when i built my 32 in 1955 ,it was channeled only because we could do that ourselves and there was no way we had the skills to chop a car.most all local car were backyard built and any extra money was spent on engine adapter,speed parts or slicks(inglewoods ?)just my 2 cents worth.
you do have a point... i'm sure there were/are not as many skilled metal guys on the right coast, but we do have them. I hope nobody would deny that awesome cars can come from pretty much anyplace, but the east coast cars typically have/had a more "all business" look about them (which i like). I think this '40 is a really good example of that... although the Nash grille was a really bad idea.
my 2 cents.... I come across alot..... loads of older guys ( into hot rods ,customs race cars) that are smart and talented...tin knockers .... machine shop,,,,engine guys and so on...some from the left some from the right ,,, deep south mid west , noth west some from places like Marietta GA,Fort Worth TX, Columbus OH, Louisville KY, Wichita KS,..Kanas City MO.,,Seattle WA. Philadelphia Pa...Buffalo NY ...ST. Louis....San Diego... and so on everyone was doing there own thing some were a cut above the rest ... in their areas ,,, but they were all good ! My second favorite state ,,,CA did not have a monopoly on all the smart and talented.....I'm done,,,,,,,,,,,
No need to travel to So Cal Ben, just pick up most any magazine or book on the subject (from the period Hot Rods and Customs that is). Ya either like 'em or ya don't.
You have to take in consideration to the climate ad terrains that both coast consist of. I know that many of thecars out this way could not be to low or they would most likely bottom out.............but this side of the states had our hot rods but they were being usee a little differently than yours . Just look at the old Rum Runners..............LOL ......those boys had to be all kinds of crazy. I think about it everytime I am on a back road cruisin in my 39 Ford how those boys ran them cars like they had. Sorry for getting off the main topic but I think our regional differences really played dramatic roles in this and they still do to a certian extent today. Because there are numerous cars being built around the east coast that may not ever find there way into our eyes of the public unless the builder is dead set on trying to make every well covered event in order to do so. But you guys out west have more oppurtunities in getting recognition for your cars because of the time frame that we are both allowed in order to even drive our stuff around.
that's three statements... sure about which? more skilled metal guys out west? no. different coast different looks? maybe. the Nash grille is ugly? yes.
This is a chopped and sectioned 40 (west coast,now) done with similar metalwork. Basically the car is cut, than lowered to the desired heighth, than the overlap is brazed, than its all leaded up. This car didn't have interior on it, like the ebay 40, so all the metalwork is visible, like the ebay 40. but its basically looks like a wave lapping on the beach. I can't locate the interior pics unfortunately. Its acceptable since its an older custom, but its funny how skills have changed. The technological differences, especially magazine articles that advertised cutting edge technology to the home guy throughout the years, have progressed so much to what we are able to do now. Unfortunately I don't remember the owners name, the show was in san jose, he was a cool guy that really ran that car hard, it had a bitchin flathead, dropped axle and I think a quickchange. Anyway here's a pic of the owner/navigator if anyone can pitch in more info. TP
I gnerally don't care for chopped 40 Fords but I think the section helps make that car.That and the color. You can't go wrong with black.
Thank you for posting the car Ryan, and now since the cat's out of the bag, I might as well add my .02, as the '40 has been in my garage for some time now. The dream was to debut it completed - man it was hard not to take it out before, but it just never got 'done' - whatever 'done' is, that's why I never posted pics or talked much about it. It really isn't the 'eBay car', it's the Fred Cain 40 Ford. Here's a couple of adds to what you know already: Charlie Hascall purchased the '40 from CouverKid, and brought it back to life. Did a marvelous job - he just has a keen eye for these kinds of cars. He really knew what he was doing, as well as knowing what he was looking at - someting that is super important on a car as significant as this. Yes, it had seen some tough days, BUT, it survived!! That's the cool part. All body work, seam filling, trim holes, chop filling etc, was done in lead. Someone had tried to reattach drip rail moldings to the back of the body. The chop was VERY specific, and was done a very particular way, which is how we identified for sure, through Fred Cain that this is his old car. Curtis West did the final prep and paint in it's current Black finish, and did a wonderful job of bringing the finish back to a proper early 50's 'show' condition. After the Honk magazine shoot - and after the car had a Nash grille (it had a Nash seat from early on) it also got a Hemi. Why?? Fred's dad owned a Chrysler Plymouth dealership. Yep - this is the same Fred Cain that owned Hurri-Cain race cars in the late 60's and early 70's. Fred was instrumental in the founding of NETA (New England