Clayton's 36'

I really loved this car from the first time i saw it.

Not many people pull the guards off 36' Fords and hotrod them this way and get away with it and Clayton's done a good job at keeping this old 60's hotrod alive.

Its for sale now to finance his 48' Ford. Sadly i don't have the room or money.

Almost Cashed In Me Chips Yesterday

This is what can happen bending 10mm steel plate in a press.

Just because you and everyone else has used the poorly designed jig a hundred times to bend plate doesn't mean its safe.

Stop and have a think, none of this she'll be right shit, no one goes to work to die.

Blood EVERYWHERE, ambulance came and gave me 5 shots of morphine and i was still begging for more. 8 stitches to the bridge of the nose and two black eyes. Won't know if i have a broken nose until all the swelling goes down.

Maybe 5 tonnes of pressure and the jig popped out and smacked me in the face. Just saw a blur and then blood was spilling all over the place. Any lower no more teeth any higher who knows maybe blind or dead. When it hit with such force i couldn't believe i was still alive. I would never believe having been hit that hard that anyone could live.

Stop and think fellas.

Custom Crafts

I was asked to post this and not be a smart ass or say anything untoward about Betty Boop, cherry hair clips or the need to spell custom and craft with a 'k'.
Therefore will it be good? Fucks me, sure why not

33' Drag Car

Nothing says Aussie drag racing more than red wall tyres and white overalls.

Purple

Good wheels bad stance.... Easy fix. Me want.

Rapson & Dutton

The lathe copped a work out this afternoon machining aluminium solid bar for work.

As always the 5min machine job turned into an hour.

Anyways i was lucky to score this old lathe off the grandmother of a guy i worked with. Right place right time and CHEAP!!! It was his grandads.

On the research i've done the lathe was imported in pieces and assembled by a company called Rapson & Dutton circa late 40's. It would have originally run off shafts in the roof that went the length of the workshop with long belts that ran down from these shafts. No such thing as hobby lathes in the 40's.

You can see the guy must have bought it, most likely second hand and bolted on an electric motor with a wood frame. Sounds bad but works o.k. for now.

He had a home made shield that covered the gears to stop stray fingers getting caught in the gears but i tossed it in the name of anyone having a finger missing must be old school.

If anyone has any info on Rapson & Dutton lathes let me know i'm keen to learn more.

Before And After

I stole these photos from the Ozrodders website but thought they might be of interest here.

The story was no one died, but thats a big hit for a car with no seat belts.

Damo's Hardtop

Fuck yeah Damo the hard works payed off.

$150 For Chrome

I've always said the one good thing about nostalgia drag racing is how cheap it is.

Ipswich Motorcycle Club

No Date but looks post war???

What Do Scooters And Fat Chicks Have In Common?

There fun to ride until ya mates find out.

W.C.Z. roving reporter P-Rods sent in this Vespa of a couple on a camping honeymoon by the lake. Must be what all the hipsters do these days?

Petersen Museum

Ed Roth's 'Outlaw' the real deal not a clone.
Alright been there done that. Just going through old photos i thought i'd lost. I'll get back to Australian rods and customs soon.....promise.

Honest Hisself

From my trip a few years back. Honest Charley's Speedshop is in Chattanooga Tennessee. Basically central America. Same address since 48'

I bought some parts for the Model A. Great guys, cool shop in a town that for us, would be like going to Dubbo to buy new parts.

The town heritage listed the shop and building as well!

Diagnosis

In the 50's this would have been the height of diagnostic equipment.
Unfortunatly when i did my apprentiship and worked as a mechanic we had these magical hand held computers that told you everything and nothing at the same time.
I'm certain that in this hi-tech age we live in most mechanics would no longer be able to read a vacuum gauge. Sad but true.

Jalopy Showdown

A few years ago i got tired of work and decided to up and leave the country. I travelled through America and Europe with the money i'd saved and basically the whole trip revolved around the dates of certain car shows and car museums. (Ford in Detroit, BMW in Munich, Mercedes Benz and Porsche in Stutgart, Toyota in Japan etc i won't bore you with them all as i did most)

Anyways one car show that really stood out from the rest was the Jalopy Showdown in Gettysberg Pensilvania.

I had to rent a car because the location was a bit remote and difficult to get to but one i thought would be well worth it. I drove out one afternoon and spent the nights sleep on the back seat of my little Chrysler at a truck stop. I remember it was a fucking cold night with my shitty jumper i had and every shirt i could squeeze on and two pairs of long dickies and still frozen. The radio said what i worked out to be 4 degrees celsius the next morning. I was still happy with my little adventure though, its all part of the experience.

