happy valentine's day

I consider myself lucky to meet a girl,
get married,
and have 3 kids.

Dani & Macey

Dani was 20 when I met her!

younger dani

Wow, if she only knew what was in store for her back then -
Probably not the ride she expected!

zap's portrait '07

She gets to deal first-hand with the stuff you guys read on here!

I should have started this long ago,
there have been some crazy times, that's for sure.

zap portrait II '07

If any of you get a chance to find someone to trust and love,
than I say go for it.
The high's are higher and the lows are softer!

Happy Valentine's Day...

TP

tres huevos - 1940 ford coupe - returns

Well after a year and 3 months,
 the rustbucket 40 coupe has finally come back to the shop...

1940 chopped, channeled & sectioned ford coupe

Chief had kicked out the green 40 (since its running and registered)

earlier purgatory 

so figured it was about time to get old rusty...now "Tres Huevos",
back to its job of taking any available time that I have left.

rental purgatory

I should just put these two on jackstands since I can't afford to drive them.

choo choo -  the ford train

It was fun pulling it the couple miles to the shop,
didn't look like I lost anything on the way there.
Can you imagine flat-towing a race car to bonneville?

portland scrap

The coupes been in my garage longer than I started this blog deal,
(Man i wish I started it when we were getting the internet from our neighbors)
so only a handful of people know about it.
Probably a large handful since I posted on the HAMB.
Oh yeah, the hamb...

what the...

You got to love or not love that place.
I met alot of good guys on there so I'm positive about it,
but wow the original build thread took a weird turn!

Projects So let's chop a 40 coupe... - THE H.A.M.B.

It is a tender subject,
chopping a 1939 or 1940 ford coupe, I guess.

okay now what!

Than they did this tech competition so I redid the whole thread...

winter project - "so let's chop a 40 coupe (and fab everything else possible...)

holey frame

Than they did another tech competition,
which pushed me to finish a couple crazy projects

caveman tech II - rebuilding your cowl top from scrap

pressed cowl and windshield divider

and

Caveman tech - building a bellhousing for a flathead cadillac

bellhousing progress shot

The bellhousing project actually won the competition,
and I got a bunch of cool stuff, and a couple bucks too.
Which reminds me,
I never used a couple "gift certificate" deals,
hmm, better look into that...


So the engine is a 1941 cadillac flathead.
Gonna be interesting on a car this light.

loud pipes save lives?

If you have some extra time,
you can flip through those HAMB threads and get a good laugh,
or you can just do a quick go through on my Photobucket account - no words.

rusty pictures by perichbrothers - Photobucket

For lack of a better phrase,
I trip out on seeing how much work was involved in getting to this point.
Its just crazy.
Its crazy cause this was all "free" time.
Holy Chit.
And there is so much more to do...

same car!

Anyway,
if you see any Tres Huevos posts this is what its going to be about.
Hopefully I can get it into the shop after I scrub some of that rust off!

TP

morning woodie - 1951 ford country squire wagon

A friend Tim Z. came by the other day with yet another flathead driver,
a crazy blue 1951 ford woodie...

1951 ford woodie wagon

I was surprised when he drove up with it,
he usually sports a 1940 ford sedan that he's had since high school.

8ba or 8cm?

He's a flathead nut, not only rebuilding his own engines,
but he really puts some miles on them too.
This one has the stock automatic transmission.

original wood

It also has almost all the original wood,
carefully varnished to fill in the shrinkage over time.
Tim said he actually used popsicle sticks to fill some of the gaps!
He found it up in a Del Mar ranch,  an old surf wagon,
and originally intended on building a beater.

clean interior

Obviously that went out the window!

This is the main reason why I'm posting this up here...

sneaky linkage

It's hard to see in this picture,
but there's a rod behind that license plate.
A perfect "liar's club" entry.

not as sneaky linkage

I'm not too familiar with these cars,
so at first I thought it was some type of brace that held up the tailgate.
Nope.

swivel tail light

It's a simple linkage that rotates the light...
These were made to drive legally with the tailgate down!?

automatic license plate bracket hinge

I love linkages and bellcranks and stuff like this.
Simple solutions to make life easier.
Never figured that driving with the tailgate down was that big of an issue though!

yawn

To be really trick, when the tailgate drops,
there should also be a cutout for the exhaust,
so it doesn't get sucked back into the car.

Did you yawn yet?

TP

R.I.P. - Uncle Frank Malvestuto - turbo wing & heli-skimmer?

