MSRA’s “Back to the Fifties” event will celebrate 40 years of hot rods and community this summer in St. Paul, MN.  In tribute to the event, we will be reposting excerpts from a series of articles that appeared in the MSRA LineChaser magazine in 2012 documenting the history of the event.  Thanks to Bud Bloomquist for compiling the articles in the first place, to Gary Magner for facilitating them, to all the contributors and to Graphics Design Inc. for providing us files in the proper format.

This is the third and final part of the series, focusing on memories of the event as it expanded exponentially and became a fixture for the MSRA and the city of St. Paul.

These excerpts were originally published in the in March and April 2012 issues of LineChaser. The series finishes with a more general memory of the important role the MSRA played in one young man’s life.

1977 Back to the 50’s Weekend 
Friday it started out at the fairgrounds for the show and shine and after dark set out cruising the streets.  Snelling and University Avenue were lined with people to see and hear the cars.  WDGY radio had been advertising our event and playing ‘50s songs.  It was awesome but that didn’t last long.  The late model cars and mobs of spectators started bleaching tires and doing burn-outs with the streets and medians lined with people.  It got out of hand. When we asked the police to help control it, we were told, “You sanctioned it.  You control it.”  Most of us left the area and some went home.
Saturday was a great time at the North Star Drag Strip. Many cars showed up to race.  I don’t know the number of cars.  It was great heads-up racing lots of memories here. Not enough paper to write it all down on, so here are some pictures to tell the story.

Amblers Car Club

I joined MSRA in approximately 1972 after living around the corner from Fred Rowe, who always talked about his ‘28 roadster that he wanted to bring back from California. He did bring it back and it was a modified pickup with a 409 tri-power, a 4-speed hydro transmission and painted root beer brown metal flake.  What a car!  I was hooked!
Shortly after that, I saved my money and bought a shortened T-Touring roadster from Roadster Ray Fleishman of Bloomington.  The car had a Buick Nailhead and rear tires like trash cans, 15” wide.  That started it all for me.  The other well known car garage was under the Selby Avenue Bridge.  I rented a space along with Fred Rowe, Chuck Margraff, Mike Mason, and a few others.  The garage was always busy, and was visited by Chuck Dupaul, Gene and Red Sonnen, Rick and Dave Lindgren, Greg Schneider, Denny Hines, Jerry Johnson, George Baker, Frank Tousley and many other hot rodders whom I admire and thank to this day for helping work on the cars.  Sorry if I’ve left some names out.  It’s 40 years ago, but it seems more like 4!

My first rod run in my own car was the first 50’s and participating in the “American Graffiti”.  It was unreal, and the next month was the ‘74 Street Rod Nationals.  My car seemed like it was the greatest even though it needed much more work, it was mine!  I believe the first Back to the 50’s was one block long and had cars on “both” sides of the street!  Look at it now!  GREAT JOB, MSRA!

I now live in Florida and wish we had a FSRA.  Maybe someday we will.  I have only missed three Back to the 50’s weekends over the years, and hope to attend many more.

Steve Halstenson #119

MSRA Memories
Reflecting on a recent article from Mike Mason about the Amblers Car Club, I thought I should share my story.  I was an impressionable 13-year old 7th grader riding the school bus home and I kept noticing at different times, fancy old cars at a building near my home in Bloomington.  It finally got the best of me and I asked the bus driver to let me off at the corner of 82nd and Pillsbury, which I found out was the home of the Amblers Car Club garage.  

I stood around near the door trying to muster up enough guts to enter when I was greeted by Mike Mason.  He invited me in and showed me around.  At the time, Mike was in the process of redoing his T-roadster.  He built, which was at the time, the first long-wheeled-based, blown, big block Chev, at least in this area.  I was allowed to stop by if I saw his car outside.  So going to school every day was never a problem with the excitement of being able to stop by and (help) on the reconstruction of this car.
The more I hung around the more chances I got to meet more members who would leave a lasting impression on my future.  The next person I met, who would become a treasured and life-long friend, was Ron White.  I could write a whole book on him but I will get back to my story.  

At the time it seemed like modern street rodding was really ramping up around here.  There were several projects being built in the shop that could house maybe 8-10 cars.  I remember Ron Larsen’s ‘32 sedan and his F-100.  Steve Kastle was building a Woodie, Jim Johnson was redoing his ‘34 Coupe with a BB Chev/stack injection, Dick Reinek had a ‘33 Willys race car and around that time Paul “WOG” Kittleson had surgery on his leg.  The club donated time and labor to install an auto trans in the car for him.

For a 13-year old to be exposed to all this amazing talent was something I couldn’t imagine happening again.  I still wonder how I had presence of mind to not become a pest and bring friends around.  I would do anything to just be allowed to hang out there.  I would hold the dumb end of the tape measure, grind metal, sweep up, run for McDonalds, whatever would allow me to hang out.  

After some time, it seemed that I was accepted or maybe just tolerated.  Ron White would share a story of my Mom coming down to see what went on there and he assured her that I seemed to be motivated around these cars.  She always knew where I was as anytime there was a car outside, I was sure to be there.

During the process of the reconstruct of Mike’s roadster, I got involved in and saw each phase of construction.  I remember going with Mike to pick up the body from Dave Bell, taking the parts to a chrome plater, being there to hear the engine fire up, right down to being there for the first car show that he won in his class.

All of this exposure inspired me to have a life career in the auto industry as an auto repair facility.  I followed my passion with Street Rods and all things metal and now have moved more to sheet metal fabrication.  I even host a twice-a-year, 3-day metal shaping gathering at my shop where people arrive from several states away to share in all things metal.

This was all because a stranger, at the time, who allowed a young impressionable kid into his world.  I have had the opportunity to pay it forward with a few youths in a similar mentoring program and can thank Mike for this.  

I still share several friendships with the guys I met hanging out at the Amblers Car Club garage.  I recently befriended another guy who was touched by Mike, Tom Gerde.  Tom worked with Mike at American Hoist and had several stories he shared that were similar to mine.  Tom also followed his passions in street rods fueled in part by Mike.  He now has a very nice shop where he caters to Street Rodding, building very nice chassis and components.

In closing I just wanted to thank Mike Mason and show how mentoring can influence a person’s entire life.

Dan Pate #226