The car show was at an old oval dirt track in a remote country area with the car show itself being in the grass paddock in the middle of the track. In the afternoon if you wanted you could blast around the dirt track which was wet to keep speeds down and i guess make it safer and by the looks funner.

The whole atmosphere was cool and the crowd really friendly. Nothing like the bullshit of Viva Las Vegas, just real car guys with home built cars. These are just some of the photos.

I would love to go back and meet up with the people i met at that show, i'm sure they'd remember me. It just seems so far away now....

Gonna Take Your Daughter Out Tonight

Theres something a little off with Australian 34' Ford roof lines compared to the U.S. model. Looks more English maybe? Thats not to say i don't like them, in fact i like them more because of it.
Lynn Arrowsmiths Ford ticks all the right boxes, especially the colour, perfect channel and chrome wheels.
And that look on Lynns face just says "Evenin' Pops, is ya daughter ready?" She'd wanna be Lynn, she'd wanna be.

Live Fast Die Young

This dude surely got fucked up.

Busy...

I was going to push the Valiant out of the garage today and get a photo with all the roof finished but by the time i was done working on the c-pillar it was too dark. You'll have to make do with this dark and dingy photo of what i've been busting my ass on.
The blog has been taking a bit of a back seat lately. If ya gonna talk the talk i guess ya gotta make a weak attempt at walking the walk and the sooner this gets done the sooner i can start the model A and everything else thats hit the back burner.

Buy Me

If anyone wants to go one Ebay right now and buy me this Y-block powered wooden speed boat i wouldn't hold it against them.

Rust

Sometimes i find it hard to stay motivated to work on the same car day after day, especially when the light at the tunnel is sometimes only a dim light.
I know everyone goes through the same thing. Some people cut corners to make quick progress but for me i just plug along and try and do things right.
The rust in the Valaints c-pillar has been one of those jobs i've been putting off and am only now getting to.
My motivation however is at an all time high. I've been busting out some long hours and looking for work to finish instead of looking for an excuse to stop. The rust in the pillar is already cut out and a patch panel made.
I guess in the end all the hours of unmotivated work you do and seem to get nowhere eventually pay off. I'm sure this current work ethic will last a good while.

I'll post some photos of progress soon.

I Got A Handle On It

To match the wheel. I was that bored at work, it still needs more sanding and the wood stained. This week i'm making a tube notcher between jobs.

Ghost?

Is the kid in that photo a ghost?

The rusty pedal car we pulled out of the bush a while back. It looks kinda like a tractor but is too far gone to repair. Just something to hang on the garage wall.

Or Best Offer

So i heard you were after a 39' Ford chassis? Well then i'm the man you'd be wanting to see.

If your a W.C.Z. follower you'd know we pulled this out of the bush. All i wanted was the front and rear ends but somehow we ended up taking the lot and now i gotta move the fucker when ever i mow.

As a result its up for sale....cheap, as in beer cheap. Its pitted in spots and is definitely showing its age but still usable.

Email me docdewar@live.com.au and we'll organise a time for you to drop the beer around.

Its located 20min west of Brisbane just over the border in Ipswich.

Hot Rodding Review....3/10

I got given some old Australian hotrod magazines the other day that go me excited when i saw the covers. (Thanks Paul) Unfortunately the content in these old hotrod magazines is always hit and miss. If only the cars on the covers were in the mags themselves. Good covers though.

Who Gets Bogged In The Suburbs?

Been having trouble with my daily driver lately. Seems somethings draining the battery overnight and leaving me late for work. I got a feeling the batteries cooked.
I swear that car knows i'm gonna ditch it as soon as the valiant is on the road and is trying to out play me.
Its done it before when i've gone to look at other cars......it knows.
Anyways i thought i'd jump start the car but the battery is that bad it wouldn't even kick over. No problem i'll drive the Customline. Get the Cusso out and think i'll just quickly wash all the dust off it from sitting under the house.
Problem is my hose is not long enough so i drove it onto the grass, wash it down, go to move it and with all the recent rain i got bogged and ran out of fuel trying to unbog it.
Now i'm well late for work waiting for my good ol' dad to help bail me out.

Beatnik Scotty

Scotty sure does some tidy pinstripping.

Damiano

I met Damiano in a camp ground in Denmark of all places.

He woke me up trying to start his Vespa the morning before these photos were taken.

We tracked it down to some bad wiring, got it started and blasted through Copenhagen.

Trust me theres nothing gay about two grown men on a Vespa? O.k maybe it was a little gay but i'd do it again.

Anyways Damiano had travelled from Italy all the way to Denmark with nothing but the G.P.S. on his mobile phone to guide him, even on the German autobahns. This dude was living the Vespa dream.