TRJ Issue #16

Fast Company
President of Crain Communications, Keith Crain is perhaps best known as the publisher of Autoweek, but is also very much a hot rod enthusiast. He raced a Ford-powered slingshot dragster in his youth and now presides over a stable of ’flamed early Ford’s and a blown Hemi-powered Willys.

For a Few Dollars More
So-Cal Speed Shop builds possibly the ultimate Mercury Mild-Custom for Gene Olson. The ’51 convert was designed to emulate a first class late- ’50s high school cruiser, but houses a 502-inch big block Chevy.

The Coolest Coupe No One’s Ever Seen
St. Louis native and life-long hot rodder, Bob Rothenberg shares his teenage hot-rodding exploits, which took the form of a ’32 three-window. Bob stewarded the coupe through flathead Ford and smallblock Chevy street versions before ultimately converting it to a nose-up mag-wheeled fuel-injected Gasser.

Now and Then
A wonderful side-by-side look at an original hot rod icon, the Dick Flint Roadster and its present-day offspring, Gary Meadors’ track nosed Model A. Meadors’ roadster was built by the talented crew at Steve Moal’s Northern California hot rod emporium, while the restoration of the Flint car was handled by present owner Don Orosco’s in-house shop.

Northwest Passage
Long time Portland, Oregon hot rodder, Ron Love, shares his scrapbook of early ’50s drag racing from the Pacific Northwest.

The Romeo Palamides Story
Michael Dobrin dives into the history of the man who built beautiful dragsters, started the American Wheel Company, thundered down tracks in awesome Jet dragsters and built perhaps, the coolest hot rod intake manifold of all time.

The Rumble Seat Tour
This is the account of 68-year-old Paul Garrigan and his 7,150-mile tour in his ’34 Ford. Paul traversed much of the western United States in his flathead-powered roadster and reported on just what he saw of the hot rod world in his travels.

Classy Pickup Lines
Don Schumaker’s ’35 Ford Pickup resto-rod is impeccable. The Long Beach, California bodyman had originally planned to do a 100 percent stock restoration, but his life-long dream of owning a hot flathead-powered hot rod led him down a slightly different path.