O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O OOO O OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O Magazine O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O OO O O O O O OO O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O
Wheel-E
Everything on Wheels!
Head of the Class: 1928 Dodge Brothers Senior Six
MUD BOG! Issue 5
Fall 2012
The Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department created a cookbook to help Travis with his medical expenses. Anyone wanting to purchase this awesome cookbook can call Latasha at 573-450-1484.
Wheel-E Magazine
Features Cars for Kids No Regrets Car-tunes Senior Six
6 9 12 21
This issue is dedicated to Travis Sikes, the inspiring Cape Girardeau Sheriff's Department Detective, who was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma and who underwent medical treatments and recovered famously. Travis had no symptoms but followed his gut feeling and went to a doctor when his lymph nodes were swollen. He followed the strenuous plan that the doctors set for him, which included rounds with chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants. As you can see, in the pictures in this magazine, the treatment plan was very successful!
VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 5 PUBLISHER Dean Whitlow DESIGN & LAYOUT Terri Jestus PUBLISHED BY The Caress of Steel Wheel-E is printed twice a year. All contents copyright 2012 by Wheel-E Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents, in whole or in part without prior written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.
LE
By Dean Whitlow
N! PI
O FOR A G S ’ S T
There’s an endless list of songs that have been written about vehicles of all types. When I was a kid in elementary school, I loved the song 409 by the Beach Boys. I didn’t even know what the reference to 409 meant… but loved the revving engine sounds in that song! Later, I got a kick out a song called Lord Mr. Ford by Jerry Reed. My little brother and I knew every word to that song. At the end of that song, there is a reference to another famous automobile song as the singer (Jerry Ford) quickly sings the line, “Come away with me Lucille…” As I began to think about all of the songs about vehicles that I’ve loved over the years, I felt it would be appropriate to start a new column in Wheel-E Magazine that shares the lyrics to the songs and will also delve into the trivia surrounding the song. Our first selection is an obvious choice as it is Matt Steel’s song "Mud Bog". Our cover truck (Casper) appears in the music video for that song. As a matter of fact, our cover photo was taken from that video (thank you Matt!). Casper and the truck’s proud owner are featured elsewhere in this issue. We have all heard someone comment about a time when “they” wrote songs about vehicles. We can all agree that songs often show the emotional connection that someone has with something. When someone is so passionate about a vehicle that he or she writes a song about it, I feel that illustrates their emotional connection to that vehicle. What is most exciting about these songs is the fact that they are a snapshot of a time in our society or pop culture that is fascinating as we look back and reminisce. If you haven’t watched Matt Steel’s "Mud Bog" video, you must search for it on YouTube and have some fun. Every time that I watch it I can’t wait to participate in one of these events. It looks like so much fun! We hope that you enjoy our new column that we are calling Car-tunes… even though some of the song might not be about cars, as Wheel-E Magazine includes “Everything on Wheels!”
Pictured: Tom Cox, Bobby, Larry and his grandson, Casey.
This beauty is a black Chevy Caprice that Larry bought new in November of 1965. It alone has a remarkable history. Famous Tennessee sheriff, Buford T. Pusser and Larry were good friends. They would race on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights back in the 1970’s. “We would race on Hwy 45 South of the Mississippi Line,” Larry smilingly reminisced. Unfortunately, the races and good times ended when Buford was killed in 1974.
