Small WorldWhen you published the photo of my old '32 five-window in the "Yesterday's Young Guns" section in the December '05 issue, I figured that after the obligatory razzing from relatives and friends, that would be the end of it. But about a week later, I got a call from Don Coleman, who claimed to be the original builder of the car. After a long and pleasant conversation, during which he had all the right details, and after he sent me a couple of construction pictures from 1953, it was obvious that he was indeed the builder of my first hot rod. What a small world, and what great people hot rodders are. Many thanks to Rod & Custom for making this possible, and a special thanks to Don for taking the time to call and give me the history of a very special car.James RothwellLa Crosse, WI
Ego TripI'd like to thank you guys for the great photography and captions in the Ego-Rama coverage. I had a ball doing this, and seeing the pictures and reading the coverage freshened my memory of the good times. Kevin, your little reference in your editorial about the rare occurrence of some people turning their keys over reminded me of the picture Bob took at the event when I did hand them to you. With the side trips before and after the Ego-Rama, I ended up putting 6,700 trouble-free miles on the coupe by the time I was back home. I saw reference that Rich might try with his '32 coupe next year; I hope he makes it and wins. Can't think of anyone who has more hot rod spirit than he does. Hope to see you around some shows.Jack ParkerMuskegon, MI
Not only was the latest Ego-Rama the best, but so was your March '06 issue! Imagine some of the very cars in the shootout were featured! You are all to be congratulated. Can you sign me up for the next one?
And thanks for testing street rods, and not those pro-built, megabuck, trailer queen show cars some folks actually think of as street rods, with 100 miles on their collective speedometers. You know the ones-the cars with buffed and waxed undercarriages, nary a wire or hose showing, and hand-cut tire treads (good grief) that win all the tall trophies, get pro-pick awards, get magazine covers, lounge at SEMA displays, and have cloned owners in hula shirts and excessive gold jewelry.Gary NicholsVia E-mail
Different StrokesI just finished reading the March '06 issue and want to comment on another great issue. The torque tube header article was wonderful. I normally wouldn't write in, but the letter from Mel Hayes has me a bit fired up. Maybe he needs to understand that people do have different tastes, but that doesn't make a car not worthy to drive.
I'm a 30-year-old auto mechanics teacher and a rodder at heart. Although we concentrate on new technology and preparing kids for a career in auto mechanics, I create lots of interest in my class through the use of building rods. These projects have included a '32 Ford pickup that I proudly drive, and a '53 Chevy truck that we outfitted with a smooth-riding Fatman IFS for my dad. I would consider them rat rods, but when a parent comes in, the first thing the kid shows off is the project.
My son and I ventured two hours last summer to the Frog Follies in the '32 and it drove great (too good as a matter of fact, as my dad gave me a hard time about well exceeding the speed limit).
This past Thanksgiving, while most people were at the mall the day after the holiday, my dad, my father-in-law, and my oldest son ventured through the cold to my "secret" junkyard and located and bought a banjo rearend out of a '40 Ford (thanks for the article on the open drive conversion). Plans are to put this in my next project, a '30 Model A sedan. I can't think of a better way to spend my time than that.Tony MiglioriniVia E-mail
Efijy GreatI can't begin to tell you how excited and impressed I am by the Holden Efijy debuted at the Australian Auto Show. This is a concept that needs to come to production! All of this talk in design circles about "retro" being a dirty word is nonsense. Prowler, PT Cruiser, Beetle, HHR, Ford GT, Mustang, Mini-what was old is new again. Well, car buyers have chimed in on the topic and voted with their wallets. It's pretty clear retro is not a dirty word. Call me bias; I love old cars (and they make up a majority of my design work), but retro is fun! There is no reason it shouldn't be-cars are fun!
Here's what I would do to the Efijy if I could have it for a daily driver. I would start by bolting on some 20-inch Billet Specialties fuelies wrapped in low-profile wide whites from the Whitewall Candy Store, then I'd apply a handsome black-over-purple two-tone treatment with some tasty orange inferno flames thrown in to give the car an "edge." And that would be it-way kool!Murray PfaffPfaff Digital Rendering & Designwww.pfaffdesigns.com