Hot Rods Ootewah Speed Shop Roadster (History Search)

I started a thread about a year ago looking for history on my roadster. I started this thread to bring the new found info to light. Hopefully that's not a problem.

The first thread can be seen here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=680918

I was strolling thru the 1950's period correct Hot Rods thread saturday and found a couple of pictures that about made me fall out of my chair....

That's here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=430894&highlight=1950+period Post 83 to be exact...

After following some good leads, I finally made contact with Bill Van Dyke from Tucson, Az. He posted these photos in '09 and wondered what ever happened to this car. He looked at a TON of photos of my car and confirmed it was the same car he remembered taking pictures of as a 14 year old boy, at a gas station on Speedway Blvd. in Tucson in 1954.

The car was originally built by Bud Poorman and Charlie Hall in 1953. It was a Coral color, white top, black and white tuck & roll interior, chrome column, dash full of Stewart Warners, and a funky shifter. Souped up Flathead with chrome headers. A full louvered hood with '41 Cadillac hood side vents.

Here's what we have so far. Maybe we can fill in that SoCal gap someday.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I am...

Last pic is how the car was found in 2007.

Thanks to Bill Van Dyke, Chip (Need Louvers?), Hot Rod Ron, Dale (CurbSpeed), Bob Oney, Joe Chapman, Jack Strunk, Josh Shaw, Mark Bowles and Bill Pittman for the info and pics so far.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

Kool!

 

After looking at these pictures again I have come to only one conclussion. You have to put it back to the first version in the top pictures. That thing was totally badass. I even like the idea of the coral color. Get busy and do it. That top was righteous!!!

 

The first version of that car is BAD ASS!

 

Wow Kevin, I didn't think your roadster could get much cooler. I was wrong.

That early version is completely bad-assed!!!

Congrats on finding the origins of your car.


.

 

Ditto!

 

I totally agree with you guys, but Coral...? Really?

Either way, I'll keep loading pictures and fill in the gaps as I can.

The California part of the history is kind of a blur, but we know it was there from '55-'56 to about '65. During this time it was painted a Pearl Lavender, but kept the white top and black & white interior. In '57 the Flathead came out and the '56 Nailhead went in with domed pistons, 1/2" stroker crank, ported heads, Big Isky cam, Edelbrock intake w/ 6 chrome 97's, aluminum flywheel, and a '37 Lasalle transmission.

From what we can gather, that must have been when they raised the car up a couple of inches. That big 'ole Lasalle would probably have hit everything over a couple inches off the ground. In this re-build the 1/4's were filled in smooth (probably to cover that huge C-notch) and a roll pan installed with '50 Pontiac tail lights. All this stuff was the late '50's trend.

In about '65 or so, Kenny Hyatt from Bradenton, Fl. bought the car in California at a car show (supposedly the L.A. Roadster Show) and took it back to Florida. He kept the car there until '71-'73. While on vacation with his family Bill Pittman from Cincinnati, Oh. saw the car for sale on a matching single axle trailer and bought it.

Bill took the car to Cincy where it spent the next 38 years. Most of that time after '77-'78 was spent sitting after a 1/4" nut had been dropped down one of the carburetors and never retrieved.... Notice center carb is off on passengers side. Oops...!

Mark Bowles found the car in 2007-8 and freshened it up as we see it today.

Joe Chapman bought the car from Mark, and now I am just fortunate enough to be the present caretaker of this piece of Hot Rodding History.

If anyone has anything to add, please feel free to do so. I will be adding info as it comes along.

Thanks for looking,
Kevin

 

I agree 100%. And yes, Coral!!

 

Very cool Kevin.

 

After some investigation this morning, Ford and Mercury called their Coral color in 1953 "Bittersweet".

Is this the Coral color we are talking about?

 

the coral is cool by all means but what about the pearl lavender as that is when it found itself stuffed with a nail head and a 37 lasalle

so what were the identifying marks that allowed him to confirm it?

