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christinky · 6 years

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Heartbreak and Panic | Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: Angst, heart break. What fits the theme so far really.

Summary: Steve, Tony and Sam go to take down Hydra and save Bucky. Can they get to him in time?

A/N: last part of this series! I am doing this part to @autumnstarks writing challenge (The same one I did for part 1) The Prompt is “I promise I’ll keep you safe” (Its at the very end if you search for it)

You pause. Turning around to see the two boys not following you, instead they are both looking at you with confused looks on their face. “What?” You ask, trying to figure out what their problem is.

“(Y/N), You can’t go” Steve tells you as he walks towards you, “Hydra is dangerous, you could get killed.” He places his hand on your shoulder to comfort you, to make sure you understood why you have to stay.

“I actually agree with Cap here,” Tony buts in, “you are staying here.” He walks past the two of you, stopping in the door way. “Get Sam to meet us on the jet, and (Y/N) you can hangout here or go home. Happy can drive you.” Tony says with a smirk, then he turns to head to the jet.

“Don’t worry (Y/N), we will find him.” Steve’s voice was soft, looking into his eyes you can see how sincere he is.

You really want to fight their decision, you want to go and help. You know you could take care of yourself, you are not some weak little girl who needs protecting. In your heart you know its not the time though. If you go you would be a distraction to them, they would focus on making sure you are okay rather than the mission. Taking down Hydra once and for all and saving Bucky is a lot more important than you proving a point at the moment.

Following the boys outside, you decide to take Tony’s offer to have Happy drive you home. You would rather be anxiously waiting at your own home than at Avenger’s tower. Getting into the car, you turn to Steve. You give him a smile with a nod, wishing him luck at to be careful. You don’t have to say anything, he knows what you meant.

*****************************************************************************************************

Back at your apartment, you feel like a total wreck. You lie on the couch, staring at the ceiling in silence. A few hours ago you were miserable because Bucky broke your heart. Now, well there is a little hope. Knowing that Hydra is threatening him helps you understand why he was so mean to you, but part of you still wonders if the whole Hydra thing was just an excuse for him to finally end it with you. Your mind is going crazy with all your different speculations, not to mention whether Bucky meant it or not, you still care about him. Knowing he is in trouble hurts you, you want to make sure he is okay. You would feel horrible if the worst case scenario happens.

It feels as if hours have gone by, you take a glance at the clock, its only been 15 minutes. You moan in agony as you sit up. A minute or so passes as you just stare blankly off into the distance. Feeling empty, you bring yourself to go shower. You still look like a mess, and now this added stress isn’t going to help your situation.

The hot water feels good against your skin. It helps waken you, making you feel something again. You close your eyes as you massage the shampoo in your hair. You can feel the knots and tangles from a few days of neglect. The steam from the shower helps calm you. You brush you hair, helping the shampoo rinse out then start to condition. Standing in the shower, you just let the water hit you as you start to think about the events from the last few hours.

So much happened, the past you have been miserable, beating yourself up, thinking that Bucky never loved you. Now he is missing, Hydra has been harassing him, he is reported dead, and... Then it hit you. Remembering Steve’s words hit you like a ton of bricks. You must have been so focused on everything else you just let them slide. Steve said Bucky was about to propose.

Thinking of his words help you feel hopeful. That when they do find Bucky, he will take you back, that he really didn’t mean his harsh words, he was only trying to protect you. You start to daydream, thinking of what the ring looks like, how he planned to ask, and how happy your lives would be as Mr. and Mrs. James Barnes.

Once you run out of hot water you decide to get out of the shower. You get some new lounge clothes to put on and wrap your hair in a towel. Checking the time, about a half hour has passed. You let out an annoyed sigh as your head flies back in sorrow. The agony of waiting is going to be your downfall.

However, your shower made your feel fresh with a new sense of hope. You decided to use this to try and be productive with everything you have let go in the past week. You put on your favorite throwback, feel good music to try and distract yourself as you clean, do laundry and get shit together.

*****************************************************************************************************

Thankfully the music helped you. Once you finish you notice that it has now been about 3.5 hours. Your mind feels clear and less stressed being in a clean and tidy apartment. It’s a lot cleaner than normal, it could have been subconscious stress cleaning. Either way the apartment was spotless, you don’t care how you got it like this.

