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History The Goofy Shit On DiBiasse's '34

Discussion in 'Traditional Hot Rods' started by Ryan, Nov 19, 2014.

  1. Goldy
    Joined: Feb 10, 2007
    Posts: 476

    Goldy
    Member

    Being that I am old and from Pennsylvania I can vouch for that goofy shit because I built cars in those days. Yea, a lot of it came about because of the laws. Pennsylvania required a hood, bumpers and fenders. Headers were illegal as were loud mufflers. Some of us just did not follow the laws and paid lots of money in tickets when stopped. My hot rod back then became legal because I went through the painstaking procedure to get a Reconstructed title. So after it was ok'd by the Pa. State Police everything on the car became original equipment and therefor would pass State inspection. That was a bitch back then to be a hot rodder, it wasn't easy to have a legal car.
    I am a yankee that built one of those "Funny Lookin' hot rods". That 34 was pretty typical of east coast hot rods. Chopped - channeled - sectioned was the way they did it. That is what made this sport what it is, the variations of styles. East coast hi boys were built by the guys that didn't have the talent or equipment to chop and channel it. For the most part, a lot the cars were different than the west coast cars.
    Oh, and I still have my east coast hot rod from 1958 with all of it's goofy shit!

    My model A hot rod back then.
    [​IMG]



    Another"goofy shit" item on east coast hot rods was the whitewall tires ! Then and now.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 24, 2014
  2. arkiehotrods
    Joined: Mar 9, 2006
    Posts: 6,803

    arkiehotrods
    Member

  3. Pinstripe_Chuck
    Joined: Feb 3, 2009
    Posts: 40

    Pinstripe_Chuck
    Member

  4. Squablow
    Joined: Apr 26, 2005
    Posts: 17,388

    Squablow
    Member

    Too many people claim to be traditionalists but then want to talk shit on a lot of the cars that were built in the period they claim to be emulating.
     
    hugh m and firingorder1 like this.
  5. 3wLarry likes this.
  6. I think it's a nice ride. much more room between the seat & steering wheel than imagined but the trade off might be straight legged seating. it's got great period appeal.
     
  7. Thats what I'm talking about ! I love throwback posts like this. Everyone did a little bit of something else....and some did more then most. Gotta' love it ! Amen !!##
     
    firingorder1 likes this.
  8. Yup
     
  9. Nostrebor
    Joined: Jun 25, 2014
    Posts: 1,278

    Nostrebor
    Member

    I'm not sure about goofy, but he did get it low. I like it, weird bumpers and all.
     
  10. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,143

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Yes!

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
    firingorder1 likes this.
  11. flamingokid
    Joined: Jan 5, 2005
    Posts: 2,200

    flamingokid
    Member

    Mr.Dibiasse also seems to be quite the entrepreneur based on his linkedin bio.
     
  12. That looks like my goofy 34 5 window
    I picked up.
    image.jpg

    It's sooooo damn goofy!
    It's so low you can't get a boot under the rockers, or drive average roads. the seats are thin and flat on the floor so around the block is too much for almost everyone.
    To get the grille lined up with the cowl its 4" under the pavement, the chin is busted from hitting the ground. the spring behind extra drop up front has the ubolts hitting the axle. The steering box is bolted to the firewall, so if you can get it to turn there's no guarantee you'll be able to get it straight again.
    It's channeled about 2 feet! Well not really but I'd say about 6" too much.
    The headlights are all kinds of wrong.

    Looks cool, goofy as they come

    image.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2014
  13. This car is still around. Bobs brother dick is actually the one who built it. Bob still Owns it. Dick had a 53 vette with a chrysler or an olds I don't Remeber that was on the cover of rod and restyling
     
  14. firingorder1
    Joined: Dec 15, 2006
    Posts: 2,147

    firingorder1
    Member

    Amen to that!
     
  15. Looked like my Midwest built 34!

    Dicks 53 Vette had an Olds engine!
     
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2014
  16. When I see it, I immediately envision it carving through the curves down a country road in the east, with fall leaves blowing and pipes roaring with each shift.
     
    Malcolm likes this.
  17. Michael Ottavi
    Joined: Dec 3, 2008
    Posts: 266

    Michael Ottavi
    Member

    Having grown up in the 50's on the East Coast, this car is a perfect example of putting fear in the hearts of people seeing and hearing it coming down the street back then. Which is whole purpose of building a hot rod as I am still trying to do today.
     
    pat59, bowie and 31Vicky with a hemi like this.
  18. Just call me "Goofy" and I'd park it in my garage!
     
  19. You should post more often Michael, being from "then" I'd bet you have a wealth of info and memories to share with us.
     
  20. Wow man. That's cool ! Whatrya' gonna' do with that one.....(besides fix-a-little)...? You definitely keep your hands full. That's obviously a talent ! Nice !
     
