I spotted Mr. Hall's photography displayed in the windows of the abandoned Good Chevrolet Ron Goode Toyota building, downtown in the Island That Rust Forgot. Once you're done checking out these highlights, you can view many more from the Girls With Cars series here.

Ms Shuweet
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Caught In A Dream
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Manders At The Duel
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Mercedes 300SL Wrong Turn
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Monika Road Devils
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Pheenix Van Sparks 2
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Rebecca With Witchcrafty 6
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Roxy
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Sarah Strangers
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Shaelynn
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Sugar And The Grand Inquisitor
© Philip Hall Images 2009

Sugar Ready For Her Closeup Mr Deville
© Philip Hall Images 2009

The result draws a good mix of old car dudes and young rockabilly hipsters, with a random sampling of old-school lowriders, VW freaks, and drag racers thrown in for good measure.

I ran into Hellhammer, captain of the LeMons-winning Mustard Yellow V8olvo, and he took me for a cruise around the fairgrounds in his '49 Cadillac-powered 1927 Model T.

Also present was possibly the world's greatest semi tractor, which now has Oldsmobile 455 power in place of its original gasoline I6.

For the first time, Billetproof Nor-Cal is a two-day event, so you Bay Area readers can still get out to the Antioch Fairgrounds and check it out!

We've seen a '64 Bel Air wagon, a '60 Bel Air sedan, and a '63 Bel Air Sedan so far in this series, and here's another early-60s Bel Air to check off the Alameda list. The Bel Air was the midpriced trim package during this era, fitting between the El Cheapo Biscayne and the Top Shelf Impala. The '61 Biscayne wagon had the same taillights as the Bel Air, but the holes where side trim once lived help identify this wagon as the latter type.

This car parks nose-to-tail with the '73 Maverick sedan we saw a while back, and right around the corner from the perennially-for-sale '60 Studebaker Lark. This is also the same spot where we saw the slammed '66 VW Transporter, which disappeared about the same time the Maverick appeared. My guess is that we have a serious fan of mean-looking vintage iron here.

The Maserati-powered Model T definitely made an impression at the last Billetproof Nor-Cal, which is totally understandable. After all, the [flawless Model A, B, or T] + [Chevy or Ford OHV V8] formula has been done so often and so well that you need a body machined from pure plutonium to really stand out these days, while the [rusty-ass ancient non-Ford] + [weird yet hypnotically cool engine] formula still offers plenty of fun for each pint of blood you spill in the Hell Garage. Tonight, we're going to look at a total of nine possible vehicle+engine combos, any one of which would draw vast crowds of Bettie Page lookalikes at the next Billetproof. Hear the rusty iron doors of the Hell Garage swinging open for you? Once closed, they'll be welded shut until you're done... or insane!

Every time I see the amazing DOTS '47 Plymouth rumbling through my neighborhood, I realize anew that old suicide-door Plymouth sedans let you roll in the purest Hell Garage style. Affordable examples are quite easy to find in diamond-in-the-rough condition, too. Say f'r'example, this 1937 Plymouth sedan, which has a no-doubt-negotiable $1,000 price tag. The patina is already perfect, and the "toast" interior should be viewed as an opportunity to commission a special burlap-and-studded-pleather extravaganza!

It's tough to argue with the appeal of a 62-year-old sedan, but an elderly pickup made by a farm equipment manufacturer might make you forget all about that Plymouth. This '38 IHC pickup, which has been sitting in an Iowa field since Syngman Rhee was in office, has the perfect paint finish for Billetproof stardom, though we're not sure that "no bullet holes" is really a selling point. No matter, though- you can always make your own bullet holes!

Sedans? Trucks? Don't forget station wagons! Sure, you'd like a two-door wagon, and a Ford Ranch Wagon would be an excellent choice... but even that might veer uncomfortably close to the overchromed aesthetic behind those hyper-sanitary Chevy Nomads we see at mainstream car shows. Don't worry, because LeMons Rabbit racer Casadelshawn has tipped us off about this Opel Olympia Caravan, which is priced right in LeMons territory... which isn't relevant, because you know that mini-Euro-Nomad will be just the car to receive the engine of your deepest fears dreams! And, speaking of engines...

Now that you've picked out your chassis, what would you say to a 317-horse, DOHC/4-valve aluminum V8 that should be making good power until the Sun goes supernova? You can get this Nissan VK56DE out of a Nissan Titan pickup for well under two grand, though you'll need to spend many a few more bucks setting it up with an octet of Weber carbs and some sort of transmission.

A Nissan 5.6 liter V8 would be fun, but imagine all the wild Teutonic Maltese-cross decor you could put on your Opel, Plymouth, or IHC if you were to drop a Mercedes-Benz 5.6 liter V8 into the engine compartment? An M117, freshly torn from the still-twitching corpse of a big ol' Cocaine Dealer Grade 560SEL, would be just the ticket, and here's a 69,000-mile specimen for a mere 710 bucks! You'll need to ditch that irritatingly modern fuel-injection system and replace it with some carburetors, of course, and we recommend a homemade pipe-organ-style intake manifold made from galvanized plumbing fittings and sucking fuel from as many updraft Cessna carburetors as you can obtain. Then you'll start your junkyard quest for a functional junkyard transmission. How hard could it be?

