As with any drive, there are highlights, some low lights, and some just plain fun stuff. Catch phrases developed that will heretofore be part of rodding lore and hence terminology: "gentleman rodders"-rodders who stop for sit-down meals where there are tablecloths and no indoor spitting allowed; "Moalin' it"-Steve Moal became known for drivin' with throttle down, ears back, and our next stop in sight; and "Texas stop sign"-when a Dairy Queen is spotted that's tantamount to a stop sign and you must pull in and get ice cream (malts and shakes count), food is always optional. Also, in any town where the weather is always bad, you are allowed to believe locals who say, "You should have been here yesterday" in an attempt to make you feel good about yourself for stopping there. Other tidbits of the road that are inescapable include: the elevation of Flagstaff, Arizona, which is 7,335 feet, and, while it can be cool in August, it is down right freezing in late October; driving a street rod of any make, year, or model is inherently better than any other option-except the same drive in an open roadster; and when starting a day at 24 degrees followed by rain and sleet in an open roadster, you will stay cold-all day!
Since Ken found himself inside the Dynaliner coupe, we asked for some input and here is what he had to say:
"Scott Whitaker, and his talented team of Josh Shaw and Scott "Slick" Williams at the Speed Kings garage in Cincinnati heavily hammered a new Brookville steel '32 coupe, mounted it on a beefed-up '32 frame, added a postwar Ford-style X-member, then handcrafted wire wheels with spun aluminum discs. Under its extended hood lurked a 284-cube, bored-and-stroked S.Co.T.-supercharged Flathead V-8, built by a master machinist, Dick Lewis, from Lititz, Pennsylvania. The Flattie was hooked to a Tremec T5 with a vintage-looking shifter, then to a Halibrand quick-change rearend.
"When the coupe was completed and fully painted, Scott and Slick went at it with Scotch-Brite pads, muriatic acid, hand chisels, screwdrivers, sandpaper, and steel wool. Soon, the Dynaliner looked as though it had rolled out of a barn after a half-century of dead storage. The complete car was ready to dazzle this year's SEMA crowd, just as the half-coupe had done. Scott had only 25 miles on his now battered-looking Deuce before it was time to go. Rollin' west out of Cincinnati on a chilly Tuesday, Scott and I were snug and smug in the low-lid coupe. Layers of Dynamat ensured we could carry on a conversation, despite whistling crosswinds and straight pipes. At just 1,800 rpm, the silky-smooth Flathead cruised at 70 mph.
"At our overnight in St. Louis, the Dynaliner suffered its first and only problem. The mounting points for its racing-style, lever-action friction absorbers had snapped off, and both front-spring shackles had broken. We borrowed new shackles from the Brookville guys and continued on without even reconnecting the shocks. The coupe's ride, noticeably stiff but supple, didn't seem to be affected."
Corky Coker, of Coker Tire fame, managed to keep his daily Web site blog going and had some interesting insights himself on the DDT.
"I will be doggone if it wasn't cold enough to spit snow this morning in Ohio! Steve Moal and Brian Brennan are driving topless! Real men! (Editor's note: You just knew I had to throw that quote in!) He (POSIES) is really catchin' some crap over it (i.e. not driving and trailering), but being a good sport about it. Trailering a hot rod on the Driven Dirty Tour ... dang it even sounds bad! Mike and I felt our delay was certainly worth the effort, since it started raining pitchforks and hammer handles. (Editor's note: That's Corky speak for rainin' hard!)
"For the third day in a row, we started with rain. Rural Oklahoma (near Tulsa), from the windscreen of a Deuce roadster, looks much like Tennessee except it is flat and not as green, and a lot more wind. Well, I guess it doesn't look like Tennessee at all! Editor Brennan took a very important picture, too, of Ken (Dutch) Fenical riding in his wild '47 Chevy Fleetliner on the trailer, while Josh Shaw pulled him! POSIES called us to tell us the instructions were wrong in our official POSIES Driven Dirty Tour guide book. Honest Mike was quick to add another nickname to POSIES' plethora of nicknames: Wrong Way Fenical!"
Posies Driven Dirty Tour is a good idea for several reasons: It builds camaraderie among manufacturers, it improves the very products all of us rely on for our cars, and it's fun. This isn't a foreign concept, as many manufacturers used to build and drive their cars in the early days of rodding. It's a different approach, but it does answer questions many rodders have always asked about those who manufacturer the products rodders buy and use-"Do you use your own product?" "Do you have a street rod?" "Do you drive your car?"-great questions to be asked, and the DDT answers all of them, which makes those of us rest easily as we help build confidence in the products rodders use.
Editor's Note: Make sure to visit www.streetrodderweb.com for the rest of the story. There you will find plenty of photos we just didn't have room to include in SRM.
Joshua Shaw is truly one of the most talented young builders in our hobby. Josh and Scott "Slick" Williams hold down the fort at the Speed Kings of Cincinnati hot rod shop on a daily basis for owner Scott Whitaker. |
"You should have been here yesterday" was something we heard a great deal while spending the evening in Amarillo, TX. The winds were plenty strong enough, but the wind chill made you pucker, and all the cars had this newly acquired "facial hair." |
Under the Dynaliner extended hood is a 284-cube, S.Co.T.-supercharged Flathead, built by Dick Lewis of Lititz, PA. The Flattie is hooked to a Tremec T5 with a vintage-looking shifter, then to a Halibrand quick-change rearend. Oh yes, with only 25 miles on the car, did we mention it never missed a beat and performed flawlessly? |
Here's the Dynaliner coupe as it rolled off the highway and then onto display in the Dynamat booth. It was assembled at Speed Kings and is based on Brookville reproduction 1932 body panels. |
We met for lunch with Johnny Capels, chairman of the board of United States Auto Club Racing (USAC)-headquartered in Indy-and Jackie Howerton, who is a well-known local race car builder and hot rodder. The Deuce belongs to Johnny and sports front and rear sway bars and a USAC-inspired, fuel-injected Flathead. |
No, it's not the Golden Arch, but rather The Gateway Arch in St. Louis (this stainless steel structure rises 630 feet high from a 60-foot foundation and spans 630 feet at ground level). We arrived in town just an hour before the start of the World Series game, but alas, no tickets. |
This is the first Brookville Deuce coupe sitting on the very floor where it was built (left in a metal finish and painted over with clear). It too made the cross-country trek with little in the way of break-in miles, yet performed flawlessly with its small-block Ford V-8 for power. |
Ray Gollahon, the family patriarch and president of Brookville Roadster, doesn't get out often, but was thoroughly thrilled to make the drive and experience his own craftsmanship firsthand. |
Ol' smiles, could it be Kenny Gollahon of Brookville was actually having this much fun? We think so, as we never did see him without a grin from ear to ear during the cross-country trek. |
(left to right) Ray Gollahon, Steve Moal, and POSIES (or "Dutch," as we called him on the trip, along with a few other names ... but you will have to see me in person for those!) discuss the work at hand. |
There may have been a few itsy bitsy hiccups on our DDT. Here, the Brookville coupe needed a shifter adjustment, and, after 20 minutes, Moal (legs), POSIES (head in wheelwell) and Whitaker (not shown) had the coupe running just fine. |