Bob Williams
Temecula, California
1932 ford roadster
Yesterday's
Young Guns
Bob Williams of Temecula, California, sent us this picture of himself (with friend Luke Milick on the passenger side) from 1949, when he was a young gun racing his Deuce roadster on the dry lakes. We had seen the photo in the book Old Hot Rods Scrapbook by Don Montgomery, which identified Bob as a member of the Rod Riders and his 280ci V-8-powered '32 as a car that raced in the Russetta Timing Association's A Roadster class for highboy roadsters (and once belonged to Harry Weber, founder of Weber Cams). Bob told us that he would drive the roadster to and from the lakes, where it turned a top speed of 124 mph on gasoline. Look closely and notice the nose-thumbing character cartooned on the cowl side.
Lyle Steinmehl
Mar Vista, California1936 Ford Coupe"It is a longtime dream come true for me to finally own this car," Lyle wrote. "I've wanted one since my old Hollywood High School days. The rumble-seat five-window is originally from Arkansas, where it went through a body-off rebuild about 20 years ago. It has a 350 crate engine with a TH350 trans and 3.08-geared rearend. Even though the windshield and rear window open up for fresh air, A/C keeps the leather interior comfy even on hot days. I've installed old-style lenses over halogen headlights, turn signals behind the horn grilles, and baby Moons on the steelies for the look I want. I'm still working on fixing up the spare tire cover and a new set of dash instruments to go with the original banjo steering wheel. It is set up to drive, which I plan on doing, to as many events in Southern California as I can. I'll be the guy with a big smile on my face."
Paul Dalferro
Castalia, Ohio
1928 Ford Model A Coupe
After retiring, Paul had the time to make his first attempt at building a hot rod and got busy putting together this nice little fenderless five-window. In his own words, "I boxed the original frame and chopped the top 2 inches. A retired tin-knocker friend filled the top with a '63 Chevy station wagon roof. The engine is a rebuilt 350 with a mild cam. The TH350 trans shifts into a Ford 8-inch rearend with 3.50 gears. The seat came from the second row of a '98 Plymouth minivan. Four coats of red oxide epoxy primer cover the sheetmetal--and some of the dings and dents were left, just to add some character." The coupe was finished this past May, and we have the feeling that Paul's Model A is getting plenty of use now that it's done.
Rusty & Alisha Otis
Valliant, Oklahoma
1951 Chevy Pickup
Rusty's idea was to use as many Chevy parts as possible to make it look as if Chevrolet really made a roadster pickup. He wanted a low-hp engine in order to drive it anywhere dependably and economically and chose a 250hp 350 four-bolt with a TH350 trans and an '85 IROC-Z posi rear. A '91 Chevy truck seat and '55 Chevy dash set off the interior. It's low-buck and mostly homegrown, but Vintage Productions in Rolla, Missouri, handled a lot of the build. The paint was applied by several earlier owners. Davis Signs in Rolla borrowed some graphics from a pack of matches from Deen's Air Castle. "From the Thirties until the Sixties, that was the only public airport in the Rolla area," Rusty explained. "Located on Route 66, it consisted of a dirt runway and a Quonset hut and was something of a roadhouse where the locals and soldiers from Fort Leonard Wood went to drink and dance."
We cannot return submitted material.Please include your phone number.Mail vintage photos of you and your hot rod, along with detailed info, to Yesterday's Young Guns,774 S. Placentia Ave., Placentia, CA 92870Send recent photos of your current ride to Readers' Rods at the same address.Send digital images (500kb or larger) to timothy.bernsau@sorc.com