You plop back on the couch, going back into dangerous territory, you let your thoughts wander. You start to daydream about what those boys are doing, if they found him yet, are they doing okay, then you start daydreaming of the best case scenario. In your heart you know better than to think of the best possible outcome, you can’t help yourself. Thinking of what it will be like when Bucky comes back to you, hugging him close, the sweet reunion you are desperately hoping for. You always know to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, but after this week, you think the worst already happened. What could possibly be worse than that?

*****************************************************************************************************The sound of your ringtone jerks you awake. You awaken in slight confusion, not meaning to take a nap in the first place. Grabbing your phone, you see that Steve is calling, you heart starts pounding seeing his name on the screen. Before answering you take a deep breath and compose yourself.

“Did you find him” You blurt out, wanting to get straight to the point, clearly giving away your priority.

“(Y/N)...” He pauses, thats all you need to hear. You know Bucky wasn't there, before you can spin into a downward spiral you try to turn things around. Thinking that if he isn’t there he is still out there, they didn’t find him yet, he hasn’t been hurt.

“Thats okay! We can find him!” you cut Steve off, trying to come up with an idea.

“How?” Steve was disappointed, you could tell, Bucky was his best friend after all, “We don’t know where he is, he has no phone, no means of contact. He thinks you hate him most likely, he thinks Hydra is still after him.”

Thats when it hits you, you get excited thinking that this will work perfectly. “Get Stark to have a press conference!” You shout it louder than you should, revealing that you are obviously sure this will work.

The confusion in Steve’s voice shows, “And what will that do?”

“You didn’t let me finish” You snap at him, “The two of you can announce that you have taken down the final Hydra facility, explain that there is reason to believe Bucky is still alive and get people to send in tips, or try to speak to Bucky through the media. The Avengers have a massive platform and following, your fans will spread the word and look out, and most likely it will be on the covers of newspapers and on the news.” You stop to catch your breath, “Steve... I know its a long shot but its our best chance.”

“Okay, I’ll have Stark send Happy to pick you up.”

“Me? um no.” You protest, “I don’t talk to press, I’m nobody. Plus it would mean more coming from you.”

“Thats true but if we want to get through to Bucky, seeing you there with us will help. If he thinks he lost you and you are mad it will only drive him away. If he sees you with us as we plead for his return, he will see that you are willing to forgive him and you still care about him.”

Rolling your eyes you cave, “Fine” you say unwillingly, “I’m not saying anything though.”

With that you hang up the phone. You sure hope this works, if not you aren’t sure what will since the last man hunt for him went oh so well. Realizing what just happened you spring off the couch and rush into the bathroom to get your hair and makeup looking decent then get dressed.

*****************************************************************************************************

During the conference you stood just behind Steve and he spoke to the press. In the perfect spot to be seen in almost all the photos and videos, to make sure you could be noticed.

Your plan worked great so far, Hydra being defeated and ‘Where is Bucky’ is everywhere. Now its just a waiting game.

It’s been a week since the conference. You couldn’t help but lose hope, thinking he should have reached out by now. If he hasn’t been seen or have made contact with anyone chances are he doesn’t want to be found or you were wrong and he really is dead. Steve checks in a few times a day, to make sure there hasn’t been any updates on your end. There never was.

You are forced to go about your day like nothing is wrong, like everything is normal. Hiding the fact that you are falling apart on the inside, your heart is breaking, you are finding it hard to be happy again with everything going on, thinking about everything you lost.

You are having a night in, again. Basically the summary of the past two weeks. The pizza delivery guy and grubhub driver know you pretty well at this point. Tonight you decided to order Mexican delivery. Perfect way to shake up your week of takeout.

Changing out of your work clothes, you put on some pajamas and tie your hair up. You turn on Brooklyn 99, a feel good show to keep you positive, as you wait for your food.

A few minutes pass, the wonderful sound of knocking on your door fills the apartment. You leap up, grabbing your purse, you are starving and cant wait to eat. As you walk to the door you try and fish out a tip, you open the door, dropping your purse in shock.