Im stoked you were able to trace it all the way back, congrats brother!

 

Eh Kev,

Great bit of archaeology there, it's fun digging up the past. And geez, that car's been all over the country! I dig that coral pink and white topped first version. The hood side vents are very cool and stylish.

 

When I talked to Bill on the phone the other night I asked him alot of questions about Bud's roadster. He described the chopped, rechromed windshield posts, chromed top bows and shape of the top. Fully chromed suspension. The dash and gauges. He described the odd steering column position in relation to the thinly padded seat moved back as far as possible, and how funny it was to watch the very tall Bud get in and out of it. He also mentioned the "Funky Shifter"

All this without seeing the first picture in over 57 years. Musta made quite an impression on him. After he saw my pictures he said it had to be the same car.

I'm not too crazy about the Pearl Lavender version, but I know you are Delton. The Coral might be the one though...

I know right...? This thing has been everywhere. '41 Cadillac hood vents. Those might be hard to find these days.

Thanks guys.

 

I found the early pics of your car years ago on here and had always drooled over them. That is a fantastic looking car please put it back to its early configuration.

 

Cool thread Kevin. That has to be exciting. Wouldn't it be great if we could sit down and listen while our cars told their story?

John L

 

I'm up with that also Kevin.

 

my 58 Edsel is Painted Sunset Coral which is a Early Tbird color also... wuold look good on that car..

 

thats awesome! again Im glad you found the orgins of your gal

 

I was planning on shiny paint before spring, but damn.... Never dreamed it would be "Bittersweet"....

We could listen from now on just between our two cars John. I'd love to hear it.

Here's a few more Hi-Res scans I just got back last week of the cars journey to present. (thanks Alan)!

 

Man I love that first version..

 

I am totally taken with that top in the original photos. Not usually a fan of outside exhausts, those were beautifully fit. Hood sides were excellent, the whole car looked like a Tom Medley cartoon!
Stroker would have been proud to drive it.

There was a roadster in the '60s with a near identical top...fenderless '30, belonged to the San Francisco Bay Area Roadsters...I asked the owner about the top, and got a blank stare...he said "It's got a new top..." Truly a club member. I laughed.

 

Might have been the same car...? The top is definitely different than most. I'm glad the bows survived all these years.

 

KICK ASS MAN!! I did great on finding the History of that car. Glad to see it being followed up. We all knew it had to have good history when it surfaced but no one could invest the time and effort YOU did. GOOD JOB!

J Shaw

 

The roadster has a Columbia 2-speed rearend. Bill said he wasn't sure if it was in the car in '54, but I can say for sure, it's been in there a LONG time. All the chrome brackets match the rest of the car, so same era as the chrome Lasalle shifter and other goodies.

Here's a few more pics... You can see during the re-build when the filled 1/4 panel pieces came off that the car was WAY lower in the past from the c-notch on the filler panels. More clues to the Coral era including what looks to be remnants of Coral paint. I always thought it was just red primer, now not so much.

 

I guess your gonna have to lose the roll bar now since your gonna return it to it's former glory. Looks kinda strange with the top up anyways. Coral is a bitchin' color. Don't be scared. It will make a good statement.

 

man those hood sides on the coral version!!!

 

Wow man. Just wow!

 

It sounds like everyone agrees on the Coral. I was talking to Josh Mills today about something totally different, and even he agreed.

So now who has a set of '41 Caddy hood sides laying around to donate?

Before we start blowing it apart for paint, let me load a few more pics of how it sits now.

I have two different sets of tires/wheels I run on the car.

Here we go... The last picture is the look on your face while driving it.

 

Way cool stuff man.

 

You know how much I love your roadster. And now we know the history of this thing! Well, part of it..

I do agree with the others, the coral version is plain kick-ass! I'm all for bringing it back to that version but I sure like that Nailhead in there.. Maybe keep a bit of the current version and bring some of the original version back?