THE PROMISE BECOMES CARS FOR KIDS By: Terri Jestus
H
ave you ever made a promise to God – if you help me with this then I will promise to do such and such? Well, that’s exactly what Larry Price did when his twelve-year old son almost got killed on a bicycle. He made a promise to God that if his son lived then he would do something for God’s kids. And that’s how Cars for Kids was born. (Larry’s son is now 38 years old.) Casey (age 13) and Paisley (age 18) travel to car shows with their Grandfather, Larry. In fact, they have the race car fever. Larry laughingly said that his granddaughter, Paisley is getting crazy over Fords and is definitely misdirected. (Larry is definitely a Chevy man all the way!) Larry states that he is only an “Old Country Redneck”. I am sure the countless children that Larry and his entourage have helped are very grateful to this “redneck with a big heart!” Since 1990, the Cars for Kids have helped to raise three million dollars in donations towards helping children with special needs. Sometimes it may be a wheelchair that someone needs. Most recently, they had a request for a wheelchair lift and they were blessed to get one for a family this past week. I discovered that up until the last two or three years, the family was traveling every week (or every other week in the summer) all the way up until the second week in December. Since gas is so expensive and the truck and trailer only go 6.5 – 7 miles on one gallon of gas, they have cut back on travel quite a bit (depending on where the car show is located, they may drive 4-8 hours one way). Add in insurance, tires, and upkeep on the vehicles, they spend a small fortune on that promise that Larry made 26 years ago. Thank goodness they are
mechanics and do not have vehicle maintenance as part of their expenses. The family has exhausted their resources with these efforts and desperately need sponsors. Amazingly, they manage to save up enough money to get to a show and back home. Somehow, it always works out. Larry did share that he's had his share of bad luck with health problems. He has suffered a stroke, a heart attack and is finishing up his last round of radiation. Somehow, he finds the strength to persevere. As I found out, each of the three men play an important part in getting the cars to the shows. Larry is the mechanic, Bobby Umsted is a race car builder/mechanic, and Tom Cox has started filming the car shows for what he hopes will be a new show sponsored by Charter Media. This project came about when Charter Media asked Bobby to produce a reality show similar to the Orange County Chopper's show. Bobby said he was not interested but suggested that Larry and his crew might make an interesting series. Thus, the filming began. It will be more of a personal interest show rather than a reality show. Being out on the road, they have found that cars and trucks have interesting stories. As I was sitting there talking to these wonderful men, a gentleman walked up and started talking to Larry about his Chevy Caprice. Larry told him that there are very few Caprices with four speeds and that there are only ten of them in the United States. He told the man that the car can get up to 45mph in first gear and 120mph in second gear. “That is one of the reasons, Buford couldn’t ever catch me when we were racing,” Larry proudly explained, (referring to his races). I was lucky enough to be there when they started disassembling part of the cars to fit them into their trailers. Here are some of those pictures. I will note that it was awesome listening to Larry gun the Chevy Caprice’s engine as he headed to put it up into the trailer. As I was wrapping up our interview, Larry pointed out, “Do you realize that you just looked at roughly $750,000 worth of cars?” Needless to say, I was thunderstruck by just the thought.
CARS FOR KIDS
BOBBY UMSTED'S MUSTANG
Part of the Cars for Kids entourage is Bobby Umsted, who hand built the 1998 red Mustang pictured in this article. Bobby told me the car began with a round tube chassis. It took Bobby three years to build the car since he only worked on it in his spare time. Now it usually takes Bobby about three months to build a race car from start to finish. He said when he started it was a new body style but it wasn’t by the time he completed his project! Bobby became interested in building race cars in 1986 when he was in Jackson, Tennessee. He was at a race track with his 1967 Chevy Camaro and realized everyone had Chevys. He decided he would go back home and build a Ford. In 1988, Bobby started building race cars professionally.
CARS FOR KIDS TEAM HARD AT WORK!
Max and his side-kick, Casper have been together for three decades.
MUD BOG!
Under the hood and elsewhere on the vehicle are awesome examples of Max's airbrush talents.
NO REGRETS!
The one that didn’t get away. by Dean Whitlow Too many times I have personally stated my regrets for selling a car or truck! Chat with a car buff for a while and you’ll always hear a comment about an awesome vehicle that the person sold and later regretted doing so. It isn’t often that you find someone that his maintained the same vehicle for nearly 30 years… especially when that person first acquired the vehicle at the age of 15! Max Williamson and Casper (the nickname of his truck) have been sidekicks for the past three decades! And unlike so many owners, Max has maintained the same vintage look of the truck throughout the years as opposed to changing it as fads come and go (remember all the graphics in the 1980’s!). Casper is a 1972 Chevy ¾ ton Custom/20 with a 350 cubic inch LT1 Corvette engine (crate engine), backed up by a 350 turbo transmission. The truck is Frost White in color and has a factory installed sliding back glass (very rare option). The wheel and tire combination on this truck give it an aggressive look. The rears are 33” by 12.5” mounted on 16.5” wheels. The fronts are 33” by 9.50” mounted on 16.5 inch wheels. The truck maintains its factory air conditioning, power steering, power brakes and front sway bar. The front bumper is an original bumper (was painted form the factory) that was refurbished and chromed! Max has a million stories that he can share after all of the experiences that he and Casper have had over the years. However, we’ve chosen to focus on the appearance of the truck (and a cameo by Max) in the music video for the song "Mud Bog" by Matt Steel. You’ll find a story about the song in this issue. The music video prominently features Casper… but fortunately not in the mud bog! I don’t think that any amount of money would convince Max to run his truck through all that mud and water! Casper fits the video perfectly. Oh, and Max does an OK job as well (we just have to kid him about it). I must say that I am truly envious. I’ve let so many cars and trucks slip through my fingers over the years and have so many regrets for having done so. My hopes are that Max and Casper continue their adventures for many more years to come. We can only guess what the future might hold for this duo. Heck, they might win a music video award!
