mooneyes flashback

One of the side effects of getting older and wiser is that I'm tending to forget things. Like, where did I put all those photos I took at the last Mooneyes X-mas Party. And then, to my surprise and delight, they suddenly resurfaced from some hidden corner on my harddrive. So, to the honor of throwback Tuesday, here are those shots that almost got lost somewhere between Irwindale Raceway and my brain. Sorry for the delay.

the devil's in the details

Even in his wildest dreams, good ol’ Henry would have never imagined this: More than 80 years after production ending, his 1932 Ford Roadster is still highly sought after. And it actually is so desirable, that it’s being reproduced – or at least most of its components. With only a few exceptions like the flathead V8 or the rear end. So, if you're longing for a brand new deuce roadster, it's only a couple parts orders aways. And a lot of hard labor, of course.

No wonder there are rumors like there might be more deuce roadsters on the road today than Detroit ever produced.

But as we all know: different strokes for different folks. And reproduction parts ain't everyone's cup of tea. But we also know that not everyone has the means – and/or the patience – to finance an original deuce roadster. So, whatcha gonna do, son?

Maybe you could follow the mantra of Jürg Seeberger's 1932 roadster: as original as possible, and as few repop parts as necessary. And this is kind of the way to go if you want to end up with a pretty authentic but still affordable deuce.

We must admit: Jürg is a lucky fellow. He managed to find the ideal foundation for his dream, a freshly built roadster, featuring an original 1932 rolling chassis and a Brookville steel body. The roadster had been built in Germany and changed hands several times before it ended up in Jürg’s shop. It didn’t have an engine when Jürg bought it, but he knew he would want to change several details anyway in order to make it his own.

To start with, Jürg completely disassembled the roadster. The frame was sandblasted, some rust was repaired and it was zinc coated before being painted semi-gloss black. Jürg didn’t want it to look like new, so he wouldn't go over the top restoring the frame. Some dings and imperfections were kept as they provide the soul to an otherwise very clean build.

Jürg is eager to stress that all of the suspension parts as well as the axles and brakes are original 1932 Ford material.

When it came to choosing the engine, Jürg also opted for a clever compromise between original and new: a French flathead. This license build of an American flathead V8 was used by the French army in their trucks up to the mid 1980s. And until today, they can be found as new old stock replacement engines. Only a few changes are necessary to adapt the Frenchie to his new civilian life, but it’s definitely worth it. It’s still less of a hassle than fiddling with an old US-flathead from obscure sources.

Jürg decided to bring his newly acquired French Flathead to Adi’s Speed Shop. Shop owner Adrian Schmid replaced the sleepy original camshaft with a more spirited one and, while being at it, added a magneto ignition, Edelbrock cylinder heads, and an Edelbrock slingshot intake. The fuel pump is an original Ford part with a beautiful old viewing glass. This is another one of the many little details that in their entity really make the authentic look of this roadster: starting with the cloth-wire, to the various bakelite parts like the spark plug connectors, or the starter solenoid.

After the updated engine had found its new place in the freshly restored chassis, it was time for the body. In terms of metalworks, there wasn’t much to do – thanks to Brookville. So, Jürg was able to fully focus on the color choice. He was really fond of Washington Blue – an original hue from Ford he had seen on the very 32 Roadster from Sweden that had inspired him to build his own roadster. The paint guy from the Carrosserie Soland in Lucerne quickly provided him with a sample, but in the meantime Jürg had made a fateful discovery: He had removed the Ford emblem from the original grille shell and underneath, there were traces from the original factory color: maroon red. That put a quick and definite end to the blue era.

While the roadster body was being painted in the original red of the grille shell, Jürg took care of restoring the trim. Same here, he wanted everything to look and feel as period as possible. That’s why instead of chroming the parts he opted for nickel-plating. While chrome looks very bright and clear, nickel has a slightly yellowish glow.

So, all the shiny parts got a nice flawless nickel finish: the grille, the headlight trim rings, the trunk handle, the windshield frame and even the air cleaners on the Stromberg carbs. A very slight difference at first sight, but it really adds to the hot rod's distinctive attitude.

The finishing touch of Jürg’s roadster is the subtle, tastefully designed interior. Following his philosophy of less is more, he only choose a few, but carefully selected materials. The local upholstery guy took care of covering the bench seat and the door panels with leather.

The steering wheel is an original Ford item, as well as the European spec kilometers-per-hour speedometer, sitting in the middle of two Stewart Warner instruments.

And that’s about it. There are simply not that many other parts on a roadster, so there’s nothing left to do for Jürg except for enjoying his hot rod every free minute. And that’s exactly why he built it – right down to the smallest detail.

video: the race to TROG

DKS! spent eight months documenting the build of a 1928 Ford Roadster. Check out BMX’er Heath Pinter as he builds the roadster and treks cross-country to participate in The Oilers Car Club "The Race of Gentlemen".

Take a ride with DKS! and Heath as they travel on a cross country journey to The Race of Gentlemen in Wildwood, NJ. Follow along as they test drive the Ford Roadster on a dry lake bed in California, ride Harley Davidson Scramblers in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee and get down with some BMX action in the caverns of Louisville, Kentucky.

Watch The Race of Gentlemen and and see the competition unfold between real hot roders and their latest builds. Learn the history of Lars Mapstead's 1951 original Barris build, Mike Barillaro one off Belly Tanker and finally Heath Pinter's 1928 Ford Roadster build.