My Uncle Frank died right before christmas,
and yesterday was his wake.

uncle frank - malvestuto

He was pushing 90 and had some serious ailments,
so although sad, he lived a full life.
A full life is an understatement,
he met my "Auntie Debbie" and had 4 kids with her starting in his 60's!
(David, Evan, Casey & Mia)
This was actually his second set of kids!
(Leisa, Steve & Rita + grandkids)

I was young but old enough to remember when she brought him into the family,
this was in the late 70's.
This is how I remember him from that time, his company called Heli-Skimmer,
she was a photographer/videographer and he swooped on her!

heli-skimmer

Uncle Frank was an astoundingly intelligent guy,
working for NASA (during WWII!), Lockheed and Martin Marietta.
A quick search will find he specialized in supersonic experimental aircraft.
Turbo Wing Introduction "The Inventor"
Martin Marietta X-24A - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Martin Marietta X-24B - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
basically helped pave the way for the space shuttle with 1000+mph hot rods!

Anyway this is his claim to fame -
the Turbo Wing.

turbo wing

Here's a link to the patent...

High-lift, low-drag, stall-resistant airfoil - Patent 6732972

This video is great yet depressing.
Most likely this will be the future we may  NEVER see...
(get past the 2 minute mark for actual moving vehicles!)

Typical of most eccentric inventors,
Frank was rabid about protecting and promoting the turbo-wing idea.
Also typical with many eccentric inventors,
money was always the carrot at the end of the string.

The wake proved that this didn't change the respect for him as a father/family member.

Being in the extended family I'd hear of the trials and tribulations the Malvestuto's went through,
as the business of marketing the turbo-wing idea was tougher than the actual engineering.
Many years he spent trying to get the million dollar deals,
not only in the US but abroad.

In the 80's, my mom worked in their office near Shelter Island.

The renderings and models - boats, planes, even cars...

while amazing, became almost normal to me.

I expected to see these all over the place!

Turbo Wing Watercraft "Main"

Turbo Wing Aircraft "Concept"

This is the catch-22 that a patented idea produces.
What do you do with a proven idea,
that can change transportation with faster speeds, fuel economy and performance?
He could have sold out a number of times for a decent sum,
but he always held out, waiting for the real deal,
the deal that would see the actual production and use of the turbo wing.

turbo cessna

This is what happens when someone is passionate about the idea over the money.
If you ever watched Who Killed the Electric Car? - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,
you may believe or at least contemplate certain conspiracy theories.
The transportation and energy industries have (probably) killed many competitive ideas

Great American streetcar scandal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Free energy suppression - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

to protect and promote their own,
that's just the way it is with big money and contacts.

I think that was Uncle Franks biggest fear,
selling his patent to, for instance, Lockheed, and having it just sit on the shelf, unused.
As a result a worldwide patent would prohibit
any further testing or improvements, anywhere, without permission -
locked away.

But would it have been?
Boeing and Bell Helicopters seem to have gone around the patent with their V-22 Osprey...
Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I remember discussing with him how wrong he thought this idea was!
(Nothing cubic $$ can't fix though!)

Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey

But than what do you do?
Die with it?
Obviously Frank was planning on living to 100+,
when the patents would run out!

Here are some other of his patents we may or may not see...
High-lift, Low-drag Dual Fuselage Aircraft invention

air super tanker

Hybrid winged airship (dynastat) - Patent 6581873

One regret I'll have is not asking him what he was planning to do with all this.
Back in 7th or 8th grade we did a science fair project,
and Uncle Frank whipped out a remote control model with a turbo wing.
Unfortunately it was way over my teachers head!
Such a cool model though...
In the end it's always about money,
and it was tough for me to get involved.
:(


Who knows what will happen in 2017 or so when the patents expire,
I'd love to see the Turbo Wing actually used!
Keep a look out...

R.I.P. Uncle Frank!

TP

21st century business card

So for the GNRS show,
I figured business cards might be a good idea.
Of course this was late Wednesday night.

A buddy of mine, Matt, who is in the printing business,
took charge.
He took some snapshots of the PERICH logo my brother made up,
and somehow came up with these.

official

My only requirement was a white card with room for people to scribble on.
I always think that's one of the most important aspects of a business card,
as it turns into a host for others without a business card.
Yes, the cell phones are the new business cards,
 but if you have a wallet than paper will never go out of use.

But what the hell is this?

quick response

I guess these are the new style bar codes - the QR code.
In my effort to simplify my life with all my old technology,
(other than this blog here anyway, and cell phone, and ...)
Matt was able to put any relevant info in this little box.
Trippy.
Even trippier that most smart phones can actually read this.

There's not much info other than this blog address and my email,
so if you're reading this its already useless!

name? what name!
you don't need a name

I like the card kinda ambiguous like this,
as sometimes its hot rods, sometimes its boats, sometimes craigslist flipping,
babysitting, yardwork, whatever!

Also its funny that he left out my actual name.
Maybe I told him too I don't remember it was late wednesday night.
This is a good thing though,
as lots of times when I'm selling stuff on CL I'll post my phone #,
but with a random name,
just so I know what the person is after.
I still get called Jasper by this one guy.

More later...

TP

Oh yeah,
thanks Matt,
I still owe you the bottle of "old grand dad" !

chief goes to GNRS - part 2

Okay,
where were we...

