Rockin' Rides & Rods in Progress; Roseburg, Oregon... Gearhead Hotbed
Story by David Marin


There’s an abundance of reasons that make Roseburg, Oregon an ideal “pit stop” point when traveling north or south on Interstate 5. High on the list is “close proximity” to good espresso (hot or iced depending on time of year). Too, there’s a good selection of eateries and if the day has been a long one, there are plenty of clean and reasonably priced accommodations.

All valid reasons for stopping in Roseburg. But, not the reason we feel a “magnetic tug”, an inexorable pull to exit I-5, and we know the reason — you just can’t stop in Roseburg and not see some example of old iron, something cool; daily driver type stuff, anything from rat rod to muscle car, pristine to beater. Yes sir, Roseburg, with a population of just over 20,000, is a virtual gearhead hotbed, and, a perfect candidate for a “Rods in Progress” feature.

Fortunately we’ve enjoyed many visits to Roseburg for the Stray Angels Car Show at River Fork Park along with the Umpqua Flatheads Downtown Cruise, so we contact lifelong gearhead and longtime Stray Angels club member Don Larson, who graciously hooks us up with Dick Thornley. Dick’s got most every issue of CruZin’ Magazine, is thus thoroughly acquainted with our “Rods in Progress” program and graciously agrees to act as “official tour guide”.

Dick spent his early years through high school in Santa Cruz, California. His first car was a 1930 Chevrolet 3-window coupe that he purchased from his Dad for $50.

“I traded that car for a ’33 Chev convertible and I’ve had six or eight cars in my life at all times,” he says.

Dick moved to Roseburg in 1968 and by 1972 he was running his own car lot.

“I bought and sold most everything,” he says. “I sure liked dealing in the old ones.”

He recalls, somewhat wistfully, a 1955 Chevrolet convertible he acquired along the way, then, “like a damn fool”, sold for $550.00.

“Since then I’ve bought, sold and built so many cars I can’t remember them all,” he continues. “I do remember doing a complete frame up on a 1930 Model A Tudor Sedan.”

Dick’s current stable includes a 1926 Ford Model T Coupe that he got in a trade about three years ago. The sharp black T features a Buick V6 mill, automatic transmission and air conditioning.

Close by we have a look at Dick’s 1936 Ford humpback four door sedan, a Ford V6 powered ride sitting on Mustang II IFS with an auto trans and a/c.

“I found the ’36 at a swap meet in Grants Pass,” Dick says. “It was in progress but needed an engine and quite a bit of work.”

Dick does most all of the work himself, except upholstery, which he trusts to the capable hands of Dayton Kolb.

Most recently Dick has finished a glass bodied 1934 Ford Cabriolet which features a 350 Chev SB, TH350 trans and Ford 9-inch rear end. Now he’s eyeballing “something different”.

Different in this case is a 1957 Nash Metropolitan that has Dick debating how he wants to power the Metro — probability is that he’ll opt for late model S-10 running gear which he says, “will fit together just fine”.

Dick and his wife of 48 years, Joyce, attend a few car shows every season and Dick lists his favorites as the Medford Cruz, and of course, the Stray Angels and Umpqua Flatheads events during Graffiti Week.

Time to cruise to our next stop, the home of Chuck and Frances Allen. Chuck, who was born and raised in Rome, Georgia, got into cars by helping his older brother Jerry build a 1947 Ford coupe. Chuck’s first car was a 1951 Mercury two door sedan that he acquired shortly after his 16th birthday in 1959.

“I shaved, nosed and decked the Merc,” Chuck recalls. “It had the original flathead engine and I painted it with black primer.”

After high school Chuck served 21 years in the Air Force before winding up in Sacramento, California, where he and Frances owned and operated a children’s day care center.

“We ran the day care center for 25 years,” he says. “Then we sold the center and a good friend, Truman Bennett, lured us up here to Roseburg about 2 1/2 years ago.”

Along the way Chuck has built some memorable cars, notably, a blown big block powered 1941 Willys coupe that made the cover of Street Rodder Magazine in November 2000.

“I also built a 1933 Ford roadster that I painted cranberry and vanilla,” he continues, “I thought the color combination was really sharp and the car has always kind of stood out in my mind. I eventually sold the car to a fellow in Washington.”

Around Chuck’s well organized shop we’re first drawn to an in-progress 1939 Ford coupe but Chuck quickly explains that the ’39 has been moved to the back burner to allow him to work on a 1934 Chevrolet cabriolet that has captured his fancy.

“I found the cabriolet through a friend right here in Roseburg,” he says. “It’s running a 383 Chev stroker engine with a 700R4 trans and Ford 9-inch rear end; 4-wheel disc brakes and air conditioning, it’ll be my daily driver and will take the place of my ’57 Ford Ranchero.”

Now that’s some sort of automotive segue since we’re now looking at the aforementioned ’57 Ranchero, a sweet ride powered by the original 292 Ford Y-block and Ford-O-Matic transmission.

“I found the Ranchero in Clear Lake (northern California) about five years ago,” he says. “It was pretty much a project from the ground up.”