There he is. Bucky. His hair is a mess, he looks like a train wreck. He is looking down, trying to avoid eye contact. It doesn’t stop you from seeing the pain in his eyes. He looks horrible, you heartbreaks for him. However, no amount of heartbreak can hide the joy you feel seeing him again.

A smile comes across your lips, “Bucky!” You say softly but fully allowing Bucky to sense your excitement.

You bring your hand up to his cheek, lifting his face to see you. You give him a soft smile, holding back tears of joy. “I’m, I’m so sorry (Y/N)” His voice cracks.

Without hesitation you pull him into a hug, you feel him falling apart in your arms. You hold him tight, “Don’t worry, everything will be okay. I promise I’ll keep you safe.” you say as he instantly pulls away.

You flex your muscles and make an angry face, thats all you needed to do to make him smile.

“Oh yeah, I forgot how strong you are” His sarcasm hurt a little bit, but he wasn’t wrong.

You pull him inside, seeing the joy start fading from his face. Hoping to talk things over, just so you guys can get close to how things were before all this happened.

Permanent Taglist: @spiderlingsweb @saturn-aka-six

Heartbreak and Panic Taglist: @crazyinspiration @sadmilku

Other mutuals and those I want to tag :) : @hazsterfield @starksparker @fuck-off-lucas @foreverbeingthunderbuddy @vloggerparker

#nikkis writing challenge #bucky barnes #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky imagines #bucky one shot #bucky series

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eckshecks · 5 years

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Ex Hex’s Mary Timony on Enlarging the Group’s Sound By Jordan LawrenceOct 22, 2019 Updated 1 hr ago Facebook Twitter Email Facebook Twitter Email Print Save Ex Hex Ex Hex

Michael Lavine Washington, D.C.’s Ex Hex could have rested on the appeal of fantastic players tearing through dirty garage rock that frolics on the dividing line between precision and abandon. But five years after the exceedingly well-titled debut Rips, the group shows it’s not content to keep trotting out the same formula. This year’s It’s Real is bigger and fuller, alive with electric harmonies from voices and guitars, echoing with the bigness of multiple eras of arena rock while maintaining its built-for-a-rock club edge.

Free Times caught up with guitarist and singer Mary Timony to talk about Ex Hex’s growth. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Free Times: The new album’s definitely cleaner and more dynamic than Rips. Tell me about your ambition for the record.

Mary Timony: We wanted the record to sound really huge. The first record was pretty garage rock. On this record, we were going for more of a production style that was less blown out and more clear and bigger. It took us a while to get it going because we toured an insane amount on the first record. Because the record did pretty well and we just kept getting all these offers. We went to Europe literally like five times, which is insane.

Was it about trying to do something you can’t do on stage?

We wanted to be able to replicate it. Betsy [Wright], she’s really a guitar player. She was kind of filling in on bass on the first record. A lot of the record was recorded with her playing guitar, so we’re like, ‘Well, obviously, we need to have her playing guitar and get a bass player.’ And so now we’re playing with Michelle Mae, who’s a musician from Makeup. And that has been awesome. It’s been great to be a four-piece.

How does it change things, being a four-piece?

It’s really fun to have two guitars because there’s so much you can do. The band can sound much bigger or just as stripped-down if you want or way bigger. It just gives us so many more possibilities for sounds and parts to play. Playing as a three-piece is good in its own ways, but it definitely presents more of a challenge because there’s not a lot of room. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s basically like nobody can stop. You have a lot more jobs. But when there’s four, the guitars can kind of take a break, or they can play at a harmony. There’s just way more to work with.

You recently released the title track for It’s Real as a separate single. Why did you end up holding it but naming the album after it?

It was a song that we hadn’t finished recording by the time that the record needed to be done. It was one of the things where we just thought about it too much so we had to take a little break and then we had it and we listened again and decided it was awesome and we just finished it up. It was just sitting on the backburner, I guess.

