Very interesting!
On my initial page-through of the March issue, I got to the "Garage Scene" and the overhead cam pictures on page 54 drew me to read the captions. First, the two straight-six OHC heads on a 500ci V-12! Then I went to the pictures and captions at the beginning of the article on pages 52-53. A 427FE with overhead cam! A 198ci Model A 4 with a pair of Subaru heads! Back to page 54 to a chaindriven steering unit; a 383 with SOHC kit and a big-block Chevy with Porsche 928 heads! I already knew I had to e-mail asking for more ... a lot more detail on each of these motors.
Then I turned to page 56-and choked. All that wonderful equipment and cars were destroyed. At that point, I went back to read the whole article, even before finishing the page-through.
Please, start a new department in STREET RODDER called "Miracle Motors" by Pete Aardema, and let's read some detail of how he built these wild creations. And, let's follow along as Pete rebuilds. That lakes roadster with the Model A 4 Subaru heads is worth a big article on its own, record-setter or not.Mike RauchVia the Internet
Pete is and has been a longtime friend of the staff at STREET RODDER, and we too were devastated (as we can only imagine what Pete was going through) after the fires in San Diego. We will keep tabs as Pete begins to rebuild, but should you want to talk directly to Pete and find out any particulars on what he is building and when things will be up to speed, he has given us a cell number that any of the SRM readers with an interest can call: (619) 778-9921.
Pebble Beach
Thanks for the great coverage of the Monterey week in the Feb. '08 issue. Ken Gross did a great job of summarizing the numerous events. I have been a judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance for 22 years and have shown some winning Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars at PB. I can tell you riding across the ramp with Pat Berardini to receive the Dean Batchelor trophy for the Most Significant Hot Rod was one of the true highlights of my automotive hobby experience.Roger MorrisonSalina, KS
Roger, it is always good to hear from you, and we are glad you had such an enjoyable experience at Pebble Beach. We, too, thoroughly enjoy looking at the Berardini Bros. roadster, as it is one of our favorites.
More On Tops
The story in the January issue by Tony Prowense is somewhat similar to mine. The included picture is of my '47 Mercury convertible converted to a hardtop. I customized the car in the mid-1950s. I removed the convertible assembly and purchased a brand-new '51 Chevy Bel Air hardtop through the Chevy parts department.
The windshield was chopped 3 inches, and the top was welded at the front and rear sides. The engine was the stock Mercury Flathead, and the car was painted in lacquer-jet-black body and '54 Buick Titan red top and dash.
Upholstery was tuck 'n' roll vinyl, black and red. The car earned a Second Place in the custom class at the 1954 Sportorama Auto Show in Denver, Colorado. The big mistake I made was selling it in Denver in 1958, since it was a one-of-a-kind I wish I had today.
I am still active in the car hobby at 75 with a '32 Ford roadster highboy and a '32 Ford five-window coupe, full-fendered with a '50 3/4-race Mercury Flathead. The coupe earned a STREET RODDER / Turtle Wax Top 100 award in 2007.Chad HuntMorgan Hill, CA
Bonneville Praise
It was great to see your coverage of last August's Speed Week, and I was really exciting to see two pictures of our car with mention of me having just captured the E/STR record, which incidentally I had also set the previous year. This is a pretty special accomplishment for a project we started just three years ago and one involving the GM V-6 that some refer to as the 3/4 small-block, except its complexities are several times greater. I am not even too upset at being referred to as "he," but I would like to correct the record since there are so few women drivers on the Salt that we do need a bit of recognition.Robin DrippsVia the Internet
Robin, we checked with the author of the story Frank Oddo and he blamed it on his glasses-he didn't have them on! We are sorry; yep, you are most definitely a woman. Glad all has gone well for you and the roadster. Hope to see you next August and this time we will remember you are a member of the distaff side, which we are seeing more and more of every year.
Department Of Corrections
To say I was excited when I opened up the February issue of STREET RODDER to page 25 and saw my husband and I at the Chicagoland Goodguys show in a picture taken by Robert McGaffin is a terrible understatement! I am so angry by this picture-who is Tracy Harker, and how did she submit this via the Internet? This stroller was not made by any Zig Ebel of Dallas, nor was it painted by Alton Gillespie. This stroller was made entirely by my husband, Kevin Goff, of Morris, Illinois, for our newborn baby. He started making it as soon as we found out I was pregnant. Karl Buhle of Madman Designs, also of Morris, did the airbrushing. I am quite upset that someone seems to be claiming this stroller to be their grandson's. Did they not recognize their own children in the picture?
At least they gave credit to Robert McGaffin for taking this great picture! It would be nice if you could rerun the picture with the correct information! Also, please let Tracy Harker know we are not her children, and this is not her grandchild in the stroller!Kara, Kevin, and Dakota GoffMorris, IL
This is the classic case of a freelance photographer getting his notes mixed up. Right photo, wrong info! I am sure everyone knows what their own kids look like. No need to get mad at anyone; it was a mistake-something I am sure all of us have personal experience with at some time or another. (Even my mom recognizes me, although she once drove off and left me standing at the curb outside the grocery store ... but that's another story.) So, we're running your e-mailed letter and your photo-hope this helps.