while i liked this hot rod for it's plain hot rodness, it was the hood ornament that actually interested me at the time. i don't think she's the original ornament, or even from this model / make of car, but you can never tell what you'll find on these conglomerates of old cars.
something like this is pretty much what pops into my head when someone says they drive a hot rod: old radiator, exposed engine, flames on black paint...only diff here is that it has a mini truck bed in the caboose.
so i was stuck at home all day on saturday because my car was in for service at the dealer's, and was without a computer to play with since thursday (long story, don't ask).
i got to the show at hooter's in el toro this morning. it was almost too warm to enjoy save for the cool breeze. i'm trying to horde up on pictures now, before summer really gets cookin' – i want to have plenty to work on during the hottest months, when i think i'll confine myself to evening shows.
while there were quite a few cars there, most already had their hoods up by 10:30 a.m.; you already know my opinion on that score. there were not so many of the older cars that i like, so i didn't stay too long. this pair of very nice oldies could very well have sat in the same lot way back when they were brand new.
the 1949 cheverolet deluxe is for sale, and i have the number if anyone wants it; the '48 plymouth special deluxe on the right was in pretty good condition too, but not for sale. parked next to the three decades of corvettes further down, i think this pair was far more interesting to look at and photograph – i used to want a corvette, so don't get me wrong, they're nice, but i'm kinda over them now.
out of curiousity, what is the difference between deluxe and special deluxe anyway? is it like the difference between a double-double and a double-double animal style? just that little something extra?
ah, so now i've done it. i've posted a car twice. perhaps you remember this one. back then i wished i had a better opportunity to shoot it; and here it was last week at the broiler. in the back lot. i took several shots of it, but for some reason i just liked this one.
i'm very busy this evening and this one was ready to go, so i hope it's all right with you.
(the lakers just won, i guess...neighbors are blowing off m-80s or something)
i knew my evening plans were history tonight, when they asked me at work if i could drive out to brea to do someone else's press check at 3 pm...then it was delayed to 4, then 5, 5:30, 6... killed some time at brea mall, then got my car washed.
sucks, really. no laker game tonight, and fairly warm...guessing there was a better turnout tonight in downey than last week. the show i stopped at yesterday, at fuddrucker's in el toro, i literally, walked around the lot twice, and found absolutely nothing that i had to take a picture of; either i'd already shot it, the hood was up, or i just didn't like it. slim pickens.
anyway, here's a perfectly turned out 1950 pontiac silver streak i found last week in the back lot of the broiler. owners that do hang out back there mostly just ignore me and carry on their conversations with the adoring crowds, one of whom was inquiring about the skirt (is that the right term?) over the back wheels, and where he'd had them done. caught this picture in between the gathering people and also those infamous japanese tourists...arrrgggh.
i'd killed enough time in the front lot, wandered back here just in time to catch the sunset with it. nice.
well, here's one-third of the weekend's signal hill show. clean? check. shiny? check. engine showing? check. at least there wasn't a hood to get in the way. such a rich purple, i can image willie would be right at home driving it around the factory.
it soon became one-half of the show, as a sweet 55 chevy wagon (i'll put it up soon) left just after i did – his chances of winning the raffle just went up.
these flames are so hot, they're blue. and silver. and green? well, it was a quality paint job anyway. interesting color combo with the green pinstripes. really, the owner was very nice, and even closed the back window for me to take pics of the back end. maybe i'll post it another time.
i went to this show at trabuco canyon and the show at signal hill this weekend, and each had about three cars during the time i was there. waited a bit, but nothing more was showing up. the guy running the signal hill show said there were 7-8 other shows going on at the same time, so his regulars were elsewhere. says he sometimes gets more than 35 cars. we both figured it was the ink & iron show at the queen mary sucking up the people for the day. oh well. glad i hadn't driven out of my way for it.
also stopped at the show off alondra for a little bit. not as many as i've seen there usually either. doesn't really bother me – not so many people to get in the way of my shots.
i was supposed to stop by the mopar show in tustin to shoot a truck for someone, but the heat must have gotten to me earlier, and i just started to feel out of it, and missed that one, as well as my niece's bday party...bad aunt that i am...slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon...still not quite right, but my husband says that about me a lot anyway.
quick post, and i'm off to my son's baseball game near LAX.
went to the broiler the other day. actually got there early for a change. where the heck was everyone? i think i heard a lot of people were probably over at the show off alondra. oh well, took some pictures, said hello to the regulars, talked to another graphic designer who's been following my blog...actually had time to sit and wait to see if anything interesting or new drove up.
saw this old chevy fleetline not long before i called it a night. owner was nice enough to come over and chat a bit. that's him on the right showing something to the japanese tourist. told me about another show down toward san diego at chicano park - only happens once a year, so maybe next year.
oh and that tourist and his two buddies...everytime i turned around, there they were, taking pictures of the same car i was doing. got in the way a couple of times, actually. had to go find another car sometimes and come back to one i really wanted just to get them out of the frame.
so, a custom hot rod has to start somewhere, somehow. we all have our ugly, awkward stages, kind of like going through puberty, and so do cars. some of them never outgrow it, but i have a feeling that given time, this one will improve with age.
not very far along in the process, though it has all the necessary parts to make it go. wondering what the owner's plans are: will they stop at the primer-look alike stage or do they envision a shiny, polished, yet flamey future for this roadster?
i swear i had a toy car that looked similar to this when i was a kid. it was purple and came with a little plastic rat fink, and who usually "drove" the car in my kid play. he was the shit.
this hot rod '23 ford model t (guessing) is the shit too. check out the detail on the engine here and here. this guy either loves this car or really needs to get some. maybe that's the point?
been working too many hours, and hoping to make it to the broiler tomorrow...
here's an interesting picture to contemplate while i work on a car to post.
according to wikipedia and just about any other research material you might look at, obwandiyag was also known as pontiac, an ottawa indian chief known for a rebellion named after him. how this associated with a car company, i have no idea, but hey take the idea and run with it.
this hood ornament from a 1951 pontiac eight caught my eye, the way the sun was illuminating it. the strong, yet simple lines of the design, blend right into the hood of the car. the fissured interior of the face tells of an age gone by. i've heard these things light up at night, but have never actually seen it.
oh the car was in good shape. nothing fancy. not hopped up and spit shined. looks well used and cared for, as it should be.