I thought it was kind of cool to have it come from a song that wasn’t on the record. In a way, that song is also the most collaborative of anything we’ve ever done. So I like that part of it. It’s really a mix of me and Betsy. She wrote most of the melodies, and I wrote most of the lyrics, and we’ve never collaborated that crossed before. Usually, it’s like one person writes a song and everybody else helps arrange it. That one we really, I guess, wrote together, in a way. It’s mostly her song, but then I contributed a bunch of lyrics and melody ideas.

I’ve read that Def Leppard had an influence on the record. Tell me about that.

The main idea was just really like Mutt Lange’s production style. Because the way his stereo was recorded is pretty crazy. It’s just like super complex, and there’s like a million, million tracks. It’s not straight-ahead. It’s not just some microphones in the room. It’s very complicated.

We’re trying to copy it, but we soon found out that was impossible. Because you need like a million dollars to be able to copy that, and also be really good at production and have good gear. So we just sort of did our own version of that sound on a few songs.

One thing I like about the record is that it’s not all one genre or style. We have certain things that do sound like throwbacks, but then there’s other songs. It’s not all just one thing. It’s a little bit more mixed up.

From your time in the cult favorite Helium to Ex Hex, your work is well-known to a certain segment of indie rock fans. Is that in your head as you make music these days?

No, that’s not in my head at all. I’m just trying to make records because I like to do it. All of us in the band are the same way. It’s not like you get into this to make a million dollars. You just get into doing it because it’s fun and creative and you connect with people. Believe me, it’s not an easy thing to do with your life, at all, by any means. At this point, I’ve been doing it longer than some people, because most people just aren’t as crazy as me, I guess. I just keep going. I don’t know.

It’s not like this band is at a level where people are that aware or that many people are dying to hear our next record. We’re just trying to make it work.

What: Jam Room Music Festival

Where: Hampton and Main streets, Columbia

When: Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Price: Free

More: jamroommusicfestival.com

Ex Hex plays the Palmetto Brewing Co. Stage on Hampton Street at 6:45 p.m.

Facebook Twitter Email Print Save +5Columbia’s Female-Dominated Jam Room Music Festival Is Well-Timed Columbia’s Female-Dominated Jam Room Music Festival Is Well-Timed Phill Blair admits that the most striking aspect of this week’s Jam Room Music Festival wasn’t intentional. At least, not at first.

MORE INFORMATION +3Jam Room Music Festival 2019 Schedule Jam Room Music Festival 2019 Schedule The Whig Stage

Now with two new bands, Katharine Whalen’s days after Squirrel Nut Zippers are full Tags Ex Hex Live Music Columbia Jam Room Music Festival Jordan Lawrence Jordan Lawrence Managing Editor for Free Times

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itsworn · 5 years

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Street/Strip 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Has Been Stuck in the Mud for 40 Years

Hot rod hunter John Fardone is no stranger to these pages. The Bucks County, Pennsylvania, native was part of the team we featured a few years back for pulling a pair of wing cars out of a collector’s basement (“Birds in the Basement,” Aug. 2016; bit.ly/2TwKHiY). Since then, John has been hitting the pavement with a vengeance, scoring rare and collectible rides that have been entombed in garages, shoved into long-term storage, or relocated to the backyards of America.

John’s the first to admit he doesn’t do it alone. “I have a group of friends who are constantly chasing cars for me. They turn me on to them, and then it’s up to me to make a deal and bring them home.” The list of wild muscle rides he has obtained over the years is extensive. He is just one of those guys who not only love the chase but also thrive on bringing lost rides back to the streets where they belong.

A Tip Recently John got a tip from one of his “scouts” about a Camaro sitting out in the elements. His friend spotted what appeared to be the outline of a first-gen Camaro under a cover in the dirt alongside a shed. Naturally, his friend knocked on the owner’s door and inquired about the F-body. The owner said it was a true big-block RS/SS car that he bought in 1972. “My buddy said that it definitely was worth investigating, so I made the time to go check it out. It wasn’t far from my home.”

When John got to the car, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “It had sat so long, the car had sunk up to the traction bars.” But interestingly enough, for an East Coast car that had lived in this harsh environment, it wasn’t that bad overall. “I was shocked how solid the car was for sitting in dirt all those years,” he says.

