2022: Discovering a piece of Hot Rod History
In 2007, while attending the Grand National Roadster Show (GNRS) in Pomona, Keith Biddlecombe received a poster of the pink “Winfield’s Custom Shop” signed and dated by Gene Winfield. The poster was from a photo originally taken by Joe Barnett in 1957. In the foreground of the poster is the freshly “Candy Bronze” painted 1941 Ford Pickup owned by Gene’s friend Joe Barnett, parked out front of Gene’s shop in Modesto, Ca. Keith ran into Gene at many other events over the next several years and saw that the same poster was still being used by Gene for signing and passing on as souvenirs to show attendees.
While attending the GNRS in 2022, Keith was having breakfast with Bill Story and a few of his fellow Can-Am Curmudgeon friends from Orange County at the 101 Cafe in Oceanside, Ca. after enjoying a morning cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway in their hot rods. A customer came into the restaurant that recognized Bill as they had previously met and said hello to our group.
That customer was David Simard, a fellow hotrodder and legendary rod builder and owner of “East Coast Custom” located in Leominster, Mass. Dave has a winter home in Oceanside. Bill then introduced the group including Keith and his fellow Canadian buddy Wayne Shantz (also visiting from British Columbia) to David and the car talk commenced. David graciously extended an invitation to the group to come up to his place a few miles down the road and check out his shop and cars.
When the group had arrived at David’s home shop, David, a collector of vintage and historic hotrods of many forms, lead the group on a tour around the property which had all kinds of project cars outside and in trailers. He then took the group inside the shop to look at more of his collection which included many rare car parts and many unique cars from the 30’s through 60’s.
As things were winding down, David took them outside to see a truck that was under a canopy. Keith immediately recognized the truck as the ‘41 Ford pickup that was on the Gene Winfield poster that was hanging in his garage, although it was a bit harder to recognize with rather weathered patina paint, lacking upholstery and sorely needing some TLC. But most importantly, it was all there, and the engine even fired up. David brought out some posters from previous magazine features in Hot Rod and The Rodders Journal showing the truck in its former glory. That was all it took, the hook was set, and as destiny would have it, Keith purchased the Calori/Barnett ’41 pickup.
Keith Biddlecombe shakes hands with Dave Simard after signing off on the purchase of the ’41 Ford. If you can see in this photo there was very little left in the way of an interior at this point.
Over the years the truck appeared in multiple publications including: Hot Rod Magazine (Feb. 1959); The Rodders Journal (3 times!): Number 17 (2001); Number 18 (2002), & Number 85 (2022); Hot Rod Deluxe (Nov. 2011), and a biography of Gene Winfield: The Legendary Cars & Hot Rods Of Gene Winfield By David Grant (2011).
Sadly, Joe Barnett had sold the truck not long before it appeared in Hot Rod Magazine and never saw it in print.
Jack Calori
Jack Calori (1922 – 2008) was a legendary racer and hot rod / custom builder. He built many cars but his most well known was his chopped ’36 3-window Ford Coupe with a ‘39 LaSalle grille and ’40 Chevy headlights molded to the fenders. Jack originally was a motorcycle patrolman with the Long Beach Police Department.
Jack’s modifications to the ‘41 Ford pickup included:
- 1956 Ford F-100 bed fitted with 1952 Chevrolet pickup rear fenders.
- 1956 Cadillac Eldorado engine
- Custom gas filler lid from a 1948 Ford
- Lincoln column-shift transmission
- Black lacquer paint
Calori finished the truck and drove it for awhile before stripping it down. The frame was sandblasted and painted metallic silver. The ’56 Cadillace Eldorado engine — Potvin camel, was painted metallic blue. Chrome treatment extended even to ones connecting the Lincoln brakes.
In 1957, Jack sold the pickup to his friend and Modesto Century Toppers member Joe Barnett of Long Beach, California.
Vintage photo of Jack Calori cleaning the stripped down frame and chassis.
Joe Barnett modifications to the ’41 Ford Pickup
Joe Barnett (1931 – 2022) graduated from Merced High School in the class of 1950. He played football and baseball, fished and hunted local game, and began his lifelong passion for hot rods, building cars from parts of abandoned autos prevalent in the foothills in the 40s. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1951 and served 22 months in the Korean War.
As well as building and customizing cars, Joe was a miner, a prize-winning freelance photographer, an artifacts collector, a surfer, a bodybuilder and a nature enthusiast. His 1931 Ford Model A was featured in several prominent Hollywood surfer movies of the mid-1960s, as well as magazines such as Life and Seventeen. Rodder’s Journal, Issues 17 (Fall, 2001) and 18 (Winter 2002) featured Joe’s life story and cars, as well as May 2006 and February 2013 issues of the Woody Times. Both of the Woodie Times are further down on this page.
