Exemption III?

Here's to more good days in the Hawaiian sun. Happy Fathers Day Dad.

'da Hui no ka oi




Ka Na'i Aupuni - Hawaiian Nation

A Good Day

First the coupe news...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...



Four years into the build and I have to wait two months for a couple 15.00 exhaust parts. Dudes, not really feeling the Midas touch here. Yawn, back to my Oregon induced coma...

But!



Really can't let the day pass without noting the terrific events of this morning. Felt good to feel proud of our president again. Felt even better to hear a president that didn't sound like Porky Pig meets Sylvester the Cat. Didn't feel so great though listening to a gigantic Queen of Soul screeching for more cake. I know they said she was singing God Bless America but I couldn't tell. Wasn't as bad as that poem though. Man, that was hard to sit through. Good thing the poet spoke after the president, or else most people would have missed the speech.

The speech.

A+ for being inspirational and also telling it like it is. Wouldn't hurt all of us to listen to it again and heed the advice. In a nutshell? He promised to do a good job and extolled all of us to be better citizens. Amen brother.

God bless President Obama. He's stepping up to the plate with two outs and nobody on. Let's hope he swings for the fences.

Aloha


Highway 61 Revisited - Bob Dylan

FrankenCoupe

I've been extremely busy at work lately and haven't had a chance to get down to Oregon. So I thought I'd go back a bit and give you an example of the talent down there at A & M. We had a corner that had been munched and just wasn't gonna make the grade. So the boys did their thing. Check it out.

Primo brah.

These Days - Glen Campbell

Revenge Of The Nerfs

I like this shot. I can't really explain why. It shows a lot of what I like about the Coupe I guess. The cool, fat curve of the deck lid. Those perfect-for-this-car '41 Chevrolet tailights. The not-so-perfect paint job. The stock '32 Ford handle. The famous license plate of course. And that wicked who'd a thunk it nerf bar.

At it's core the Milner Coupe is a solid period hot rod. When purchased it was basically a '32 Ford 5W body and frame with a '57 Chevy drive train. But even then it had enough odd accouterments like the '47 rear crossmember and the PSI traction outfit to make it one of a kind. Throw in the uniquely applied 50's Ford upholstery trim, and the fairly rare Stewart Warner dash insert and it starts to get easy to see what may have caught Gary Kurtz' eye. But the addition of some of the parts that were added afterward for the film also contributed greatly to the funky karma that makes this deuce so special.

For the folks building their own 'Graffiti Coupe', the nerf bar is tough. Until a couple years ago, you had to make your own. They rarely came out right. The bar's shape has to be perfect to have it resemble the Coupe from all angles. It's a very weird shaped piece of tubing. You can fudge on a lot of different parts when building your clone, but this particular nerf bar is unique to the Coupe and it helps to make the rear of the car instantly recognizable.

It isn't custom anyway. DB The Swede of Massachusetts was the first to figure this out. Because it looked like a larger version of an MG front bumper guard, we had suspected it might be English. Right continent, wrong country. It is a 1971 Alfa Romeo Duetto front bumper guard. An add-on piece, they were manufactured by AMCO. DB was kind enough to share his discovery and it was 'off to the races' to find one for our Coupe. We were lucky and located one right away. And it was a good thing we did.

Because at this same period of time we were at a dead stand still on our frame. We were placing the rear crossmember when it was announced from the mid west by Paul LeMat's 'lost twin brother of a different mother' that the Graffiti Coupe's wheel base had been extended!!! To almost 109 inches!!! So, not knowing otherwise, we stopped. Getting the wheelbase wrong would drastically reduce the odds of getting the stance right or having the slicks sit in the fenders properly. This was huge. We called the owner. He said that as far as he knew it was stock. But we figured "What does he know? The Great & Powerful Odd said it was 109"!!! So we waited until I could get to the Coupe and measure... Like that was ever gonna happen.

In the end, it was the photo above and others like it that confirmed the Coupe's wheelbase measurement. It was so simple. One of those V8 juice moments. Using the right nerf bar and mounting it the same way as the Coupe's leaves no margin of error. It's stock.