By now John was salivating all over the Camaro’s original Le Mans blue paint. He then took a quick peek inside. In contrast to the outside, the interior was in total shambles, as the weather, local animals and general debris had made a massive depository of the cockpit. “It was mess inside, but I always look at the bright side,” says John. And that bright side was the fact that this car was just loaded with some of the best speed parts a racer could purchase back in the 1970s.

Though he was interested in this brazen Bowtie, John could not pull off a deal that day. Over the next two weeks the twosome negotiated a price. We can imagine it wasn’t easy for someone to part with a car that had been there in view for the last 40 years, but in the end, they negotiated a deal. With the OK, John immediately made tracks to the owner’s house to claim his prize. It was a challenge to get it out of the mud, but this is nothing out of the ordinary for John. “I put some boards down, jacked it up out of the dirt, put wheels on it, and pulled it onto the flatbed,” he says.

Fast Life The Camaro had lived a fast life, on the road less than a decade before being put up for good. The last title holder, the car’s second owner, bought it in 1972 and immediately turned the L78 Camaro into a street/strip terror. He raced the 375hp car around the streets of Philadelphia until the original mill blew, then built up a wild LT-1 and started bringing the Camaro to the track.

He installed tow tabs up front, along with a set of tow hubs so he could flat-tow the Camaro to local quarter-mile haunts. There, the now small-block–motivated ride would run high 10s, a pretty sweet number back then for a 350-pushed Camaro. The owner continued to thrash the car for several years until he decided he’d had enough. Though it was still running well, he parked it on the side of the house in the dirt and put a tarp over it for the foreseeable future.

John was amazed by the grocery list of wild speed parts that were installed on this Camaro. From engine upgrades to suspension and running gear, this 1970s throwback was a virtual time capsule of racing parts used four decades ago. But there were more surprises to come.

After inspecting the engine, he thought maybe he could get it to run. He pulled off the carb and realized that not only was it full of mud, but the intake had also been subjected to the same unwanted earthly batter. John cleaned the induction system, rebuilt the carb, and made sure the fuel system was clean before going further. When he checked the tank, he found it full of Sunoco Purple, which had stayed fresh since the 1970s! That says a lot for the fuel offered back in the day.

He then added some oil to the cylinders as a precaution. Once he had spark, he tried to turn it over. Amazingly, with just a little coaxing, the LT-1 not only fired up, but ran damn near perfect. “It ran so well, I felt I didn’t have to go through a rebuild of the mill,” says John. From there he went on to inspect the suspension and clean up the brakes, which all came to life with just some fine tuning.

The car was road-ready in a few months. Then John started cleaning up the body as best he could. He removed some haphazardly sprayed primer from the Camaro’s flanks and then looked for a hood for the car. The Camaro had come with a flat hood with a big Moroso hoodscoop that was in poor condition. John had a Le Mans blue cowl hood in his stash that, coincidentally, worked perfectly with the car. Not only did it fit, it had patina to match. He then shod the Camaro with a set of used Cragar SS wheels to give it that mid-’70s street vibe he was after.

John now has his street survivor Camaro RS/SS on the road where it belongs. It’s no pretty face, with a full course of battle scars and age lines along its flanks, not to mention a rusty crust on the underside where it sat in dirt over the years. But it’s just fine with John. What he has is one incredible look into the past, a time when these muscle cars ruled the streets Monday through Friday, and took to the track on the weekends to make their mark out on the 1320s of the nation.

At a Glance 1968 Camaro RS/SS Owned by: John Fardone Restored by: Unrestored Engine: 350ci LT-1 V-8 Transmission: Muncie M22 4-speed manual Rearend: Chevrolet 12-bolt with 5.57 gears Interior: Black vinyl buckets Wheels: 15×3.5 front, 15×8 rear Cragar SS Tires: 27.5/4.5-15 Mickey Thompson ET front, 28.5/10.5-15 M&H Racemaster rear

The Camaro sat dormant for four decades, sinking into the dirt at the previous owner’s house. In its heyday, the real-deal L78 RS/SS was a burly street racer around Philadelphia in the early 1970s. It is still a treasure trove of 1970s speed parts.

