Hot rod racer

When you’re at Bonneville you see all sorts of crazy contraptions while walking (and driving) around the five mile long pit and spectator area. You witness things that can rocket to speeds just shy of 400 miles per hour to things that are created to look the best while flossing at 20 miles per hour. Basically, you see the whole spectrum from pure performance to pure hardparking. It’s phenomenal to be able to to be able to take all of this at a single event.

With such an eclectic mix of cars, you also meet an eclectic mix of people. The owner of this rat rod is one of those crazy individuals that travelled long distances to attend the cultural festival at the Salt. He drove his RV with the car trailer from Vancouver, Canada to the Utah. He is 100% devoted to hot rod culture. And the build quality of this ‘rat rod’ even questions if we should even categorize it as that. Rod and I met and conversed with this fellow, Ken (from Top 10 Hot Rod & Customs) before we even saw the car. When he mentioned something to the nature of, “hey do you want to see my car?” The response came out instantly: “Yes Ken, we DO want to see whatever you have!”


We had absolutely no clue what to expect when we walked to the car trailer and those doors opened…

What laid before us was a 1930 Ford coupe rat rod. A car that barely even held onto the idea that it is, indeed, a rat rod. But what this car did have was an absolutely menacing presence and that each and every nut, bolt, and piece of metal on the car seemed like it radiated with history. And as we talked to Ken a bit more, we soon found out that assumption was true. Every part on this car has a vintage going to the late 50s.

As I stepped into the cockpit of the Ford Coupe, what followed was an eye opening experience filled with ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’. There was not a single creature comfort to be found on the inside. Everything was bare metal, with the exception of the seat cushions. There are some parts on the inside of the car where you can see straight out onto the ground. And when you take a hold of that steering wheel, you feel like you’ve been transported into the future, according to the 1950s, of course! And said steering wheel? That’s taken from Boeing B-29 bomber.

There’s a sense of elegance when every working part of the car is exposed. It’s almost like the modern art museum in Paris, the Centre Pompidou, where the inner workings of the building is exposed to the outside –the air ducts, piping, electrical, etc. The same aesthetic concept goes for this car. Every bit of the car that helps the car move and function is there to accentuate the style, flare, and aesthetic appeal to this car. It’s raw, and it’s real.

The metal rods surrounding the drive shaft is an area in the interior of the car that is of great beauty and is definitely something to marvel at.

The exposed linkages from a four speed, aluminum cased transmission.

A dial for the water temperature which is just mounted on a rod that connects the ‘dashboard’ to the body of the car.

Exposed bits of metal and dials that harken back to simpler times –times when there was an engine, four wheels, and thats it. No reverse cameras, TVs, or electronic governing. The gauge pods themselves is actually a South Winds gas meter –not even a car part!

These switches seem like they were taken straight out of Flash Gordon’s spaceship.

This car has twos pedals, one for the clutch and one the one that is the most important –the go button! And so I bet you’re wondering how does this thing stop? It stops with a hand operated rear brakes! This car is absolutely bonkers through and through!

Even the sticker is vintage!

Six inches were chopped off the top of the original 1930 Ford coupe to give it a much more mean looking stance. The car’s name, Littleboy is an ode to the bomb that was dropped onto Hiroshima in 1945. Think what you may about that symbolism and it’s significance in world history. But the name suits the car quite well.

The lettering of “Littleboy” was hand painted onto the door.

The bare metal also flows all the way out to the exterior of the car. You can see the layers of paint that some of the panels have. It really brings that sense that this car really has so much history. The rear tail light is from a 1939 Chrysler DeSoto. The chrome really stands out from the gritty bare metal and balances out the rear of the car quite well.

There may be a radiator grill in the front, which is from a 1947 Cockshut Tractor, but it definitely does not house the radiator. Follow the coolant lines all the way back into the trunk and you will find the only modern piece on this whole car. An aluminum radiator and an electric fan!

