Hi everyone:
Last night I met up with Allan & Julie, proud owners of a number of 57 Fords. Julie drives a 57 T-Bird restored by Allan. Allen drives a very nice 57 Sunliner, although according to Allan and the news paper he brought with him (The Press) Christchurch, NZ has been receiving their once every 20 years or so "warm advection" snowfall. Their flight was delayed at least one day, but they arrived here OK and are temporarily residing in Long Beach, CA right near the Traffic Circle on Pacific Coast Highway. For all you guys that haven't been to this area in Southern California, the "Traffic Circle" is what the folks in the British Empire call a "Round About." IO believe it is the only one on California's famous Highway 101. I drove my 57 over to where they are staying until tomorrow to give them a map of how to get to the almost famous Donut Derelict Saturday morning car show in Huntington Beach, CA. They were also interested in joining me at a car show I had entered in Fountain Valley, about 5 miles from the Donut Derelict show. Sure enough they showed up around 9:30 a.m. and we had a great visit in between their checking out all the Detroit and Dearborne iron on display. They are really neat people and plan on stopping on their travels to visit with Rich in Amarillo, TX and maybe some others on their way to a Back to the 50's Show in Wisconsin. Later today they will be joining me & Rick here in Los Alamitos, CA after they have completed some additional shopping for car parts & tools.
Today there were only three 57 Fords at the Fountain Valley show, mine, a Country Sedan (nice looking 429 powered project car still under construction) and a very nice 351 Cleveland powered Black Ranchero. Although a meager turnout of 57's, our marque was pretty well represented.
Bob
57 AGIN
Guys:
Here are a couple of photos of Julie and Allan along side Rick's 57. Enjoying their trip to the USA.
Bob
57 AGIN
Sounds like they got off to a great start in your neck of the woods. I'm assuming that Fountain Valley show was at Mile Square Park...I use to live a mile or so from there in the Green Valley subdivision...back when there were still some strawberry fields left. With the day's delay they had on their flight, I hope they still have time to stop for burger (there's an old burger joint 3 blocks from my house on old 66 that's been there since 1946..the year I was born) and a look-see at my project....they'll get to see how the poorer part of the country lives. LOL.
By the way Bob..on the east coast where I'm originally from, those "traffic circles" are known as rotaries...as I'm sure Lou knows.
Nice...want/need/gotta see more of that yellow wagon!
Robhaerr:
Ask and ye shall receive (but only if I have what you are asking for). lol
Rich:
Yes, they are looking forward to meeting up with you as they are passing through Amarillo on their way. Really neat couple.
Bob
57AGIN
Thanks!
Man...I bet that runs like a wild ride with a nasty tone!
Are they coming to "Back to the Fifties" this week?I know Falcons are still happen down there way.They are welcome for a ride in a 60.My 57 will remain on the trailer.
F57ORD:
I believe that is their ultimate destination. As we talked here, they indicated they are going the Southern route, first to Arizona, then on to Amarillo. They intend to drive about 500 miles per day and end up at some big 50's show in Wisconsin or Minnesota???
Bob
57 AGIN
Thanks Bob.Do they have a lap top to keep informed.It would be nice to see them being I'm from the Twin Citys and 20 minites from the show.
F57ORD:
I believe they are both monitoring this site, as well as their home email address. I will contact them on the email address I've been in touch with them to see if they want me to put their email address on the web. His "handle" on our site is "Alstoy" under Members, but the email address on our site is different from the one I have. We'll see, I'm sure they would love to get in touch with you and other 57 Fords International members on their "Holiday."
Bob
57 AGIN
They should be here anytime now..they arrived in Amarillo last night. Unfortunately it's raining here this morning. I might be wrong, but I thought "Alstoy" was the other New Zealander we had on this website....the guy who has the blue and white wagon he built with his sons. I think Allan and Julie's handle is "Kiwiragtop"...but I'll check when they get here....and see if they need a computer.
Rich
My email address will not allow me to get email from Australia or New Zealand.Hope this won't trip the works.
F57ORD:Allan and Julie would like to meet up with you. They don't have a computer with them, but they are logging in at the motel computers. If you post your phone number they will call you. If you want to send them a pm with your phone number, I was correct in my above post...Alstoy is another New Zealander (North Island)..their handle is Kiwiragtop.
Allan and Julie were able to spend a few hours with us and we really enjoyed their company....they are just a delightful couple...Hope to do it agin on their next visit. I was amazed at what he was telling me about the number of '57 Fords in New Zealand...he estimates about 4000 of them. He has owned and worked on a large number of '56,7, and 8's, both his and other people's that he restores. He does really impressive work.
LOL...if anyone is driving down I40..watch out for a car driving down the wrong side of the road.
