SEPTEMBER 2017

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” T. E Lawrence

RIP HA

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I dig hot rods and the whole idea of hot rods and customs. Some of it’s nostalgia for the embryonic sensory perceptions I got when I was 6, 7, 8 years old and later; it’s an appreciation of what was goin’ on at that time. Then I got older, came to the party intellectually and I got it. Now, what with messing with other kinds of cars (OT?) which I have to, really have to…so no apology….I hear once in a while from real car guys - but not hot rodders: “I don’t get hot rods.” JFC, Man, you what? Do you try to 'splain it? No. Fuck no; he's missing some kind of cool-gene or something. You don't 'splain it even if you like the guy and you've been going 80 miles an hour in an 80 year old car across some flyover state (lookin' real good, I'm thinkin') and everybody you see at gas stops gives you the thumbs up or engages you in friendly convo....no. You don't 'splain it.

WHAT'S NOT TO GET????????

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So, yeah, yeah, yeah, I was squirmin’ when the pictures started coming in from Bonneville. Yeah. Fuck yeah. Racing. Sun. Noise. Weenie Roasts. How dare they do it without me? (First of all they didn’t need you, Ed.) I know whose fault it is, it’s ….mine. I didn’t go. I mean…they hadn’t barred me from it. Hadn't excluded me or forbidden me to go. No. I just didn’t fucking go and I regret it. Let me tell you one tiny reason why I have such regret: it’s the bigger, better, more acclaimed, soulful Hop Up Act that I hoped it would be. Our Boys (and Gal) got it on the run. An' I want to see them in action.

Likewise, coverage of the Boners running to Bonneville always warms me up,. I just got off the road myself but not with a glorious handful of cars like that. It’s good either way but that posse has stall. They’re carryin’ the Torch, Boys. Takeit and run.

FABIAN PUTS SPONSORS NAMES ON THE CAR. I THINK IT'S IN CRAYOLA.

Our Main Mang Fabian was in impound after his first run, 10 miles an hour over the record, but one of his 'hair driers' failed the next morning and she couldn't get there for the record. Racing is a wicked lover.

Heard the course was rough, return roads (obviously) treacherous and I kinda wonder if I really want to take the ’36 or the new highboy out there, but sheeeit! I gotta. Next year, Baybee!

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Hey. Ya know, all the Doom some of us predicted for our hobby is, after serious reflection, kinda hysterical, I’m thinkin’. Let’s visualize the positive side of things: The shrinking of the number of participants can be a good thing, if it should happen. It’ll be Refinement. Cream rising to the top. The ones lost will be the trophy chasers and cross-bred golfers . It’ll make parts and cars cheaper, more abundant and the breed will improve as the only survivors will be true believers. The Fittest. They’ll have to be. The audience will shrink when the Beach Town doesn’t dare celebrate internal combustion any more with their street ‘car show’.Maybe they can have golfers set up their electric carts along the strand and prop up their clubs in an appropriately phallic display. That’ll bring in the outliers to spend money in the shops, make all the merchants happy, won’t it? huh?

Think how many fewer broken hoods there’ll be when only the Informed are gathered? I mean, it’s possible that there’d be NO NEED for particle board and plastic trophies. Well, then, there, now, the few who remain can take safe, private refuge together somewhere else and have something like a Reliablility Run or a Neal’s Hot Rod Party or a Weenie Roast or a Roundabout. With Kinfolk. No Suckafoos, No Pretenders. No FRAUDRODDERS.

See, some of us been doin’ it that way for a long time to avoid fakers; and it's like findin' money.

LABOR DAY

Big Cruise in Orange County with a whole mess of those folks mentioned above but I still remember it as pretty fun, hangin' with a group (at the time) and actin up. Good spot for such carryin' on.

Don't reckon I'd make that one again, either, and, being known for always featuring sizzling temps....we got a hot one, here, Cookie (20 Mile RIP).

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Took a car to Monterey to sell at auction (first ever of such foolishness) and it “No Saled”. Ol’ Morty don’t win ‘em all, do he? HAHAHA!!! We weren’t even gonna go this year but I was encouraged to send the car, the auction company pitched me to send it, too. We (luckily? Maybe.) knew somebody who had a cottage for a 5 night minimum, right in Carmel, that they couldn’t use after all - oh, but it had no parking place to go with it, so had to do 2 hour max parking places until evening then go blocks up hill to find a ‘permanent ‘ one at night…sheesh. We Ubered, hitched rides with Pals and even drove our slippery ride a little.

THIS IS WHERE WE INVESTED 6 HOURS FOR 3 MINUTES OF DISAPPOINTMENT. KNOW WHAT WE DID? WE CELEBRATED ANYWAY.

AT LAGUNA SECA THIS GENUINE BANGER SPRINT CAR WAS HOP UP MEAT TO THE BONE, NO EXCUSES

I GUESS IT'S OK TO LEAVE YOUR HOOD OPEN IF YOU'RE IN THE PITS!!! AND IF IT'S A C JAG.

There literally were parties, dinner dates, BBQ'S, a date to go to the track…like every day and night; so we did have a fine time; no sale or not. But we had that fine time with 250,000 other people. We did NOT stay for the concourse…had not planned to… and made a hi speed run home on Sunday to unpack and face reality. (Your version of reality, Ed.)

I don't plan to go again for a couple-few years.

Pro:

Best on-the-street car show in the world on Ocean Ave.on Thursday, walking distance from the cottage. Anybody notice there were no open hoods? Yeah. Me., too.

Races are incredible mix of all kinds of special race cars, with total access to the pits.

Lots of friends, acquaintances and no Morons in sight, although I’m sure some were there.

More Super Cars on the street than are congregated at most anyplace but Dubai.

