[Flathead Fever]

Since were talking about mufflers, this gives me an opportunity to sneak these photos in. This my little pickup. First hot rod to ever have glass packs. The first hot rod to ever be road tested in a magazine. One of they first hot ros to have an overhead engine. It was built by Dave Mitchell. He was the first one to manufacture glass packs in the USA. Before he invented the glass pack he built and sold steel pack mufflers. I have one of those originals and it is really heavy. The are packed with metal lathe shavings.

Photo, Dave Mitchell and Duffy Livingston setting up at the 1951 Oakland Roadster Show. Duffy helped Mitchell change the roadster over from the flathead drivetrain to the Oldsmobile. Later on Duffy started Go-Kart. The championship Go-Kart trophy is now called the Duffy. Duffy was Mitchells first employee. He also was a very successful sports car racer. Here he is in 1959 in his home made #184 roadster beating a mega-dollar Ferrari. You got to love it.


Another shot of the pickup at the Muffler Shop on Route 66 in Pasadena. Behind Mitchell's pickup is another employees hot rod, Roy Desbrow's chopped '32 pickup. Voted one of top 50 all time '32 Ford hot rods. It was built at Mitchell's shop. The pickup has never been found. The address in the ad is Mitchells Muffler Shop

A photo of my daughter and me at the Pasadena reliability Run. It was one of just a few of the original entries that showed up. It won one year and came in second the next year.

A photo at the Hot Rod Magazine Home Coming Show. The only time I've ever taken a car to any car event.

Photo of the Mitchell sign I bought on eBay. If it was up to me I'd take down the painting on the wall and hang this sign in the house's entry! It was an absolute miracle this sign survived. Its painted on some kind of 1/8" hard board.

Photo of Duffy and Dave changing the pickup over to Olds power and repainting it black


I was able to buy sveral original Mitchell mufflers. These are the second generation ones with the blowout proof ends. He was the first to paint glass packs blue.

The bottom two photos are the underside of Roy Desbrow's '32 pickup. I was able to copy the original 8"X10" photos that were used to make the cutaway drawing of this pick up in the 1952 Hot Rod Magazine. Those on the early version of the Mitchell Mufflers. Those welded ends and other manufacturers that crimp them in are the ones that could blowout with a backfire.