Rich
Thank You Rich.
Guys:
Sorry for the bum steer on the email address for Allan & Julie, it sure as heck isn't my first error and I'll lay money that it won't be the last either. lol
Rich:
Loved your comment about watching out for the car driving on the "wrong side of the road," from our perspective anyway. When I took Allan for a short drive in my 57 to show him where a Frisco's Burger was near his motel in Long Beach, we ran into (almost) a woman driver driving on the wrong side of a divided road while she was attempting to get to the street Allan and I was on to make her turn. LAUGH OUT VERY LOUD
Bob
57 AGIN
Bob, do you have a good picture of Rick's rear wheelwells?
Glen:
Yes, I have a couple. See the 2 I've attached. If you need more pictures or info, just ask Rick on this Forum, he'll be glad to oblige & tell you what he did.
Bob
57 AGIN
Thanks Bob, looks alot like what I'm trying to accomplish.
Guys:
Here is the latest on Allan & Julie's trip to the Back to the 50's show up North. They stopped today in Memphis, TN and toured Graceland. They will head to Nashville, TN tomorrow, then onto Cincinnati, OH. Being Ford lovers of course they will stop in Dearborn, MI, then on to Chicago. They plan on getting to the Twin Cities on or about the 20th or 21st of June. Their journey ends on the 29th when they get on a plane back to New Zeland. Sounds like a trip I'd like to make, too. I received a call today from Allan and the number that showed up on my cell phone was (562) 387-8145 (I certainly hope this isn't another one of my "bum steers"), but give it a try if you want to contact Allan & Julie.
Bob
57 AGIN
I'm preparing to be on my best behaviour.
NASCAR is running at Michigan this weekend. May want to adjust travel. Either spend Father's Day at the track or stay way away.
I have tried that number and no contact yet. If Allan & Julie see this please give me a call. You should be close to me in Illinois, also I will be headed up to back to the 50's on Thursday morning. Always park in about the same area, so a lot of the 57 Ford guys, stop by and say Hi.
Tom Drummond
Midwest Director 57 International
ph. 815-871-8017
I was in a little bit of confusion last week on Allan & Julie's trip...couldn't figure out how they were going to get so far in such a short period of time...especially when Allan told me they had planned on diverting from the old rt 66 "a bit" to see Memphis. Memphis isn't exactly a small detour. Finally I realized last week that the Dennis Carpenter calender, which lists all of the events they were participating in, and where I was getting my info on the show from, had the back to the 50's show listed for this weekend..not next weekend as I have now realized it is.
Rich
Spoke with Julie this morning.They are in town and finding there hotel.Also spoke with one of our painters at work who is from New Z.Trying to get my mind (ears) right.Weather looks great for Friday........Well,that was fun to meet Allen and Julie.Tom had a pretty good spot through out the weekend.This show can be overwhelming.With Saturday having a crowd of 100,000 people and 10,000+ cars and trucks.
Am I the only one who is wondering how this tripped finished up? Talked with some folks who were at Back to the 50's , they said it was great, over 11,000 cars, but attendance was down. Maybe economy, gas prices, who knows. Its been hot as Hell around here for a couple of weeks, maybe that has something to do with it. Mark
Mark..like you, I've also been wondering...I've been watching for a follow-up for a while now. I'm thinking they were going to Hawaii after the 66 trip, before they went home. Maybe they'll log on soon and fill us in.
Rich
on the last day of their trip to the US, they came by my place before their flight. Allen bought the old v-bar i had and we spent a few hours looking at the 57's i have laying around! really great people! we had a great time hanging out!!
Allan & Julie Spent the Wednesday before Back to the 50's at my home, We went to a local Cruise night, and spent the rest of the eveing looking at my 57 stuff. They travled with us up tp Minn. and they spent the next 4 days, hanging with my friends and I. We had great spots at Back to the 50's and a lot of people stopped and said hi. They both said it was the best car show they have ever been to, the weather was great and we all had a good time. Allan has called a couple of times since they have gotten home, and he is working on a short story and some pictures to post on this site. I will also post a few pictures from Back to the 50's when I get a few bugs out of my computer. Tom
Hi guys my computer is playing up I only get about three lines then things start turning to crap.I will try to get it sorted out asap then I will be able to acknowledge the good friends who helped make our trip better than we could imagine
cheers Allan
Hi guys, Part 1
Time to do the postmortem for our trip across the USA.
We arrived in Los Angeles a day late due to a severe snow storm in Christchurch which delayed our departure. Upon landing in Los Angeles, we made contact with Bob and Rick, it was good to catch up with these guys as we hadn't seen them for a few years. I had been following Bobs restoration of his 57 Custom, however the photos do not do this car justice, the work done to restore this car is something to be seen. Bob you and Rick should be very proud of what you have achieved your car is simply gorgeous.