Source: The Race of Gentlemen - Race to TROG from Ian Beaudoux on Vimeo.

the ultimate mild kustom

The history of custom cars, or kustoms, as we prefer to call them, is a story with many ups and downs. It went from mild to wild and then back again. And at several points in time, it almost came to an end. Not a happy end nor an end in tears either, but more of a fade away. Luckily, in the mid to late 1990s, following the resurgence of traditional hot rodding as well as the booming rockabilly culture, custom cars and leadsleds were suddenly gaining interest again. Of course, there’s always been a bunch of hardcore aficionados with a love for the low, slow and sleek. But it wasn’t until the very beginning of the 21st century that people were really starting to appreciate the relevance of traditional kustoms again.

Actually, it’s hard to explain why kustoms ever got out of fashion. There are few automotive styles that are as timeless as a traditional kustom. There’s nothing overdone, it’s all about elegance, sometimes combined with a sinister attitude. And there are not many better looking cars than a customized 49 to 51 Mercury – whether its been radically modified or it’s gotten just a subtle improvement of the factory design.

Chris Rubio’s 1950 Mercury Coupe might be the perfect example for this. It looks stunning from every angle with its flawless black paint, great stance, and subtle body modifications.

And it hasn’t even been chopped.

We don’t know exactly if this is true, but there’s a saying that there are more Mercury Coupes with a chopped top than original uncut ones. Chris couldn’t confirm this either, but he knew what he wanted when he was looking for a Merc: »I had to find an unchopped, subtlety done, traditional Merc.«

And believe it or not, it took him three years until he came across the one you see on this page: »The car was listed on eBay by a private seller. It was in January 2003 and I drove from Southern California to Las Vegas to take a look at it. The photos and description caught my eye and it seemed to be exactly what I had been looking for.«

When Chris saw the Coupe in person, he was blown away. Not like most people when they see the car from an ad for the first time. It was one of those moments when the pics don’t do the car justice – but in the most positive way possible: »The body was straight with absolutely no rust. And the seller had all the documentation from the restoration down to the last bolt. It was too good to pass up!«

Since the seller of the car, Chuck Fischer, already had bought the Mercury from a previous party, the Mercury’s history is mostly in the obscure. But whoever did the body work and paint on that car, did an outstanding job.

The black enamel paint, even after more than 20 years, still offers a mirror-like finish that seems to be deeper and glossier than many recent builds.

This is even more impressive when you know that Chris drives the car a lot: »I took it to Viva Las Vegas for several times and I usually attend the West Coast Cruising Nationals in Santa Maria. This is definitely not a trailer queen.«

One of the key factors of building a kustom is to make it look like it hadn’t been modified at all – or to leave people guessing what’s been done to it in order to make it look that cool. So, even though this Merc’s roof is untouched, the Coupe still got quite a few body modifications.

It was nosed and decked, the door handles were shaved, the headlights frenched, and the grille treatment is one of the most traditional kustom touches on a Mercury. It’s a beautiful early 1950s DeSoto grille with its signature chrome teeth.

Another thing Chris is really happy about is the stance: »It had to be low, but I didn’t want airbags. So, in my opinion, the way this Mercury sits is perfect. And it is still driveable.«

According to the previous owner Chuck Fischer, the chassis build caused quite a lot of headscratching: »Mr Fischer told me the suspension, stance and smooth ride took a lot of thought. Especially since he didn’t want to bag it.« The solution was a Camaro sub frame, combined with 2” dropped spindles. The rear was lowered using 3” blocks and modified leaf springs. Steering clearance is perfected with Fatman narrowed tubular upper and lower control arms.

The engine was also chosen because the previous owner, just like Chris, wanted the Mercury to be driveable. With the trusty 305 ci. Small block Chevy, the black sled is the perfect cruiser. Chris only added a pair of Olds Rocket style valve covers and a pin striped Caddy air cleaner for a more period look. And with those flame throwers hooked to the dual exhaust, Chris never has to worry about people tailgating when cruising down the 405.

With this Merc, Chris didn’t only accomplish his goal of having a slick sled. He’s also following a decades old family tradition: »My dad had a 47 Ford in high school and a lowered Black 56 Chevy when I was just a kid. He was in a car club called the East L.A. Road Knights. When I was about 9, I had a friend whose dad had a couple of early Chevys that he was always working on. He finished one of the cars and I remember riding in it to an indoor car show. I was instantly hooked. I thought, someday I would own one of these sweet rides.«

And even Chris’ mom contributed her part to the black Mercury: She hand made the Fuzzy Dice that’s hanging from the review mirror, using balsa wood and then crocheting the cover. A nice and personal finishing touch to this ultimate mild kustom.

highway 101

Take a drive baby up the coast, yeah highway 101
I'll pass Ventura and Santa Barbara too, just as fast as my motor runs
Gotta pocket full of memories, some happy and some are sad
Gotta girl standing by my side through the good times and the bad.

Listen to the boulevard, listen to the falling rain,
I believe in love now, with all of its joys and pains.

© Social Distortion

the race of gentlemen 2016

There were rumors. And now it's official: The Race Of Gentlemen will make it to the left coast! And of course, it'll still be in Wildwood as well, albeit a few months earlier. Confused? Check out the flyer.

happy new year!

Happy new year!! I would like to thank everyone who already bought my new little book LOWTECH - The Second Issue. Sorry for any delays due to closed post offices during the holidays.

Haven't ordered it yet? Get yours on lowtech.bigcartel.com

This picture of Brett Miller cruising down an Orange County parkway is an outtake from my photoshoot with his killer 1931 Roadster.