The Emperor - 29 Ford Roadster - Barris Kustoms

So how do stories about emperors go? Oh yeah, "Once upon a time." Well, alrightey then. . .Once upon a time in the fertile, grape-growing region of California's Great Central Valley, in the kingdom of Fresno, there lived a high school student with a dream. And even though he wasn't old enough to drive, young Chuck Krikorian wanted to have his very own hot rod. To this end he procured a '31 Model A frame and '29 roadster body, and set to work. He Z'd and boxed the frame, then channeled the body a full 8 inches (a trick that in itself was more of an East Coast thing) until he came up with just the right altitude--the end goal being one fast street and strip rod. He was even building a 406-cid '57 Cadillac mill to facilitate his dream of conquering the quarter-mile at Kingdon Dragstrip. Then, as luck would have it, two local Fresno rodders, Blackie Gejeian and Richard Peters (the latter of which just happened to be married to Chuck's sister), dropped by to check on the roadster's progress. Together these two seasoned veterans of hot rodding, themselves but young men, talked Chuck into building a showcar instead of a drag racer, their reasoning being that owning and maintaining a drag car would be much more expensive than displaying at shows. And Blackie should know, as he had already won the AMBR in '55, and Richard was underway with a '29 roadster pickup that would become known as the Ala Kart, winning both the '58 AND '59 title of America's Most Beautiful Roadster. The car, which Chuck christened the Emperor (for the type of grape that is harvested last in the season), took some four long years to build, but was ready in time for the 1960 Grand National Roadster Show, a.k.a. Oakland. Now as brother-in-law Richard had won for the last two years, he graciously pulled the Ala Kart from competition so that Chuck could have a shot at the gold, even though the two were displayed side-by-side. This poses an interesting scenario though: would the Ala Kart have won three years in a row? It's doubtful, but we (and Chuck) will never know for sure. Nonetheless, it does make for interesting speculation.


When Chuck had done all he could do to the car, including modifying the front and rear crossmembers to bolt-ins, and fabricating a new transmission crossmember for the Zephyrs-geared '48 Ford trans equipped with an Ansen Posi-Shift kit (floor shift conversion), he disassembled everything, including the 3.78:1-cogged Halibrand quick-change rearend (complete with torque tube driveline and un-split wishbone) and trucked it all over to California Chrome Co. in his hometown of Fresno. A side-note is that the chroming done over 40 years ago is still in great shape--a tribute to a time when craftsmen took great pride in their work. Chuck also finished building the Cad motor; installing a Chet Herbert cam, pushrods, and lifters; Jahns pistons (making for a compression ratio of 12.50:1); and a Vertex magneto. He also installed a sextet of Stromberg 97 carbs for both looks and performance.


With both chrome work and engine building finished, Chuck then assembled the chassis, mounted the body and, following in his brother-in-law's footsteps (when he did the Ala Kart), made it down to Lynwood, California, putting his handiwork in the capable hands of George Barris (who, in a recent conversation, recalled committing his ideas into drawings from which Chuck chose a design). And even though we have different classifications in today's hobby, there is no doubt that both the Ala Kart and Emperor were customized rods (okay--"Kustomized")--what else could one call them?


The car seen here is pretty much time-vault authentic with a couple of exceptions, which might be considered as modern concessions. Blackie Gejeian is not only a good friend of the original owner, but has been the caretaker of the car for some 30 years now. Blackie also knows how to restore a hot rod to era-perfect condition, down to the last refurbished, original nut-and-bolt, as witnessed by his '55 AMBR-winning Shish Kebab Special that was reintroduced to the public at the 50th Anniversary Grand National Roadster Show (where it was displayed with other of Blackie's automotive treasures, including the Emperor). All but a handful thought the Special had perished back in '56 when Blackie's Speed Shop went up in flames, but thanks to the tireless efforts of both Blackie and Chuck (yes, the very same Chuck) who handled body and paint, the car exists exactly as it did that fateful evening early in '55 when it won the big 9-foot trophy. So, any non-original touches on the Emperor do have a rhyme and a reason--after all, it IS Blackie's car.


Going over the car today, there are some obvious differences than when it won Oakland. For starters (and reasons known only to Chuck), the original wheels and tires were sold when he put the car in storage back in the '60s, where it remained for years, wrapped in blankets, with WD-40 down the barrels to keep the engine from freezing up. According to Blackie, the cycle fenders were so heavy from their leaded fins that they would both vibrate and snap mounting brackets, so they were never re-installed. But never fear, as Blackie has them safely sequestered away. At the time, wide chrome rims and raised white-letter blackwalls were the rage, so they were installed to give the jaunty little roadster a more contemporary flair. And even though they too are now dated, Blackie reports they provide a smooth ride and great handling.


The chrome (which constitutes a fair share of the car's surface area, mostly underneath) is all original and, as stated, in remarkably good shape, with the headers deeply blued as evidence that the car not only runs, but runs well. Well enough, one might add, to have done 106 mph in the quarter-mile at the old Kingdon Dragstrip with Blackie at the wheel. He set the record for Street Roadster Class that day, even though he also "broke" the motor. And this happened shortly after the win at Oakland, too.