This 1970 LT-1 replaced the original L78 when it blew up out on the streets. As you can see, the last owner did his best to make this small-block into a street/track terror. It is built with a solid-roller cam with General Kinetics roller rockers, and now sports 12:1 compression. A Holley 950-cfm carb and an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake feed this beast. Angle-plug heads top the Chevy’s cylinders. Cal Custom valve covers add to the 1970s flair.

The vintage Fly Eye air cleaner was something that Fardone sourced himself and is the perfect topping for this race-ready engine.

There is plenty of eye candy in the engine bay. An MSD 6A box and an ACCEL Super Coil sit side-by-side on the firewall and help get the spark out. The Auto Meter Rev Control is a piece from the 1970s and still works.

Sparse is a good description of this Camaro’s cockpit. The carpet is long gone, and the floor has been hacked for the Hurst shifter. The buckets are in decent shape, but the door panels have seen better days.

To get the M22 through the gears, the last owner installed this Hurst Ram Rod shifter.

The original BU-code Chevy 12-bolt rear ran the streets with 5.57 gears, while a Mr. Gasket aluminum cover added a cool 1970s touch. The rear suspension has a few upgrades, including Lakewood square-tube traction bars and Koni shocks. Adjustable leaf spring shackles made changing the Camaro’s stance a snap.

When John Fardone bought the Camaro, it came with a set of Ansen wheels, the rears shod with some big Racemaster slicks. The wheel and tire combination did not fit properly, so John went to his stash and picked out these period-correct Cragar SS rims.

When this Camaro became a quarter-mile brawler, the owner installed tow tabs and hubs to get the beast to the track.

The post Street/Strip 1968 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS Has Been Stuck in the Mud for 40 Years appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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itsworn · 5 years

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Bright & Snarly 1952 Henry J Gasser Is a Tribute to His 1960s Drag Racing

If you were born before 1955, you might well remember building the famous Revell Henry J kit. Like most models of that era, it was highly detailed with many small, fragile parts. It may have taken two or three tries before you successfully built, painted, and applied decals to an example that you would be proud to add to your display case. At least that’s the way it was for me more than five decades ago, long before I knew I would make a career out of photographing and writing about cars, especially fullsize editions of cars I built as 1/25th scale models as a kid.

Fast-forward more than five decades. On a foggy spring morning in Southern California, I’m hanging out the passenger-side window of my buddy’s 1967 AMC Rambler Rogue convertible, trying to properly frame a fullsize version of one of those models.

The orange 1952 Kaiser Henry J is a tribute to the straight-axle gassers, the precursors of the Funny Cars that would dominate professional drag racing decades later.

Randy and Jodell Zeal estimate they put about 500 miles a month on their Henry J gasser, or about 6,000 miles a year. That’s a lot of enjoyable time behind the wheel for the couple, who have been together for more than 50 years.

Deluxe readers know more about the appeal of the Henry J for the drag racers of the late 1950s and into the 1960s than most folks. The formula was always simple: a big engine installed in the lightest possible body. But some might not know that the Henry J was the brainchild of industrialist and shipbuilder Henry J. Kaiser (who pioneered employer-provided health insurance that still today bears his name). He was one half of the team that launched the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation out of the automotive assets of Graham-Paige. Kaiser-Frazer was one of the first companies to try to meet the huge demand for new automobiles following the rationing of the Second World War.

Because of the buyers’ market and shortage of new cars following the end of the war, Kaiser-Frazer enjoyed a degree of success. But by 1950, when the Big Three engaged in a take-no-prisoners war for sales (interrupted by the outbreak of the Korean War), all the independents, Kaiser-Frazer included, clawed for market share. Packard, Studebaker, Nash, and Hudson all suffered.

Randy raced a ’57 Olds and later an Olds-powered T roadster at Lions and other Southern California strips in the 1960s. The decals evoke that earlier era and bring back fond memories.

In order to expand its lineup, Kaiser championed the design, engineering, and introduction of an inexpensive smaller car, one that would be easy to build, made from fewer parts (no glovebox, sparse interior trim, no opening decklid), and powered by an economical four-cylinder engine sourced from Willys-Overland. There was only one problem with this plan. The Henry J was only about $200 cheaper ($2,000 today adjusted for inflation) than an entry-level, fullsize Chevrolet. And yes, Sears sold a badge-engineered version of the car under the Allstate brand.

