearing. For this article however, we focus on cars and manufacturing. I know you get the point.

Think of it this way. Today’s technology of complicated ICAD systems do make a product easier to bring to light. But how many schools teach these ICAD systems? And do they teach practical application together with ideas and design, like mention above in drafting?     

 A few years back, I spent several years donating my time to educate automotive students who I felt were not getting the education that they deserved. I watched as these kids who thought that “this must be the screw off class” light up and get excited as they learned the differences of disc & drum brake systems, suspensions, ride control, differentials, rack & pinion steering systems. These students actually began to like learning and wanted more. Many re-thought on what they might like to do after they graduated. It was all in how we presented it to them, by touching, feeling and working with these units instead of just dealing with theory.

I’ll close here. This past September the last of these classes were eliminated from everyday curriculum in the High School that both the editor of ROD WRITERS magazine /blog (Phil) and myself attended.  

Parents, grand parents, uncles, neighbors etc with kids around them… who remembers all this…Do them a favor.  Currently our country is a  industrially starved nation. Fight the schools and districts that these classes be brought back to every school in America. Give kids a chance over their creative, artistic, and industrial exploration and discovery. I-pads and tech tools and gadgets are great, but its not the whole picture.

Hi tech, together inside a full industrial arts package curriculum. They can truly build up themselves naturally, with a solid foundation, interest, encouragement, doing and creating a destiny that is befitting to them, before (if they can) step onto a college campus or not. Our future as a manufacturing country with good respectable nation building /world contributing  jobs and products depends on it.

Fight to return these Industrial Arts to our children’s educational curriculum before other countries take the last of what we built away forever.

Share this:

With Speed Week 2013 closed and in the books. We are working on reports and video to be filed from this years Bonneville event. Classic cars to 400 mile an hour streamliners with drivers, builders, designers from around the world compete together from Bonneville legends to newbys alike running side by side.  From all reports 2013 went well and some records were even broken.   Check out this great video by Ron Kirby from last years 2012 Speed Week on salt flat racer Bruce Meyer.

Share this:

By Kevin Preciado / Photos:  Phil Salvatti

Phil and I attended Hot Rod Magazines, BIG 65th Birthday Celebration that was held at the Pomona Fairplex in April. Right next to the Wally Park’s NHRA Museum. In which coincidentally, Wally just happened to be Hot Rods first editor in chief.

  We meandered from the parking lot over to where we picked up our media credentials and walked in to see what was brewing in the HOT ROD pot.

Through Facebook and radio announcements, we heard that on hand there would be the most cover cars ever in one place. Well we were not disappointed. There were many that personally I have never seen or even heard run in my lifetime.

 This show was probably the best that I could remember in many years! It was an intimate setting, meaning not like the Grand National Roadster Show or The Los Angeles Roadster Show, both which are held at this same venue, there was room to walk, shoot pictures, get up and personal with the cars  

that one may have only seen in a magazine whether it be a hard copy or on line.

 I really was looking forward to seeing one that been re-built using ¾’s of its original frame. I was not disappointed with the result. The late great Gray “Yer Old Dad” Baskerville, who was a feature editor for the rag, coined the term “Rusto Rod” for what Hot Rod Chassis builder Peter Eastwood and Rick “Bearcat” Barakat. ( Pasadena and Bradbury CA.)  

built in 1982 out of parts that were just hanging around both Rodders’ yards. They built what was termed one of the “Most Bitchin”  Hot Rods ever!

 There were also very cool iconic rods from the past 65 years, but I lean more toward the early era of the magazine. Many of the early rods (could be viewed) at the NHRA, museum or in any one of the many buildings at the fairplex.

 Regardless, It’s kind of surreal being all around these ‘kool’ cars, because unless one has been hiding under a rock, one couldn’t help but being excited about this special show.

“Miss Hurst Shifter”, Linda Vaughn was there to sign autographs as was former “Overhauling” co-hostess Courtney Hansen. This of course makes guys in the crowd visually happy. There were many others on hand to sign away just the same. Kar Kustomizer George Barris, Ace Cam Grinder Ed “Isky” Iskenderian, was there, many HRM staffers and so on.

One of the personal highlights for me was as I was strolling I believe Bldg 7, I came across Jim Wangers, The Ultimate “Mad Man” from Mac Manus, John & Adams, Pontiacs Advertising Account Executive legend. He didn’t work directly for Pontiac as an employee, But he was “in my humble opinion” Pontiacs Performance Doctor! Basically he with the team of Pete Estes, Bunkie Knudsen, John Z.Delorean and later Herb Adams

Made Pontiac the “Main Force” to be reckoned with!  

　With that said, we have a Rodwriters exclusive (which will be posted soon), I was able to interview the Pontiac legend himself. (Well I can scratch that one off of the bucket list).  I spoke with Mr. Wangers about the birth of the Wide Track movement, birth of the GTO and later the Firebird. What a rush!! I only wish that we didn’t have to edit the piece so that you the reader/viewer could see this in it’s entirety.

 I decided to return on Sunday to see the rest of the show.

Less people there for sure, but better for me. 😉 Just the serious guys were there and most owners of the cover cars. Watching and hearing all of those cover cars fire up was incredible. I watched the ones that ran, drive away and helped push more than few on trailers.

It was a great weekend.