Is there some rule that states you've got to have a V8? No? Well, how about one of GM's coolest engines ever, a high-performance inline six that struggled to get attention while in the shadow of big-inch monster V8s during the Muscle Car Golden Age? Yes, we mean the Pontiac OHC six-cylinder, which was a Chevrolet 230 or 250 six equipped with a futuristic (for 1960s Detroit) belt-driven overhead-cam cylinder head. The high-performance Sprint version, installed in regrettably few Firebirds and Tempests, could hold its own against V8s with vastly more displacement... but real Sprints are hard to find. No problem, though, because you can build your own Sprint from this Pontiac OHC 250, which is sitting with a top bid of just 150 bucks.

Ready to decide? Let's vote!

Looking over "Hell Bound" is an exercise in repeated disbelief. You can't help but shake your head and ask the question "Why?" and "How?" over and over again. Let's just lay out the things you need to notice before you fully grasp the masochistic beauty of this beast.

• Metal tractor seats mounted directly to the frame, no springs.
• There are air shocks on the back, but not the front, and the air tank is actually the transmission tunnel. Madness.
• It has lights, just but none of them are actually hooked up.
• That metal box ahead of the radiator? That's the gas tank. Not a road-tripper.
• The velocity stacks on the carbs are brass planters with the bottoms cut out.
• To get it so low, the front leaf spring is cut in a third and mounted directly to the top of the boxed frame, with bolted metal plates, then the shackle is welded under the axle. Wow.
• No front brakes.
• The horn is actually a horn.
• The gear shifter is rotary, with a metal dial indicator, how f*$king COOL IS THAT!

This makes a nice follow-up to the documentary of the 1965 Targa Florio race. Totally different type of racing, of course, but the same sense of golden-age racing action. Thanks to Hellhammer for the tip!

Well, if you're the kind of guy who has about 47 crazy car projects going on at any given moment, you drop the Amazon's engine and transmission into the Ford, then scrounge up everything else you need from random boxes of parts. The result: Volord!


I met Anthony, the Volord's creator, when I went to his place to buy my personal Hell Project. He was selling the Sprite to clear some space for more cars; you can see why in the photo above, which shows a tiny fraction of his collection: a daily-driver Scout, a genuine wrecked-in-the-TV-show General Lee Charger, and a Buick GS convertible. Yes, Volvo fans, that is a bit of P1800 you're seeing on the right side of the image; there's an original 500-mile Amazon wagon in the shed as well.


The good ol' Volvo B18 does a fine job of moving this truck. We'll be looking for it at the next Billetproof Nor-Car.


These connecting-rod taillights really go well with the Pabst-can coil cover and floorless interior. This is the kind of rat rod we like best: built cheaply from stuff on hand, yet not overboard on hipster irony. This thing would look good parked next to the Granada Rod!


Naturally, anyone who would build the Volord would be a vintage Model T racer. No roll cage, no brakes (just transmission bands, or whatever the hell those things are called), helmets optional. 75 in this thing probably feels like 190 in a Beetle!

Its creator had a bare, beat-to-hell shell sitting on one side of the garage… and a $100 '79 Ford Granada sitting on the other side. You can see where this is going, right? For a budget of less than a thousand bucks, he handcrafted most of the bodywork (including a grille made from a household wall-heater grate), dropped in the Granada drivetrain- dead-stock 302 engine, C4 transmission, driveshaft, rear end, with some $3 Honda Accord springs holding the back end up, then installed the Granada interior as well. Tilt steering wheel, green vinyl, speedometer, the works! The attention to detail- and obsession with building the whole project as cheaply as possible- is absolutely amazing. The fuel tank is made from a pair of 5-gallon jerry cans cut and welded together, for example, and the wood trim is made from baseboards salvaged out of an old house. This guy has 20 other cool cars, including the evil-looking machine parked next to this one, a show-quality '62 Corvette, etc., yet the Granada Rod is the one that gets the most miles. No, it doesn't have any skulls or vintage Pabst cans, and the owner isn't completely covered in ink, but we're going to give this Ford the Jalopnik Best Of Show Award, hands down.

Hi Murilee,

I've always had a thing for European cars with American V8's under the hood. Cobras, Intermeccanicas, Sunbeam Tigers, Panteras, Jensen Interceptors and Iso Rivoltas. My wife and I decided to take advantage of a rare sunny summer day in SF and took our daughter on a cable car ride. We walked back towards Aquatic Park down Polk Street when I spotted this beauty. I've never seen an Iso up close and certainly never a Fidia. This one had dents and bubbling paint on several panels and was in desperate need of a car wash. I couldn't get any decent shots of the interior due to the sun on the dirt on the windows. I only managed a few shots before my battery ran out. I love the vestigial bumpers in front and back. Being a family man and a drummer this car would be a close second for me to an Intermeccanica Murena (need to fit the drums in the back).

