Norm Benton was inducted into the T-Bucket Hall of Fame at the 2009 Annual meeting in Lenoir, North Carolina. He was so surprised and overcome that he later told the Vice President, “Do you have any idea how glad I am that you didn’t ask me to go up there and say something”.

Norm’s love of cars goes back just a little ways. He first remembers driving a model A when he was 10. “We just sort of borrowed it so we could practice. We were on private property, not out on the roads”. He got his drivers license at 14, “Times were different back then” he recalls. “It was the 40s, the time, the era, it was a good time. The war was over, the economy was picking up”. His love of cars began back then. His first hot rod was a 1950 Olds 88 he bought after he got out of the service in 1952. “It was a hot rod right out of the box”. He currently has two of them he's working on restoring.

He says his first “real hot rod” was a 27 T Roadster with a full race flat head. He used to race it in Pomona, CA. He shared a wonderful memory from Pomona. “There was a teeny bopper there, hanging around, asking the guys to give her a ride. I gave her a ride and even let her drive. Her name was Shirley Muldowney, do you recognize that name?” Shirley Muldowney is considered the First Lady of Drag Racing and would have been 13-14 years old back then. He doesn’t think she’d even remember who he was, but I disagree. Norm’s generosity and his genuine desire to help others make him stand out. I have a feeling that she remembers the Hot Rod driver who gave her the wheel and inadvertently encouraged her to follow her passion.

Norm entered the army in ’49, did basic training in California (Camp Cook) and came home from Korea in 1952. He worked as a truck driver, teamster, for 49 years before retiring. Norm has called Kingman, Arizona home since 1978. He has a son who is following in his footsteps and just opened his own hot rod shop, KB Automotive in Kingman. He also has a stepson in Japan and 3 daughters, around 25 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. He met Dorothy in 2003 and she is rarely far from his side.

This is Norm’s first T-bucket. He’s had it since 2003 and he brought it to his first Nats in Omaha. He’s customized it to get it the way he & Dorothy want by putting in a big engine, new windshield, and custom top that he made himself. The engine is unique. It is a World Casting Billy Mitchell built aftermarket engine. Inside, the engine has the dimensions of a big block with 454 cu. inches. Outside, the engine has the dimensions of a 350 Chevy, allowing him to bolt on small block compatible parts. It has a 671 blower with a combined hp of 900. The windshield is one piece, in aluminum so it won’t rust, and is 4 inches taller then normal. He has a custom license plate on it that says “N D 23T”. He just finished a coupe in May which sports the plate “N D 26T”. Both cars have Norm’s signature spider web on the corner of the grill. Norm also has a 55 Dodge Royal Lancer hardtop he hopes to restore, “if I live long enough”, he says with a laugh, and a 1940 Studebaker business coupe, stock, that is an older restoration he’s thinking about selling.

Norm & Dorothy have been regulars at every National and several Mini-Nats since Omaha. Norm says that he & Dorothy belong to many car clubs but none of them have the level of fun and caring people that the T-bucket group has. They enjoy it so much that on the way home from Lenoir, they said to each other that they wished the 2010 National was just a week away. Norm says they have lots of special memories of cruising in the “T”. The one that stands out most in his mind was the Officers Memorial Cruise in Mountain Home because he felt very proud to be a part of that special honor.

To meet Norm & Dorothy is to instantly like them. Norm has a contagious smile that lights up his face and Dorothy has a mischievous grin. You know they enjoy life. They have contributed to the fun by becoming the unofficial margarita bartenders at the last two Nationals. Norm has a special recipe that is irresistible and if you have been lucky enough to be sitting near his car in the evening, you would agree. They even serve them up with salt on the rim. Norm demonstrates the true spirit of a bucket-head, always willing to help. He’s the first to volunteer, sharing anything he has, from the floor jack to move an abandoned car out of the way, to an industrial fan which cools down fellow bucket-heads.

Congratulations Norm, we’re proud to know you & we’re glad you chose to be a bucket-head.

Written by Dale Wiersma