Share this:

Post / Video by: Phil Salvatti

Back in early 2011, pre Rodwriters, I was a participant in Pasadena Roadster Club’s historic annual Reliability Run.   I was to be co-pilot/driver in my dads fire engine red 1929 roadster at the day’s event and always with video camera in hand,  I documented the day, then archived it.  This week while looking for new video content for Rodwriters, snap!, I remembered the rally.

After viewing the raw footage, I was happy to see it looked pretty good and there was enough, not a lot, but enough to tell a quick story from beginning to end.  I decided best to edit a short music video montage revisiting a very cool morning of street rodding around the San Gabriel Mountains.

All the rods arrived early that Saturday morning at a huge vacant parking lot in Pasadena. Slowly and strategically the rods were lining up, while event crew members were sticking on the number logos to each rod, we  received  our goodie bag that also contained the special route map provided.  Being a cool crisp morning, coffee and donuts were plentiful while surrounded by many of our families rodder friends.  Taking a quick glance around, it looked to be a good size event this year. Rodder’s from all over Southern California standing about talking Hot Rods till the MC took the mic.

When it came time to rev the engines, one by one, the timing guy gave the wave and off we went, a hundred or so Street Rods heading east, then north being guided by that special rally route.

Once we all made it to the mountain top turnabout, we pulled over and i jumped in the drivers seat for the ride back down the mountain.  Being a timed rally  there is a window to hit for the top trophy.  By the time it was over  and rods were pulling back into the starting lot in Pasadena, we could see the ‘In and Out’ burger trailer parked in the corner.  Burgers were cooking ready to serve  lunch to the hundred plus hungry Rodders.  Award time closed off the afternoon and trophies were handed out. Yeah, oh well, not this year.

Then…the engines revved for the last time  and off everyone went, in all directions.

Another year, another run in the bag.

ENJOY the video!

Share this:

When I first introduced Rod Writers readers to Cyclone Racing’s Equipment’s newly built 32 Deuce at the end 2011 (More commonly known as ‘C’Deuced’.)  All was seemingly well.  Well, almost. The car ran like a dream, but she came with a stubborn steering gear mechanism. Truthfully it had been giving us grief since the day we rolled the 32 out for her 1st drive.

We had lived with its quirks for 2 years, but enough was enough. I can handle a tough steering box, but suddenly locking up was a whole other story. Not to mention a little scary.

After a night of cruising, I decided that a Tommy’s Burger would be appropriate for closing down a fine evening of street rodding.  Standing idle in the parking lot,  I started to pull into an open parking space, then out of the blue, as the car went forward, the steering shaft said in its own way; ‘”fine but i’m not moving.”  Whoa!   After invoking a little friendly persuasion, she relented. I didn’t feel confident about driving her anywhere  from that point on. I made a call. “Bring the trailer”. I hung up, walked to the counter went ahead and ordered.

Yes, I was happy with my burger, but way upset about my steering. That was mid October. Parked for a month and aproaching the holidays  I felt i’ll get to it when I got a chance.

While hanging at the orphanage ( The Garage), Ozzie walked over to it and took matters into his own hands. He wanted to see what was up and started undoing the mounting bolts ( five instead of normal three ) I joined in. Looking at the way this F-100 box was installed in the 32 chassis made me think a bit. Now we just had to figure out  how to get it out of such a tight confine.      

With our breakfast pal Dennis around, we put our heads together, almost quite literally. We determined that the sector shaft would have to be moved inward toward the block and that would allow enough room to get the angles we needed to clear a block oil filter and left engine mount. Good thing we did then as the mount was broken!

Once that gear was on the bench then came the real work. Looking it over it was determined that we’d use a steering box procured from another Hot Rod pal, Mike Wasser, It only cost me $75.00 big ones and we spent another $125.00 on a N.O.S. worm gear and shaft that was originally from Robert H. Loud Ford in Pasadena. We bought bearings races,seals,shims,gaskets and a steering wheel adapter to boot.   (Still haven’t been billed for it, but will know soon enough).   

While putting all of this together, Ozzie laid it out on the bench, set the lash using the shims/gaskets and put a slight drag when rotating the shaft. The cover was left loose for the sector and a mast was procured from another pal John Byron.  We now went to mount the whole enchilada in the chassis and found that the shaft with the 40’s era mast was just not going to work with the F-100 box. Ok, time to improvise…

We opted to shim the mounting surface of the box against the inner frame rail, this cured one or more of the problems. Once lined up we locked it down…

Incidentally, we forgot that the wires that run along the frame rail were now wedged against the horizontal and vertical walls of the inner frame rail…Ooops!  Good thing we stopped tightening when we did!  So now we had loosen the whole deal up again, pull the wires which now needed to be disconnected at the butt connectors, pulled  them out and around the sector shaft and routed over the top of it.

Once again we tightened it all up and this time we hoped for good. Upon wondering around this speed emporium, we located some 1 & 1/2″ exhaust tube about a 5′ length. we needed 3′ and this would work out nicely. We made up a shaft stop for the bronze bushing and backed it up with a PSI radius rod teflon bushing. All worked very nicely. 

With everything back together, we took her out for a ride. Grabbing a few gallons of gas on the way to lunch with Oz. We headed toward the world famous pastrami joint ‘The Hat’.

C’Deuced drove great as ever and I was glad to get back behind the wheel after a two month separation.  (even though the steering was now 2″ closer to me). As we pulled into the parking spot, it glided in with ease.

Again this all worked out with friends and I thank them all for their help!

Onward! to the Purple 34 Roadster!  Need to fix some bushings that have needed attention for a long while now.  But hey! Thats Hot Rodding!

Share this: