Rear View

I've finally had some serious time this weekend to take a hard look at the too numerous to count photographs I've taken over the summer car show season, which is winding down despite the 80+ degree temperatures we're experiencing here in New England. I only have two automotive events left on my calendar and they're both in October. Added to that, were two photographic displays in local galleries during the past month and one more next month. I think by the beginning of November, I'll be able to catch my breath as we start to hunker down, like it or not, for winter.

One thing I've noticed over the past few months is some of the originality and ingenuity that have gone into some of the hot rods I've photographed. For what it's worth, in my humble opinion, it's refreshing to see some "thinking outside the box" when it comes to building a hot rod, especially if the checkbook doesn't allow for your hobby to go whole hog. This reminds me of hot rodding from the late 40's through the mid 60's, when enthusiasts, quite literally, had to use what was at hand. It was not uncommon at all to see a hot rod with WW2 surplus, or a '32 Ford coupe with a Cadillac motor, LaSalle transmission, the rearend and brakes from a Lincoln, with an early 40's Ford steering wheel for some added pizazz. Even throughout the 50's and 60's, it was totally acceptable for magazines like Hot Rod and Car Craft to feature engine swap articles where a 392 Hemi was shoehorned into a Studebaker, a truck, and even a '57 T-bird.

I don't know about you, but after all these years, I'm still unsure as to why this practice is frowned upon. It seems if the vehicle was built prior to 1950 - it's okay - which I've also given up on trying to figure out why this is some sort of cut-off year. Maybe because so many street rods from the 1920's through the late 40's have small block Chevy's powering them regardless of the make. The only exception to this rule, in modern times, is the LS Chevy swap in a Fox-body Mustang. And like in my last post, I must come clean once again - even I run up against stumbling blocks with the thought of purchasing, what is called in my area, a "mutt" hot rod. Lately, I've been jonesing to purchase a boxy Volvo sedan or wagon from the 80's that's powered by a turbo-charged LS motor that can run low 10's in the quarter. My primary hesitation? I know I will eventually have to sell that Volvo... and I'll be stuck with it, and I'll have to sell it at a potentially large monetary loss. I went through this same scenario with an antique Ford truck and I vowed never to get myself into that situation again. If I buy a pre-1950 hot rod, I won't have that problem for some reason. So many currents in such a little puddle...

This ingenuity is one thing I love about vintage drag racing and even with vehicles that raced at the Bonneville salt flats. For example, groove on the 1958 Pontiac that was entered and driven by Bobby Cox. In the never-ending effort to achieve more power, and hence more speed, in order to break the current mph record, many drivers found creative ways to cram more air into the carburetors of their engines. Bobby Cox was no exception, except his choice was rather unique when it came to any type of ram-air equipment for the 380cid engine that was between the fenders - furnace pipe, flex pipe, and metal strapping. High tech at it's finest. It's sole purpose was not to look pretty; it was crudely fitted to trap the wind and force it into the engine. Cox came close to breaking the record in 1962 out at Bonneville in the C/Gas Coupe and Sedan class- within 4mph of the 153mph record.

In early drag racing, nothing went to waste. If it wasn't needed, it was set aside, or in some cases, tossed in the trash. While this barn-find former drag car is in rough shape, notice the lack of front and rear fenders, headlights, and other components. We also witness the different size bias-ply sneakers and mismatching hubcaps. A closer look reveals the other side of the early drag racing picture; while it was true making the vehicle lighter helped in the quest for speed, performance parts were also part of the math. The modified flathead motor, the Lincoln juice brakes, and even though we can't see it, this rig probably has a quick-change rearend. Simplicity and function over form. And did I mention cheap?

There's an old saying; "... the good 'ol days weren't always good, but we can learn some valuable things from them." So true - one thing I'd like to see is more wide-spread acceptance of hot rods being appreciated for being just that - hot rods. Regardless what's between the fenders, frame, and the interior doors.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Dripping With Ugly

I was cruising home from work the other night when this I saw the markings of an antique automotive something motoring in the opposite direction. By the time we were passing each other on the road, I noticed several things within about two seconds - the car was all blue, had really cool retro American Racing wheels with fat tires in the rear, skinnier treads up front complimenting that old-school California rake, a nasty sounding big block motor, and... it was a 1963 Plymouth Savoy. The year, make, and model were easy to identify - not because I'm fan of classic Mopar's - but the front grill (and car for that matter) is totally unmistakable. You simply cannot confuse it with anything else. Some say it has a face only a mother could love. I can remember chatting with a guy over 25 years ago at a car show in Massachusetts who owned one very similar to the one pictured above. He said he loved it because the car was "dripping with ugly".

Why, do we as humans, place so much emphasis on how something looks? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For a while, not too many years ago, there seemed to be a greater emphasis than ever on just how a hot rod is supposed to look. This was totally apparent when the rat rod rose to popularity. While the novelty has worn off a bit on this particular genre of vintage motoring in recent years, these vehicles can still hold their own at any car show. At this juncture, I must come clean - whether it's owning one or photographing a particular example, I still prefer a vintage, cool car (or truck) that is considered a driver over a an example that has been 100% restored or redone. It doesn't matter if it's a muscle car, street rod, or a pedestrian 4-door sedan from 1956. Maybe that's one reason why I like beaters. I've said this before, but I feel an antique vehicle that has battle scars from the road has more history to show me, and more stories to tell. I don't know who coined the phrase, "... it's only original once," but they were dead on.

I've transferred this mindset to my photography. When it comes down to brass tacks, I will take more  pictures of a rusty daily driver than of a vehicle that has been restored to the gills. I can appreciate both rides on different levels, but I will gravitate towards the car that is nowhere near as pristine. I've even had vehicle owners apologize for the current state of their ride because it's not "mint" while I'm taking pictures of it. I then engage in at least a ten minute conversation telling them that their rig is a thing of beauty, while they go on and on about when they're going to repaint it, or redo the interior, or detail the engine bay. If those are your true game plans for the vehicle - great. But if they are not, don't say so just to appease me. I'm digging your car or truck just the way it sits.

Half of my photography also includes abstract works. All of the finished photographs are of rust, patina, and other metal that is weathered and worn. All are inspired by Mother Nature doing her thing on old automobiles. I've have numerous people comment on the beauty, color, and composition of a certain photograph, only to learn in horror that the subject is a close up of a rusty and rotting front fender off a 1955 Chevy that's been sitting on a trailer for years. The facial expressions get even worse when I relay the story of how I asked the owner if I could photograph his rusty hunk of metal, who also happened to be sitting on his back porch, totally shitfaced with a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hands... and how afterwards we talked for a little bit about his "project" and how he's going to finish it someday. Like the rust, this is real life. And it's not always pretty.

In the end, don't let your street rod, muscle car or whatever, dictate your future. I've heard too many owners explain that the reason they don't take their cars out for a summer cruise, is because it's not finished yet. Or it's still in primer. Or the interior is practically gutted and all it has is one bucket seat, the steering wheel, and a dashboard. Time is short - engage in the day, the weekend, or the season. For a number of us, the current summer season is quickly drawing to a close. Take you're rusty, original, or unfinished ride out with the masses. You'd be surprised at the positive reception you'll still get.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave

Life, Liberty, And The Pursuit Of Happiness

There's a few things I wanted to mention before we delve into this week's blog; First and foremost, for the people in Texas who have been affected by Hurricane Harvey - our thoughts and prayers are with you and we hope for a quick and coordinated relief effort. Second, for those of you who have not been affected by the hurricane - and you're not exempt if you're pissed about the 50 cent per gallon gas spike that's happened over the past week - support those victims any way you can. Financially to the Red Cross or other organization, or your time, or perhaps other resources at your disposal. Lastly, and I realize this is old news, but I've been remiss on not mentioning this earlier; our sympathies to Vic Edelbrock Jr's family since his unfortunate passing in June. Us humans are a quirky bunch in how we truly take life for granted. We think we're invincible or perhaps our mentoring heroes are going to be around forever. But if we're not careful, time and ultimately life, will just slip through our hands like grains of sand. It begs the question - what are you doing today to engage in life? Or will you start thinking about that tomorrow... or next month... or next year?

I must admit - I broke out of my automotive box and attended a very cool antique and vintage motorcycle meet yesterday. The weather was perfect and the number of classic bikes was staggering. A few of the rides present were about 100 years old. That number sank in for the first time yesterday after I arrived back home and started going through the pictures I took. It seems I have no problem accepting the fact that the automobile has been around for well over 100 years, but why not motorcycles? Granted, I'm not around bikes anywhere near as much cars and trucks, but still there's a great deal of vintage iron to appreciate. I also have to come clean about another aspect where vintage motorcycles have an advantage (in my humble opinion - please hold the hate mail) over numerous hot rods, street rods, and muscle cars.  Motorcycles have the opportunity to become absolute works of art in regards to custom paint. What I mean is, with designs, patterns, and colors, bikes have way more options in this respect. Face it - we've all seen some wicked designs on a motorcycle that could never be pulled off on a car. Bottom line - the true liberty of design.

Speaking of pulling things off, especially automotive wise, I was reading an article recently about how still incredibly popular the Dodge and Plymouth winged cars are, as are the NASCAR special editions that the Ford division put out in 1969 as well as 1970. I believe it represents an absolute crazy time in our history that will never be repeated. Whether at auction, through a dealer, or a private sale, these cars still command big bucks regardless of condition. Even clones can go for stupid money. But being the age that I am, and living just south of New York City, I can remember these aerodynamic rides when they first arrived on dealership lots - and how much they were avoided, how long they sat going unsold, how much they were discounted in order to sell them, and how they were considered just about the opposite of what they are today - massively ugly.

While racing fans and gearheads knew the reasoning behind these minimally produced vehicles, the general public just couldn't get passed their outlandish style. The Daytona and Superbird had rear wings that were commonly referred as "towel drying racks". The reason why the wings were so tall? So the truck lids could clear them. I can remember some dealers in our local area in northern New Jersey converting Superbird's into "regular" Roadrunner's just so they could get them off their lots. Even a number of Ford fans had a hard time swallowing the flat square nose on the Torino Talladega, never mind the Torino King Cobra. But, after all that negative hoopla, what the car buying public didn't foresee was that regular production vehicles, about 15 years later, would look very similar to the Ford King Cobra in regards to a swooped pointy nose with exposed headlights. By that time frame however, that kind of styling was okay - because it was all in the name of better fuel economy through aerodynamics, not winning NASCAR races. It's amazing the excuses we come up with in the pursuit of something that's deemed "acceptable".

During the golden era of drag racing, there was one type of funny car that never really caught on until the very late 70's - the Corvette. Ironically, while it was a hit with fans, it was a different story with the drivers. No one is really sure what the problem was throughout the 60's and early 70's with these tube-chassis nightmares. Some thought it was the wheelbase; but all lengths were tried to practically no successful avail. Some thought it was the chassis; the proper chassis had yet to be sorted out. But after more than a decade of trial and error, teams still couldn't get it right. Many a driver dealt with evil handling, stability with launches, and for whatever reason, drive-train explosions and fires. It wasn't until the great Tom McEwen got something right with his 1977 Corvette body funny car and was massively successful between 1979 through 1983. Many historians still refer to this dark period of Corvette funny cars as the years of the "Corvette Curse". I guess it was McEwen won the pursuit of funny car happiness.

Until next time, peace out.
Dave