MSRA Award Banquet

Saturday was the big award banquet held in St Paul at the river center. Over 700 people attended. It was a good evening. As most of you know, two of our deuces were nominated, that right there was an awesome feat. We did not win the car of the year award with either car........but the 3 window was presented an AWESOME award!! The Twin Cities Roadsters club pick one car each year that they like, has to be driven, to be presented with the "Silver Hacksaw Award" you know, then cut off the top to make it a roadster like theirs. The roadster club is limited to just 25 members, a very elite club to be in. To have our car picked by them for their award is better, in my opinion, than winning the car of the year award.I don't mean to down play the car of the year award, but to have a group of real hot rod roadster drivers choose our car is just unreal. The award is a hand made engraved saw mounted on a wooden stand...very cool.
When a car is nominated for the MSRA car/custom of the year, it is presented with a very nice engraved brass and wood plaque with a image of your car on it and an outstanding full color matted ready to be framed picture of the car. The two new ones will hang right behind each car in the new Deuce Garage. They will look real nice there. During the ceremony each nominated car was on the big screen....neat.
It was a very fun evening, saw many friends, good food, good times.

New Deuce in the garage

Well, I did it again, I found a deuce I could not live with out. It is a B400, convertible sedan, only 926 were made, mine is number 524. They are so rare and hard to find I had to buy it, there might not another chance to get one. I have always said I would like a B400 and a phaeton in my garage. The phaeton can wait.

The body is in very good shape, it does need some small patches in the cowl and rear quarters, and a rear floor. It is sitting on a real deuce frame that has been modified like the Rolling Bones do. It was done by the same guy that did Kieth's coupe. It is set up with Schroder cowl steering that was once owned by Parnelli Jones, that's kind of cool.It came with a junk flathead that was used as a mock up. I am going to use the modified flattie out of the lakester. It already has a 5 speed tranny and a Halibrand quick change rear. There are 40 Ford brakes on all four corners. The grille shell has been chrome plated many years ago, I'm going to use it too. I would never plate one, but its done now and I think will be cool to use.

My plans are to paint it a semigloss very dark blue, a tan convertible top, highboy style, no fenders, steelies with bis ply tires, a very bare interior, rubber mats, no carpet, using aircraft seats with buffalo leather cushions and well as the back seat. It will be a rough and ready hot rod. No radio, no heater, no AC.

The plans call for a completion date of April 2013. That gives me two winters to get it done, should be a lot of fun.

My friend Dave from Des Moines drove to New Jersey with me to pick it up. The day we loaded it into the trailer, Dave had to wear his "you gotta driv'em" shirt. His humor is a warped as mine, that's why we are good friends. It was a good trip but a long one,

Clock for the RPU horn button

Two other deuces have clocks in the horn button of the steering wheel. It is very handy to just glance down and check the time. I have wanted to put one in the RPU since day one. The problem is to find a clock. The Harley shop carries them for $50 or so. I will not pay that. I have looked for one like the blue roadster has but could not find one. Finally one night I was searching on Ebay and found a little pewter dog with a little clock in his belly......and it was only $10 plus a couple dollars shipping...bingo. That's my price range. I bought it, drilled a hole in the horn button, a little dab of clear RTV on the back side and it is all done.