"I'm sending this photo to celebrate my pop and his never-dying love for hot rods. Ken Eichert was 35 when this photo of him and his '29 Ford Model A roadster was taken in Southern California in the summer of 1966. He'd traded a cherry '29 coupe, which he found in a farmer's barn in the orange groves of Santa Paula, for the roadster body and frame. He rebuilt the roadster from the ground up, out of his garage in Downey, California, with the help of his friends, Bill Huff, Ted Brown, and Ted McMillen. Jack McNeil stitched the interior with black 2-inch-pleat tuck 'n' roll on the seat and door panels. The black lacquer paint was polished to a mirror shine. The roadster body was every bit a '29, but fitted for cruisin' with a Ford 289, automatic transmission, 9-inch rearend, '40 Ford steel wheels painted fire engine red, slight whites for the rubber, and heated springsto set the rod at the right altitude. The roadster was dressed with cut glass wing windows, a trend that was popular in the day and hasn't made a comeback yet.
"Years later, the roadster was stolen from a parking lot. Although his ride was never recovered, Ken never lost his love for hot rodding. We're now estoring a '28 Model A four-banger dry lakes roadster to its former glory. Ken is the third owner of the car and has been around it since the '40s, when it set an SCTA record of 115.97. Stay tuned." -Chris Eichert
Mail your vintage photos of you and your hot rod, along with a brief story to: Tim Bernsau, Rod & Custom, 774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870, or e-mail them (digital images should be 500 kb or larger) to timothy.bernsau@sourceinterlink.com. We are unable to return any submitted material.
Site For Enthusiasts' Eyes
How'd you like access into the garages of some of the best hot rod builders? Buildsheet.com is the key. This member-driven Web site is the cooperative effort of a group of young pro builders (Scott Bonowski of Hotrods and Hobbies, Zane Cullen of Cotati Speed Shop, Jesse Greening of Greening Auto Company, Troy Ladd of Hollywood Hot Rods, Steve Strope of Pure Vision, and Dave Tucci of Tucci Engineering), but relies on the participation of the hot rod community to be a success. The site includes info, photos, and videos of new probuilt rods; reader rides featuring your projects; a community forum message board; member blogs; classifieds; a directory of ftermarket parts and services; and more.
Rockin' '36 Is Kustom Of The Year
Here's a Kustom of the Year we can all agree on. Kirk Hammett's '36 Ford was selected by Goodguys as the 2007 winner in this category, presented by Grundy Worldwide. The outstanding prewar custom was built by Cole Foster of Salinas Boys Customs, who transformed the Ford Racing 302-powered coupe (built on a Total Cost Involved frame) from a five-window into a three-window. We're looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful award-winner during the upcoming show season.
Racer And Race Car Reunion
Since the early '30s, auto racers too young for a driver's license could compete in gravity-powered Soap Box Derby cars. Peter Giarraffa was barely a teenager when he built this downhill coaster from an inch-thick plank of wood, a wood strip and canvas body, and a set of wagon wheels and raced it in the Derby in Buffalo, New York, in 1939 and 1940. In 1979, Peter rediscovered his old race car in the attic of his sister's house. A few years later, after displaying it at a Soap Box Derby exhibition in the Buffalo area, he sold the car for $200. It eventually ended up at the Smith Collection Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska. A few months ago, Peter and several members of his family traveled to Lincoln, where racer and race car were reunited. Peter, who never made it past the second heat during his racing days, was elated to learn that his old racer was not only intact, but also displayed for others to enjoy. "I didn't win the big race," he said, "but I won today!"
In 1939, 13-year-old peter giarraffa ran his homebuilt race car in the local soap box derby. In november 2007, 81-year-old peter met with "speedy" bill smith at the smith collection museum. The wheels and paint had been changed for peter's final race in 1940.
Spruced-Up Deuce
Flaming River celebrated 20 years in business with the creation of its own '32 Ford, built by Leonard Lopez's Dominator Street Rods and unveiled at the 2007 SEMA Show in october. R&C contributor Eric Brockmeyer created this concept illustration. Hard Candy features a Rod Bods steel roadster body, Total Cost Involved frame, and LS1/4L60E drivetrain. of course Flaming River is using Hard Candy to showcase its own latest products, including its electronic power steering system, which we take a look at in this issue (see page 26).
Watch This
The eagerly anticipated follow-up video to "Lions: The Greatest Drag Strip, Part one" was released in october at the NHRA Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, California. Part Two, created by Don Gillespie, covers the period from 1962-when the NHRA's five-year nitromethane ban was lifted-to late 1966, when the sport of drag racing was continuing to explode in terms of popularity, top speeds and e.t.'s, and evolving classes. Top Fuelers had crossed the 200-mph mark, gassers and Altereds were enjoying their heyday, racers were experimenting with streamliners, and altered-wheelbase stockers were evolving into something fans would start calling Funny Cars. Gillespie mixes action from the strip with dozens of interviews of the top racers of the day-of all time, really-who recount some amazing stories from an amazing strip. Get your own at www.lionsvideo.com.