Remember Rat Fink

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Remember Rat Fink
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 08:36 am:



Well, maybe Ed Roth's work wasn't enjoyed by restorers as much as by Street Rodders but I sure enjoyed it in the 60's and tried to copy it.
Schwartz Fink was inspired by my friends A/T project. I thought some of you might enjoy it.

Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael Mullis on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 08:43 am:

Awesome Rich.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Manuel, Lafayette, La. on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 09:00 am:

Nice Rich!! I enjoyed Ed Roth and Harvey Kurtzman as well as Walt Kelly.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 09:17 am:

Big Daddy Roth.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 10:13 am:

Oh, for the days! Great art, Richard.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary Schreiber- Santa Isabel Ecuador on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 10:23 am:

Love it :-) Thanks!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 11:41 am:

It has been years since I thought about Big Daddy Roth, Rat Fink, and the Outlaw.

I would like for some parts of the old days to come back.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 11:55 am:

We visited Harrah's in Reno years ago and the "Beatnik Bandit" and the "Outlaw" were on display there as well as a derelict "Rotor" (his Air Car) on the back lot waiting for possible restoration. I'm sure someone has them on display now.

On a VMCCA Tour in Utah a few years ago they took us to Ed's Museum which only is opened for an anniversary and special occasions. It is in Manti, UT. His kids sometimes show up at swap meets with shirts for sale.

It was a magical time for many of us in the 60's yet the youngsters today missed out on it all.

Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 12:22 pm:

Speaking of great art from the Fifties and Sixties...



I couldn't find a copy of my favorite, Sail 'em, don't inhale 'em, but this one is a widely reproduced classic.

It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mack Cole ---- Earth on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 01:03 pm:

From the pictures and such I see from Woodstock and that era, I think the folks missed alot of it themselves as they were in the twilight zone from chemical influence.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 01:33 pm:

Can remember at our county fairs Big Daddy had a booth to custom paint RF tee shirts right there for you. Every shirt different. He used pencil type airbrushes. He was happy to talk and joke with you while he painted. Wish I had the money to have bought one and the brains to have kept it.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Dewey, N. California on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 01:35 pm:

Those who claim they remember the '60s really weren't there!!
:-)
PS Great art, Richard!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Friday, August 22, 2014 - 02:04 pm:

June 8th 1966 Topeka tornado. Remember very well. Watching Dad counting out cash money ($100.00 bills) for our new 1965 Ford County Squire.
My first year of High School.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Spaziano, Bellflower, CA. on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 12:04 am:

Richard,

At fifty three, I consider myself lucky to have actually been to Roth's shop on Slauson in Maywood, California. This shop was the site of the famous "Shoot-out on Slauson" between Roth and a group of Hell's Angels back in the late 60's. I had a brother who was 18 years my senior and, having attended Bell High School, ran with most of the custom car "Kings" of the 50's and 60's.

Larry Watson, the famous custom car painter and painter of Roth's "Druid Princess", had a shop on Rosecrans in Bellflower. Literally walking distance from where I live and have lived for 52 years. Another acquaintance of my brother's.

I can really keep the guy's at work occupied with the stories I was told by my brother and a mutual friend of my brother's and I, the late Ed Fuller. Fuller was one of Roth's main fiberglass guys. The guys in the "Wheels Group" really eat that stuff up.

As far as the surviving cars of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth are concerned, I believe all of the cars have now been restored and most of the early examples are owned by Bert Bachman the owner of Galpin Ford in Van Nuys, CA.

The last of the Roth cars to be found and restored was the "Mysterion". It was found several years ago sitting outside an adult bookstore in, of all places, Tijuana, Mexico and was being used as a trash can.

As the story goes, the car was won in a bet by the shop owner. The entire front-end fiberglass nose had been cut off. The original wheels were still in place but, the car was extremely deteriorated due to having sat outside for decades. The owner would not sell but, agreed to loan the car to Bachman and was thus restored to it's original configuration.

The "Beatnik Bandit", "Rotar" which nearly killed a young girl when one of the two solid steel fans broke loose, became airborne, glanced off the overhead lighting fixtures, then sailed down into the crowd, has also been restored by Bachman.

Several years ago, some co-workers of mine and I built a tribute sculpture to "Rat-Fink" and Big Daddy. You can view it by doing a Google Image search for Da Fink. It's on Flickr.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 10:33 am:

Mike, the car found in Mexico was the Orbitron. As far as I know the original Mysterion has not yet been found, although at least one very faithful reproduction has been built.

I have a copy of his book, "Hot Rods by Ed Big Daddy Roth" by Roth and Thacker, published by Motorbooks International, it's great reading.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 10:33 am:

That's cool stuff Mike.
I'm sure being around that sort of thing helped spark your creative interests and abilities.
I know the magazine articles we anxiously awaited sure influenced me.

Rich


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Spaziano, Bellflower, CA. on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 11:25 am:

Mark,

You're right. It was the "Orbitron". I guess I got my trons mixed up. He He!

If I recall correctly, now that we're on the subject, I remember hearing that Roth cut-up the "Mysterion". The frame was very weak in some areas and was extremely difficult to drive because of instability. The car's, not Roth.

Thanks for the correction.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 07:38 pm:

A little explanatory info for those who weren't around back in the
days long, long before home computers or even microwave ovens,
when boys were born knowing how to drive and the lines in their
right palms were an H-shift pattern:

Once upon a time, there were two mythological creatures who ruled
The American Car Culture...



"Rat Fink" represented California's hot-rod culture and some of the
movies produced at the time, like Hot Rods to Hell, reflected the
same frenetic attitude.




Then, for kids not yet old enough to be burning up the roads with full-
sized T-buckets and Mercs, there was "The Kat from AMT." The link below
explains about The Kat:

https://losttoronto2.wordpress.com/tag/amt-3-in-1-kits/


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Dufault on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 08:07 pm:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbitron


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 08:34 pm:

this is blowing my mind with memories from the past

It is hard enough to deal with the T, A and memories of times with me dad but when you add the car culture of the 6o's and a bit of wine in the evening I become a sentimental old fool.

I just finished reading a book about Bugsy Stevens and am reading another about Richie Evans both people that were personal friends when I was involved in NASCAR in the 60's and 70's so my emotions are near the surface.

Coiro din't help -- The closest I got to a Willys with a big motor was a 41 ford opera coupe with a 48 Merc flathead. Later it was a 54 Chev with a 283 V8

Then I think about Trans AM, Can AM, Indy advancements, Mark Donahue, etc. and tears come to my eyes

If of these don't make your blood move faster you missed the greatest times in automotive history


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Scott Owens on Saturday, August 23, 2014 - 10:30 pm:

Ok you old gesser,s there was a comic book that had the villain who got the nice gal but his car would always break down. the good guy would come along and take the nice gal to the drive-in or something like that. It was in the late 50.s or early 60,s Does anyone remember it? Thanks, Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Spaziano, Bellflower, CA. on Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 01:02 am:

Was that comic book called "Car-Toons"?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Scott Owens on Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 11:12 am:

Hi Mike, I think you are getting close but I looked some up on e-bay and I dont think its quite right. I did not see anything that was close so I may buy one and see. Thanks for your help, Scott


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Richard Eagle Ida Fls on Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 11:50 am:

Bob, I don't know how I missed out on the "Kat from AMT". I was an AMT addict for a time. I guessed I had been brain-washed buy the Restoration Gypsies by then.

Rich

Car-toons and Mad were in my literature budget back then.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Walker, NW AR on Sunday, August 24, 2014 - 03:03 pm:

What -- Me worry? :-)


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