Fathers. The plan was this: My son Sebastian and I had just finished one of many restorations, the Blood Sweat & Gears 1948 Prefect.
We wanted to do a father-and-son project to keep the family tradition going in the same manner as my dad and I had done, and he and my grandfather had done before that. We wanted to find a project car that had no history, so Sebastian could dictate the direction of the build. I wanted my son to take the lead so he could learn the building process. He would pick a time period, research what was being done to cars at the time, and pick a car.
Though he looked at many brands, in his heart he wanted a Studebaker. He always had a thing for the Flintstone Flyer. He searched for ’59-’61 Larks for months, and then a ’62 Lark popped up on Craigslist. We looked through the ad, and the phone number caught my eye. It belonged to a friend, Chicago Mike. Seconds later we were on the phone with him, and I asked the standard questions: Any rust, body damage, and do you have the title? He asked, “Didn’t you read the description in the ad?” to which I said, “Obviously not.” He answered my questions and also told me he couldn’t get the trunk open.
When it came time to talk about a price, I thought I was going to have to haggle. But when Mike learned that the car was for my son, he cut the price in half. With that, the car was on a trailer back at our house within a couple of hours. Mike was still messing with the trunk when we came to pick it up.
This story is from the May 2017 edition of Hot Rod Deluxe.
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This story is from the May 2017 edition of Hot Rod Deluxe.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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Cal, Nick & T-33
REBORN.
Backstage Past Part 10:1963
This Glendale, California, photo session produced the Bob D’Olivo (behind camera, right) transparency that became one of HOT ROD’s most-artistic covers.
Travellin Deuce
A stock height windshield, in conjunction with a body that’s been channeled the full width of the frame, gives the ex–De Fillipi/La Masa ’32 roadster a chunky, almost perky appearance. Discrete lakes pipes peek out beneath the framerails, just behind the firewall. In the mid-’50s, the lakes plugs exited (curiously) in front of the rear wheels.
back to basics
bountiful. the ’32 ford has become the quintessential hot rod, thanks to its good looks and the fact that the model year coincided with ford’s release of a v-8 engine in addition to the reliable four-cylinder.
his purple passion
eli english was a grade schooler when he first spotted this '34 couple peering through the open doors of a local garage. thirty years later, he got to work on this period-perfect late-'50s hot rod and put her back on the road.
Nothing Screwy About It
In this space in the Sept. ’16 issue I wrote about several topics, including the Screwdrivers car club of Culver City, California, and whether or not the famous cocktail was named after the club.
Blue Bird
Fathers. The plan was this: My son Sebastian and I had just finished one of many restorations, the Blood Sweat & Gears 1948 Prefect.
Mark of Excellence
Tilt. Somewhere in a small farming town in central Illinois is a garage with a couple of car builders who live in a time warp that starts and ends in the 1960s.
waterlogged trog
waterlogged trog