Other than upholstery, Chuck does all his own work and the 1932 Ford highboy we’re looking at now shows that he is a skilled craftsman.

“I built the ’32 from scratch,” he says. “It is a glass-bodied car over a TCI chassis and it’s powered by a blown 426 cubic inch HEMI engine. That’s my ‘get-around’ car.”



Chuck claims he isn’t looking for anything “car-wise” these days, but you know how that goes. He and wife Frances enjoy attending assorted car shows. Chuck counts the Roseburg 4th of July show(s) as his “favorites”, and also “really enjoys” Goodguys at Pleasanton, the NSRA Show at Sacramento, and, Cool April Nights in Redding.


We’ve seen cool cars, talked at length with some friendly and knowledgeable gearheads and we’ve expanded our bellies feeding on coffee and pastries — better get outta here before that creampuff jumps in my mouth.

Oh, oh… we may have just entered the Twilight Zone, or is it a “time warp?”… Nope, it’s the home of Jerry and Masako Frear. Enter Jerry’s shop and you’ll swear you’ve stepped back and into a Fifties speed shop specializing in Ford flatheads. Flathead engines and speed equipment everywhere, wall to wall and floor to ceiling, short blocks, long blocks, cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, carbs and blowers, you name it, if it’s flathead stuff, you’ll find it at Frear’s.

The flashback continues if you step out back. Dozens of pickups and panels and other assorted old iron. “It’s all stuff I’ve just accumulated, mostly from eastern Oregon,” Jerry says. “A lot of it is ’42-47 ugly duckling stuff nobody wanted.”

Anyway, Jerry was born in Lakeview, Oregon (near Klamath Falls), and was raised around the Roseburg area, attended Roseburg High School, had his driver’s license at age 14 and says he first became interested in cars “around the end of WWII”.

“My first car was a 1926 Franklin,” he says. “It had a metal wrapped wood chassis and I didn’t do much except drive it.”

His first hot rod adventure came in the form of a 1931 Chevrolet that he purchased for $30 from a friend named Gary Johnson.

“I drove the ’31 for a while then traded it off for Ford parts,” he continues. “I had a 1947 Ford two door sedan, powered by a flathead V8; that was my first flathead engine and that was when I fell in love with flatheads.”

That was 1958 and late in that year Jerry sold the ’47 and in January ’59 he entered the U. S. Marine Corps, leaving behind a ’32 Ford sedan project that he planned on coming home to.

“The ’32 was a great project with a big flatty motor and lots of cool stuff,” he continues. “When I got home I found that my Mom had paid to have all my stuff hauled off.”

After a 21-year stint in the Marine Corps Jerry returned to Roseburg and soon acquired another car from his friend Gary Johnson.

“That was a small block Chev powered 1933 Ford four door sedan,” he says. “That was back in about 1980 and I still have that car today.”


Jerry’s current project, that is to say, the project he is working on most actively, is a 1931 Ford 5-window coupe powered by (of course) a “huge” Weiand blown flathead with rare and wild “Baron” heads and about every speed goodie you can imagine.”

“I got the ’31 in a trade for a ’27 T roadster I had,” he says. “I just have to finish up the wiring and brakes and the car will be ready to go for spring ’08 cruising.”

Jerry’s daily driver is a 1946 Ford pickup which sports a ’49 Merc flathead and ’48 Ford rear fenders.

You’ve probably got it by now. Jerry Frear is a flat out flathead freak. Flatheads are his life, or, at least his livelihood. He builds them and sells them all over the country. He’s shipped flatheads from New York to New Zealand, dozens of them over the past few years ranging from $8,000 to $10,000 in price.

“That’s why I don’t go to many car shows,” he says. “I work most weekends and holidays, but I do help out as a volunteer at the local shows.”

O.K. Jerry is starting to fidget and we’re ready to exit the Twilight Zone as tour guide Dick Thornley navigates to our next stop.

O.K. So we thought we were exiting the Twilight Zone and instead we wind our way into a “heavy industrial-zoned” area where, tucked away neat and tidy we find the home of Jack and Mary Zink. What we have here is an extraordinary collection of old iron, pickups, sedans, convertibles, coupes and more, buildings full of finished cars and “in progress” projects, not to mention the dozens of collectibles parked throughout the grassy acreage.

Jack’s interest in cars first surfaced back in 1948 when he was a 14-year-old paperboy living in San Diego, California.

“My first car was a ’32 Ford Model B that I bought for $125.00 earned on my paper route,” Jack says. “I traded the Model B for a 1935 Dodge and drove that for a while.”

Jack’s first venture into the hot rod world came in the form of a 1940 Mercury four door sedan. “It was lowered, ran a 59A flathead engine that was hopped up”, he says. “I had the Merc until Mary and I got married. At the same time I had a ’34 Ford five window coupe that I powered with a hopped up flathead; I kept that for a few months then went on to a ’51 Ford Vicky, a ’32 Ford roadster and then a ’53 Olds two door sedan with dual quads and a performance cam.”

Next Page