Roger Honey Prowler Member #

It seems like this old San Diego/National City guy has been a hot rodder all my life. Thinking back over the years, I realize that I’ve had a hot rod or custom car parked in my garage since I was 15.

I took my driver’s license test in my ‘40 Ford hot rod and was soon drag racing on the back roads of SD.  Even before school started we would drag race on the old white road* between National City and Chula Vista.

I was so lucky to have some older guys in my neighborhood that took me along to the car events in San Diego.

These guys were into hot rods, customs and race cars showed me the way into the hot rod world.  Long before I had a driver’s license they would let me tag along to the Paradise Mesa Drags, the old Colton, Pomona and outlaw night drags.  

We went to sprint car and jalopy races at the old Balboa Stadium, the old Electric building car shows in Balboa Park and the old drive-ins like Oscars, Lottons, and Space Station that SD had back then.

They introduced me to Bob Stewart’s shop, Marty Moore,  Robert Martinez and Styler’s Kustoms, Ray Cook’s shop (off Rosecrans near the beach) and Jerauld’s Speed Shop in National City.  Man!! Those were the days.

My connections to the Prowlers began after Lee Bright and I drag raced on El Cajon Blvd, both in ‘40 Fords.  We stopped to talk afterwards, and Rusty Case pulled over when he saw our ‘40s.  He was a big red headed guy and was driving an orange ‘40 coupe with a hemi in it.  Lee and I were impressed that he even stopped, let alone talked to us.  I mean we were still running flatheads!

Back in those days the Prowlers were the measuring stick for quality cars in San Diego as well as LA. I would have to say that I have known and hung out with the Prowlers for over 50 years of my hot rodding life and am proud to fly the Prowler colors.

Historians note:  The “white road” was an old concrete road that ran North and South between National City and Chula Vista.  Roger says “I forget the actual name of the street, we all called it the white road.”

Here is a picture of the old Willie Clark car of which I am the proud owner and curator.  Restoration progress has been slow but steady over the last couple years.

Hey guy’s, I was talking to Pete Morrow and he had never seen the 51 Vicky I built back in the 80’s and said that he bet most of the current members in the club had never seen this car.

I started with a real clean car, all of the work was done by me in a two-car garage, including installing the engine, trans and rear end, the paint and part of the upholstery. Milo did the seats and head liner.  It has 4 wheel disc brakes, a 302 Ford engine, a C4 transmission and Lincoln disc brake rear end.  All of these parts were ground down smooth before painting.

I modified the frame to get it that low, this car has no bags, that’s just how I drove it, I also built a K member into the frame and painted the bottom of the car.

Just wanted to show the guys that I have been down this hot rod/kustom road many times before, LOL, when Pete’s roadster was picked by the Good ‘ Guys a few years back, we were both in the trophy line together, I had built a two tone blue 50 Merc then, don’t know how many of you guys have seen it before, but these pics are some shots of the Vicky.