#to stop channeling bandit keith

[chaos0pikachu]

I simply wish that when people did color theory based meta for BL works they did so with the knowledge or acknowledgement that colors mean different things in different cultures instead of solely from an ethnocentric pov

[itsworn]

Scene at the 2017 Palos Verdes Hot Rod Run

In comparison with many events covered in HOT ROD Deluxe, the Palos Verdes Hot Rod Run may not strike you as the most impressive when it comes to the number of entries. A few dozen cars might be all it gathers. Yet, what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, as the majority of the vehicles would have looked right at home in the pages of HOT ROD magazine in the 1940s, 1950s, or 1960s. These rides were built with historical accuracy in mind—just the way we like them at Deluxe.

The Palos Verdes Hot Rod Run is the brainchild of Lynn Bird, who owns several traditional hot rods in L.A.’s South Bay area, about 20 miles south of LAX. Lynn envisioned an affair that would make the most of the beautiful local beach scenery. After planning a route set to run along the Pacific Ocean, he contacted his good friend Keith Tucker to see if he might be on board to start the event at his place in the same vicinity. (See sidebar).

Lynn envisioned a driving cruise catering to his hot rod friends; he never longed to create a huge get-together, hence it remains an “invitation-only” gathering of like-minded folks. Besides, organizing a larger happening would require city permits and insurance. It just wasn’t worth the effort.

The first cruise took place in 2012, and four more have since been organized, zigzagging through a well-thought-out route that primarily winds around the coastal city of Palos Verdes, one of the most affluent cities in California. Ocean to the right and imposing houses to the left, with beautifully groomed lawns and palm trees; it just doesn’t get much better than this. In a way, the event is a nod to the 1940s and 1950s Reliability Runs made famous by groups such as the Pasadena Roadster Club. But unlike the latter, the Palos Verdes gig does not involve any competition with checkpoints and such. It’s all about cruising with friends.

There is something to be said about small and rather informal affairs such as the Palos Verdes Hot Rod Run, proof that you don’t need a thousand cars to create a successful event. We need more happenings like these.

Lynn Bird, the hot rod run’s promoter, owns an impressive collection of jalopies, including this ’32 Ford pickup, fitted with a 401ci Buick motor and 8-inch rear end. We dig the appearance of the weathered paint job and bumper. Lynn let his son Alex drive the truck during this memorable day.

Frank Barone built his ’29 Ford roadster mostly from swap meet parts. Notice the heavy channel, along with the ’37 Ford grille. Before you get up in arms and complain about “another rare grille being cut up,” this one had already been chopped during the 1950s, and somebody did a nice job at it, too.

Running Kelsey rims, Steve Beck’s topless ’32 Ford would have looked at home on the streets of Los Angeles just after WWII. The car features a dual-carbed 24-bolt flathead equipped with Smith heads. You can now purchase nice reproductions of these somewhat forgotten pieces.

Participants enjoyed a route that included four stops, starting with a park offering a beautiful view of Catalina Island, followed by a street (seen here) overlooking the L.A. basin and downtown Los Angeles. Next came the Point Vicente Lighthouse, before hitting the smooth coastal road once again, though it involved a short stretch known as one of the “most geologically unstable sites in the world,” requiring repairs and repaving regularly every year.

Jim Foltz joined the festivities with his roadster, a Model A Ford modified as a hot rod in the Long Beach area during the 1950s. It has nicely been redone since, as you can see, though it retains its old-timey feel thanks to a Chevy 283ci V8 and early running gear.

Event organizer Lynn Bird entered three hot rods in the cruise, two of them driven by his sons. Here is Jonny and his girlfriend, Danielle, enjoying Lynn’s period-style ’29 Ford roadster pickup, running a 59A flathead behind a chopped Deuce grille. He told us, “The body is mostly ’29, with different doors and a handmade back half.”

A talented car upholsterer, Luis Loyola prowls the roads of Southern California in this ’29 Ford, motivated by a Studebaker V8. A Paxton supercharger adds a few more ponies. We like the proportion of the roadster, with its freshly done 3-inch chopped top, obviously the work of Luis.

Quite the view of the Pacific Ocean, eh? Fred Dagher’s ’29 Ford roadster pickup features a handful of neat details, such as the uniquely cut hood sides and louvered frame covers. Firestone bias-ply tires on wire wheels and a hopped-up flathead fit the traditional theme of the vehicle.

The Rusty Nut is the nickname of Mark Jarel’s ’29 Ford roadster, which he purchased many moons ago as a stocker. The simple hot rod treatment called for removing the fenders, a leaned back and chopped windshield, and a ’36 flathead V8. Loyola Auto Interiors handled the upholstery.

Artist Rich Sandomeno runs Spragwerks, a shop specializing in custom jewelry and belt buckles. In the foreground sits his delivery vehicle, a ’31 Ford on the road since 2014 and powered by an Olds Rocket engine. The flat black Model A roadster pickup parked behind is another interesting take on the truck theme.

You might remember Jerry Mull’s red ’29 Ford with small-block power from the Deuce of Spades cult movie. Jerry has been involved with our hobby for decades; his ’48 Ford Woody appeared in Rod & Custom magazine in 1970. In this picture, he is getting ready to leave the park surrounding the Korean Friendship Bell in San Pedro, the cruise’s last stop before some participants headed to a restaurant in the San Pedro harbor for a nice lunch.