Car-tunes
By Dean Whitlow This month’s feature song is by local artist Matt Steel. The music video for this song features Max Williamson’s Chevy pickup truck that is affectionately known as Casper (and is featured elsewhere in this issue). Each time I watch the music video I just want to jump right in and be a part of all the fun everyone is having. An awesome song, video… and a great tip of the cowboy hat to Casper! Below are the lyrics to Matt Steel’s song… Mud Bog! Mud Bog Writer: Matt Steel Co-writer: Scott Dunning Worked hard all week, and now it’s done Time for me to have a little fun But a honkey-tonk’s not what I had in mind I need some wide-open space With some good old friends of mine I’m ready for some hard runnin’, hard racing Tire spinning, mud slinging Look out boys I got it in 4-wheel drive I wanna hear the pipes ringing, Hank cranking Crowd screaming, gears changing I need another night, at the mud bog There’s a place I love to go Take a right down pipeline road.
Can’t wait to throw that mud into the air Spend some time with some friends of mine Having us a real good time And there’s always someone bringing me a beer I’m ready for some hard runnin’, hard racing Tire spinning, mud slinging Look out boys I got it in 4-wheel drive I wanna hear the pipes ringing, Hank cranking Crowd screaming, gears changing. I need another night, at the mud bog I’m ready for some hard runnin’, hard racing Tire spinning, mud slinging Look out boys I got it in 4-wheel drive I wanna hear the pipes ringing, Hank cranking Crowd screaming, gears changing I need another night, at the mud bog Look out boys I got it in 4-wheel drive I wanna hear the pipes ringing, Hank cranking Crowd screaming, gears changing I need another night, at the mud bog I’m ready for some hard runnin’, hard racing Tire spinning, mud slinging Look out boys I got it in 4-wheel drive I wanna hear the pipes ringing, Hank cranking Crowd screaming, gears changing I need another night, at the mud bog.
Dress Code: BOWTIE REQUIRED The All Chevy Show at the Museum of Transportation
Just Wheelin’ Around
Head of the Class: Dodge Brothers Senior Six
Head of the Class: Dodge Brothers Senior Six By Terri Jestus and Dean Whitlow We have a feeling that if we continue to produce Wheel-E Magazine for the next 30 years, we’ll never again feature a car as unique as the 1928 Dodge Brothers Senior Six that is owed by Matt Palisch. The pedigree of an antique car often means more than any feature of the car. That is, if a car appeared in a movie for example, it is often highly valued. Even and infamous event in history that is connected to a car can make it intriguing and valuable (Bonnie and Clyde’s 1934 Ford comes to mind). Matt’s Senior Six certainly has a pedigree unlike any other that we’ve had the privilege of featuring in our magazine. His car was originally the personal car of Horace Dodge Jr. (the son of one of the founding brothers of the Dodge Brothers automobile company). The car was purchased from the estate of Horace Dodge Jr. in Palm Beach, Florida and was presented in a museum for 35 years. Ted Lanpher of Advance, Missouri purchased the car in Florida, and Matt then purchased the car from Ted. When he acquired it, Matt’s Senior Six needed quite a bit of mechanical repair to be driven regularly. Matt completed an overhaul of the engine, transmission, and brakes. Believe it or not, the car did NOT require a repaint. This is only the second paint job the car has had. Matt is an amazing young man, and values a car that most men his age would overlook. Typically, a museum quality car with such a rare pedigree would be transported to car shows in an enclosed trailer, and hidden from view most days of the year. Not so with Matt’s Senior Six. On the day that we photographed the car, Matt asked if we would like to go for a ride (did he really have to ask?) and off we went on a quick trip around town! And to think that this car is an Antique Automobile Club of America top point winner! Matt said that it is one of only six known to exist in the United States. The Senior Six was introduced as the most prestigious of the Dodge Brothers line of cars. The Fast Four and the Victory Six were other models available, but lacked the beautiful coachwork and power of the Senior Six. The Senior Six borders on being an elegant car as it is adorned with a number of small features that simply aren’t seen on some lesser expensive cars. We couldn’t take our eyes off of the small bezel around the dome light. Such a simple part for a car but so beautifully designed and manufactured. A very unique feature is that this car has a fuel gauge at the gas tank and a second fuel gauge in the dashboard. Matt said that he feels comfortable driving his car in the 45 MPH range. Not fast by today’s standards, but you must realize that this car rides on wooden spoke wheels. However, the car has hydraulic brakes… something that Ford cars didn’t have until eleven years later!
