Friday, December 30, 2011

A REAL HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.........The Hangover Cause and Cure....




I've had this dream before!!!
Marilyn and Elvis wishing us the best for the New Year...I wish they were still with us.

 Here are some reasons why we need a post party cure!!!
An old magazine cover from England...she sure knows how to party!!




Hair of the DOG!!!
Good Old ICE!!!!
Bromo Seltzer from wayyyy back!



Yup! ...nothing better than a good ol' cuppa Java!
Anacin!
PLOP PLOP....FIZZ FIZZ .....Remember?


Blowfish - Combination Caffeine and Pain Killer!
Never heard of this before......



 A couple more good ones............ B&B 
Bufferin and Bromo.









It looks like Donald has more than milk in his baby bottle here....from this old 1937/38 Mickey Mouse Magazine.
Many thanks to all those who contribute to this blog page and also for all those who watch and send encouraging emails(Ton's more vintage racing and local history coming in 2012).  Some of these photos won't enlarge much but click on them to see.  Be sure to check back on last years new years post for more remedies...click here then come back. http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2010/12/happy-new-year-2011.html
FINALLY - SAVE YOURSELF, YOUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS FROM A TERRIBLE TRAGEDY, DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE!!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Sedan.....a California Gem from the 1950's.....

As a kid growing up in the far north........myself and many of my old car buddies always dreamed about California .......maybe going there some day, and seeing in person some of the incredible hot rods that came out of there.  All we had were the stories and the Magazines such as Hot Rod, Car Craft, Rod & Custom and Hop Up.  One that stuck in my mind all these years was Bob McCoy's 1940 Ford Sedan.


Bob is an extraordinarily talented hot rod artist with much of his work featured in many of the hot rod press magazines and books.  This hot rod was Bob's high school car, and has probably appeared in print more than most other hot rods through the years. 
He built the car in the mid 1950's, using a tidy but stock '40 Ford sedan as the base.  The front end was lowered 12" using a Dago'd axle(Dago'd axles were flattened out in the dropped area and have hammer marks in the dropped area also) and reversed eye springs, along with much smaller 5.50 X 15 front tires.  The rear tires were 8.00 X 15, giving it a timeless hot rod stance.  The engine was a Flathead V-8 pulled out of a drag car, to full race specs.




 The '40 was flamed by Ray Cook, with McCoy adding the lakes pipes and custom nerf bar.  Bob's car was given huge amounts of press between 1955 and 1957, including making the covers of Car Craft, Rodding & Restyling and Hot Rod Magazine. 
Nothing certain is known of the whereabouts of the car today, thought the majority of rumours centre around it being turned into a street rod at some point.  Bob McCoy currently owns a '40 Ford Coupe which is running the original nerf bar from the sedan.
The Sedan is epitomised by '40 Ford owners as inventing "The Look".

I don't exactly know where I got this story but it is one of those incredible California tales that us northern boys always loved to read about.  This one in particular was written by Bob himself.
.......and this is the second page of the story....Enjoy! then scroll down.
















This is a self portrait of Bob's car...where?....but of course at the famous Mel's Diner from "American Graffiti".  If you want to see some of the incredible stuff that Bob is up to today, head out to this link then come back...click here http://www.bobmccoyart.com/index.html

I don't usually write about anyone out of our home area of Fort William and Port Arthur, but I've wanted to include this as a blog post for some time now......lots more to come in the New Year as usual.  ...and as usual click on all the photos especially the written ones to be able to read all the stories.  Hope you enjoyed this one....D.
FOOTNOTE:  Given the nickname of the town from whence it came, San Diego - "DAGO" - the Dago dropped axle, was requisite metal for any ride worthy of being called a hot rod. Re-manufactured, as it was, and marketed by San Diego speed merchant Ed Stewart, the axle was such a pervasive part of hot rodding that it's nickname became a description for a down-in-front hot rod.....when someone described a car as "Dago'd", there was no question about it having a nose-down stance.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Merry Christmas 2011 ....the last Christmas post for this year.

This is one of my most favourite photos ever posted by our friends at Shorpy.com .....The peace and serenety of the scene after a fresh snowfall reminded me of my childhood days.
  
