Pearce’s Paddy Wagon

At my middle school, art class was taught in a repurposed bus garage. It had high ceilings, bulletproof glass and tired wooden tables that always seemed to be covered in hand-parching clay dust. Each week, students were pestered to dig through the mix of materials that spewed from the cavernous supply closets and paint-splattered cabinets.

In one of these archeological digs, I came across a stack of manila 3�? by 5�? notecards with typewritten information on one side: Titles, authors, dates and things of that nature. Without hesitation, I walked the ancient cards back to my table and began to draw.

Soon the pages hosted sketches of drag cars with straight axles and towering Hilborns. These Willys, Thames, Anglias and other gassers sported meaty slicks, fire-breathing headers and wild paintjobs. Colored Plexiglas, class designations and “STP�? decals were standard on these small-scale terrors.

Things went smoothly in art class for a few weeks as my collection continued to grow. Much to my peer’s enjoyment, occasional gassers and F/Xers made their way onto chalkboards whenever I had a spare moment.

Eventually, the teacher caught on. He stumbled into his office and pulled out a tattered book about Corvettes. “Draw what you see,�? he said, running his hand through his wispy white hair. “Not what you imagine in your head.�? I was baffled. Didn’t he know that cars like this do exist? I though back to my Thames I had drawn a month ago with metalflake paint, stack injection, American mags and piercrust slicks.

Right then, I wish I could have pulled out the March 1966 issue of Car Craft and pointed to Harold Pearce’s Paddy Wagon A/Gasser.

“See that?�? I’d say with a smirk. “This is the look I was going for.�?

***

Mr. Harold Pearce, a Los Angles resident, caught the racing bug and decided to join the mid-‘60s A/Gas ranks. Paying homage to his day job as a truck driver, he started with an all-steel 1953 Ford Thames body and had it chopped 4�? at Kent’s Kustom & Paint Shop. After a few phone calls with the crew at Cal Automotive, the little English Ford shed some serious weight with new fiberglass doors and a tilt front end. The race ready body was treated to a beautiful royal blue metalflake paintjob at Kent’s and Art Summers sealed the deal with hand lettered silver leaf.

Chassis man Ed Weddle (of Davis & Ingram altered fame) handled the panel’s underside. In accordance to gas class rules, Weddle maintained stock rails but took a contemporary approach by introducing coil springs on all four corners. Up front, the springs supported a custom-built tube axle with Willys spindles, Nash shocks and Hurst Airheart “Go-Kart�? disc brakes. A 4.88-equipped ’51 Mercury rear complete with hand fabricated ladder bars helped keep the M-H slicks moving on the pavement.

Harold sourced a fresh ’64 Chevy motor to power the Paddy Wagon. With a bit of massaging, the mill was pushed to 370 c.i. Highlights included a Delta crank, M/T rods, Venolia pistons, Isky cam and headwork by Mondello. Hilborn injectors and Vertex magneto rounded out the immaculate engine compartment. Power was transferred through a Cal Hydro.

Judging by the extensive coverage in Car Craft, Harold’s Thames was an attention grabber while standing still. But that didn’t mean the blue-flake beauty didn’t devour the quarter mile. At the time of the article, the machine was turning mid-10s at more than 130 mph. And if a Thames like this isn’t your cup of tea, I’m sure I can set up a conference with an art teacher I once had. He’d be delighted to hear from you.

-Joey Ukrop

Photos by Bud Lang, Car Craft magazine, March 1966