Hot Rods Vintage Mag. Feature of the Week: Dick Patterson '31 Coupe

[Bass]

Last week I posted some pictures of the Redding/ Lajoie '33 Coupe, and in the post I stated I was thinking about doing a regular "feature" car scanned from my stack of old magazines. A couple people thought it was a good enough idea, so here is the second installment. I think I'll try to do this once a week as long as I'm not too busy, and as long as you guys want to see more.

I think this will be a good learning tool for those of you new to hot rodding and/or without any resources to learn about our past. I also liked the fact that last week some of you spoke up with information about what happened to the Redding/Lajoie coupe...and if any of you know what happened to the car I'm posting this week, please share.


Rialto, California's Dick Patterson and his '31 Model A Coupe were featured in Hot Rod Magazine, January 1966. Here are the captions transcribed from that article, corresponding with the pictures below.

"A study in blue, even to the vacuum formed plastic roof, Patterson's extraordinary '31 Model A Ford has been chopped and channeled over a boxed and chromed frame of the same year, rides low between Astro wheels carrying Dunlop tires and Bruce slicks. Custom project was started 11 years ago."

"Lowness of coil-suspended rear is further accented by wide stance of 9 inch wide slicks. Fog lamp and headlight shells were cleverly employed on several occasions: to create individual seat headrests, and also to form body nacelle opening for steering drag link. Taillights: Buick, Corvair lens."

"Spicer type 4.27 rear end is bolted to '50 Ford driveshaft, sprung with '63 Chevy pickup coils, contained by short radius rods and sway bar. Front end is a dropped beam axle setup with spindles swapped right for left to place tie rod ahead of axle, allowing frame travel with lowered chassis."

"With dual McCulloch superchargers pumping into two four-throat carbs, the nominal displacement 312 cubic inch T-bird gets ever stronger with the rising revs, encouraged by an Isky E-2 cam, Jahns pistons with Grant rings, and a Mallory distributor, plus a pair of ported and polished heads."

"Looking for a novel (and obviously cool) upholstery idea? This clever setup utilizes exhaust pipe tubing contured and fitted with padded horizontal brackets. The ribbed theme has been carried over onto the doors where the strips are secured to sheet aluminum panels. Show you a little class?"

"Blue flock provides a soft look to the shortened and sectioned '40 Ford dashboard. On the floor, a deep pile rug and the stick of a '39 Ford box. Late model Ford hydraulics and a '65 Mustang steering wheel, plus a complement of Stewart Warner gauges, complete this car's trophy-winning interior."

[Bass]

I think this is a very interesting car, and a great example of the somewhat forgotten mid-60's style hot rod. It's got a bubble top insert in the roof, a wild ass motor, an even wilder interior, blackwalls/ slicks on Astro slot mags, and a blue flake paint job...etc.

I also think it's interesting to see how the car evolved. These pictures were taken at an indoor show in 1963. You can see that it's got a different bubble top insert, painted steelies with caps on whitewalls, a less crazy interior with some silly fur....and a darker non-metalflake paint job. Lots of changes over the course of 2-3 years.

So that's it for this week...

-Brian

[buikwag]

Hi:

I know Dick Patterson very well, he currently resides in Mexico and is still involved in building cars. One of his former cars he built, a 1954 Mecury Sun Valley, was shown in the last issue of the Goodguy's Magazine at Del Mar. He currently has a full fendered 32 Ford roadster and is a long time member of the Over the Hill Gang San Bernardino. Thanks for posting the pictures, it brought back many fine memories of going to Dick's house to watch him work on that car.

Jack

[Bass]

Well that's pretty damn cool! Do you have any idea what happened to this coupe?

Thanks for posting....please feel free to share any stories or info you might have about this car or about Mr. Patterson.

[Dat Dirty Rat]

that coupe ruined me at a very young age and hung on my bedroom wall for years...I've always wanted to like 'clone' that car...that lil coupe started my fascination w/Model A's...I would love to know what happend to that car myself....Thanks for the pics....

Dirty

[Boones]

Please make this a regular contribution. SO many of us do not have access to the early mags. This is a way for us to see the early cars.

[00 MACK]

Thank You.

[Psychobilly Boi]

Hey,

Wow what a sano ride! My dream car is a model A coupe...

Danny

[Scott Miller]

Thanks for the post. Man that motors got ballz!

[Mike Zenor]

Holy crap, Brian, that's wicked... the interior reminds me of the Poul Volther "Corona chair"...



Are those Corvair turbos, or some sort of mini centrifugal blower? Oops, never mind... gotta read the text

[joeycarpunk]

I've been enjoying these installments as well, the dual McCullochs look trick.

[beatnik]

Great Idea Bass, here's a couple from Car Craft 1964 in Copper.

[Bass]

Originally Posted by beatnik

here's a couple from Car Craft 1964 in Copper.

Awesome...thanks for that! I don't have that issue.

If anyone else has any pictures they'd like to add, please do.

[The Catholic]

Always saw this car in black and white only, thanks for the colors. Any who says that y-blocks weren't popular? Last two you have done were y-powered and I'm lovin it. -The catholic

[coupeHEAD]

Bass, thanks for doing these features. I hope you will continue. I love that coupe - so creative. Keith

[59BuickWagon]

Great idea Bass and good subject for the first one. Do we really have to wait a week

[Tman]

Originally Posted by 59BuickWagon

Great idea Bass and good subject for the first one. Do we really have to wait a week

BTTT, you musta missed last weeks installment Dennis?

Great post, great car. I drooled over that issue for as long as I could open my dads car magazines. Never really thought about the T grill shell until now though?

[Django]

All 3 versions are killer. A flocked dash... wow! Now we know where the tweed geeks got their idea.

I remember that car real well in its blue flake version , drooled over it for years and still have the magazine ,I still look it over now n then ,lots of neat tricks done there

[general gow]

Bass, thank you. Especially for the Lajoie/Redding Bluebird. I first saw that car in Cool Cars Square Rollbars and continue to dream of building something very similar. I may be somewhat attracted to it because it's a local legend to me, but it stands on it's own very well, too.

Keep it up.