Oh yeah,
I got home from the drop-off totally spent.
The  bike ride didn't help out for an early morning push either,
so it was afternoon by the time I rallied out Saturday.

Someone had found this news clip,
and woke me up...(reposted)

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=7926990&pid=7926988

Ridiculously, the van ran out of gas a block away from the house!
Running on fumes as usual...
Fortunately our green 40 is used to this,
so its electric fuel pump gave up a gallon of gas.

neglected 40 ford coupe

Two hours later I was in Pomona again, 4:30 or so,
just late enough to not meet a handful of friends I was hoping to see.
(Ken/Michelle-hurtlocker truck, Kurt & Greg - Ventura guys/roadster project)
I did meet up with some friends to make it worth the rush.
(Danny/Lucy, Jimmy, Paul & Rudy...)

Anyway after that I kinda stumbled around really just focusing on the cars.
It was nice, after about 7pm the crowds had disappeared.
I had seen much better GNRS photos online than I could ever take,
so only took about 3 or 4 clear pictures! Doh!

The cars I studied most were ones related to future projects.
This '36 5-window had a really nice mild chop...

1936 ford 5-window chopped coupe

I've always liked these, when they're chopped anyway.
My cousin Brandon, the guy with the trailer, has one.
I'm trying to talk him into it, and I think he understands now.

Brandon's 1936 ford 5-window unchopped coupe

Yeah, it's okay not chopped, but definitely better wacked a couple inches...

I've also always liked this 40 coupe...

chopped and sectioned 40 coupe

Its just over the border of radical with its chop and section.
There were some other 39's and 40's there that I studied but with bad pictures.
I'm past the chop study mode though,
and now am figuring out what to do with the running board treatment.

chopped and sectioned 40 coupe

Oh yeah, I haven't shown you guys this one yet!
You'll see enough of it later,  now that chief's out...

So while bumbling around the custom's room,
I ran into a couple friends who coerced me into not sleeping in the mountains of North LA...
And after a few beers and some 3 stooges,
was lulled to sleep...

The morning came slowly, but not the rain.
I was glad to not have slept in the van.
Thanks S & MA !!

grinding station

When it comes to grinders, more is better!

So with the rain,
I decided to get my mountain fix in,
got a mexican breakfast to go and headed up the 39 to the san gabriel mountains.

trusty van & shelby bike

I'd been to Mount Baldy a number of times,
 but never to this part of the Angeles National Forest.
It seemed really cool,
 just what I wanted to see and smell with the fog and valleys.

san gabriel dam

I tried to do a quick bike ride but it was just too wet.
Should have brought the black fendered shelby!
Oh well,
so I found a nice view parking spot and settled down to eat,
my staple meal - chicken enchilada, chille relleno, rice and beans.

dick heads

All of a sudden like flies on hot chit,
I'm covered with rangers.

shit flies

They scurried up both sides of the van.
I was prepared though...

National Forest Adventure Pass
Make sure you buy one - $5!!

Or so I thought!
You know there's the typical good cop/bad cop scenario.
The good cop is the guy that's actually doing the triple background check!
The bad cop wouldn't let my hands off the steering wheel!
It was crazy!
I would expect this at lets say, 6pm-5am,
but not in the middle of the day.
4 cops, 3 cars, 12 minutes!

shady character?

I guess maybe I do look a little shady?
I wasn't even wearing my glasses!

even shadier character?

Even though I had properly filled out my adventure pass,
**which is available over the counter at the local gas stations for $5**
it was over 10 minutes of BS questions and radio check -
that's with a pass, a registered car, insurance, no warrants, no weed or alcohol!

graffitti and trash

I can understand that these guys probably are the most stressed US forest service rangers,
as this is a popular getaway so close to los angeles,
but holy shit, it's 1pm on a sunday, on what's basically a dead end highway!

Anyway with that I headed back to civilization.
Made sure I talked to as many guys I could as the GNRS was almost over.
(Oddfather, Detonator, Dan, Nick, A.J...)

Took a couple more pics...

love machine - ford econoline

My parents had one of these when I was young, a '72 I think.
Someday I'll get me one!
(The Van not the GT)

race

I can always dream right!

It was fun bringing the roadster pickup out after all this time.
GNRS was a great reason to get it all back together, quickly!
No trophy's though, but got lots of interest.

wallflower

See that old guy didn't even pay attention to the hoochie mama!

(pics ripped from the HAMB - bad bob I think)

priorities

This is the part that you don't see,
the 45 minute wait to get the trailer!
I'm glad it was so secure actually, as it was borrowed.

trailer line

It is typical that after a fresh rebuild,
stored inside a building for 3 days,
that the load up time to the trailer will be in pouring rain!

raining its pouring

Could have been worse,
the guy next to me, Brian, ended up getting a flat tire...
Than off for a 2 hour ride to San Diego with no trailer lights!
In the rain!
Whew!

home

It sat on the trailer for 2 days while I cleaned out the garage,
but now its finally home.

Aaahhh....

TP