Instant Karma

I knew it was too good to last. We're taking my Dad's nice bone stock '38 Ford and souping it up. Do they still say that? I guess so 'cause I just did. Anyway, the engine is tired and we're getting tired of messing with the distributor. It's impossible to reach and we can't keep the s.o.b. timed. We considered running a more recent distributor and upgrading to a 12 volt system. But if we were gonna do that, why not just change the damn engine? It's either stock or it's not. You can't be a little bit stock, pregnant or dead. You is or you ain't.

After the Graffiti Coupe project (okay, there's never really an 'after' with that never ending dream/nightmare project), I was ready to fore-go the whole custom thing for a while and try to face the challenge of restoring something the way God and Henry Ford intended it to be. But this isn't my car, it's my Dad's. And with a gorgeous rebuilt flattie sitting in my office (It's art, baby!), I was losing the argument. And if the truth be known, it's just not in my father's DNA to leave a car alone. If it isn't brand new, it's a project. Who am I to argue after the Naked Milner? And besides, who doesn't need another hot rod... I'm in.

But dropping this motor in isn't going to be without it's own problems. It's sporting dual carburetors on a Fenton manifold. The carbs sit too close to leave the generator in the stock position, so it's offset. But now we have to figure how to mount a mechanical fan on it without getting too goofy. You'd think Fenton would have made a matching adaptor because they put bolt holes on the front, but I haven't been able to find one. Someone must make something that works. We're going to try our damnedest to not run an electrical fan. That would be gay (Oh no! I'll never direct the Oscars now...).

So if you know how this is done, please give a holler. I'll be up. Aloha.

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Harold Johnson's 1934 Ford

The car my Dad was driving when he met my Mom (and subsequently made her drive to work after they were married and he bought a Cadillac) was a 1934 Ford 5W Coupe. He took off the running boards, mounted motorcycle/spare tire cover fenders on the front and dropped an Olds Rocket 88 in it for power.

He can't remember what the headlights or back bumper were off of but the rest of the car was pretty much stock. He kept it until I came along then traded up for something my Mom wouldn't be embarrassed in. What was wrong with her?

Blurry picture of Barbie wondering why she has to drive this 'ol noisy thing to work.

Sure wish they had kept it, but that wasn't his way.. Like most hot rodders, he loved getting new toys, but also like most car guys, money was tight and to get something new you had to get rid of something old. These pictures were taken in Westchester, CA in 1955.

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Harold Gets His Snow Day

1931 Ford Model A Snow Car


My Dad's been waiting all year to get this duel axle, tracked Model A on the street. Last night we had a pretty good cold front move in. And with Western Washington all but shut down this morning with iced roads (this ain't Chicago), it was a bit of a slack day at work. 19 degrees in the sun, 2 inches of packed ice and conditions were go. We won't put the front skis on until we get some real snow (don't want the local heat accusing us of tearing up the pavement), but according to the forcasts, it won't be much of a wait. This old beast really scoots and you haven't lived until you're heading down hill and you realize you have two brake handles on your right, but only one right arm. Steering wheel or brakes? Oh 'da thrills. Everybody had a lot of fun until we had to abandon the un-heated cab and head for the Bookers.

Harold Johnson On The Cold Streets Of Puyallup





Beau & Grampa Snow Car-ing





Ski Wheels



Back To The Barn

 

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Tiffany Knight

Tiffany Knight is a SoCal artist who creates by the name of DJ Coulz. And like every guy in this town, she has the same secret dream... to be a Pharaoh. Well maybe not, but she definitely loves American Graffiti and she shows it with her mondo talent. We came across this beautiful print, Ace Of Spades, at DeviantART. She says she is working on an Ace for each of the four main characters story lines. Can't wait to see them. Enjoy.

A & M Deluxe Customs

A & M Deluxe Customs

1134 N. Fremont

Cornelius, OR 97113
503 992-1988

That's it. The contact information above is the best advice I can give anyone who needs help with their hot rod project. The Naked Milner attests to their skills, and I am here to testify to their character. Owners Aaron Atnip and Mark Spurlock are good, honest people. They do what they say they will do. Anyone who's been into cars for any amount of time knows the importance of that quality. And whether you're looking to stay traditional or go all out Darryl Starbird Superfleck Moonbird custom, if it rolls on wheels and moves on gas, they can do it. Metal is their passion and specialty but I know for a fact that one of the boys, who shall remain nameless (shhhh...it's Aaron!) drives a certain Chevrolet made of fiberglass and they are not above helping out fellow afflicted rodders.

They've been invaluable to our project and we have enjoyed working with them every step of the way. We look forward to the future and a few more of these builds while we can still reach the pedals.

Jim Kirstead

1939 Chopped Mercury
Barris Brothers Custom

Jim Kirstead brought his 1939 Mercury into the small Barris Brothers shop in Compton to have it chopped and customized. When finished, it was the first chopped Merc out of their young enterprise. Never heard of it? Not many have. It was 1946. Jim had just gotten out of the Navy after having served on a submarine during World War II. He had a gorgeous new wife and was making pretty good money as a lather in post war Los Angeles.

Jim spent a lot of time with the Barris Brothers. He would spend hours with Sam explaining just what he wanted and stayed around to make sure it came out that way. He would sometimes take my young Dad with him and they would sand while Sam would be welding or leading. George was around, but while he helped with the sanding, he wasn't much into the heavy cutting and metal work.  When the thing wasn't in pieces, Jim would drive it home.

