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Technical Rescued Roadster - A True Survivor

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Tetanus Shot, Jun 24, 2010.

  1. Tetanus Shot
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,082

    Tetanus Shot
    Member

    I suppose its the dream of every true hot rodder to own a car with some history, something built back in the day. for me i had always dreamed of finding a car hidden away, long forgotten but still in tact and putting it back on the road where it belonged. I'm sure we all share this dream, and like me we all think it will stay a dream. something reserved for that lucky bastard who is a friend of a friend who knew a guy that helped a widow clean out her husbands garage only to find a sweet ass hot rod under a pile of tires. well its a funny thing about dreams, sometimes they come true. and sometimes the reality is even better than we could have ever imagined.

    proof every dog has his day

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    built in 1953 by Alden Calkins from Michigan and has been there in storage unmolested for over 40 years. these are the pictures of the car when it arrived in California, as you can see it was in amazing shape. the only thing missing was the shift knob and i have been searching for a suitable replacement.

    at first i thought it would only take a couple weeks to get it back on the road, but like with any car it always takes at least twice as long to get the job done. my goal was to have the car running and driving for the the LA Roadster Show. it took every minute from memorial day weekend until 2 a.m. friday night of the show to get the job done, i didnt sleep but had the car there and had achieved my goal.

    it was clear after i had pulled the heads and intake that the car obviously didnt have much use and was very well maintained. i have already gone through the entire car to make it safe and roadworthy, still having some ignition issues with the Harman Collins dual coil but im in the process of sorting it out hopefully with the help of the HAMB.

    still looking for more history and i would love to find some more pictures of it, if anyone has more info please pm me please! thanks.



    a few shots from LARS

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    and for anyone asking about what my plans are for the car? nothing. once its running properly there is nothing more that i will do, other than wear out the tires.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2010
    kidcampbell71 and volvobrynk like this.
  2. Tetanus Shot
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,082

    Tetanus Shot
    Member

    Rods Illustrated August 1959

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  3. Tetanus Shot
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,082

    Tetanus Shot
    Member

    a few shots from today, all i have done cosmetically is dust it off and degrease the engine. and yes i know how bad the new plate looks on there but i had to drive it.


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  4. stude_trucks
    Joined: Sep 13, 2007
    Posts: 4,755

    stude_trucks
    Member

    Can I just shoot myself now?

    There is no way in f'n hell I will ever find a car as cool as that and certainly not one that will ever be in my price range.

    Congrats on that. That car is killer, love it 110%. I saw it posted on one of the LARS threads and was drooling then.

    I would not touch one thing on that car either other than maybe get the top remade if needed. That car actually might even look better with the top on which is highly unusual accomplishment. Damn good looking both ways.

    Please don't tell me how much/little you got that for. Unless it was a ton of cash and some body parts, I don't even want to know.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2010
    volvobrynk likes this.

  5. Holy shit, that's cool.
     
  6. model.A.keith
    Joined: Mar 19, 2007
    Posts: 6,279

    model.A.keith
    Member

    WoW, as you say dreams do happen, very cool score,

    now just go Drive the damn thing.............


    (with pictures of course )


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    .

    Keith
     
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  7. |Tom|
    Joined: Oct 12, 2009
    Posts: 172

    |Tom|
    Member

    Neat story!
     
  8. Dynaflash_8
    Joined: Sep 24, 2008
    Posts: 3,038

    Dynaflash_8
    Member
    from Auburn WA

    fuck. thats all i gotta say. Fuck
     
  9. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,344

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    Just amazing. Take good care of it. Gary
     
  10. The37Kid
    Joined: Apr 30, 2004
    Posts: 30,627

    The37Kid
    Member

    Love that car! I saw it in a LARS thread too, thanks for "The Rest of the Story". There were a fair amount of Rods built in the 1950's that tried to look like Sports Cars, none turned out as nice as this one. I'd shop around and find a good upholstery shop that can replace the top and make it blend in with the rest of the car. That would look good on the lawn at Pebble Beach.
     
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  11. lowsquire
    Joined: Feb 21, 2002
    Posts: 2,567

    lowsquire
    Member
    from Austin, TX

    Amazing.
    I love the slightly 'off' proportions, the cycle gaurds, the louver pattern..so many cool details!

