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Hot Rods Spalding Bros Repro, for "Too Tall" Ganahl.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Marty Strode, Jul 13, 2015.

  1. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    I have been told, he built around 10 or 12 of these shells and grilles, Barney Navarro's (shown) was quite a bit deeper than the Spalding. Other notables, who used this grille set-up, Dick Kraft and the Wes Cooper car. IMG_3909_1.JPG IMG_3911.JPG
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2015
    1947knuck, Ric Dean and Dean Lowe like this.
  2. Ok, I'm in! This is gonna be epic!

    Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  3. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,345

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    Love it. Gary
     
  4. Here is a crop of the Spalding roadster at Bonneville 1949 you can see the fleetline. Also the original with Multi's roadster a good comparison of an old Gow-Job and a then state of the art track roadster.

    spalding.jpg

    multi-Aldrich.jpg
     
    1947knuck, Stogy, Ric Dean and 7 others like this.
  5. Stovebolt
    Joined: May 2, 2001
    Posts: 3,531

    Stovebolt
    Member

    12PortTopRighta.jpg

    will you be converting the cowl to a hinged panel?

    Although this picture shows injection, this car was initially run with triple carbies, which would suit pat's version for a driveable vehicle.
     
    1947knuck, kiwijeff, 302GMC and 3 others like this.
  6. bowie
    Joined: Jul 27, 2011
    Posts: 3,098

    bowie
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Wow! A Great subject with a great cast of players. Nothing like watching a master at work. Thanks for letting us ride along!
     
  7. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    Thanks Jimmy, quite the comparison between those Model "T's".
     
    1947knuck likes this.
  8. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    Yes, we will be hinging the cowl panel and Pat has carburetors to start with.
     
    1947knuck likes this.
  9. verde742
    Joined: Aug 11, 2010
    Posts: 6,269

    verde742
    Member

    Marty, our paths have not crossed, but we know a lot of the same people, been following you along for years, I admire your skills, and heard lots of stories from Roy Siedl, my old friend.
    Keep the old pictures coming..
    Hope to meet you with Tim, someday.
    I will be following along. Love this kind of stuff.

    Bob
     
  10. Kevin Lee
    Joined: Nov 12, 2001
    Posts: 7,582

    Kevin Lee
    Super Moderator
    Staff Member

    Cant wait to see more.

    I've always loved those grille inserts – even before I knew the story behind them. I'd love to have one for myself.
     
  11. HotRodMicky
    Joined: Oct 14, 2001
    Posts: 1,783

    HotRodMicky
    Member

    Wow!!!
    Cant wait to see more!
     
  12. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    Tapering the rails, is anyone bored yet ? IMG_5673.JPG IMG_5675.JPG IMG_5678.JPG IMG_5679.JPG IMG_5680.JPG IMG_5683.JPG
     
    1947knuck, Ric Dean, ls1yj and 2 others like this.
  13. Always a fan of anything the Spaulding's turned out. The attention to detail was light years ahead of the hot rod community at the time, as the photos confirm (more like closeted Indy car guys). My all time favorite was Tom's Anzani outboard engined go-kart with 4 wheel disc brakes, radiator, "flame thrower" ignition. 36 H.P. when most karts had about 18 H.P. A bit heavy, but a work of art none the less. Watching this closely.
     
    Atwater Mike likes this.
  14. pgan
    Joined: Apr 7, 2009
    Posts: 238

    pgan
    Member Emeritus

    Well I guess I'd better jump in here and answer a few questions. I am amazed and impressed with so much response on this already.
    The project started with the engine. I think I got it even before I got the Iacono dragster, but I can't remember for sure. I got it from the widow of one of the members of the Road Knights club in Fullerton--Duke Hallock's and Frank Currie's club--who owned one of the Hallock-windshield black '29 roadsters. He and a partner also had a track roadster with this engine in the late '40s. They broke a rod in the Wayne 12-port Chevy, started to rebuild the engine with a new Hi-Torque block, new JE pistons, a fresh fully-drilled (for pressure oiling) crank, etc. But then, for some reason, they left the unassembled six on an engine stand and put a flathead V8 in the '27 track T. Both the complete roadster and the six were in a small garden shed in the lady's backyard. I tried to get Stan Betz to buy the roadster so I could get the engine, but Stan said the roadster was junk. When the lady found out I just wanted the "old engine," she said, "Oh, if that's all you want, you can have it for....[a price I certainly couldn't pass up]." I loaded it into the back of my F-100, by hand, by myself. This was at least 25 years ago.