 The picture at the right was taken in 1947 at the races out on the dry lakes outside of LA. The car was in primer then almost ready for paint. Jim drove his car and Sam took his customized '41 convertible Cadillac. They made quite a splash. to be continued...

You can see the somewhat primitive work on the chop. But they had that roof down so low, the windshield was only 4" vertical. The running boards are off it and the glass seems to be up front. Good thing rain wasn't much of a problem in Los Angeles, even before global warming.

Jack Pulliam

1966 Ford Fairlane GT

My cousin Jack, who lives in Arizona, spent three years looking for just the right car for him to rebuild. He found it in Greene, Iowa. Bringing it back to the desert, he spent the next three years cutting and welding to get rid of the rust that had accumulated in this vehicle's earlier life in Minnesota. As you can see in these photos, Jack did an awesome job that he says continues even as he tries to drive the wheels off it. He even drove all the way to Nevada to show off his GT's badass stance at this year's Hot August Nights in Reno.

Powered by the stock big block 390, this GT has none of the girly amenities like power steering or power brakes that tend to weigh down less serious muscle cars. That has tended to inhibit his daughters somewhat from asking to borrow the car (smart choice Jack). But ever the caring father, Jack is currently restoring a '66 Fairlane GTA ragtop that sports all the power gizmos plus air conditioning and even an automatic transmission. What an old softie. 

John Hillier

1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone

While in Spokane yesterday we stopped by John Hillier's place to get a look the progress he's made on his period correct tribute to those monster A/FX gassers like the Saux & Sons, Don Nicholson, and Hayden Proffit cars of old. Down to the skinny details, he's had it at the track a few times already running high nines. He figures to add a bunch of ponies and trim some of that time when he mounts the injection stack he's just finishing up.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera so these are courtesy of my iphone. I managed to click a few of the cool details like the fuel shut-off coming out the tail light, front axle, headers, and his "I Like Mine Injected" on the hood. He's getting ready to add artwork to the sides, re-upholster the front seats, and top off that mean 427 this winter so we should be back to take a run and get some better pictures in the spring.

Mark Groesbeck

Kip Pullman's American Graffiti Web Site

The Kipster is back! Mark Groesbeck (aka Kip Pullman) has redesigned and re-invigorated his highly regarded study of yours and our favorite film, American Graffiti. 

Now if My Dinner With Milner is the nachos appetizer and Jeff Hamrick's All Graffiti, All The Time 2 page is the before dinner Margaritas, Kip Pullman's new site is the whole Enchilada so to speak. A well thought out menu of entertaining tidbits, deliciously rare photos and thesis-like essays all guaranteed to satisfy your AG knowledge appetite. Mark turns the film inside out to see what makes it tick. And while we already know that we love the film, he helps explain why we do. His look is from a film student's perspective while ours mostly come from inside the Coupe. To celebrate his return, we offer one of Mark's Greatest Hits for your listening pleasure. Easily one of the most played musical selections on our site, this record is the perfect aural accompaniment while reading Professor Pullman's musings. Enjoy

Coke and Old Harper - Kip & The Rippling Biceps 2005

Jack Bell

Jack is building a Graffiti coupe. Eventually. He's gotten sidetracked a little bit. While hunting down a Man-A-Fre set-up for his car, he became intrigued by the story behind the famous manifold. He wanted to know everything. What are the right parts, where do you get them, and who produced them? That last question led him to Harold Graves. A lot was written about Mr. Graves back in the day, but after the Man-A-Fre Company was bought and shifted it's focus away from hot rod performance parts and towards Toyota 4x4 accessories, his legacy sort of vanished. Any one who's called Man-A-Fre to try to locate linkage parts or get any info at all knows that they will not discuss anything. Whoever you talk to either has no knowledge or no interest in the history of the famous manifold. After these rebukes, most of us shrug our shoulders and move on. Not Jack.



He began acquiring parts. A lot of parts. He researched and obtained every article written about Harold Graves or his product. He bought more parts. And now... he's writing a book. The story of Graves, the company and it's famous intake system. Besides being commercially viable, we think the book is greatly needed just to fill a huge hole in the early performance parts historical lineage. Boy, I know we would have appreciated one while we were putting our 4x2 together. Did I mention he was buying parts?



We asked Jack for a picture of his car, no matter what stage it's in. Here's what he sent. Very funny. What a chop! Ha-ha! Quit laughing!



Mr. Bell was kind enough to send us a bound collection of Man-A-Fre pictures and articles. If his finished book is half as informative as what he to sent us, it's sure to be a big success. Congratulations on your book and your new marriage Jack. May they both last as long as the manifolds you're saving. Aloha

Steve Kimmel

1932 Ford 5W Coupe

Steve Kimmel is a car guy extraordinaire. Back in the early 80's Steve built what remains as one of our favorite cars of all time. Heavily influenced by American Graffiti, he created his own version of the Milner Coupe in blue. Not a clone by any means, it still had the look and stance of our favorite ride, and most importantly it was just a beautiful deuce hot rod.

Featured in Street Rodder, it attracted quite a bit of attention and Steve eventually sold it. He's currently building another '32 Ford 5W which may or may not turn out to be a Graffiti Coupe clone. But however it materializes, it's bound to be special. 'da Hui has big Aloha for Mr. Kimmel and can't wait to see the results.