Preserving Americana

California tops, red-head engines, golfbag doors, rumble seats, side-mounts, and running boards - all bring to mind images of days gone by when cars were still considered new and exciting.

John Dudley, a Madison County resident, remembers those days vividly and he wants to share his memories with anyone who visits his Roaring Twenties Antique Car Museum in Hood.

"I was raised on a farm in Pennsylvania," Dudley said. "We had a '36 Ford and all our neighbors had nice cars. Well, nicer than a Ford."

Dudley, 72, said he decided back then that when he grew up, he was going to have the cars his neighbors possessed. And he did just that.

"At one time, I had acquired one of each of what my neighbors had," Dudley said.

Now Dudley has a museum to show off his collection of vehicles. He opened shop in 1967 and has 32 cars on display. All are from the first half of this century with the majority having first tasted the pavement in the fast-paced decade of the '20s.

"I like old thing," Dudley said of his collection. "It is really a lot of fun because there is such a wide variety of things (to collect)."

He said he likes to collect cars that were rare, even in their production days.

"I'm not looking for something that was really expensive," Dudley said, "but rare and unusual in body style and brand."

One rare and unusual car has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. In 1945, the Surlesmobile was a one-of-a-kind car, and it still is.

Oblong in shape, it looks like something out of an episode of "Lost in Space." The doors roll up into the roof, rather than out like other cars. Dudley said that although it looks nothing like modern-day mini vans, that basically what it is.

He came across the Surlesmobile when he read about it in a Parade magazine. "I called the man who owned it and he told me that his sons didn't like it," Dudley said. "His wife wanted it out of the driveway so he told me to come and get it."

Dudley has an interesting story to go with each car in his museum, but his museum is about more than just the cars themselves. He also has on display motorcycles, engines and other parts.

A vehicle won't operate without gasoline and Dudley doesn't ignore that fact in his museum displays. To go along with his cars, he has a collection of old oil cans and gas pumps.

"Some of these companies are long gone," Dudley said, "but people still remember the name and buying the product."

The Shell pump Dudley has is one he is proud to show off. The glass gallon counter showed people they were getting their money's worth for their gas.

"When you wanted gas, you would go to the station and ask for a gallon," Dudley said. "They would bring out these jugs you couldn't see into so you never knew if you were really getting a full gallon."

With the Shell pump, the gas would fill into the glass container and the customer would be assured they were getting a full gallon.

It's those kinds of stories Dudley likes to tell when people visit his museum.

He believes the history of the vehicle is what makes the vehicle so interesting.

When he gets a visitor at the museum, he walks through with the visitor and encourages people to get up close and personal to the vehicles.

"You can't really appreciate what you're seeing if you can't touch it, " Dudley said. "A lot of museums put things on a pedestal and people can't get the feel of what it was really like."

Dudley wants people to know what it would feel like to cruise down the highway in a Model T Ford.

He encourages people to climb in and put their hands on the wheel.

"These cars aren't perfect," Dudley said. "They weren't perfect when they came out of the factory.

"How can you know what it was like to ride in one if you don't get in one?

John Dudley's collection of tin oil cans at the