The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection

A photo of Bud with his 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe that he built in the late 1940s. According to his grandson, Brian Burnham, the coupe was Bud's pride. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Bud's coupe featured a filled roof, solid hood sides, dual spotlights, fenderskirts and flipper caps. Unfortunately, the car was totaled by a drunk driver shortly before Bud left for Korea in 1950. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

A friend of Bud in front of Bud's 1928 Ford Model A roadster. "In the pic, you can see the removable aluminum top he made for it in high school metal shop." The car was also dressed up with a filled 1932 Ford grille shell. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

A founding Throttle Benders member in his 1929 Ford Model A roadster. The photo was taken in Chowchilla in the late 1940s. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

A 1935 Ford Cabriolet with dual spotlights. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

A hopped-up Model T Ford belonging to a founding member of the Throttle Benders. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Two founding members with a channeled 1929 Ford Model A Roadster with a hopped-up banger engine. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

One of the original members using the channeled Model A as a train car. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Another original club car, a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe with Kelseys. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

A photo from the late 1940s or the early 1950s that shows a founding member with his original club jacket. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

The Mighty Midget. A photo Bud took at the 1951 Motorama. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

The Buick XP-300 was one of the cars General Motors had on display at the 1951 Motorama. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Another shot of the futuristic Buick XP-300 from the 1951 Motorama. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

One of the engines that caught Bud's attention at the 1951 Motorama was this Novi V8. The supercharged beast was driven by Duke Naylon at the 1951 Indianapolis Race. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

An air-cooled engine that also caught Bud's attention at the 1951 Motorama. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

An original Throttle Benders club patch from Brian Burnham's Collection. Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

When Brian Burnham and his buddies decided to carry on the tradition they had the patches reproduced and plaques cast. "We are a small club with just a few friends that love traditional hotrod’s and customs and helping each other build them." Photo courtesy of Brian Burnham.

Kustomrama Photo Archive

Joe "Bud" Simmons was a founding member of the Throttle Benders, a car club established in 1949. According to his grandson, Brian Burnham, it wasn't a big club, "just a bunch of farm kids from the California Central Valley." The members of the club were from the town of Chowchilla, California. Bud's pride was a 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe that he built in the late 1940s. The car featured a filled roof, solid hood sides, dual spotlights, fenderskirts, and flipper caps. Unfortunately, the car was totaled by a drunk driver shortly before Bud left for Korea in 1950. Brian tells us that his grandpa was into motorcycles from a young age, and he and his grandmother were members of multiple motorcycle clubs in the 1950s. Thanks to Brian, many of Bud's old photos have now found their way to the Kustomrama Photo Archive.