This fuel tank is also another part that has been converted from an airplane. It’s the oxygen tank, from a Boeing B-52, for the pilots when they were in high altitudes!

Like I said before, just about everything on this car is vintage up to the 1950s. The rear wheels from a 1940s Ford tractor and even the parachute is a vintage piece!

At the time that these photos were taken, the suspension were just a solid mount. The owner was actually thinking of putting on modern coilovers for true performance, but decided to keep it period.

The bare metal also flows all the way out to the exterior of the car. You can see the layers of paint that some of the panels have. It really brings that sense that this car really has so much history. The rear tail light is from a 1939 Chrysler DeSoto. The chrome really stands out from the gritty bare metal and balances out the rear of the car quite well.


There may be a radiator grill in the front, which is from a 1947 Cockshut Tractor, but it definitely does not house the radiator. Follow the coolant lines all the way back into the trunk and you will find the only modern piece on this whole car. An aluminum radiator and an electric fan!


This fuel tank is also another part that has been converted from an airplane. It’s the oxygen tank, from a Boeing B-52, for the pilots when they were in high altitudes!


Like I said before, just about everything on this car is vintage up to the 1950s. The rear wheels from a 1940s Ford tractor and even the parachute is a vintage piece!


At the time that these photos were taken, the suspension were just a solid mount. The owner was actually thinking of putting on modern coilovers for true performance, but decided to keep it period.


The attention to detail and the quality of the build that this car has received can be seen by looking close to the frame and noticing that it follows the contours of the body. The chassis itself is completely hand made too with the exception of the ’30 Ford Coupe body on top of it. The front wheels are off of a International Harvester.


Now on to the meat of this car (or, should I say, the heart?), the motor. This extremely shiny, and elegant piece of metal is a 1957 Hemi V-8 which has been built for nitrous.


In the front of this massive engine sits two McCullough superchargers. When Ken took the car for a little jaunt around the pit area (let me remind you again that it is 5 miles long), you can hear these twin super charges whine from miles away. That sound, accompanied by the Hemi V-8 roaring out of its two collectors which exit both sides of the engine, is a sound that only mythical gods have the privilege of hearing to. Heavenly is an understatement.


Just looking at the engine is a sight to behold. If you liken this car to an art piece (which in my mind, it is), then the car is the painting, and the engine is Mona Lisa’s smile. It has that huge of an effect on the whole of the car.


If you go to the Bonneville Speedweek with an open mind, you will meet tons and tons of people. And the thing is, they’re all extremely nice, gracious, and humble people. They are on the Salt for the sole reason to support and spread the knowledge, love, dedication to Hot Rod culture. They want everyone to see why it is such an old and prosperous scene. The owner of this car, Ken, is one of those people. And if anyone was to look at his car, they will instantly see that this car, even though it looks like a hunk of junk at first sight, is given the same bruised knuckle, finger burning, excessive yelling, lack of sleep treatment that pristine concours cars receive.
But you know what? I prefer this car to any extremely clean car. It has so much more character. For me, a car’s character is the deal breaker –and this car definitely has plenty of it.
-Linhbergh Nguyen


http://www.speedhunters.com/2009/08/car_feature_gt_gt_a_littleboy_s_rat_rod_dreamin/

1930 Original steel Model A Ford Hotrod
Built in 1991 in a '50's Bonneville race car style. Influenced by the Peirson Brothers Coupe and So-Cal Coupe.
Steel and aluminum body, Flathead powered, original Ford drivetrain (modified).


Body: Chopped 8" and 4" removed from the bottom. 4" bellypan sides replace the 4" removed.
Custom hand formed nose, hood, and deck lid. All Dzused fastened, race car style.
Custom chromed steel grill.
Safety glass windshield raked back and flush fit. All windows safety glass except 1 side and back window.

