Hot Rods One for the HAMB detectives

Yes, great stance on that one thanks Bob

 

I know nothing about it, other than it looks super cool!
that stance and super short bed are just perfect in my book.

 

Anybody know a guy named Gunnal in Beckley W. Va. May be the original builder.

 

The resurrection begins. Started removing some of the interior to see what changes had to be made to make it a driver, well besides being color blind in '57 they also weren't too concerned about structural stability. As the sign says "The Kids" must have built this one haha.

 

That bar at the end of the drill bit under the floor was the only body mount, the floor was literally holding everything up and not very well at that there are big cracks in the top towards the back where the body has started to fall into two pieces. Those 5 5/16" bolts through the floor are the only things holding the cab on. Looks like this may be a little more involved than I thought.

 

So it isn't going to be a 1950's shrine after all?

Bob

 

Haha, I'm not sure it would even be safe to trailer around to shows, the back of the cab may blow off at speed.

 

OH man don't fuck it up!

 

Too late it was built fucked up haha. I've ordered all the cross channel and cross members to fix the floor and I've raised the cab to see how it would look channeled only the depth of the frame so you could actually drive it. Here's before and after pics. coming.

 

You can see by the 2x6 under the cowl it had to be raised 5 1/2" to get to the bottom of the frame and bring it up to where the radiator wasn't way above the height of the cowl.

 

Can you roll it outside or nah?

 

Not yet, it's still winter here haha.

 

Sonofabitch!

 

That was a couple weeks ago it's mostly gone now but 30 degrees and snowing today. Gonna be at least another week before I can work outside.

 

I like that, get to see the flow of the belt line. Bob

 

I see I could have saved some money by just cutting down an old bar chair.

 

I gotta ask, have you had it running yet?

 

That is a pretty cool truck.Mine is the orange one posted on first page.Built in the late 60s,channeled 7'',33 cab, 33 frame.My floor wasn't much better than yours,it still had wood in it.The beds are close to the same.They raised the bed to set on the 33 frame and then built a filler piece.I haven't changed much on it except exhaust,wheels,and some of the interior.I luv the looks of yours with the white and blue.It would look great with all white interior imo.

 

I think "the kids" must have dropped out of school and taken their chairs with them.
I'm keeping all the original stuff that I'm taking off just in case the next guy wants to go back to the way it was.

 

When does Stop & Shop close? Bob

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/shopping-cart-for-bucket-seats.1026008/

 

Bob, Did they have them in'57 ?

 

Yes! They were 20 years old back then. http://ideafinder.com/history/inventions/shopcart.htm

 

Any OLD paint guys on here? I took my grille shell to a paint place today to see if they could match the color for me and they couldn't get a really good scan because there isn't a really flat spot on the grille so we looked at '57 colors thinking maybe they used one when they built this, the computer came up with a tropical turquoise that looked good on the screen but came out way off. The guy in the store said try to find an old paint guy they'd probably recognize the color. So here's some pics. if anyone can help. There is quite a bit of green in it and '57 Ford did have a Caribbean Turquoise that looks close on the online pictures.
The first picture shows the difference between the inside of the doors and the dash.

 

To: wbrw32 - in answer to you saying you had a Deuce shell on your ride in '53, I do not doubt that you did - but 1953 Texas was moving way faster than 1953 West Virginia so sumpin' like that was a Big deal.....here in the sticks

 

I totally agree with your opinions on the truck. Just wunnerin' what kind of weather you have in upstate N.Y. You could successfully piss off every traditional type on this HAMB (except me) if an a/c suddenly appeared under the hood. Down here in South Texas, any ride without a/c is seldomly driven or trailered for distant runs. My Deuce roadster has a/c, heated seats, and Vintage Air heat. My club members call me a wuss spelled with a p, but they don't have the fun I do cruising all over the U.S. Their loss. I like your little truck. Do it up your way. It already has the East Coast stance. Good luck, Bud.

Oh, yes. The slight channel does wonders to the overall looks rather than the radical channel. Your "adjustment" fixed at least two things that needed fixing. Looking good.

 

Hey Doodle,
You just gotta think of it as it's about '59 or '60
and you are the next guy to buy the car.
Do you really think that guy would leave the channel
if he couldn't fit in it! You didn't like the high radiator.
Maybe that guy would agree. Personally I never liked a radiator
higher than the body either.
Plus, the whole idea of Hot Rodding
back in the day was to be cool! Hot rods as I remember them
were constantly changing. You wanted to attract more
attention than the other guy. Same is true now. Your car your style.
Be the guy in 1959 and take it from there. Make it cool for you.
Most of us will love it!
You won't go wrong!

Just my $.02!
Best regards,
Tony

 

Good points Tony, what was a popular shade of gloss black back then? Bob

 

Thanks guys, yeah cool is one thing but what good is it if you can't drive it? I guess that's why it sat in a museum for many years. I have almost all of my parts now to tackle the floor all I need is for the weather to improve so I can roll it outside. Still struggling with the dash color, I've painted it and stripped it 4 times now and don't like anything yet. I'm thinking maybe paint the lower portion a bare metal look like it was originally and leave the dash rail as it was. When I got it the old stewart warner gauges were gone and the lower portion of the dash was plastic. I bought a '32 style dash that was supposed to be a bolt in but turned out to be a project in it's own, I thought the old girl deserved some nice gauges and found these '32 Plymouth gauges I love 'em but they're almost too nice. I don't think it came out too bad for doing everything with a 4 1/2 inch grinder haha.

 

This was as it was when I got it.