Thanks DB, you're a daisy!

(Every Time I Hear) That Mellow Saxophone - Roy Montrell

Happy Independence Day

Here's wishing everyone in 'Milner Coupeville' a pleasant and safe 4th of July holiday. We here at the West Coast office will hoist a cold one or ten and take a long moment to appreciate the true independence that we have in this country of ours.

Our American liberty is a precious and fragile right that is rapidly being undermined and crushed by the weight and backbreaking burden of new and excessively paranoid laws under the guise of protecting the very freedoms they erode.

A lot of us have three days off work to enjoy our families and friends and a nice long weekend to drive the tires off our hot rods.

May we suggest that we make this a true Independence Day? Turn off your TVs and radios! Ignore the babbling naysayers and talking heads we call the media! Take a look around and realize that this is our country. Not the celebrity's. Not the Wall St. investor's. Certainly not the politicians!

Forget about the incessant negativity. It's all bogus. Things aren't that bad. Sure, the price of gas blows. But here's the big secret...the economy is doing what it always does, righting itself. If your livelihood doesn't depend on making 'money for nothing' (stock market investing), and you have a real job and have owned your home for a while and haven't spent like a drunken sailor the last five years, I'll bet you're doing alright.

So let's flip the politicos the bird and concentrate on what we do have and what we have earned. Click off the 'news at 11:00' fear mongers, say a prayer for the safe and immediate return home of our poor GIs overseas, and let's just be thankful this weekend.

We're Americans. We live in America. There's no place better.

Be happy.

Wonderful Day - O.A.R.

Rollin'

JRJ took this picture of the Coupe in Pomona earlier this year. He took a lot of photos that day. Most were extremely sharp, clear snapshots yet I've been drawn to this one ever since receiving it.

It took me a while to figure why I liked this shot so much. A bit blurry and out of focus, usually these are the kind that hit the Recycle Bin without so much as a second thought. And yet, something about this view makes me feel good.

It looks like the car is in motion. An intimate close-up as the Coupe is rollin' by. Of course it isn't. Just an optical illusion. Or perhaps an allusion to the long dormant speed and a reminder of the potential for fun that the Coupe still possesses but rarely demonstrates.

During the research while building our tribute, we've gathered hundreds of photos of the Milner Coupe. Most are static shots of the world's most famous deuce trapped behind a rope at some car show reminding us that American Graffiti is our favorite movie but stirring none of the emotions that made it such an iconic film.

Maybe that's why we build these look-a-like coupes. More about recreating the feeling of this car than the look? I think so. We want to drive the Coupe. Hunch over the wheel, hit the start button and drive. Search the streets for a Carol and drive. Shut down some out-of-towner and drive.

I've never asked him, but I'll bet Rick Figari would tell you that he used to have a boat load more fun in the early days when he was using the Coupe as God intended than he does now.

And maybe that's why this project is getting a bit old for us. Maybe we're tired of looking at pictures of the Coupe sittin' still.

Maybe it's time to drive.

(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters

Elvis Abducted By Alien Vampires

This is true, I swear.

Although they're not too hard to find now-a-days, the steering wheel in the Milner Coupe was an unknown entity just a few years ago. No one knew what it was or who made it. At first glance it looks just like a plain 'ol common 3 spoke chrome hot rod wheel with a black plastic handle. The distinguishing characteristic of it is the three holes in each spoke. Rather than getting progressively smaller from the center to the outside, it has the large hole nearest the hub, then the small hole, with the middle sized drill nearest the grip.

I guess it was in 2003 or early 2004, in my very first conversation with RB from Kansas, he explained he was convinced the wheel was a vintage Grant product. He had called their office in Glendale to ask them about it, but they denied ever having made a model like that. He told me they were under new ownership and they were evidently mistaken. Sounded good to me. We kept up the hunt.