  21. I can't believe the luck of two items....owner still here, and car still owned. Wishful always......hopes to see the car today. I can't stay away from its low lid, and level stance. It just looks good to me. Can someone go knock on his door.....nicely ? Sure plenty of guys at the ready to maybe help wash the dust off....if it has any.

    Obviously a romantic notion.......the one thing that springs to mind is....hey kid, get off my g'damn lawn !! I'd probably get my ass and bucket shot full of holes in retreat. Maybe a post card is better....
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2014
  22. Fix -a-little ?
    All that goofy shit needs to go I'm thinking.
    In my opinion its not drivable and not raceable. Its not even a good trailer queen- 1 because its not at that level and 2 it doesn't load on or off a trailer very well.

    Maybe ill stick it on a shelf in my bedroom and let it collect dust or build a fucking practical hot rod. Maybe ill trade it for a new challenger RT.
     
  23. I love it...would have givin' my right nut to have it back in '60. You want to see some "Goofy Shit" take a good look at what happened in the 80's and 90's with the Street Rod Scene!!! Pastel colors with graphics and loaded with Billet, now that's enough to make me laugh, and worse yet some old farts like me are still driving them around, I laugh to myself every time I see one at a show. But my other half always reminds me "remember, maybe he thinks your car looks like shit".
    Ryan, good post, you opened a real can of worms, but there will be lots of good interesting comments to read all day today.
     
  24. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,245

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Personally I don't think you could possibly be more off in this statement. It seems to have a contesting context to it, of which most despise either consciously or subconciously. I'm wide open with my disposition on it, and mostly would say that those who bark the loudest on the subject shouldn't take this shit so seriously, and in fact themsleves as well. This thought process has run rampant through TJJ for as long as I've been here with no middle ground observed. At times it made me disappear for a while, others it chapped my ass a bit but oh well.

    My 1st reply stands. Most every hot rod out there has to stand the critiques it's sure to get, and those who decide to publish theirs should be open enough to engage in respectful and positive discussion with both the pros and cons of their observations. Traditional? Don't even try to define it. Forget about dating it, wipe your asses with 1964 calanders too. I'll let some of you in on a big secret, it never stopped. It started when the 1st internal combustions engines met side by side, it's suffered fad after fad, yet the "thing" that should unite rather than divide has never left. Some can get as KING KONG as they wish and pound their chest about following tradition. Funny, I never thought the "best of" were ever followers. Just sayin, FWIW.

    I guess I also better spill what I don't like about it. 2 things for me, the 1st being the wheelbase. It ended up about 2-3" too long and doesn't center very well in the wheel house. 2nd, again my observation, I don't like the wheels being the same width with the rears reversed. That always looked goofy to me, but as an 8yr old helper to my dear departed Dad, I remember him widening his own wheels with a home built clamp to wrap the steel nice and round. Those old circle track guys did some shit to admire more often than not.
     
  25. Bob-dibiasse-1934-ford-3.jpg
    Sometimes I wonder if we are so UOOA that we can't even fix a 54 year old paste-up artist error.
     
  26. JeffreyJames
    Joined: Jun 13, 2007
    Posts: 16,628

    JeffreyJames
    Member
    from SUGAR CITY

    I love that car! There are a few things that I would do differently if I was building one today HOWEVER if the opportunity would present itself I would surely trade my cars for one real hot rod built by a kid back in the day.
     
    tb33anda3rd, HOTRODPRIMER and bowie like this.
  27. A lot of people today try to emulate the hot rod styles of the early 60's and when you stop to think about what influenced guys like DiBiasse?

    There weren't numerous publications catering to the hot rods nor was there a internet so he probably studied the little pages and any hot rods around his home town making mental notes,just like we do.

    Goofy,I really don't think so..just a car built in a time when guys were using what was readily available and not necessarily interested in trying to be a trend setter. HRP
     
  28. hugh m
    Joined: Jul 18, 2007
    Posts: 2,143

    hugh m
    Member
    from ct.

    Isn't it kind of elitist to base your critiques of fifty year old builds on your limited knowledge of all the perfect cars that were pro built and got lots of ink on the west coast? These are after all Hot Rods, with actual owner built and engineered components...fifty years ago most folks couldn't even weld...and for the most part didn't have pals who had the benefit of 60 or 70 years of evolution to get their chops perfect. The guys who were fortunate enough to have the experts build their cars were few and far between, so to me cars like this are pretty cool.
     
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2014
  29. Sweet... im a bit partial to the east coast look :)
     
  30. slammed
    Joined: Jun 10, 2004
    Posts: 8,150

    slammed
    Member

    Some of you are not reading the article thoroughly.
     

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