Concourse is one of the three or so best in the World; some say THE best. Probly is.

CON:

Too many people, including some unwashed, other subgroups who have different standards of courtesy as pedestrians. As humans. As….holes, I guess.

Too many people. 30 years ago, it was crowded but the crowd was all car enthusiasts. Now, a bunch of those above-mentioned are there for the spectacle and OMG.

There are too many people there. As I said above, I’ll do my part and not go for a while.

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HOW 'BOUT THE GARDEN OF GOW?

La Gila: Carbs? Bein' rebuilt again. Misc doo-dads like hood hold downs, trans shifter on for final; finally put gears in the QC, chose 3.62 , fifth gear is over driven, oughta pull ‘er up to about 2.90 (that’s fairly long legged – hope the little hemi likes steep hills with that cog); gotta do cowl and shell lacing, and a few more. Fireball Paul is here installing the old interior and top and is smack-dab in the middle of it as this goes to press. He actually has to fab and create as much as if it was a new job, so I get to follow the science and sensitivities of somebody who really has it goin' on. Beside the t 'n r interior set I inherited from the old car (Robert Williams' Aces and Eights thru Tom Branch), he's also had to remake some parts from a disastrous, unusable job I overpaid for years ago. Now, because he's better at it...the stuff works. Wait'll you see it.

Having Him out there doing his craft made me walk out and piddle around just to be near it all.

FIREBALL PAUL IS REMAKING THE INTERIOR AND IT LOOKS NEW!!! WHAT CRAFT!

Probably no pictures for ya other than this interior detail shot, for a while. (Bet you'll show a hundred of 'em later in the month. Ed) Likely she'll just “come out” for GNRS and show the golfers how cars look with the hood closed. Know anybody who can get ‘er in the Suede Palace? Come, on, somebody gotta have some pull…………………..!

Prepping the ’27 Stutz for Modoc County run was easy. Only mechanical issue was to install a distributor base (same as Duesenberg, Bob tells me), change oil and test drive. She’s hardly been driven since last years run…and tho’ that sounds like a shame, it’s what goes round. That happens when you have a garden to tend to. A lot of it tends to be like stolen art in a guy’s basement, where only he can see it and appreciate it. I do. None is stolen, but I can sit, or aimlessly shufflemyself through the space and appreciate every one of them. I’d rather have it (The Stutz Spyder) and do a legit tour – 600 miles or so of spirited driving - once a year than not have it at all. This rhythm keeps a guy busy and pretty much all teeth. (Now, since we did all that, I decided not to even go on the Tour; been gone so much and have some to-do’s, family stuff and even spent some time on my career. (WHAT??? Ed.)

Now, Fate owes me one……yeah, I know: we’ll be in the ’36 in October but I mean something ELSE!

I MAY HAVE MISSED THE TOUR IN THE BIG EIGHT THIS TIME BUT TRUST ME…I WAS DOING SOMETHING, RIGHT BRUCE?

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Conjuring up a Fall turnaround for the ‘29, 3-4 cars, just an overnighter 250 miles away. Used to do that a couple times a year…and that’s one reason the snug little thing has 48000 miles on ‘er. I need to ratchet that up to 50,000 miles ASAP, seems right. Plan is to never restore it. The patina comes oh-so-slow, so we good , Dad. Did major mechanical maintenance on ‘er about 2 years ago (maybe it was 3???) so she’s ready to go, I’m thinkin’.

I MEAN, REALLY? A STAY-AT-HOME? I'M THINKIN' HELL, NO!

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Shag-Nasty. That W.O. Bentley – I’m saying this about mid-August – is mechanically a pearl (so far) and perfectly restored. But I have angst about how the thing looks. Sorry. That’s part of it. These cars can be tricked and tweaked…there’s almost no ‘Rules”…but this one has to have some shag-nasty pitched in to the equation….or I ain’t showin’ you anything.. I mean it. Naw, it’s not bad or anything, beautiful really, but there's stuff like windshield (I mean 'screen) needs modified , run lights and other gook are needed; more aggressive lookin’ tars are here, not on yet, so that’ll be cool. Oh:, it started to get dark one night so I ran out there, flipped on the battery, lit the bitch, went for a 5-10 mile spin just to see what it was like with the lights on.

I drove down the driveway and could see the hills way out on my left , turnin' brown now, after our unique wet winter had greened them up. The sun was still showin' on them, shadow growing up the hill side moment by moment, as it was dropping behind the hill on my right. Bitchin. It was a really cooled off evening, perfect “roadster” weather. Even if the roadster is a 1925 Brit. Went up and down some hills, practicing shifting the thing at awkward moments, trying to avoid the no-synchro mash, stopping it hard, and..... just rejoiced. Savored.. I listened to the whine of the trans, and the putt of that hi-tone OHC banger. Damn. Be nice if the ’screen was like I want it but that’ll come.

THIS-HERE IS A CORRECT 'SCREEN LIKE WE TALKIN' 'BOUT

Reflecting on it, I guess I had had the Blues for a minute before the ride, but, well, this fixed it. It really ain’t bad, now is it? Naw, it ain't so bad for you ol' Shits, either, is it????.

ONE O' THESE STONEGUARDS, TOO. ACCESSORIZIN' IS SO 1-800 EASY, I'M ASHAMED.

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With The Holiday here, there's not much more to add , except that we look forward to the fall and probly a new roadster to try out, one more run in the '36, and changes on the W.O. You see it here. I mean...all 19 of you got the Password, right? I thought so.

Wouldn't hurt to get some photos of your iron so this isn't so Mort-centric, ya know?

And while you're at it.......

GRAB A GEAR; ONE WITH SYNCHRO WOULD HELP, BELIEVE IT.