We left LA for our the road trip on the 10th of June, we hopped on and off Route 66 at various stages along the way, we managed to catch up with Rich and his lovely wife in Amarillo, again due to time constraints we didn't get much time but the time was well spent looking over Rich's first full restoration on his 57. He is doing all the work himself and the result is unbelievable, again can't wait to see this one finished.
We deviated off the mother road to go to Memphis to see Elvis's house, then along to Lynchburg to the Jack Daniel's distillery where we met a local who told us about a car show in Shelbyville this wasn't on our plans but we decided to stay the night and attend the show, so glad we did we got to see a fully restored Supercharged 57 Retractable.
Part two to follow.
Hey Guys Part 2
From Shelbyville we headed to Nashville for the night and a good dose of country music, not really my thing but it was worth a look. The excitement began to grow as we arrived in Dearborn and all us Ford guys know why. We set aside the entire day for the visit to the Henry Ford Museum, which also included a factory tour of the Rouge Plant, this is by far one of the best museums in your country and the reason for that is its not just a car museum, it takes you on a journey covering everything from the first motor vehicle as well as flight and train travel if you have the opportunity this museum should not be missed, we will defiantly visit again.
At this time in our trip we made contact with Tom Drummond aka Wildhog he made us a very generous offer to stay at his house and travel to the Back to the 50s with him and his friends. Tom is a true 57 guy, he has a large collection of memorabilia which he was kind enough to show us, he even gave us a couple of items to take home and add to our collection. Tom also showed us his latest project a 57 Ranchero. This Ranchero will be one of the coolest Ranchero's going around when finished. I thought I knew a bit about 57 Ford's however, Tom has probably forgotten more than I know. One of the highlights while staying with Tom was going to a small cruise night, his friend brought down his 10 second 55 T-Bird drag car Y Block powered of course.
Well that's it for this entry part 3 to follow . . . .
Good to see you have a memorable time!!
The Henry Ford is a jewel. The Rouge Plant tour is a plus. At first I was disappointed because the tour does not go to the old four stack part of the plant. It is only the newest assembly area and very impressive and well worth the time. Great kids thing but the adults won't be bored. There are several great museums in the area. Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin had 128 vehicle brands! Add in the Great Lakes and some race tracks and there is so much to see. I've been working on a day tour as a extra event for a car show and have found so much stuff to see that it is tough to plan a one day tour.
Hey Guys Part 3
Thanks gasman for the insight into other attractions in the area. On our next visit we should have more time to explore other opportunities in the area.
On Thursday we left Wilhogs place in convoy with some of his friends heading for St Paul, I think it is roughly about a 5 hour drive. Upon arrival we got an insight into how big this event is, there were cars everywhere. On the advice of Tom we took photos as we seen cars of interest and this advice proved invaluable. After registration we retreated to our motel.
Up early Friday morning for day one "I would just like to mention the best device ever invented for tourists is the gps unit we wouldn't have a hope in hell of finding our way around without one" once we arrived at the event it wasn't too difficult to find Tom and the rest of the guys, as they have a regular spot every year. The day started at about 7.30am at the entrance gate and I think we left somewhere around 8.30pm that night.
After day one we needed to buy another memory stick for our camera, with the event enrolling close to 12,000 cars there was plenty to take photos of. Day two was very much the same as day one but we were still seeing cars we hadn't seen before. Day three starts with the swap meet and wind down of the event. The only disappointment I had was the fact that I could not buy everything I wanted, Air New Zealand has a bit of an issue with oversized and heavy car parts. The point being if it didn't fit in our luggage we couldn't take it home. The Sunday is really only a half day and then people start to head home.
My personal opinion is this would be one of the best car shows in the country it is extremely well run, and very user friendly for spectators. You guys on the west coast really need to make an effort to attend this show at some stage.
What makes an event even more special other people that you are there with special thanks to Tom's friends Marty, Mary, Jim and Suzie, and the big guy Dennis. These guys are real humour.
Footnote you must try the local delicacy pork chop on a stick! simply delicious.
Part four to come.
Just recieved a nice package from Allan and Julie. I now have a New Zealand Lic.Tag (MR 57) .If things fall right they may try to come back next year. Thanks again Tom
Allen and Julie...very late reply, but it sounds like you had an awesome time along with Tom and his friends...glad to hear it. I've heard very little about this show and am going to try and make it in the next year or two.
Tom..."Mr. 57" New Zealand plate...how neat is that...your going to have to think about changing your wildhog tag
Rich, Next year would be a good year to go .It is the 40th Anv. and they will put on a good show. Almost 13,000 cars and a 100,000 spectarors. this year. Come up north, we will show you a good time. Tom