It’s not often that a hotrodder keeps a car/truck for an extended length of time, call it boredom, greener pastures, whatever; but we hotrodders do everything we can to upgrade, change, or just try something different. Sometimes you just get to the point in a long build where priorities change. It could be for any number of reasons. You only hope that when you pass the torch the new owner treats it with the same level of care as you had. We’ve all been in these shoes at one point or another. You hate to see it go but you know the timing just isn’t right to finish the project.
Bob Jenecke and his ’32 Vicky have been together for over 60 years and he’s got photos to prove it. Bob is a gearhead an avid drag racer through and through. Back in 1959/1960 he held class records in C/Gas at his local Fremont Drag Strip in his ’40 Ford Coupe. He’s built, raced and sold many cars over the years but the Vicky has never left his possession.
June 1959 – Bob’s ’40 Coupe(Drag Car) & the ’32 Vicky
Talking with Bob about the car was a blast from the past. He had build pics dating back to the 60’s. Though the car had never technically been fully restored it was still in excellent shape. At some point in the late 90’s he knew that the flathead was going to be changed. He began planning for a whole drivetrain overhaul as well. Friends tried to convince him to upgrade the factory frame with new suspension. Since he knew better than to try and add a bunch of power to the old chassis, he made a call to TCI. A few weeks later this arrived at his doorstep.
Bob ended up selling his factory chassis with the flathead engine for $6000. Any nay-sayers about the chassis purchase were quickly silenced. The chassis had engine mounts ready for his new 350″ SBC. If you look closely at the picture below you can see his red Freemont Drag Strip race suit hanging on the wall.
Bob was telling me that he’s been bringing the car to the Pleasanton Goodguys shows for many years after the chassis and drivetrain upgrade. He commented over and over again how much of a pleasure the car is to drive now, he wished he had done the upgrade sooner.
While talking with Bob and his daughter Trish I got the feeling that this car was part of the family, an older sibling to Trish and a first child to Bob. Trish was telling me about driving the car to the show this weekend. “My Dad told me to step on it, so I did. The rear tires barked going into 2nd gear, it was awesome!” she said.
There is truly nothing that invokes more pride and joy from what we do than to sit down and talk shop with our customers. Hearing Bob’s story is not only heart warming but it also provides motivation to continue building the best suspension and chassis on the market.