After purchasing the truck from Jack Calori, Joe filled the stock cowl vent, and added a pair of 1950 Studebaker front fender vents on either side of the cab. After restyling the truck, he drove it to Modesto were fellow Modesto Century Toppers member Gene Winfield of Winfield’s Custom Shop painted it in a custom-mixed candy bronze color. Before driving north to Gene’s shop he stopped by Barris Kustoms, and had them modify the instrument panel in such way that the Stewart-Warner gauges sat at an angle similar to an Auburn dashboard. The instrument panel was chrome-plated in order to break up all the painted panels.
Along with the Barris-built gauge panel, the final dress-up included a pair of pre-requisite Appleton Spots, an F-1 rear bumper, and s set of Olds Fiesta caps with gold painted crossbars. (Barnett knew just how hot these were after observing a group of boys pop a set right off the car of an unsuspecting motorist, who was stopped a light in front of a local high school).
Road Trip! The Grand National Roadster Show, Feb. 2023
Many long hours were put in to get the truck ready to head to Pomona, California for the 2023 Grand National Roadster Show.
Keith’s words: “I am back from the trip to California, and it turned out to be incredible. I met and had dinner with Jim Aust, the writer of The Rodder’s Journal #17 & #18 stories. And I also met with David Grant who wrote the book on Winfield. And on top of that I got to meet with Gene himself and he sat in the truck, laughed, and then signed the dash. It could not have been any better!”
Alyn Edwards, who writes for the Sun and Province is writing a feature story about the truck to be done in the next few weeks. Then there will be some magazine features to come as well.
2022-2023: The Calori-Barnett Tribute pickup
Keith Biddlecombe is an auto enthusiast/collector with a passion for the history of early days of hotrods, customs and drag racing. Member of the Can-Am Curmudgeons and President of the British Columbia Hot Rod Assn. (BCHRA)
Interior was color-matched and painted the same Candy Bronze originally done by Gene Winfield.
There was no upholstery when Keith bought the truck. Headliner and all interior was redone using black and white photos and description from the 1959 Hot Rod Magazine feature. Once again rolled and pleated in white and brown — flashback to ‘57!
Thank you to Bob Campbell of Langley, BC for recreating the interior upholstery.
Keith Biddlecombe Restoration: Survivor Patina Black
Exterior was finished with ‘SURVIVOR PATINA BLACK’. From the outset I wanted the exterior transformed back to life as a ‘Patina Survivor’ while the interior showcased the 1957 chrome and candy paintwork done when Joe Barnett owned the truck.
This photo shows close-up detail of the patina finish applied to the fenders to match the natural aged patina on the hood. The multi-step process was done by SoCal Speed Shop Canada. Photos really don’t do it justice.
Under the Patina
RESTORATION SERVICES PROVIDED BY:
SoCal Speed Shop Canada & Wicked Customs for the Mechanical, Chassis, Bodywork, & Paint
Details
Appleton spotlights, marked with an embossed oval around the brand name, Appleton, were often found on pre-1960 vehicles (especially on service vehicles—police, armed forces, mail vehicles, etc.), but were also an often-added, after-market automobile accessory.
The bullet-shaped spotlights became so popular during the 1940s and 1950s for custom car enthusiasts, that “dummy” spots were commonly installed.
Appleton spots were one of the modifications that Joe Barnett added to the ‘41 pickup truck.
The Appletons were long gone by the time I acquired the truck in 2022. I ended up with a North America wide search to find not only the correct and authentic versions, but also to find a matching pair, and with appropriate timeworn patina. The photo below shows the Appleton on the left side of the cab.
It was a long search to find not only the correct spots, but also a matched pair. Word of mouth, internet, private vendors… I finally got the pair I was searching for complete with appropriate patina on the other side of the continent!
Ownership history
1956-57: Jack Calori, Pasadena, California: Motorcycle Patrolman, early racer and car customizer, builder of the legendary ‘Calori Coupe’, a heavily modified black 1936 Ford 3-window with a LaSalle nose/grille and low flowing skirts.
1957-58: Joe Barnett, Long Beach, California: A Korean War Veteran (U.S. Marines), hotrodder, surfer, adventurist, freelance photographer.
1959 – ?: Dick Gates, Belmont Shores, California: Hotrod enthusiast who traded his 1955 Nomad and $2,500 Cash to buy the 1941 Ford Pickup from Joe Barnett.
1970s – 2021 (est.): Keith Robinson, Pasadena, Ca.: An avid hotrodder, circle track midget and drag racing enthusiast know as “FLASH” to his friends.
2021-22: David Simard, Leominster, Mass. & Oceanside, Ca. The owner of East Coast Custom, a renown custom auto builder for over 40 years who is also a hotrod collector preserving autos of historical significance.
2022 – present: Keith Biddlecombe, Delta, BC, Canada: Auto enthusiast/collector with a passion for the history of early days of hotrods, customs and drag racing. Member of the Can-Am Curmudgeons and President of the British Columbia Hot Rod Assn. (BCHRA)