A Closer Look at the Six
Air Conditioning back-in-the-day
Enjoying the ride....
All in the Family..... This collection belongs to the same family and shows their interest in wheels.
Note the Senior Six reflection in the baby moon.
Decades Apart
Dodge Senior Six and Dodge Charger share the same rich heritage.
Under the Hood is the 6 cylinder of the Senior Six
1939 Minni Moline Tractor By Donna Gross
My uncle Gene, who I bought the
Yep, this color is the correct color for that year.
Trans Am from, remembers working the auction when my Uncle Doc bought the Minni (somewhere in the mid-tolate sixties). I remember riding in the Minni with my mom driving and working in the fields when I was about five years old. Uncle Doc was the second owner and he sold the Minni to his daughter and son-in-law (Deb and Jim) in 2009 for a penny with the understanding that they would restore it. Before the Minni was completed, Deb and Jim wanted a 1939 penny to put in the center of the steering wheel. They called me to see if I could find one since I have tons of pennies. However, I didn't have one and had to ask around and lo and behold one of my friends had one. When Uncle Doc turned 75, the family had a birthday party for him and Deb and Jim presented a completed Minni to him.
Going for a birthday ride...
Moline being presented to Uncle Doc on his 75th birthday.
The smiles on their faces tell that all the hard work restoring the Minni was worth it.
in the beginning........ Donna's car at her uncle's house before she bought it.
REAR VIEW Now the work begins...
Timeline of my TA By Donna Gross
I am the fourth owner of the TA. It came out of the factory in Ohio and was sold to a gentleman in Kansas. Then a teenager in Illinois, who sold it to my uncle in Illinois. My uncle owned it for 12 or so years and stored it in his shop on a dirt floor with a car cover. He only put a thousand miles on it or so. I bought the TA four years ago with approximately 25,000 original miles and since have added around 4,600 more. Everything's original except the T-Top has been replaced and I believes the console might have been also. My next step is to get it PHS Certified and contact all of the previous owners then take it to the Survivor Car Show next June up by Chicago.
TIDBIT
In 1979, manual transmissions in Trans Ams always had the Pontiac 400 6.6 engine.
A few cars from the Lake of the Ozark Spring 2012 Pictures Courtesy of Donna Gross
Period perfect '55 Chevy Gasser looks ready for the strip.
Marble Hill Optimist Car Show Sponsored by S&H Dream Machines Sept.29, 2012
More coverage at www.wheel-emag.com
Cydney Griffith enjoyed a road trip with a friend to Cadillac Ranch in Feb. of 2011.These are some of the awesome pics that she brought back!
