A spin on a 32 Roadster (The Piata)

Great history on a very unique car. It reminds me of this one from my Dad's old pics. Not the same car, but similar style.

 

Did all those cars show up? and are there any pics ? Sounds like a fun time.

 

This might help to figure out if it is the gen or reg.

http://www.btc-bci.com/~billben/6volt.htm

At the bottom there is a link back to the main flathead help index. Lots of great info.

Sounds like you are having a great time with your hot rod.

 

All the guys did show up about 13-15 cars total. It was a good time. I took my Cannon 7d to take pics but the sun was just behind the mountain so i didn't take any. It gets dark early here this time of year. I will Definitely be back later

 

Nash... Quit your Drama, man.

You are not helping this Thread.


Some people are not aware that many Sportsrods were built at some point.

All we need to do is provide some information, so they can educate themselfs.

No big deal... We all learn at one point or another. ( hopefully....)



BTW, to the original Poster, awesome find.

Congrats.

 

It was fun, we left sonic around 10

 

Thanks for the update from gunswanted and squirrel.

Sounds like a "traditional" good time with cool cars and owners.

 

I agree. It's a Traditional hot rod if there ever was one.

 

Wow I had some great conversations this week; some great hotrodders have a lot more history on the car. I will post the full story when I get all the pics and info together. It maybe a couple weeks but I'll get it post up here as soon as I can.

If anyone owns Street rodder mags from around 1996-7 . The car was in Knoxville and Eric Geisert snapped a shot and it made the magazine. I would appreciate it if anyone could get a good scan of it so I can have a copy of it. I will buy the edition when I figure out which one it is.

By the way thanks to Gear Jammer for helping me get the car back on the road tonight!

Jesse

Thanks to the members of the HAMB for your comments, You guys are great!

 

'get over it' is right, but it's ok to take a perfectly good 20-40's driver today and throw every thing away but the body to make a 'traditional' rod. if all you want is the body, buy a body and leave the original cars for people who want an original ride

 

So for some time now I have been talking to Mike Mahaffey through PMs on the HAMB and emails. If you remember he was the owner of the PIATA from 1988 to May 2009 Mike is a great guy and a true car person that I have enjoyed talking to. Through or emails and PM’s Mike sent me some Photo’s of the PIATA in its original form when it was customized in 1948, it’s recustomizing in 1955. Also, a couple pictures from the 1990’s at car shows in Colorado and a couple from the LA Roadster Show in 2007. He personally wrote me a four page letter that was so neat that I read out loud to my wife and a couple of friends that were over the day I received it. I had a huge smile on my face because this letter tells extensively where the car has been, who owned it and what most of the parts came from. I could tell from the letter he was like me and is a person that enjoyed knowing the history of a car almost as much as driving it. In my next post I will post the letter from Mike (just give me a couple hours to finish typing it)

 

Can we see what's under the hood? You seems to be slacking in the photo department. I'm eager to see more of the car.

 

It's a very cool car, sure it's kind of an American MG, but that's fine with me, it was built from what was just a cheap old car in its time. I'm glad you're preserving it.

 

Pic of the car in its first 1950 configuration. It only had a hood top and the doors were welded shut. It was originally silver with a red scallop. It had a white top and red wire wheels.

 

I love the scallop and wire wheels.

 

Picture from 1988

 

Car in Estes Park CO 1989

 

Another Estes Park Co from 1989...Thats Squirrel in the blue shorts!

 

I like the Lancers too. You need three sets of running stock!

 

Picture from the LA Roadster show in 2007, only pic i have with the top down for right now.

 

Another from LA Roadster show 2007

 

I think that car is badass! Good luck with it!!

 

Pic of the current state of the car 2010

 

Here is the history of the Piata as I got it and remember it. The 32 roadster body originally belonged to Bob McClure, an early Denver drag racer. He raced against Ken & Leslie + Stevens Frengel at the strip on Lowery AFB. I have seen his name mentioned in some race results from the late 40's and 50's. Wilber "Bud" Lakas was a sports car fan. He and Bob partnered up to build an American sports car. They started the build in 1946 and put it on the road in 1950. McClure had the body and wanted sports car handling so they found a 42 Ford chassis with a front and rear pan hard bars for handling. They wanted a low profile so they channeled the Body over the frame. They went for the MG look and cut the doors. To channel the body over the 42 chassis they had to widen the body. Rather than build a working deck lid the just put a piece of sheet metal over the opening and screwed it down. As a finishing touch they ground off the slots of the screw heads. There is a raised area in the center of the dash where the body was widened and they removed the cowl vent. They found a 36 Ford roadster windshield would accommodate the added width. It was unchopped because of the added width.