    The engine is so early the valve cover and intake manifold say "WMD 225" on them, which was Wayne Horning's original company here in Glendale (Western Mechanical Design). It was very complete, all in boxes, with some spare parts. It wasn't until much later that I realized it was identical to the Spalding engine in its first, carbureted form. It had the Wayne intake with alky BXOV carbs, Buick rocker arms/shafts on billet aluminum pedestals, the straight-out "sprint" Wayne headers, JE forged pistons, GMC rods, the drilled pressure-oiling crank with Mopar remote filter, Billet steel main caps--all the good stuff. I had to find a set of flathead Cad V8 NOS valves for it, then took the head to Bob McKray to have him rebuild it. The only piece I'm missing (of all things) is a Spalding ignition.

    Since I was heavily involved in building the Iacono dragster and my '32 roadster, I tried selling this engine for years, but nobody would even make an offer on it. Even Speedy Bill turned it down. Then, as I was reading the California Bill and Roger Huntington "How to Build Chevy/GMC Sixes" books from way back, and realized how identical my engine was to the Spaldings', I decided if I can't sell this engine, I'll build the car around it. I love track roadsters, and this is THE track roadster.

    The clincher was that I was able to interview Bill Spalding not long before he died. His wife said he was having a "good day," and I got about an hour interview on tape. Plus I brought the cam, which he eventually said was "probably his" (he put no markings on them). That's good enough for me. Then he brought out a beautiful, all-steel, hand-made model of the car, and what floored me was that it was bright orange. I had never seen color photos of the car, and always thought it was school-bus yellow. I asked Bill if this was the right color, and he said "Yes, orange-orange." So that did it--this roadster and my dragster, both Wayne 12-ports, are the same color! It happens to be '50s GMC truck Omaha Orange, which figures.

    So that's the back story. Marty found a body and said he'd make a frame. I've been collecting needed parts. The shortblock is back at Bob McKray's for more work. If you read The Rodder's Journal you saw that Dennis Webb of Anaheim (whose dad helped Art Ingels build Dick Kraft's T's) has the original Ingels nose buck, which I duplicated in fresh wood so he could make me the needed nose, and probably hand-form the aluminum grille.

    Other questions: If I can get in and drive the Iacono rail (which I can and have), I can certainly drive this T, which I fully intend (I've even joined the WRA to do so). And no, I no longer have the '48 4-door, thank god.

    Finally, I am totally amazed at some of the photos you have posted, especially yours Gofannon. The color ones are incredible. I thought I was good at finding photos--wow. I'm glad to see the wheels are white. I'm also astounded to see it at the drags in Pomona. This begs the question: did they put a clutch and trans in the car to run B-ville and the drags, or were they just using the track as a place to push-start and tune the car, since it was near their home/ranch? This had to be Pomona when it first ran, about 1950, right after the first B-ville.

    Okay, that's more than enough for now. I've got other things waiting to be written. But thank all of you for your interest, enthusiasm, and encouragement--plus some very helpful photos. Stay tuned. More to come.

    Pat Ganahl
     
  15. Bad Ass!!!!1 keep the updates coming
     
  16. DDDenny
    Joined: Feb 6, 2015
    Posts: 19,143

    DDDenny
    Member
    from oregon

    Pat---
    Your choice in Marty as the builder was the right one, but you knew that.
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  17. 50Fraud
    Joined: May 6, 2001
    Posts: 10,101

    50Fraud
    Member

    I, too, think that the Spalding car was one of the very best looking (and most craftsmanlike) of all the track roadsters, and cloning it seems like a great idea -- especially for Pat. I look forward to seeing it completed.

