The post war rubber shortage led to a spate of
daring thefts from the Ford plant.
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Gallery No. 25
Reader's Rides at Random.
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The post war rubber shortage led to a spate of daring thefts from the Ford plant. |
Back to
index page Gallery No. 25 Reader's Rides at Random. |
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The pictures in this section were all lifted with permission from
pages posted on the flathead chat forum. Like an idiot I didn't note who
took which pics, but if you see some of your pics here, let me know so
I can credit them properly. ( I do know some were from Tim Brown).They're
all from small shows that took place recently (May 2000). . Thanks guys.
I'm really losing it, I lost the name of the person who sent me these shots, I know he referred to it as the "Lil skinny car" If it is yours, please let me know. Mart. 
Now this beauty I remember, It belongs to Stan Ochs, and is known as the 4 week deuce. Here's Stans note: The "four week B" really started in Apirl of '98 when I bought at a swap meet a pile of '32 Ford parts that were rejects form a standard coupe hotrod project. The coupe had been owned by the Towe Ford Museun, but sold off. What the pile contained was a complete '32 B chassis. with frame, gas tank ,radiator, firewall, and even title! Not only that, the motor numbers matched the frame numbers and tittle! Shocks were not included. I put every thing together and began to think about what to do with it. I had bought a Westcott roadster body about 4 years ealier to go with a California Street Rods chassis I had picked up, but was busy playing with a chopped and channeled 5-window coupe. (see attached picture) The roadster body sat in my back yard so long that it had moss growing on the north side! My garage was only a two car, and I also have a '29 rp and a '34 sedan. I assembled the '32 chassis under my large redwood tree and then moved it to the driveway. After I set the roadster body on it the thought came to me that maybe I could drive it to Bonneville's 50th! so I really started to thrash as that was only 3 weeks away. I began to make small parts like headlight and taillight brackets. I used a Delco alternator and electric fuel pump for dependability. Three days before I would have to leave, I twisted some temporary wires together and heard the motor run for the first time. That really got me pumped! The next day, I DROVE it to the DMV and transfered the Montana tittle into my name and got the plates and registration. I installed just the seat of the Lebaron Bonney upholstery kit. I made no attempt to hide the fact that the body is glass. It's still in jell coat, and I haven't sanded down any of the mold parting lines. I used an original '38 banjo wheel and prewar S-W gage panel with new "Wings" gages. Friday night I wired the lights and all the other lilttle things and went to bed. Saturday morning I threw in some tools, sleeping bag and clothes, grabbed my V8 club National roster and my cell phone. I stopped at a gas station and aired up the tires as I had hand mounted and pumped them at home. I had only wired up two of the gages, the volt meter and the tachometer. Not knowing much about the motor, I decided to limit it to 2,000 rpm. The sun was shining that morning as I pulled on to Interstate 84. I thought to myself "this is going to be hell, or an adventure of a lifetime!" I was traveling alone. My friends thought I was crazy. I agreeded with them, but my mind was made up. The electric fuel pump gave lots of trouble after about 200 miles. The original pump was hanging on the side of the motor, so I connected the lines to it for a try. It still performs flawlessly today! I drove all day, and stopped beside the road somewhere in Idaho and aimed the headlights so I could keep on going for a while longer. Later, I slept for a while at a rest stop and kept on going. I pulled onto the salt at about 11:30 Sunday morning. I saw a group of street rods not too far from the pit area, so I drove over to see what was going on. The cars were aranged into two circles, one within the other. They motioned me to pull in to a space and I did. In the center was a camera that takes a 420 degree panoramic picture. I ordered one, and when it arrived I was stunned. The pirnt is 7 feet long by 10 inches high. it is a CONTACT print! That is one huge chunck of film! The next day, I was playing with the timing, as it sounded a little retarded ot me. As I worked, I noticed an old timer watching me, so I asked him if he knew anything about these things. He said "sounds pretty good where youve got it now" Then he continued, " I bought myself a '32 B roadster back in '41. It was a good little car." I said to him with a twinkle in my eye, "Dont you wish you still had it today?" He replied with just a hint of indignation "I do still have it, and I've got a cabroliet too!" Then he showed me pictures of his lakester with Riley equiped B. It was then that I realized that I was talking to legendary lakes and Bonneville racer Fred Lobello. Fred was also there as one of those being honored as one who raced at the first meet in '49. In '99, I drove the car to the Muroc Reunion without a hint of trouble. I put on 16" solids with a 32" tall tire so that I could go 55mph with my rpm limitation and with the 4:11 gears. Hot Rod artist Tom Fritz took 180 pictures with and without models, probably making it the most photographed car at the event. none of those pictures will be published, as they are for reference future paintings. The car continues to run and drive flawlesly if I keep the mechanical brakes adjusted regurlarly. Future plans call for a '36 V8 equipped with rare two peice bronze and aluminum Federal-Mogul heads(the only set I've ever seen) and a 1933 Alexander 3 piece intake flanged for downdraft Winfield carbs. The new motor will allow faster cruising speeds, but I do worry if that might require a brake upgrade. One more thing, the car has no lowering of any kind. People sometimes ask "Is that car all original?" I say "Yes, it has an Obsolete Ford Parts grille, Brookville Roadster grille shell, a Rootlieb hood and a Wescott body. It's all original" Thanks Stan, a nice story.....Mart Stan sent me a pic of his coupe, culled from the Hopup webzine. 
Here's a nice pic of a well known car the original "Little Deuce Coupe" from the record cover. Thanks to Miles for gaining permission to use this pic. Note the beatnick Bandit in the background. 
Ever seen a 37 3 window before? This one appears to be made up from a 37 front end, and 36 or 35 rear end. Looks good, Though. Thanks to Aussie Rob for the pic, though it looks to me like it was taken in England. Note the glorious English summer weather.  
This tidy little A roadster comes from Peter Bozzo. Thanks, Pete, it's lookin real sharp. 
Sent in by Charles Kitchell, this 32 has captured the old timey look just right. 
After the local cops grew tired of Charles running round fenderless, it re-emerged as this full fendered rig. 
It's a lousy photo I know, but this is one of only a handful of photo's known to prove the existance of Mike Bishop's new project. This truck features a nice non-factory option, a Chrysler HEMI nestled at the bottom of it's capacious engine bay. Mike'll send some new pics once things get under way. ---oooOOOooo--- Thanks to all the contributers for the pics on this page...Mart. |
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