Thread by @iowahawkblog

Rise & shine my little Rat Finks, and wish a happy #DavesCarIDService birthday to the greatest car customizer - nay, greatest artist - of the 20th Century, the late great Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth. Here is the artist at work in his atelier on his Mona Lisa, the Mysterion.

And here in its final form. Roth's medium was fiberglass, made from hand formed plaster and vermiculite molds; not so much a car customizer as a abstract sculptor.

Sadly the original Mysterion was destroyed in a Kansas trailer accident circa 1971. A few very faithful replicas have been made, including this one by my pal Dave Shuten - via upscaling the 1960s Revelle plastic model kit dimensions.

Between his cars and iconic Rat Fink character (a parody of Mickey Mouse), Roth created a subversive mini empire of plastic model kits and shock-the-squares monster t-shirts. His influence on outsider pop art still echoes today.

On the topic of Ed Roth I always risk careening off on a 100,000 word tangent, and someday maybe I'll write a 6 volume tome on his life's work.

But for now it's time to commence the car-IDin', so please rise and recite the #DavesCarIDService request pledge:

Old family race cars always get to jump the ID line, especially when it's a Deuce coupe - a 1932 Ford 5 window, with a beefed up flathead and 37-38 Ford wide 5 wheels. BTW I checked and Denver's Carl's Pizza is still going, albeit at a different location.

https://twitter.com/StarxScott/status/1629887280151396352

*a example of why I plead for you to use the hashtag, almost missed this one.

**a 32 Ford coupe as a dirt tracker is both very cool and very YIKES. Original bodies are quite rare and valuable to hot rodders, and I cringe at the idea of them banging about on an oval track.

Another couple of splendid shots from Cara's amazing family archives, with lil' tomboy Betty Jo showing off a million dollar smile in front of a 1927 Oldsmobile in #1. 'Fraid I'm stumped by the girls' tricycle in #2.

https://twitter.com/Texascaracara/status/1629920070376775680

Hard to believe this pretty young lass had the forearms to drive a no-power-steering 1932-33 Indiana Model 86 truck, but folks were made of sterner stuff then.

Indiana trucks were made in Marion IN, bought by White, and disappeared as a brand after 1939.

https://twitter.com/gunnyac1069/status/1629876572847996932

Now that's what I call arriving in style: Lil' John made his public debut in a 1948-49 Packard Custom Eight convertible.

https://twitter.com/jheck1215/status/1629857843527442433

Big Sis seems to be enjoying the cold weather much more than Lil' Sis here; car back there is a 1948 Chevy Fleetline Aerosedan.

https://twitter.com/SirDuxALot/status/1629615624359133185

Could Dad in fact be Richie Cunningham's mysteriously disappearing brother Chuck? I will leave that question to the TV detectives, but can tell you the Happy Days car here is a 1960 Pontiac Bonneville hardtop, one of my faves from GM's 59-60 lineup.

https://twitter.com/CFosterKS/status/1629472937748119552

wow, home movies of the era are fairly rare - image is a little fuzzy but I believe the mighty bus back there is a circa 1927 White. Quite possible / probable it was used as a hotel or resort shuttle vehicle.

https://twitter.com/benellsworth038/status/1628283847992557568

Reminiscent of the c.1933 Yellow Coach that transported Gable & Lombard in "It Happened One Night" (1934). Now I have to suppress the urge to break out my Oscar Shapely (Roscoe Karns) pickup lines.

Say what you want about ol' Shapely, but the man had the patter to charm those red hot mamas

Yessir, Great Uncle doughboy Malcolm is flexing next to a 1917-18 Cadillac Type 57 "Liberty," probably for some big brass in the Quartermaster Corps.

https://twitter.com/tmitsss/status/1628202547780411394

regarding my previous It Happened One Night tweets - yes, Gable and Colbert, not Gable and Lombard. I assign penance to myself of 10 durrrrs and 5 doyyys

No ma'am, the car behind you & the nice lady with the pooch is a 1978 Chevy Monte Carlo.

https://twitter.com/IlseTrauth/status/1627469763784896513

This little dude in front of a 1933 Chevy Eagle seems to be crooning into a microphone Sinatra-style.

https://twitter.com/SantaHatTucker/status/1627404849057783810

Great Great Auntie went to ogle the sights of New York in a tour bus based on a circa 1910 Packard chassis, with a see-thru surrey top to better marvel at the towering Flatiron and Woolworth's skyscrapers.

https://twitter.com/QuimberlyCummi1/status/1627392162831761415

Little Springville NY punched above its weight, football and car history-wise. Unsurprisingly both cars in #1 are 1921 Dodges, and the NY to Paris race winning 1908 Thomas Flyer still survives unrestored in the National Automobile Museum in Reno.

https://twitter.com/AndrewBieber1/status/1627336404182130688

Maybe a kindly Photoshop whiz can enhance the image, but there's enough here for me to say 1917-24 Ford Model T touring, wearing its cold weather side curtains.

https://twitter.com/garyyager/status/1627332502191833094

These Michiganders stop for a little beer and chow at Deeter's Log Cabin Inn in a (L) 1941 Pontiac, and (R) 1942 or 46-47 Chevy. Delighted to discover Deeter's is still a thriving joint in Luzerne.

https://twitter.com/MINorthWoods/status/1627331345117507585

Looks like my kinda joint, too. I loves me some frozen-in-time Upper Midwest supper clubs.

Speaking of Ed Roth, my buddy Keith here is a terrific artist whose work reflects a bit of Roth influence. The Coca-Cola truck here is ~1909 Cadillac (yes they did make a few commercial vehicles then). Note the driver's jaunty duster coat.

https://twitter.com/KeithWeesner/status/1629504143957311488

Quick note: anybody replying in my car ID threads with links to their Amazon t shirt stores and whatnot are going to be promptly blocked.

Here's good old Deeter's Log Cabin Inn again, and their advertising car here is a 1936 Chevy 2-door sedan, with a couple of folks who look in need of a designated driver.

https://twitter.com/MINorthWoods/status/1627331167639707648

Whoa nelly, that's a 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 limo in front of mom's Mercedes 180B.

https://twitter.com/s01une/status/1627305265035980800

as a fellow rural NW Iowan, I know that if a kid can walk he can operate dangerous power equipment. And probably drive that 1948-50 Ford F1 pickup if you bolt some wood blocks on the clutch & brake pedals.

https://twitter.com/PaulGales1/status/1627091382803509263

Dang, he must've had some harrowing experiences. In #1 Great Unk is aside a 1937 Pontiac, and in #2, a top-of-the-line Oldsmobile 98 Dynamic Club Sedan,

https://twitter.com/FederalDebt/status/1627041543373881346

Stern-jawed dapper Great Gramps surveys the horizons far beyond his picket fence and 1936 Chevy sedan.

https://twitter.com/Chadsu42/status/1626963234870726660

Sorry folks, have a hard stop now, but will leave you with a few recent vids from my pal Dave’s shop, home of the biggest Roth car collection on Earth - and a Rat Fink carousel carved from solid wood(!)

Until tomorrow keep Finkin’ and Happy Motoring! twitter.com/i/web/status/1…