Timing Association) and also with bringing drag racing to the east coast along with the Bannister Brothers. He was recently inducted into the Ty-Rods Hot Rod and Racing hall of fame. Cool Cars Square Roll Bars is a must have book for a study of things East Coast. It's awesome. Fred still likes to go fast and has some hot rod snowmobiles and boats! He is a great guy to talk to, and quite a gentleman - even though he may burn your ears a bit! He's one cool cat, with a rich and exciting past. The car is about as low as it can be, without ripping off the rear tail pan, and tearing the front fender lips with the tires - which could still be done if not careful. It is looooowwww. This car is NOT sectioned. Just chopped and channeled - and with a few leaves removed too. If you're wondering why would you sell a car like that? Things happen and life changes - sometimes in the blink of an eye. I have been very blessed with having some cool cars in my life, and this summer brought some tragedy, so I have had to sell a couple of my toys to take care of another's financial needs. We do what we have to do. As Ryan says - we are only caretakers of these cars, especially the ones with history, and it's our responsiblity to see that they get into the hands of those who understand and respect same. 'Nuff said. Here's a couple of pics of the car before I had it painted, and with skirts. It's pictured next to an old Valley Customs car that had been kicked in the rear frame in a how to article for Hot Rod magazine in 1955. Also pictured is the car that is going to fill the slot in the garage where the '40 used to live, a '39 Convertible Sedan (those cars have always been my 'dream cars')- chopped and channeled as well, with a rich and storied history here in the Northwest. Let's just call it a 'shed find'. Enjoy, Tim
Chopped and channeled in the late 40's/early 50's and has a Carson style top - parked in 1961, and resurrected by a friend of mine, parked again, and now being resurrected again. We will do a thread on it as we get it back up and running & take it to the 'next level'. I don't want to hijack Ryan's thread anymore than I have. Any specific questions, please PM me! Thank you - Tim
Here's an East Coast '40. Built in Maine over 35 years ago by Walt DuPont. It's channeled and runs a hot flathead. Walt has driven it over 300K.
This is a pretty interesting topic. My personal opinion is that West coast cars got more publicity because honestly... where did all the hot rod rags and books come from? Exactly. Who got more published because of that? Exactly. I was originally born on the West coast, and my grandfather and his older brothers were some of the very first guys to start customizing and hotrodding anything in the Santa Monica area. I dig both styles, but I can tell them apart. There are differences between both and i'm glad there are. I like seeing different styles. An East coast car is nothing to be ashamed of, it just looks different than a West coast car. The opposite is true as well. -Chris
Great thread, this topic just won't die...R&C first raised this West vs. East in the '50s...I grew up in SoCal and thought that East Coast customs were too often over-the-top, too radical, but in reality so were many West Coast customs, especially in the late '50s when winning car shows seemed more important than good taste. There were lots of great East (and Midwest, and South) customs...not sure that aviation fabrication had so much to do with skilled bodywork as did the early coach builders from the '30s. A lot of customizers learned their skills from Bohman & Schwartz and other famous custom coach builders on both coasts and in between. Sure, East Coast customs were more likely to be channeled but so were East Coast rods...but if done right they were just as cool as were California customs.
Sorry, I was referring to the one Ryan posted, looks sectioned, article says it's sectioned. Going to go search now for a 39-40 Ford picture thread. Gotta see more
If Detroit is considered east coast, we had some spectacular custom work well through the sixties. Alexander Bros, Clarkaiser, Bill Hines, even Dick Dean, even though he was still young and hadn't gained his top skills. Many smaller shops turning out nice customs whose style was equal to the west coast. There is definitely some truth to the rusted bottom theory, the little deuce coupe is a prime example where style was dictated by the lower edges cut off and the fins added.
I often wonder if More East Coast guys built Midgets and Sprint Cars after returning from WWII rather than Hot Rods? There were some fine East Coast cars in Hot Rod 1961-65 when I was first getting into cars, many of the good ones are still around today.
I guess even the Boss can be wrong sometimes, huh? Thank you for clearing that up and congratulations on a sweet car and great piece of history.
I think it took a long time for the Hot Rod trend to make its way over from the west and up from the south (moonshiners). My dad's father was a WWII vet and said the cool thing to have after the war was a radio and a spotlight...that's pretty much it. You have to imagine too that it wasn't all that easy for the magazines based in the west to fly all the way east to photoshoot a car or two. There were plenty of good hot rods an customs out this way, just look at any Hartford Autorama pics.
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