They used a 34 commercial grill shell. The emblem on the grille is an early LaSalle 38, I think. They used 41 ford bumpers with the rear split to accommodate the spare tire. They shortened the 42 Ford frame to about 106" wheel base. The engine is a 41 stock mercury flathead. The radiator is a 54 Chevy Pickup unit with 2 water outlets added to accommodate the flathead. It has always worked well and never overheated while I had it. It idled around the Pueblo Fairgrounds on 90 plus degree days with no problems. The engine has always started and ran very well. The front fenders and headlights are 28 Chevy and the rear fenders are 28 model A coupes with the rears pointed to look like and MG. The instrument cluster is from a 49-50 ford. The car has a cigarette lighter but no ashtray. The wind wings were added to keep the air off the passengers and the little rear view mirror is contemporary of the day.

1955 was a major change for the car the doors were reopened, a single piece hood was fabricated and the car was painted black. The body work was done at Windmire's Body Shop at 10th and Santa Fe in Denver. Windmire was a very talented body man that could work body metal with a hammer in each hand. He did the bead work on the front fenders and built the one piece hood. Don Clark punched the louvers in the hood and cut a 38 Buick headlight bucket in half for the carb scoop. The louvers on the side of the hood were from Jake&sons Auto Parts. Windmire built the radiator cap cover too and probably opened the doors back up. There was evidence of safety chain on the radiator cap cover. The seats were from an Austin Healey. I don't know who did the trim work but it was well finished and detailed.

The bull horn is lots of fun. I mounted the rear license plate on the spare tire hubcap. The license plate light was all that kept me from getting a Safety 23 sticker in 1989. It needs a separate ground wire. After Windmire completed the car Susan Lisk bought the body shop and started doing Porsches. Bud got to old for the car (he felt) and needed room so he went back to the shop and sold it to Susan 1982. She was a sports car person but foreign. She stored it for awhile, didn't use it and sold it to me in 1988. I might have said 1989 but in retrospect, I feel it was 88 . I put a new top and bows on it. Changed the steering wheel and put radial tires on it. The radials really woke up the handling. It was always a kick to drive.

To my knowledge the engine was essentially stock and was rebuilt around 72-73. At one time the car did have block letter Edelbrock heads on it. They were with the car when I bought it. One was milled considerably more than the other. I asked bud about that and he said they just ran two head gaskets on that side. I met Bud when he was in his 80’s. He drove up in an Acura coupe and did not drive like an old man. He was interesting to talk to, sharp as a tack!

The car reflects the British influence on an American Hot rod. It also shows what American creativity can come up with for a sports car.

I took a job in Cleveland in 92. The car went back in about 97-98. I stopped on the way back at Speedy Bills and enjoyed it. That’s where it got it’s Knoxville, Kalamazoo, Columbus and Indianapolis exposure. I brought it back to CO in about 03-04 I sold it May 2010. I’m glad it found a new home and someone that will care for it and keep it well. It has it’s own charm and personality. It has lots of bumps and scratches. They all have their stories. You can smooth them out and hide them or you can leave them as they are. It’s not an easy choice. The main thing is to make it what you want. It has been a fun ride at lots of places. It will have a good time taking you were you need to go.

So where did the name Piata come from? Well, It came about at one of the Estes Park events. Bud and Friends were hanging out, probably with copious quantities of malted beverages and Somebody asked "What the hell is that, a Siata? Somebody said "No it’s a Piata." The name stuck.

From then on, it was known as the Piata. The car was a very special car for Bud and his wife. The custom plate was a birthday present. Mike saw a needle point of the Piata plate, Bud’s wife did in 1976. Bud Lakas and his wife drove the Piata to the annual events at Estes Park, CO

Mike drove it around the big track at Indy in 2000. He said it was a fun time crossing the bricks in it.

The top was custom made for the car by a trimmer friend of Mikes. The bows are modified Triumph TR 2A. Mike modified them to fit.

The car was in Knoxville coverage in Street Rodder magazine 1998-1999. It was a just a snapshot by Eric Geisert of the car that I'm still searching for.

 

neat pics, neat story!

I was in Estes Park in 76, not 89.

 

You know that was you in the pic

 

I see blisters on the hood in the early shots .... do you have these parts?


just need to polish up the added aluminum fender bits .. and your golden...

 

I dig it,thanks for posting.

 

I'm currently working on getting the radiator cap blister and the Piata license plate from the old owner. They are still hanging in his garage. He's going to send them at the beginning of the year. The carb blister made out of a buick headlight bucket is there.

 

If anyone has a copy for sale for a decent price I will buy it.