Some like it HOT! Turning UP the Heat at the 2012 NSRA Mid-America Nationals Flamed Cars set the Show on Fire
OUTLAW OFF-ROAD PARK
Wheel-E Magazine went out to Outlaw Park, (which is located on Pipeline Road out on Hwy 34) in August, 2012 for a benefit for Travis Sikes. The following is an interview with one of the owners of the Park, Paula Mayfield. Q. What made you decide to have a benefit for Travis? A. Travis and I have been friends for years and I wanted to do something to help when I Iearned of his diagnosis. When I first came up with the idea to have a benefit for Travis he told me that he “couldn’t let me do this!” “I told him that I wasn’t asking for permission but it still took six or so phone calls to finally convince him that I was serious about helping him.” Q. Have you done many benefits in general? A. Yes, I have done several since opening Outlaw Off-Road Park. I may even do more than one benefit for the same person if it’s needed. Some of those benefits were for Shawn Parrish, Muddin’ for Miracles, Crawlin’ for a Cause and Relay for Life and St. Jude and several benefits for individuals. Q. Do you have any changes coming up? A. Yes, in fact I am very excited about my new idea -- having a benefit before Christmas where customers bring in a $10 toy to get in free and have proceeds go to local children. Q. Does it take very long to plan a benefit? A. Some benefits take as long as 6 weeks to plan depending on the details. Some benefits may include a meal and/or a sound system but getting volunteers does not seem to be an issue. When Paula does a benefit, such as this one, she usually has family or friends that gladly volunteer to help. However, she will specify one main volunteer, who will know exactly what Paula has planned. That one person will follow from beginning to end, including sitting down at the end of the day to count the proceeds and tally up everything so there are no misunderstandings. Q. Do you have good response to benefits? A. Yes, we do. There are actually people that come only for benefits and no other time. Some people come only to watch and not participate. Others come in on Friday night early enough to hook up their campers and stay until Sunday. Paula wants her Park to be known for the benefits and for kids and families to enjoy the friendly atmosphere. She tries extremely hard to make it a safe place for people to go to have fun. As Paula and I were talking, it started to rain. I was immediately disappointed but she was happy and said that rain would help because it’s been so dry and that people like mud and it will make it more fun for the riders. At the time of this interview, Paula was coming up with new hours for the Park. Starting in November, Outlaw Off-Road Park will be open only Saturdays and Sundays on the first and third weekends of the month.
A honk-honk means “thank you�.
F A M I L Y F U N A T O U T L A W P A R K
The park includes 294 acres and has a log cabin that is 165 years old.
There have been weddings at the Park.
Ron and his faithful companion 4X4
1969 Ford F100 4x4 By Ron
T
hroughout our lives, we sometimes measure the passing of time by the things around us. The types of music that were playing on the radio when we're in school, and how it has changed since then, reminds us of how much time has passed. Often, the measure of time is in the possessions that come into our lives. In the Spring of 1987, I purchased twenty acres in Bollinger County. The road back to the property was an off-roaders dream. Having sold my 4x4 Chevy a year earlier, I was now left with a dilemma. How am I going to get back to my property? Solution: another four-wheel drive. Before buying my property, I had been making numerous trips to Southeast Missouri. I had made many friends, and really liked the area. One of the friends I had made was a retired fellow, who at this same time had two trucks for sale. The first truck was a 1979 Ford three-quarter ton 4x4 pick-up. He was selling it for $4500. This was as much as I had paid for my land a few months earlier. He also had a 1969 Ford half-ton 4x4 pick-up. Unlike the '79 model, this truck did not have any of the niceties. With manual steering, manual brakes and manual transmission, this truck requires a heavy hand to drive it. But then, by the same token, it only cost $1500. I could forgo some luxuries to be able to afford this truck. After all, how long am I going to own this truck? My friend was selling the 4x4 because of an injury to his left arm. This made driving a manually steered vehicle difficult at best. Money exchanged hands, and in August of 1987, I became the proud owner. I could now make it back to my property without chigger infestation. Having owned this truck for over twenty-five years, I now have long-time friends who cannot remember a time when I did not own this four-by. In all those years, I have managed to rack up only five thousand miles on the clock. But in those miles have been many adventures, and a few misadventures. My guess is, it is not the quantity of miles, as it is the quality. In the time I have owned the Ford, I have seen it go from an old truck to an antique vehicle. Maintenance has been preformed, repairs made, and yes, modifications were done to lift the truck. It has had any number of wheel and tire combos, and yet I still have all the parts to put the truck back to the original condition it was in when I bought it. In that same period of time, I have gone from a young man in my early twenties, to someone staring fifty in the face. Whenever I feel like I have lost my youth, I just jump into the old truck, and go look for some of it.
Ron's truck at Old Union United Methodist Church.