Its engineering simplicity ultimately made the Henry J ideal to use as a drag car. When it was discontinued after the 1953 model year (a few were re-serialized as 1954 models) and its automotive tooling was shipped off to Argentina, there was a surplus of Henry J cars for drag racers to work their magic upon.

The engine is a 383 Chevy stroker. There was no room for a blower without cutting into the little Henry J’s firewall, so Randy elected to go after a little ram-air effect thanks to the scoop feeding the twin Holleys and the tall tunnel-ram intake below them.

For Randy and Jodell Zeal of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, all of this history matters little. Now retired and with the full support of his wife, Randy has built this stunning 1952 Kaiser Henry J gasser. “We drive it everywhere,” he says. “At the shows we attend, most of the show cars are brought in on trailers and see very little street time.”

“We met while street racing in high school in 1965,” says Jodell. “He raced my sister that night. He was sitting on the hood of his ’57 Olds at Oscar’s drive-in restaurant in Garden Grove. My sister and I drove by in her ’64 Impala, a few words were exchanged, and we’ve been together ever since. We were married when Randy returned from Vietnam.”

Randy grew up in Huntington Beach and drag raced at Lions, Orange County International Raceway, and Carlsbad Raceway, among others. He made a career owning and operating a radiator repair shop in Laguna Hills, a calling that led them to Fallbrook, then to Murrieta, before retiring in Arizona.

The custom headers were ceramic-coated to help keep heat out of the car. Before Randy had this done, the floor would heat up to 135 degrees. Talk about a hot foot!

Randy jokingly said the biggest challenge in building the car was getting Jodell to write the checks.

“I retired at age 58,” he says. “Going back to my drag racing days in the 1960s at Lions Drag Strip, I always liked the Henry J gassers. Lions for me began in 1964. Ran the strip almost weekly with my ’57 Olds. It was a real sleeper since most people thought it was too heavy to be a good drag car. But little did they know that I stripped out as much weight as possible and won many times in the Street Eliminator class. In 1967 I built a ’23 T roadster with a 425 Olds and raced at Carlsbad and Orange County International Raceway until I was drafted.”

Years later Randy decided to build his own gasser. “At first, when I acquired the Henry J, I was going to do a stock restoration. But with a top speed of about 40 mph, that was a nonstarter. Then I determined that it was the right car to do a gasser like I remembered the cars from almost 50 years ago. Originally we budgeted $30,000 for the build. At last count, it has reached more than three times that amount.”

Randy built the Henry J’s straight-axle front suspension using components he sourced from Speedway Motors.

Randy characterizes his car as old-school fun. Remembering the durability of the ’57 Olds rearend, that’s where the project started. “I’m an Oldsmobile man and never gave a second thought that the rearend would be anything but a ’57 Olds. I found one in a boneyard in Phoenix. The car features a straight axle up front with ladder traction bars in the rear. It took time to figure out the right gears, starting with a 4.56 spool rearend, but we could not keep the front end on the ground. After breaking three sets of wheelie bars we now run a 4.30 positraction differential and only pop wheelies when we want to. We wore out the wheels on the wheelie bars just having fun.”

A lot of thought went into the engine before a selection was made. “GM makes a great engine, and initially the plan was for a big-block Chevy, but I decided that it would be too heavy for a street machine. Ultimately I ended up with a 383 stroker. I knew it was going to give me the power I was looking for. The bad news is that I contracted with an engine builder in Temecula, California, and almost lost it all. They were shutting down, and if not for a phone call, my engine and money would have been locked up and lost when they shut down.”

Up front, 15×5 Rocket wheels provide the spindle-mount look and are mounted to skinny Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires. In back, 15×12 old-school steel wheels with trim rings and Baby Moon caps are wrapped with fat Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/Rs.

