Throttle Benders

An original Throttle Benders club patch from Brian Burnham's Collection. 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 from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

A photo of Joe "Bud" Simmons 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 from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

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 from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

A founding Throttle Benders member in his 1929 Ford Model A roadster. The photo was taken in Chowchilla in the late 1940s. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

A 1935 Ford Cabriolet with dual spotlights. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

A hopped-up Model T Ford belonging to a founding member of the Throttle Benders. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

Two founding members with a channeled 1929 Ford Model A Roadster with a hopped-up banger engine. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

One of the original members using the channeled Model A as a train car. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

Another original club car, a 1932 Ford 3-Window Coupe with Kelseys. Photo from The Joe "Bud" Simmons Photo Collection.

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.

The Throttle Benders car club was established in 1949. Joe "Bud" Simmons was a founding member of the club, and 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, and his grandpa'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, and flipper caps. Unfortunately, the car was totaled by a drunk driver shortly before Bud left for Korea in 1950.

Members

Joe "Bud" Simmons

Club Cars

Joe "Bud" Simmons' 1928 Ford Model A Roadster
Joe "Bud" Simmons' 1936 Ford 3-Window Coupe