Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 More photos from the Niles Spring Fever car show.

Here's another photo of Rick's car. Forties are hot rod icons,
and it's easy to see why.

I just got home from my vacation after two days of driving. You might say that I'm taking the easy way out to constructing an entry, by simply posting pictures. That's sort of true, though I did work on some new posts while I was out of town.

When it comes down to old timey hot rods it all comes down to two things; attitude and stance.

This chopped Model A coupe sports a serious mean attitude and a killer stance. I find these kinds of period correct hot rods to be very impressive. I have asked myself recently; should I try to get a hot rod at this stage in my life? 

I like to ask myself these questions, as the time available to get a hot rod, or any other once desired car is steadily running down.

This El Camino was displaying an unusual ornament on it's roof. There is an old Harley Electra Glide standing in the bed with the front wheel resting on the roof. The wheel is secured to the tall wing. The rear wheel was resting on a raised platform. 

This is a most unusual manner to carry a motorcycle, especially a large heavy one.

Upon closer inspection I noted that the sidewalls of the front tire were extensively cracked. I don't think that this motorcycle is actually in transit. It's my guess that it's along for the ride only, as a decoration. I guess that the owner wants everybody to know that he's got a Harley. A big decal in the rear window would serve that same function.

Not something that you'd see everyday.

This little '41 Ford pick is a sweetheart, and it's currently for sale. The owner has it listed on CL and is asking a bit over 32,000 dollars for it. After seeing this truck in person, I'd say that it's well worth that amount, and the buyer will be getting a great deal.

Old pick ups are favorites with almost everybody, and I find this one to be particularly appealing. It is completely finished to a high standard, The engine is a hopped up flathead V8 with dual carbs. The transmission is a five speed from a late model Mustang. This combo would probably make for a good freeway cruiser.

And... it's green!

I saved the best for last. More motorcycles! Theses are a few more bikes that members of the Yerba Buena ( SF Bay Area) Antique Motorcycle Club of America rode to the show.

A very nice rigid Panhead with a Springer front end. I always wanted a bike with flames on the tank. A late model Harley Big Twin seen in the background, is set up for serious road running

Here's few more of the bikes that were in the garage museum.

A Vincent Black Shadow. These British bikes were the fastest stock bikes of the 1950's They were a 1,000 cc V twin with higher technology than American V Twins. The engine features aluminum heads and barrels. The engine and the transmission are both encased in a single aluminum case that had separate carburetion for each cylinder, unlike a Harley Davidson. They also had a more sophisticated valve train that allowed for high rpm operation that enabled them to produce higher amounts of horse power. The front forks were very rigid and had hydraulic dampening The engine formed a stressed member of the frame, and the oil tank that was attached to the rear also served as the pivot for the rear suspension member. 

It's impressive from a technological and performance
standpoint, but the styling is not outstanding. At least in my eyes.

One major failing is that they had the typical British cobbled together look, with disparate parts and components bolted together all over the bike. This resulted in a cluttered look. Between the high price, low production, and unusual looks, these have always been quite rare.

On the other hand, HD knew how to make an attractive motorcycle, like this late model Panhead DuoGlide.

Of course Indian was famous for their streamline looking V Twins, though that couldn't save the company from going out of business as the 1950's came to a close.

And truly, I've been saving the best for last. An actual Harley Board Track racer from the late Teen's. There weren't any barriers around it and I could get really up close and check it out!

This motorcycle by itself, is more valuable than probably every other car on display. I would have thought that the owner would have had some kind of barrier. I saw one parent taking photos of a young boy next to it. The kid could have tried to climb up on it and caused it to fall over.

As I've stated probably countless times, this type of bike really gets my heart revving! 

I don't know why I like these bikes so much; these motorcycles can never be street ridden. If I could afford a bike like this, I think that I'd modify a standard street model instead, to look as much like a racer as possible, but while still retaining all of the necessary street equipment.

It's important to me to meet my weekly deadline for this blog. I usually have a few completed, or almost completed, blog posts "in the can" though sometimes I will take the easier path and post a bunch of photos. In fact, I'm planning on taking more photographs at events that I plan on attending, but I've also got several postings that I've spent quite a bit of time thinking and working on. I try to balance the content I provide on my blog, but I know that photographs are a big attraction.