The build included a Moroso oil pan, Scat reciprocating parts—rods, piston, crank—and Dart heads. Ruben Racing Cams of Anaheim supplied the roller cam that spec’d at 0.535/0.535 lift, 299/312 duration. “I also installed a dual-pass radiator and custom headers with ceramic coating,” Randy says. “The trans is a 700R4 converted to a floor shifter using a B&M torque converter with a 3,500-rpm stall speed. Gives me a little more hot rod action. The interior features classic Stewart-Warner gauges, a complete rollcage, and a five-point racing harness. The radiused wheelwells and the drag parachute by Simpson were added for old-school looks.”

After the debacle with the first builder and interviewing several other potential builders, Randy found “a great guy that was between jobs. His name is James Delich. I hired him fulltime and ultimately we have become great friends. James was a friend of Donnie Ho. Donnie is a great fabricator and helped a great deal on the build. James and Donnie have been friends since high school. I have been friends with Donnie for over 10 years. Both are very knowledgeable, and with our combined experience we built a fine machine.”

The whole car was built around this robust ’57 Olds rearend, Randy says, a throwback to his racing days. “I realize that a new builder would go for the default choice, a Ford 9-inch rear, but being old school myself, I knew the Olds would be stronger.”

Randy notes that the brilliant orange paint and exceptional bodywork was done by Gil’s Auto Body in Hemet, California. The paint cost was a gift of the Zeal’s good friends Stan and Catherine Sorensen. The House of Kolor Chameleon shows gold and green in direct sunlight but in shade is flat orange. Jodell says, “We were deep into just getting the car on the road and planned to wait another year before painting. Stan wanted to see it finished, as at the time he was in failing health. So he offered to pay for the paint, and we were glad he did. He got to see and enjoy the car many times before passing.”

Other contributors to the build included Upholstery by Mac in Homeland, California, and USA Metal Polishing in Lake Elsinore, California.

“There’s one experience I’d like to share,” says Randy. “As I said, James and I became good friends. Coming back from the Rat Fink Reunion in Utah, my Chevy 454 SS tow vehicle blew a water pump just west of Las Vegas. It was midday in the heat of summer, but James came to the rescue. He drove all the way out to pick us up. We put the truck on our trailer, and James towed it home. Jodell and I drove the Henry J across the desert. It was so hot that Jodell had to put iced towels from our cooler on my feet so I could keep pressing on the gas. What a day! The looks we got out on the highway were fantastic.”

The Simpson parachute is there to look cool, but the wheelie bars are functional. In fact, when Randy was sorting out his rearend gears, he broke three sets of wheelie bars because the Henry J spent so much time with its front wheels in the air.

During the first year Randy and Jodell showed the Henry J, Randy says that “people just did not get the idea of the car. Once they did, we either got First Place or nothing. By the second year we were very well received and got many First Place and People’s Choice awards. The annual gassers show at the Automobile Driving Museum in Los Angeles was a great thrill to win the trifecta: Best Gasser, Best of Show, and People’s Choice.”

“We always invite children of all ages to sit in the car and have a photo,” says Jodell. “Families are surprised that we do this, but we believe we need to include kids to keep the ideas alive. The kids are thrilled, and we give them a postcard of the car with a little history on the back.”

The Zeals recognize that appealing to the next generation is the future of our hobby. That’s why it is so important that drag racing’s rich heritage be preserved for future enthusiasts to enjoy. We couldn’t agree with them more.

The Henry J cartoon on the quarter-panel was hand painted by Ron Williams of Winchester, California, a very talented artist.

The traditional Moon tank carries just enough fuel to make a couple of quarter-mile passes.

Randy’s goal was to keep an original look to the dashboard, though he did add updated Stewart-Warner gauges to monitor the stroker Chevy. The more comfortable seats were a concession to all the road miles he and Jodell put on the car.

Pic: Tim Boyd Even if you were too young to see a real Henry J hustle down the quarter-mile, you may have built one of the popular 1:25-scale kits. The “Souped-Up Coupe” was Revell’s Model of the Month for July 1969.

At Hot August Nights in Reno last summer, one of the judges told Randy and Jodell that “if there was a trophy for ‘Wow’ we would have gotten it,” Randy says. “It just doesn’t get any better than that.”

The post Bright & Snarly 1952 Henry J Gasser Is a Tribute to His 1960s Drag Racing appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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