'Sleds and hot rods.

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Ron LaDow
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'Sleds and hot rods.

#1 Post by Ron LaDow »

Brett,
Can't remember the guy with the Japanese name who drove his Merc 'sled to Indy for the Big Show. I'll bet you know.
Ron LaDow
www.precisionmatters.biz

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Jack Walter
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Re: 'Sleds and hot rods.

#2 Post by Jack Walter »

Bob Hirohata - the Hirohata Merc was displayed on the mall in Washington DC last year - its one of the most famous hot rods in the world.

https://www.historicvehicle.org/award-w ... hata-merc/

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Ron LaDow
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Location: San Francisco

Re: 'Sleds and hot rods.

#3 Post by Ron LaDow »

Jack,
Thanks for the reminder; for some reason many searches regarding 'sleds never turned up Bob's name.
In the early '60s, my first car was a '52 Chev business coupe stuffed with a 327 and a rock-crusher; the Hirohata Merc was old news by then. And hot-rodders, snobs as we were, would have derided Bob's 'sled as a "Kustom"; got a timing slip?
I'm sure the customizers were equally snobbish; kids tend to be so. By now, it's interesting that Brett is keeping an old 'sled functional.
Happy cruising, Brett!
Ron LaDow
www.precisionmatters.biz

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Brett Johnson
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Re: 'Sleds and hot rods.

#4 Post by Brett Johnson »

Sorry, went to bed. Had to get up at 4:30 to do the last two hours of night practice driving with my son. In a couple of weeks he gets his license, so he can drive to his summer job -- but probably not use the money to pay for his car insurance... I paid for my 356 insurance junior year and 911 insurance senior year, but that was a different time.

My brother used to get copies of Rod & Custom and build models in the 1960s, so I followed suit. My models were more sports car related -- 1967 Mustang with flares and spoilers -- straight six with twin cam head, independent rear suspension. Won my age group, but by then model car contests weren't the same as earlier in the decade.
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Decided I needed a real custom about the time I got married and in 1983 bought the Buick for our first anniversary. It was advertised in Old Cars Weekly and was about 5 miles from my house. Drove it home barely -- then went through the mechanicals. It was a little rough. It is mechanically sound now and still has most of the original kustom stuff. It was no performance car and with its manual steering and cramped interior, isn't really a lot of fun on the road. Attached photo is at the Indianapolis Custom Auto Show in 1951. It was Metz first custom -- and first fins. He also did the fins on the Rod & Custom Dream Truck. You probably recognize that other guy in the photo. He worked on the Dream Truck too.
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Brett Johnson

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