    Considering Pat's earlier brush with the Duffy Livingstone Eliminator, I suspect that he has a soft spot for track-style turtledeck T roadsters. Me too, although mine was just a wannabe race car: !!1100Lo.JPG
     
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  18. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

    Most of my pics were probably originally posted by Jimmy B. The City of Pasadena pic I'm sure came from a bunch of pics he posted taken by Bob Giovanine. It looks like someone was there that day with colour film, so what would the chances be that there is a good close up colour shot of the Spalding car somewhere? With fresh paint and shiny chrome it would've been a sight to behold.

    The Spalding ignitions were, as you most likely know, modified Nash Twin 6 distributors. Knock 3 lobes off the cam, 2 coils and a massive dwell angle gives better spark than a mag. I've been putting one together for my GMC. The one I have was an early 30's unit which had the wrong rotation, but I found the advance unit from a standard Delco distributor can be adapted. If you check GMCBubba's posts on converting Delco's to electronic you could then eliminate the points, because the phasing of them is critical and would be hard to reset at the track. By using the Delco advance you can then use a standard off the shelf recurve kit. There is an article around somewhere on the Nash conversion.
     
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  19. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

    Injection not driveable? Here's Goldie taking the Normac Special for a quick squirt on the streets of Wellington NZ. Like Pat's engine this is an early 235, GMC rods, Venolia pistons, steel caps, Spalding ignition. Stu Hilborne himself rebuilt the injection. The only 12 port I know of in NZ.
     
  20. Atwater Mike
    Joined: May 31, 2002
    Posts: 11,625

    Atwater Mike
    Member

    Marty...
    Please include pics of front/rear members as frame progresses.
    Seems there never were enough pics of the Spalding roadster 'uncovered'...
    Your fabrication of this TYPE roadster goes unequalled.
    Thanks for such an amazing 'walk along'!
     
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  21. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    ditto, in spades! Lotsa chassis fab photos, PLEASE!
     
  22. Larry Anderson
    Joined: Jul 15, 2013
    Posts: 252

    Larry Anderson
    Member

     
    Donald A. Smith and volvobrynk like this.
  23. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member


    Correction: Spalding Ignition is a Nash cap and rotor on a twin point Delco?
    [​IMG]
     
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  24. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

  25. Gofannon
    Joined: Feb 8, 2007
    Posts: 924

    Gofannon
    Member

    I'm sure I stole these scans from Jimmy B. Thanks Jimmy!
    [​IMG] [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  26. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    Alright Mike, you twisted my arm. Now that I established the width, front and rear, it was time to trim the tapers on the boxing plates and fit the front crossmember. Pat ordered some 16" ribbed fronts from Coker Tire, I picked them up at the Portland Swap Meet. He also found a nice pair of 4" wheels and quickly painted them, in time for my friends to haul them back from LARS, it worked out well. Those wheels and tires really stir the enthusiasm. IMG_5691.JPG IMG_5694.JPG IMG_5699.JPG
     
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  27. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    It's now in the chassis fixture, with the boxing plates and front crossmember tacked together, only temporary. I am juggling the engine for height and set-back. Oh yeah, you never know what I will work on next, the tank belongs to Lonnie Gilbertson, and the Cushman is my Bonneville ride ! IMG_5741.JPG IMG_5742.JPG IMG_5746.JPG IMG_5747.JPG IMG_5735.JPG IMG_5766.JPG
     
    1947knuck, Stogy, embyman68 and 8 others like this.
  28. redo32
    Joined: Jul 16, 2008
    Posts: 2,137

    redo32
    Member

    I am completely dumbfounded!!! What class will the tank run & what's the record?
     
    volvobrynk likes this.
  29. ^^ what he said, and ... is that a hit and miss motor on it ?????? ^^ (the tank) Thank you.
     
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  30. Marty Strode
    Joined: Apr 28, 2011
    Posts: 8,801

    Marty Strode
    Member

    It will run Gas Lakester 45" or less, the record is 169, Lonnie says the record is plenty safe, probably over 110 mph safe. He is also looking at a supercharger, battery operated of course ! I hang out with some ODD people. IMG_5736.JPG
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2015
    1947knuck, Stogy, BigO and 5 others like this.

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