Hot rodder, vintage go-karter, angler, cartoonist and creator of Stroker McGurk, Tom Medley recently suffered a hot rodder’s worst nightmare – a garage fire. A blaze in his Burbank shop torched nearly all its contents – tools, welders, sewing machines, memorabilia, etc.
Fortunately, Tom escaped injury but his beloved 1940 Ford Deluxe coupe wasn’t as lucky. It was heavily damaged, interior vaporized, paint seared into oblivion, body panels warped into a wavy wasteland. In response, a collection of Tom’s friends and family have joined together to rebuild the car and get the 91-year-old hot rod legend behind the wheel again.
Medley’s history is well known, chronicled most recently by Dick Martin in the January 2011 issue of Rod & Custom. www.rodandcustommagazine.com/thehistoryof/1101rc_tom_medley_story/printer_friendly.html
After the fire, friends rallied and put together a team to fix the ’40. Randy Clark of Hot Rods & Custom Stuff was asked to help out on the restoration project. He kindly accepted the challenge. Randy, and wife, Peaches, retrieved the car from Burbank and hauled it back to their shop in Escondido, Calif.
News of Medley’s misfortune quickly swept through the hot rod community, triggering an outpouring of support that has been remarkable. Friends have offered parts and labor. Randy Clark’s commitment and generosity have been truly amazing. Phenix Industries was honored to be asked to participate in the restoration of Tom’s car.
“All of the plumbing fittings were supplied through the kindness of Phenix Industries. They’ve got an extensive line of high quality, high performance fluid fittings. We’re dealers for them, so see us for your Phenix fittings needs. ”
To see more of the rebuild or follow along with the restoration, please visit:http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/latest-stuff/stroker-s-tom-medley-s-1940-rebuild-project.html