Engine: 1946 Flathead Ford V8
1/8" over bore, 4" Merc. crank, 276cui
Isky Max 11 cam and Johnson lifters
Offenhauser heads, Edelbrock 3 carb manifold, new (2014) Stromberg 97 carbs
Crab style distributor with electronic pick up and a MSD box.
Enlarged oil pan ( nicely done vintage part ) and remote oil filter.
Old school Auburn clutch, still the best.

Drivetrain, suspension and frame:
1939 Ford three speed
Halibrand Quick Change, on original 30's ford axel
Originally built with a Model A leaf spring, now has coil overs, could be converted back.
Ford dropped axel in the front. Split in the center to make swing axel independent suspension.
Fiberglass leaf spring, Corvette style!
Very ridged 3" by 5" box tubing custom frame
Two sets of wheels, 15" Michelin street tires and 16" Ford wheels with vintage race tires
Brakes rebuilt in 2014

1925 Ford Speedster. 31 horse power T engine, "Z" frame, 21" 1927 T wheels, A crank, bored .090 over, Stipes 280 cam. Z head, Bosch distributor, Split exhaust, high volume intake manifold, Holly carb, Kelvar transmission bands, disc brakes on rear only, Harley muffler, front axel drop 7".

1934 Shafer “8” Indianapolis Race Car!

Exacting copy of original
by Dennis Webb of Anaheim,
an old time craftsman of aluminum racing car bodies and chassis
working in So California since before the War.

‘38 Buick Century power plant; high performance cam, high comp head, special tuned exhaust,
‘38 Buick trans and rear end;
runs and drives excellently (request video)

impressive exhaust note
all chassis components new and set up for street (or “Great Race” competition)
car is wired for headlights, taillights, turn signals, etc
correct Dayton knock-off wire wheels
full period instrumentation
needs paint, seat, upholstery

The 1934 Shafer “8” two-man Indy racecar
was car number #26 that year, driven by Phil Shafer
with the riding mechanic being Earl Frost.
Shafer had both Buick straight-8 & Studebaker 8 Indy cars entered
through the early 1930’s.

A once in a lifetime discovery --- the Jim Hill "Barbecue Stove Bolt" Hot Rod roadster constructed 1946 - 1951 in Vallejo, California and raced on the dry lakes. Incredible history pedigree and provenance entirely documented:

1951: Cal-Neva timing Association records (I have the trophies)

1952: Oakland Roadster Show major award winner entry # 207 (I have the trophy)

1953: "HONK Magazine" First feature car in very first issue of magazine later renamed "Car Craft." (I have the magazine)

Car was then stored away in Oregon for nearly 50 years and is completely original, never restored, changed or messed with.
Discovered with many original spare parts including new piston, engine bearings in boxes dated 1948, rings etc. There is even a can of the original paint, with the label date coded Nov. '50 and the paint is still liquid. The tires still hold air. I have the original canvas convertible top and side curtains as shown in the original photos. I don't think anything is missing. "Harry Miller 3-port" Oldsmobile Head - please look at photos.

The May 1953 issue of HONK reads as follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HYBRID HOT ROD

They Call This Pickup the "Barbecued Stovebolt" With Considerable Reason

Since 1946, Jim Hill of Vallejo, California, has had pieces of no less than 13 different makes or models of automobiles and at least one airplane. He and his father, E.C. Hill, put them all together during a six year span and wound up with a jewely little machine known as the "Barbecued Stovebolt."

Here's how the components figure:The body is from a '21 Dodge touring car, the chassis from a '27 Chevrolet. Brakes are '37 Chevy, grille is chopped '32 Ford.

In the engine compartment are a '28 Chevrolet block, 1932 Ford C crank, 1936 Pontiac rods pushing a set of Jahns pistons, a '30 Oldsmobile 3-port head equipped with Buda diesel valves and rocker arms scrounged from a 1938 Nash.

