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.
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.
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.
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.
i'm sure the owner of this 1959 dodge custom royal didn't know what to think of me. the usual suspect: "do you work for a magazine?" in his eyes, yet he didn't ask. he did run over to the car and ask if i'd noticed the seats. they just looked like seats, did not appear to have been specially reupholstered or anything. he opened the passenger side door and ta-da: the seat swivels. i guess that could come in handy. he explained that for several years it was standard on these cars. if they still made them that way, perhaps a couple of sets of sheepskin seat covers would have lasted a lot longer for my passengers.
well, thanks for pointing that tidbit out, i wouldn't have known otherwise. really.
anyway, the distinctive front end and prerequisite back fins caught my eye. really an interesting car to let your eyes wander over. maybe i'll post the back end sometime – the fins are quite different form others i've seen, and you know how i feel about the fins... :)
so, yep, i've been really busy at work. hectic. i've been lucky if i can catch an hour toward the end of a car show lately. and, as its been colder, not as many cars show up anyway, so by the time i can get there, most are already gone that were there.
anyway, i made a point to get to the ruby's in whittier last friday, a bit of enderle on sunday, followed by original mike's. figured that more than a few from enderle would go over to mike's, since its not very far. and they did.
this old 1936 chevrolet sedan has seen better days. you've already seen it's hood ornament a few days ago. got a nice aged patina going, i think. the dusty windows make me imagine they drove in from an old barn or garage somewhere norman rockwellian. owner was probably in the restaurant or partaking of the beverages on the patio, so i didn't get the background on it. always welcome to comment or shoot me an email to add the story here, ya know...
i think this car has seen better days. this hood ornament is on a 1936 chevrolet sedan 2-door. looks like nothing has been restored yet, as if the car has been wasting away in a garage for a long time.
owner wasn't around, so i don't know the story, but i found the image interesting.
this is an interesting car. don't see too many of these around often. actually, there was another one next to it, but it was a truck. nice gills on the side and the swooping grille up front, this is a 1934 hudson terraplane k at the whittier founder's day celebration. i know this for sure, because the owner has fortunately/unfortunately prominantly displayed a plaque in the window saying so, and wants everyone to know he owns it, and where you can find it, should you have any nefarious intentions, i guess. sort of ruins the image, but oh well.
did i mention that it was my birthday that day? what a great gift to stumble across this little display of cars on a day that i had declared, "no car shows this weekend!" really, i did say that. i had to go back to the house to fetch my gear...i couldn't help myself...lol. my husband watched patiently while i took all my shots. i think he was just enjoying the view from behind.
it was such a nice day, i got a bunch of decent shots, i really didn't have to do much to them. and that's the way it is.
i hope you've got your fix of my photos...i'm driving up to seattle this weekend on business while my hubbie stays home :(...back late monday, and no access to my computer. patience grasshoppa.
yet another 1938 chevy from the downey broiler. something about this body type i really like. the big, full fenders and grill, and my fav, a hood ornament, i just gotta take a picture or two or three...
the couple that owned this one and a similar one (this one, i think (correct me if i'm wrong): /whats-up/2010/5/14/pontiac-attack.html), knew i'd taken shots of their cars, and after having seen an 8x10 print of another car, were totally all about buying one of each of their cars. when i get a reaction like that to my work, i know that i'm doing something right.
we'll see. a lot of people say that they want a print, but then don't follow through. i suppose they're happy with the wallpaper they copy from here and that's fine. but nothing will beat the full resolution print without my name plastered on it, and if i don't get an email about it or run into them again, i probably won't order it, unless i wouldn't mind having one myself anyway. if i happen to have a print of your car in my book, you're welcome to buy it from me—i can always order another. :)
need i remind anyone, these images are copyrighted? if you want to use them for anything other than a personal wallpaper, you need to ask permission...send me an email.
got to the broiler late the other day. sun was already starting to set. had to park in a spot that really wasn't a parking space, because the place was so busy and i didn't want to park way out back in the dark. quickly got my gear out and took a first walk around the place to see what was on display this evening.
found this '37 pontiac around the front. it was so clean. how could i not take a picture of it? i took 4 points of view, and not really a bad one in the bunch. this one just seemed most interesting, with the sky showing off the chief's profile best.
a lot of people stopped to chat with me and look at my book, so i did not take as many pictures as i probably would have otherwise. i watched the sun set and answered their questions. i ended up staying later than i had planned.