Here is some info on the Fidia.

I really enjoy DOTS BTW. I had no idea that there were so many cool cars just across the Bay. One day I will make a pilgrimage to Alameda just to scope out cars (and trucks).

I was walking down Alameda's main downtown street when I saw this very weathered Ford parked in front of Juanita's. I didn't have my good camera with me, but my phone takes pretty decent shots.


Hellhammer, who's way more knowledgeable about old Fords than I'll ever be, says this appears to be a '32 Model B truck with the grille from a Model B car. It appears to have the usual rat-rod small-block/automatic drivetrain and untouched vintage patina, and it has the look of a truck that gets used for everyday transportation (or for midweek birria runs, at least). What's 76 years, anyway?

I went inside the shop to talk to Matt, the very friendly über-gearhead running the joint, and the place was full of rod projects, vintage car magazines and posters, even a breathtakingly original Jag E-Type.


It turns out that the '38 has a storied (though somewhat murky) racing history dating back to the 1950s, and it's currently inspiring feverish dreams of driving the ultimate rat rod in the minds of just about every right-thinking person who catches sight of it. I am forced to admit that I contemplated the logistics of buying it as my personal Hell Project, but I have about 0.004% of the wrenching chops needed to make this thing come back to life. Let's read what Matt has to say about this car:

I am flattered and enthusiastic to get a post up on Jalopnik. Hopefully from visiting RoadSideWerx, it is evident that we build and collect Classic Cars and Hot Rods with pure heart and soul; many people are in it for the money. We are in it for the nostalgia of the sport, and to pay tribute to the men and cars themselves that created a classic American era. To tell you a little bit about the car, I would most respectfully like to correct you in that the car is not a '36 Ford race car, rather it is a 1938 racer. More specially, a 1938 Ford Special Deluxe Business Coupe, which I'm sure you already know is a gem in its rarity to the era. I would also like to tell you that while I may not know the exact history behind the automobile, the factoids and stories I have come across tell me that this is not a piece of automotive history to be overlooked.

Being a survivor of the 1964 Denver flood, much of the car's exterior and interior has been left rusted and worn. Fortunately, for history's purpose, on the driver's side door, one can clearly see that this is car #66 that was raced at Lakeside Amusement park/raceway. From the history that I have received on the car, it was also raced on the Englewood speedway, which was prominently active in the 1950's and 1960's by local gear-heads and builders. The car is also known as a dirt oval, the earliest form of a NASCAR. To my knowledge, it is in its complete and original form from this period in which it was driven.

Logistically speaking this is what we know about the car's build and engine:
* Driven off the track
* 24 stud - flathead engine
* 1938-1939 - 3 Speed - Top-loader transmission
* Ford wide bolt pattern with custom off set for oval racing
* The wheels are Volkswagon style, which offered better performance for racing because it didn't tear the lug nuts out.
* Custom offset wheels that were done by the owner, showing his true early race background. It also demonstrates that the builder put true thought and detail behind this racer.
* The rear bumper is a narrow gauge railroad track piece... not really significant to performance or ability, but just a fun fact about the car to be shared and mentioned.
* The front wishbone was used as a radiator protector
* Steering shaft with sector gear on the front was removable to remove tow bar, the car then, was towed behind a car to the track.

As I mentioned earlier, I unfortunately cannot provide you with the exact history of racer #66. From what I am told, it is from two brothers with the last name of Bluemont. I was also loosely told that they it is likely that these brothers (Art is the name of one of the brothers), were local racers and perhaps owned a gas station or two. My guess would be that their gas stations had affiliation with Amoco, due to a sticker that is on the car. Don't take my word for it, but that would be my best guess. The car itself was found fenced into a backyard that couldn't be seen from the road. It sat in this yard from the late 50's or early 60's until I was lucky enough to stumble upon it. The woman whose yard it resided in is probably close to 90 years old. That being said, I'm not sure her accuracy is up to par, but it is thought that her husband and/or brother-in-law owned and raced the car. This was outstanding to me, if that is true, than this makes me only the second or third owner of a car that is around 70 years old. Sadly, at this point in my e mail, my story and knowledge of the car is limited. I do look forward to learning more about it, and experiencing this true find of an authentic hot rod.

Best,
Matt

Unique is an understatement here. This is why we love the return of traditional hot rods to the scene: you never know what you're going to get. And hey, who said hot rods aren't practical. We bet that thing has a huge trunk up front. [Hemmings]

Some of you might recall seeing this Ford in the background of the photos of the pink '52 Dodge we saw last summer. Since that time, the Ford project has progressed enough for it to drive around under its own power and park on the street.


It had some rust problems (now fixed), and naturally it's been lowered about as far as possible.


The metalflake green roof pain looks pretty sharp, although I'm not sure what the rest of the paint job will look like after the bodywork is done. Or maybe this is the finished paint job!


Project or finished car, it's good to see a 58-year-old machine that lives on one of the busiest streets in town.