This is where the barbecue part comes in. To accommodate all the above parts, the block had to be built up in several sensitive spots. The center main web was filled in solidly and the rear main was rebuilt to fit a journal an inch and a half longer than the designer intended. All things considered, 26 pounds of welding rod and six bottles of acetylene were used.

This kind of thing creates considerable heat, so the Hills set the block in the family barbecue to cool for a total of four days.

When cooling had taken place, the block could be machined without fear of warpage. The final machining even took in a full pressure oil system complete to rifle drilled rods.

Externals on the engine include a cross drive from an airplane engine which when mounted on the front of the block drives a reworked Bendix magneto on one end and the oil pump system on the other. The oil system is full dry sump with oil scavenged from the crankcase and returned via a five gallon reservoir behind the driver's seat.

Another pump pulls oil from the tank and delivers it at 60 pounds pressure to the engine. An adjustable bypass keeps the pressure constant. Water cooling is handled by a 1924 Dodge water pump.

To complete the roster, the engine delivers it's power to a '46 Hi- Torque Chevy clutch to a transmission made up of parts from a Borg Warner unit, a military Jeep, a Nash and a Studebaker.

Hold on - we forgot; the starter is a six-volt unit from a '28 Chevy through which the Hills put 12 volts in order to turn the 9.5 to 1 compression ratio.

The Hills were rewarded in their project when the car took first prize for originality at the 1952 Oakland Roadster Show. Although the little honker was able to squeeze out only 84.4 at the lakes, the Hills feel it was over geared at a ratio of 2.54 to one and should do considerably better running a lower cog. As for us, we'll take it just as it is.

Here is a better picture of the Aaron Vines B/C. It appears that Mike Nekezch is the other name and I sorta remember that. As homely as it is, it was a cool car in its day. The last word about it I ever had was a Seattle a photo in a newspaper article about a wrecking yard closure – there it was on top of a stack of cars headed for the crusher.



Picture from Bayview Drag Strip, circa 1960, from the old Horsepower Heaven (Larry Pfister) site.

Period-correct custom speedster with new black paint and red interior. Frontenac OHV head, turned aluminum dash, curved face gauges, 12V conversion and more!

Henry Ford continued to produce America’s affordable Model T at a rapid pace into the mid 1920’s, averaging over 1 million units each year! The simplicity of the design, along with nine model choices to choose from, made Ford an easy choice for budget conscience buyers. They consisted of an inline four cylinder 177ci L-head engine producing an estimated 20 horsepower, two-speed planetary transmission, solid front axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring, live rear axle with transverse semi-elliptic leaf spring on a 100” wheelbase, and two-wheel mechanical drum brakes. At the same time, many performance-oriented aftermarket suppliers were making a name with overhead valve conversions that would add another 50% to the power range.

We are very excited to offer this 1926 Ford Model T Speedster! Finished in a fresh coat of Jet Black with brand new red vinyl interior and black carpet, this handsome creation was done in a very tasteful and period-correct style. The car is powered by a correct 177ci Inline 4 with a very unique Frontenac “T” overhead valve conversion and Zenith 175 carburetor. This racing-inspired set-up not only increased the efficiency of the car but also provided more power and performance! The ~20 horsepower of a stock T has been boosted to nearly 30 with this particular equipment, and although that may not seem like much, was enough to leave other Ts in the dust on the street and at the track. Our T is further fitted with a host of unique features including a Stewart flat-face speedometer, brass fuel filler cap, turned aluminum dash, 4-spoke wood-rimmed steering wheel, brass timing and throttle levers, 4-blade cooling fan and five red wire wheels with Bedford 5.25-21 4-ply tires.

'38 Ford V8 powered, 2-passenger steel-bodied Boat-tail Speedster, here in Alabama. The car is nearly all restored, but work had slowed due to the owner having ill health and too many cars.



Vintage Race ...... AUTHENTIC 1950's BUILD ...... Street Rod




The V8 motor starts easily, and runs well. Clutch, hydraulic brakes,