In my own search I came across a website from Australia selling boat steering wheels by a company called Covico. They looked like the Grant wheels. I couldn't find any current information on the Covico company, but in the 60s they were based in Covina, CA and made all sorts of small hot rod products. I could find no pictures of the Milner steering wheel anywhere in their old catalogs. I talked to people who had the right wheel. There were no ID marks whatsoever.

In subsequent conversations with RB and also with DB from Massachussetts, I stated that I thought the Graffiti Coupe had a wheel made by Covico. But it was just conjecture. Wishful thinking. I had no proof, just a hunch.

Now here's the funny part. Well, maybe more scary than funny.

Within a few months it became common knowledge that it was a Covico wheel. Auctions on Ebay started using Covico in the description. Articles in magazines and online sites began printing that it was a Covico steering wheel.

Friends! I was guessing!

To this day I have not seen proof of any kind that I was right. I have written several people selling them asking if they had a Covico stamp on them. They all answer no, they had just heard or read online what it was. Hilarious!

If I knew I had that kind of influence on the truth, I woulda told everyone that I had a 12"...

Oh nevermind.

2009 Update - A picture of a Milner Coupe type steering wheel has been found in an old Ansen Racing Parts catalog. The book also has a picture of the elusive horn cap. This does not automatically make them 'Ansen' products, just that Ansen sold them. It is however the closest we've come to identifying any manufacturer for these unmarked parts. It also brings into guestion the origin of the Coupe's motor mounts. We've always assumed that they are Hurst because of the popularity of those parts, but Ansen also made a front engine mounting bracket similar to the Hurst, as well as motor mounts and frame adaptors. Does the presence of so many Ansen parts (steering wheel, cap, brake & clutch pedals) mean that the builder also bought the mounts at the same place and time? As Bugs Bunny says, "I don't know...could be".

RE: Graffiti Blacklist

Dear JM,

It seems that JH & I have been booted from the Mafia. You're the only one left.

Come on, say something mean so I can quote you. We may be the new Graffiti paparazzi.

I know, I know, no one in Wisconsin actually hates anybody, but how about a few doodoo heads or kaka faces thrown in for good measure. Or this, just say "the cows don't like the project site". Gimme something won't you?

You know, I wasn't gonna say anything, cause I'm not sure I heard right, but when I met RB in San Francisco it sounded like he said that "all engineers were pussies". Don't quote me on that but that's what I think I heard.

That, or "Let's go get a lemonade", but it sounded bad whatever he said.

And did you know that DB hates, and I mean despises, cheese. Said he rather eat a turd. For real he said that. OK, that's a lie. He probably loves cheese. I mean, just look at him.

And I heard they are both voting for Obama!

Or McCain.

One of them. It shows how stupid they are.

Come oooooooooooonnnnnnnn.

I know you'll do the right thing (which in this case is the wrong thing {which makes it the right thing [according to JH anyway] } ). That's it. I'm out of parenthesis'. Happy now?

HJ

'da Hui no ka oi

Something's Changed - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Oh The Humanity

This car does not want to be finished. Or maybe the owner of the original Coupe has thrown down a curse on all cars that begin to look too much like his. I didn’t have this project blessed like we do in Hawaii before starting a new construction job. I don’t know. I just can’t figure out why every little thing we do on this car recently runs into a problem. And I mean everything. The red plug wires? Who knew I had to have 7MM wire to fit into the distributor with the old style boots? And nobody in the US makes red 7mm now. For now we’ll run ‘em Figari style with 90s.
We ordered an 11” clutch kit. They sent a 10.5”. The replacement kit came incomplete. Then the flywheel had a stripped bolt hole.

That’s just what we’ve run into this week. Don’t get me started on the heads, water pump, fan belt. Oi! The fan belt.

This car has been a tremendous challenge. To get the chassis and body right was a hard, long road. But for the most part, we did it. I really thought we were on the downhill side of this mother. And we are, really. I was just hoping it was going to get a little easier as we finished. Not so. This is going the whole fifteen rounds and like Rocky taking a thousand right crosses and left hooks to his mug, we’ll beat this project until we can cry Adrian!!! We did it!!!