Issue #52

The subscriber cover of The Rodder’s Journal issue #52 features Ryan Reed’s ’37 Ford Standard coupe. The newsstand cover of this issue features the “Takeout T,” a ’23 Ford Model T roadster built and owned by Russ Freund of Post Falls, Idaho.

Subtle Deception

The article explains all of the subtleties that make this coupe so much more than a “quickie hot rod” as one may first assume. Ryan spent a great deal of time and energy on the less-noticeable details. The most impressive of which is the stance. He specifically built everything else to fit where he wanted the wheels and tires to sit inside the fenders. And as Pat comments about his ride in the car, “not only does nothing rub, bang, squeak, or rattle, but it starts, stops, turns, and rides surprisingly smooth at speed on the freeway or negotiating rough rural roads.”

The Tribute T

You may recognize the Model T from the show circuit as it won many awards and was a contender for the AMBR. The article touches on the build of this roadster and all of the efforts made by the members of Russ’ car club, Thee Inland Emperors. It also describes in detail Russ’ history of hot rodding with his father, Claude Freund, who unfortunately passed away shortly after the TRJ photo shoot.

Circle City Chevy

Chris Broders’ ’49 Chevy has a paint job that can be described as Watson-esque, and this article describes in detail the elaborate paint job done by Jon “Harpoon” Haprov with pinstriping by Dennis Ricklefs along with the decisions made by Jon and Chris that led to the overall aesthetics. The custom bodywork and modifications were completed at Circle City Hot Rods in Orange, California and George Ramirez completed the interior in true Tijuana style. In this issue you can read how these efforts combined to complete this stunningly mild custom.

The Old Master Piece

Pete Eastwood of Pasadena, California recently restored Ed Pink’s famed front-engine dragster, “The Old Master.” It had its debut earlier this year at the California Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield. We photographed the dragster right there on the strip at Famoso Raceway. In this issue you can read about the restoration as well as the full story behind this piece of drag racing history.

Scrapbook

You may have heard about our publication, Scrapbook, and in this issue you will get a complete preview of the type of material you will find in the book. We have twenty pages devoted to some of the best scrapbook images we have acquired, but it’s still just a drop in the bucket compared to what will be in the book. Included are images and stories from hot rodding’s early days, to salt flats racing and drag racing, to indoor cars shows and road trips.

Darryl Starbird

Also included in this issue is a profile on Darryl Starbird and his influence on customizing over the last fify-five years. He is known for putting customizing in Middle America on the map, and has long been an iconic member of the hot rodding and customizing scene. This article gives the background story behind some of his most memorable work.

The Survivors

In this issue you will also read about Salina, Kansas resident, Roger Morrison’s pair of ’40 Ford coupes including their commonalities and noticeable differences. Also featured is Eric Clapton’s ’32 four-door Ford Victoria, a sport sedan that Ford could have built. These features along with much more can be found in The Rodder’s Journal issue #52. Enjoy!

Victorian Phantom