Lynn Bird found a real gem in the shape of a three-window Deuce, which had been channeled in the 1950s. Though some of the work was a little rough, the shell proved in great shape. He then chopped the roof 3-3/4 inches and fitted a Dodge 270ci Hemi in lieu of the old flathead V8. A T-10 four-speed box and 9-inch rear end make the coupe enjoyable to drive.

Check out the wicked stance of Mark Morton’s ’32 Ford roadster. Mark, the man behind Hop Up magazine’s revival a few years ago, built a Deuce that checks all the boxes of a traditional hot rod: deep black paint, flathead V8, ’40 trans, Culver City quick-change, and even N.O.S. BLC headlights.

Paul Gommi owns an amazing selection of ’32 Fords. Some of you might remember his phaeton, for instance, entered in the 2014 Grand National Roadster Show. Here is his panel delivery with ancient lettering, powered by a Stromberg-fed ’49 Ford flathead V8. Note the rare Pines Winterfront grille, too.

The man behind LimeWorks Speed Shop, British transplant Steve Dennish, elected to use a rather unusual Hemi engine to motivate his real-steel Deuce: a 4.5L Daimler V8 from the U.K. Other noteworthy attributes include a dropped, filled, and chromed ’32 axle and a Halibrand quick-change. The roadster is appropriately painted Jaguar Pacific Blue.

A famous designer at Hot Wheels/Mattel, Larry Wood has good taste in automobiles, as demonstrated by his chopped ’33 Ford Tudor. Its great stance is enhanced by the American Racing five-spokes. Incidentally, Larry is a longtime member of the Early Times Club, founded in 1964.

Although California offers a remarkable list of rod-related events every year, only a few are solely dedicated to traditional hot rods and customs, the Palos Verdes Hot Rod Run being one of them. Leonard Luna’s ’36 convertible Ford perfectly fits within the invited gang of jalopies. He found an interesting way to display his flathead V8 by cutting part of the hood.

Part of the event’s allure is the route plotted by Lynn Bird. This ’36 Ford truck looks perfect with all of the palm trees in the background. It keeps company with Josh Bauer’s gorgeous ’31 Model A, also known as the Blue Bandit. We remember seeing Josh’s blue coupe in the Suede Palace during the 2017 GRNS.

Even the untrained eye will realize how much extensive work has been performed on Tony Miller’s ’40 Ford, which came out of the factory as a coupe. Yet, alterations remain subtle and perfectly proportioned, from the 2-1/2-inch channel and custom windshield, to the lengthened doors and raised fenders with new openings.

Lee Pratt has built multiple show-winning custom cars since the 1960s. Today, you can often see him behind the wheel of this unchopped ’40 Ford coupe. The hood hides a ’52 303ci Olds V8, while other cool details include a Super Bell dropped axle and ’47 Ford bumpers.

After running Starlite Rod & Kustom for years, Jack Fields recently opened a new shop, Kraftsman Autoworks in Torrance, California. Jack drove his flamed ’54 Chevy to the cruise, fitted with a healthy 383ci motor. Being nosed, decked, chopped, and lowered, the coupe has all the elements of a ’50s custom.

The Tucker Collection

The driving event started at the Tucker’s house, flanked by a mind-boggling collection in a separate structure. Keith and his mother, Patricia Tucker, are the caretakers of these relics, which the late Kenny Tucker (Keith’s dad) began collecting decades ago. It all started with a few antique automobiles complemented with Ford signs, blossoming into an impressive, 2,500-square-foot building filled with a dozen cars and 850 colorful signs and neon—all vintage—and there are more vehicles in a second shop/storage area. Vintage cars, hot rods, and even a couple of dirt track racers—it’s all there. The Tuckers love other antiques, too; the memorabilia found onsite included bicycles, a working ’39 pinball machine, a 1950s peanut machine, a 1934 popcorn machine, a collection of more than 80 round shift knobs from the 1920s-1930s, and so on.

Keith and his mother, Patricia, pose next to a neatly detailed Model A equipped with a handful of Cragar hi-po goodies. The ’37 Ford Cabriolet in the back is a beautiful piece, too.

Talk about an incredible collection of vintage signs! Cars are not too shabby, either. Equipped with a 120-horse methanol-fed V8/60 Ford engine, the ’46 Kurtis-Kraft received a thorough restoration more than three decades ago. Behind the Midget sits a ’47 Cadillac convertible flanked by an Olds 88 woody. The Tuckers have good taste.

Built in 1934, the Holland Special won several races before being retired in 1958. It first relied on a Model B four-banger, replaced in 1938 with a Chrysler six-cylinder. Among its owners was Joe Mac of Ford Obsolete fame, who bought it in 1960.

Both Keith and his dad put thousands of miles on this ’35 Ford, parked next to the convertible ’49 Merc that the younger Tucker purchased in 1973. In the very back of the room resides a ’29 Ford sedan project car, which Keith’s grandfather bought in 1932. It will transform into a 1940s-style hot rod.

Antique bicycles (mostly found at the Hershey and Carlisle swap meets) and motorcycles nicely complement the cars. The rack welcomes six quarter-midgets, ranging from 1939 to the 1970s. This place has it all.

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