 The following picture was posted once before but it is one of my favourite family photos ever.  Who could ask for better times at about 15 years old(one year before I could drive).  This of course is my family taken in December of 1959.  My mother Noreen, not with us anymore, my little sister Daryle, my baby brother Corey, my Dad, Jon(yes..that is how it was spelled, and still doing well at 92 years) with his perpetual cigarette and of course myself with my white and red ski sweater on(if it was in colour).  We were out getting our annual Christmas Tree, somewhere near Oliver Lake here in Fort William.  I couldn't have asked for a better childhood than what I had....things were a bit tough at times, but  I was truly a lucky kid.  Click twice on both photos to enlarge.
Thanks to all who have donated pictures throughout the year and all those who faithfully watch HR&J....We will continue to try to bring you something new and different as time permits.
Merry Christmas to all......D.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

A Few More Memories.........before Christmas 2011......

Here is the first of two Saturday Evening Post covers from December 17, 1949 and a few ads taken from that particular issue.  It is interesting to see some of the changes in the past 62 years.  The late 1940's and 1950's were much simpler times than what we share today....and it is nice to go back sometimes, not that you want the world of that time back, but just to reminisce a bit.  My dad always said that he felt the richest in those days.....not money wise but family wise. 
"Gifts that say Merry Christmas with every puff"...OK....Santa says that he wants to give you throat cancer for Christmas.........And WOW...that 1950 Ford ready for early release...."It has the LOOK.....It has the ROOM....It has the FEEL.....It's the '50 FORD".  Be sure to click once then twice on these pictures to view them FULL SIZE.
It only costs you .40 cents a quart to make your car think it's Summer......A great Quaker State/Snowman oil ad from this 1949 Post Magazine.
Do you remember the New Pixie Flash CAMERA ...notice that it is mounted on her wrist and is not much larger than a big wrist watch except for the flash unit.  Mom could now work for the C.I.A. with this little spy camera.
Here is the December 24, 1949 issue...the following week from the one above.  Poor Dad and Mom are totally exhausted and actually falling asleep while decorating the tree.....they will be glad when Christmas is all over......Everything is finally done and its Christmas Eve 62 years ago....This feeling is something that has never changed much over the last 62 years.
How dare those Americans call Canada Dry's Ginger Ale the American Ginger-Upper......It called CANADA DRY....get it!!  LOL ....It also says it has the Purest Jamaican Ginger......Hope that's all the ingredients from Jamaica....LOL again!!  The next ad here is kind of bizarre....I had never heard of "Fatima" cigarettes.  I thought only "Turkish Delights" were imported from Turkey.  Very unusual.  Once more...click once or twice to enlarge to full screen.
This cute little guy in this ad says that his daddy was a good boy too and he wants a new Plymouth.  Here is what Daddy's new Plymouth might look like back in 1949.  I might have been that little kid because I was about 5 years old then but would have had to ask for a Chevrolet..... don't forget that my dad was the body shop manager for Kam Motors, a local Chev-Olds-Cadillac dealer.  Click here to read more about Kam Motors, then come back.  http://hotrodsandjalopies.blogspot.com/2009/09/kam-motors-limited-and-oldsmobile.html

This ad was taken from a Fort William Ontario commemorative newspaper from 1952 showing the progress of the region.  This is The R. S. Piper and Sons store in Fort William(actually West Fort William).   This tray from my own collection was given by the R. S. Piper Co. store to very loyal customers for Christmas in 1911.

This is what the R. S. Piper store in West Fort William looks like today, sporting the old advertising from another era on both ends of the building.  Hardware stores back then did sell toys at Christmas such as this Slinky or maybe an Etch-a-Sketch.
I could never do Etch-A-Sketch very well.  The final little tidbit here is a lid from a KFC bucket.  How many mom`s and dad`s burned the turkey and sent out for Kentucky Fried Chicken.....Just think about it an you can smell the wonderful aroma........YUMM
There will be one more small Christmas Post this week...be sure to check back and as I keep on saying...be sure to click once, then twice on most pictures to make them large.