    In the close up of the tail lights it looks like there is a silver paint job underneath with its own pinstriping pattern? Is this right or am I seeing things?
     
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  12. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,344

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    A favor? When you can, could you post photos of the lower hood sides? I'm interested in how they fit over the front frame rails and also how they meet at the cowl. Thanx, Gary
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  13. Very very nice indeed - congratulations to the new owner.

    Interesting that it is one of those rods with the look of an MG of the period. I wonder whether that's what the original builder was shooting for??

    BTW - would love to see some detail pics of the front fender mounts.
     
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  14. n.z.rodder
    Joined: Nov 18, 2008
    Posts: 1,016

    n.z.rodder
    Member

    Jesus H Christ thats freakin' awesome. Nice score indeed.
    Scotty.
     
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  15. 31whitey
    Joined: Jan 2, 2007
    Posts: 2,214

    31whitey
    Member

    That is a very well though out old hot rod.I can wait to read the article.Your are friggen stoked man....
     
  16. Dig it! I kinda like the boat wheel' but then the Chevy wheel was kinda large, huh?
     
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  17. bt34
    Joined: Dec 22, 2006
    Posts: 294

    bt34
    Member

    ....perfect...all of it....
     
  18. awesome score-i like your plan of doing nothing to the car but driving it !! that this is f-in sweet!
     
  19. rbantique
    Joined: Jun 12, 2008
    Posts: 6,431

    rbantique
    Member
    from maine

    Congratulations ! It is nice to know that there a still a few out there patiently waiting to be put into sevice again. A lot of them still belongs to the original builders who have no interest in selling even though they are put away. Your find will keep the rest of us asking questions and listening to answers about where these old rods ended up. If they weren't parted out , or destroyed they are still out there .
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  20. Fantastic story!
     
  21. Deuce3wCpe
    Joined: Aug 21, 2004
    Posts: 848

    Deuce3wCpe
    Member
    from New Jersey

    Cool find! Congrats.

    Any info on what became of Alden Calkins? Looks like he'd be 83 or 84 now.




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    Last edited: Jun 24, 2010
    volvobrynk likes this.
  22. It's these kind of stories that make make a true car guy all warm and tingley on the inside.

    Freakin' awesome!!!

    Tell us more about how you found out about, and bought, the car. I love to hear how these things go down.
     
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  23. magoozi
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 1,748

    magoozi
    Member
    from san diego

    What a score man, happy for you, and I agree don't touch the car. I will tell Axle aboat it, and may be he can put it in the Grand National Roadster Show
     
  24. VA HAMB
    Joined: Jun 14, 2006
    Posts: 1,377

    VA HAMB
    Member

    Holy Crap! Im glad that this car fell into good hands. I'm always scared that some idiot will find one of these and cut it up into something different. Have fun with it!
     
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  25. abone1930
    Joined: Jan 16, 2006
    Posts: 1,325

    abone1930
    Member

    Dude, WHAT A SCORE :eek: That is a great find and then being an X magazine car to boot. Glad youre not going to restore it. COOL just the way it is :D
     
  26. customcory
    Joined: Apr 25, 2007
    Posts: 1,831

    customcory
    Member

    You are a lucky man, such a cool roadster. Not to many cars had wire wheels like this back then, those have to be a rare set.:D
     
  27. Thank you for posting, I was looking forward to hearing the story of this roadster. Congratulations on the find, I am glad to see it went to a good 'caretaker'
    What a great title for the original story in '59, "Rescued Roadster". Is that ironic? history repeating itself. Keep us updated and please post more pics. You are my hero!
     
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  28. hiboy32
    Joined: Nov 7, 2001
    Posts: 2,796

    hiboy32
    Member
    from Omaha, NE

    that roadster and the story are soo cool! Thanks for sharing
     
  29. 231ramona
    Joined: Feb 7, 2007
    Posts: 274

    231ramona
    Member

    Finding an old original hot rod is the most fun I've had in the hobby. There's just something about a rod built back in the day by a young hot rodder. Here are a few pictures of the roadster I found in Canada in the early 90"s. There are many simularities such as the amount of channel and the 40 dash. Congratulations on your find!
     

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  30. onekoolkat1950
    Joined: Mar 23, 2008
    Posts: 1,865

    onekoolkat1950
    Member

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