Springfield 'hot rodder' prefers collecting stories, relationships, to car show awards
Bret Chrismer was just five years old when he received his first hot rod, a 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe, but he didn't drive it for the first time until nearly 25 years later. With more than 50 years of the coupe in his possession, Chrismer still enjoys driving it around, cruising back roads and showcasing it in car shows.
For Chrismer, owning and fixing up hot rods isn't about the awards; it's about the fun, relationships and stories he collects along the way. The next car show Chrismer is participating in is the 40th annual Mid-America Street Rod Nationals this weekend at the Ozark Empire Fairground. He said he plans on bringing the '40 coupe and maybe his 1940s Ford panel truck.
Including Chrismer's, more than 1,500 vehicles — cars, street rods, muscle cars, hot rods and classic cars and trucks — will be on display at this weekend's event. Spectator hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Chrismer remembers almost the exact moment he fell in love with hot rods.
In 1970, when Chrismer was four years old, his father attended the first Street Rod Nationals held in Peoria, Illinois. Chrismer watched as his father flipped through photos from the event when he returned home and remembers being in awe of the vehicles on display.
"There was one car in particular from the 1970s Street Rod Nationals and it was a '40 Deluxe Coupe. It was black, had five-spoke wheels ... and flames," Chrismer recalled. "It was the car I absolutely fell in love with."
To Chrismer's surprise, a car of the exact year, make and model would be his within just a few years (minus the black paint and flames). Chrismer's uncle obtained the car from a widow; the car was her husband's. Knowing Chrismer had an interest in the coupe, he gifted it to him.
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At that time, the coupe only had about 45,000 miles on it, but it was in fairly rough shape. The front bumper was missing and the hood bore a burn mark from when its carburetor caught on fire, Chrismer said. The original fabric upholstery was also in the car, which had a pretty off-putting smell.
Chrismer began working on the car in high school, replacing the suspension and rear end. He said he also "stole" the motor his father intended to go in a 1932 Ford two-door sedan that had laid in pieces in in the Chrismers' yard since 1961. Chrismer didn't do much more work on the coupe until the '90s after he finished college and married his wife in Springfield. On Father's Day weekend 1994, Chrismer test drove the coupe for the first time.
Before Chrismer had the car painted black and added the flames, he and his daughter drew their own flames on the coupe's back fender using sidewalk chalk. Chrismer said he drove the car that way for several years before a local painter showed interest in giving the coupe a professional paint job.
When it came to the coupe's red, orange, yellow and blue flames, Chrismer got help from his high school art teacher.
"I got this tube in the mail, a mailing tube, and I open it up and he had gone out to his garage and laid out butcher paper on his '44 pickup truck," Chrismer said. Previously, Chrismer had called the teacher to get his advice on how the flames should look, once he got around to adding them. "He traced out flames for me and sent them to me in the mail."
With a few modifications to fit the coupe, Chrismer used his former art teacher's stencil to tape off the flame design.
"I drove it down to the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville and Dale (Chrismer's high school art teacher) came up and pinstriped the blue around the flames in the parking lot of the Extended Stay America until about 2:30 in the morning," Chrismer said with a laugh.
For the three years before the pandemic, Chrismer said he drove the coupe nearly every day. He said he enjoys pulling up to gas stations, having folks interested, encouraging them to hop in so he can take their photos. Though Chrismer has pride in the work he's put into the car so far, he said he doesn't wish to ever finish it.
"I want it to retain some of the character it's always had," he said.
The 1940 Ford Deluxe Coupe isn't the only hot rod Chrismer's had over the years. In his garage also sits a 1940 Ford pickup truck. Chrismer said he refers to the coupe as his "hot rod" and the truck as his "not rod," due to its subtlety.
In 2012, Chrismer received the truck from his aunt and uncle. He has fond memories of learning how to drive a standard transmission for the first time, hauling brush around his aunt and uncle's land at age 13. Chrismer said he drove about 20,000 miles on the truck's original motor and has driven over 20,000 more on a new "hot rod" motor he added within the past few years.
As for other hot rods, in 2011 Chrismer purchased a 1937 Ford two-door sedan from a seller in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Chrismer and his father flew out to pick up the car and spent two days driving it back to Springfield, with only a few hiccups.
By Oklahoma City, both rear shock absorber mounts on the sedan had broken off, leaving the rear of the car a little loose for the remaining 4 1/2-hour drive home. But along the way, the father and son duo made sight-seeing stops at Cadillac Ranch, the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico and Shamrock, Texas, the small town that inspired the Disney movie "Cars."
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'The cars are cool, but it's about the people.'
As a hot rod enthusiast, Chrismer is involved in several car clubs and organizations, one of which is the CrossMembers Car Club, a group of hot rod hobbyist Christians. Chrismer is one of the organizers of the SWMO CrossMembers Car Club Hot Rod Hundred. Held since 2013, annual Hot Rod Hundred cruising events are held in southwest Missouri, Wisconsin, Oklahoma City and St. Louis.
In more recent years, Chrismer has also helped continue the legacy of the Roarin' '30's of Missouri. Originally based in the St. Louis area, the Roarin' '30's of Missouri was founded in 1971 — one of the founders was Chrismer's father — as a pre-1949 car club. Chrismer helps manage the club's annual Forty Ford gathering, an opportunity for original members of the club and new hot rod hobbyist to swap stories and talk cars.
"The cars are cool, but it's about the people," Chrismer said.
When Chrismer isn't renovating and driving hot rods, he's curling up his handlebar mustache with Fruit Loop-scented wax.
Chrismer has been rocking a handlebar mustache for about 20 years. For most of that time, Chrismer said he used a cheap mustache wax he bought at CVS that had an unattractive color and smell. After many years of using the same product, the company changed the recipe, which Chrismer said was even worse.
In 2019, Chrismer launched Bret Chrismer's Mustache Wax, a homemade recipe made with beeswax, lanolin, coconut oil and fragrance oils. Chrismer is known for his quirky scents like Moxie Popcorn, Pecan Sticky Bun, Root Beer Moonshine and Old Hickory Smoke. Chrismer said over the years he's created close to 70 different fragrances. Bret Chrismer's Mustache Wax is available for purchase online at bscenterprises.com.
40th annual Mid-America Street Rod Nationals provides variety of family-friendly activities
In addition to vehicles on display, manufacturers and distributors of automotive parts and accessories will be set up inside the E*Plex during the Mid-America Street Rod Nationals this weekend. Local crafters, a part of the "Women's World" arts and craft show, will also be on site.
On Friday and Saturday, guests may enjoy an automotive swap meet and activities for children. On Sunday, an all-denomination church service will be held at 10 a.m. and more than 40 awards will be distributed during an awards ceremony at 1 p.m.
Admission is $19 for guests 13 and up and $6 for children ages 6-12. Family tickets are available for $40 for two adults and three children under the age of 12. Active military, seniors over 60 and National Street Rod Association members may receive a $2 discount. Tickets are available at the event.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Relationships, stories trump trophies for Springfield 'hotrodder'
