Customs My new project! 1959 Roadster

Just came across this, super cool! Looks like a nicely made kit too. As far as getting in it, I recently bought a '56 Vette and was quite surprised how tight it is to get in. But after awhile you get the hang of it. Your steering wheel is small and close to the dash, that helps.

 

Cool.

 

So adding to this saga. It is now going on the second week and the car still sits in WA. The first co to deliver held off until over T Day and then when they sent a truck, they had no winch!? Anyways, I canceled them and have a new co to pick up on Friday (hopefully).

Why is it that if it ain't one thing it is another in life?

I Will def keep posted when it gets here (hopefully by Xmas) and share garage pics. Gives me time to set up gas burner in the garage and I bought a new tool box

Porkchop

 

Front headlight rings are 53->55 Stude, too.
Your rearend shot looks just like the one in post 38. Just uses a 53->55 (thinking 55 due to the thickness)Stude rear bumper.
Marcus...

 

Bob....I have two of these. Designed by Victress and later built by LaDawri. Call me if you have questions.

Geoff Hacker
Undiscovered Classics
813-888-8882
Tampa, Florida.

 

Geoff!
Sorry! Haven't been on in a while.
Wow! Will def be in touch!
A few quick questions: are the doors tough to get in and out of (too small)? Are they a solid kit? Are there any major issues to look out for? Was it common that they had a 49 ford frame?

 

The car still has not left WA! I am literally sick to my stomach as I paid in full for the car but have no transport options working out. Still on hold from one co to find a shipper driver! Trusted Uship and all has been one endless nightmare after another, three canceled companies, and still no pickup! What a sickening crock. Def placed a rock on my happiness and hope to a great start.

 

Pork, the same thing happened to me trying to get my Morris shipped out west. The first guy showed up and said he wouldn't haul it because it didn't run (we told him that) another guy showed up with no way to load it and the ramps were so short it would have high centered anyway, we sent him away and I lost my $200 deposit on that one. Finally a professional guy came and all went well from there, showed up safe and sound. None of them were the cheapest estimate. The process can be a little unnerving to say the least.

 

Very sorry you are having so many problems getting your new ride home Sir!

Unfortunately Uship is a crap shoot, yes people use them every day, but that doesn't mean you should EVER trust them. It is mostly brokers who just post your transport on Central Dispatch & let the cheapest bidder book it. There is no way to tell which brokers use transporters they know to have a good reputation & brokers who have no idea who they are sending to pick up your car. One other piece of advise for anyone thinking of using Uship....ONLY post your email address NOT your phone number! I cannot count how many customers have told me horror stories about being called in the middle of the night by some clown 4 months later telling them there is a truck close to the vehicles location if you still need it transported. You also have to wonder why any small transporter with a good reputation would bother being on Uship at all. I for one get 8+ inquiries per day almost every day (obviously I cannot do but a small portion of them), so there is no reason.

I love long transports like that & do about 8-10 coast to coast transports per year, but along with the 2 other quality transporters here on the Hamb (BenD & Racinman) do not cross the Northern Rocky Mountain Passes during the winter months.

Hopefully you will get it home soon!

God bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

Transport is available if you are willing to pay what it takes to move a car.

Oklahoma to California dropped off on Friday:





Picked up a few hours ago in Sonoma, CA
Headed to Minneapolis:



Once I drop that off - this comes back to California:



I have been on the HAMB since 2008.
Alliance Member every year.


Jim

Click Here To See Where I Am Today
What My Actual Customers Say Click Here
Click Here To See Vehicles I Have Hauled

 

Thanks for the advice, fingers crossed and I still have some slim hope it will all work out and I don't have to crush the sale through the card and, sadly, be done with all of it. Sometimes you truly forget what a shitty place the world can be and just how many schmucks there are out there. It really sucks, cause I went into this, 8 year old - wide-eyed, which I don't usually do at 50 anymore, but the lines of the car got my passion in hock and I just up and bought her against my better judgment. Again, keeping fingers crossed and trying to look at the better side of it. Regarding being willing to pay for shipping, let's put it this way, that roller cost me 2700, the shipping is 2500, so I figure I am willing to pay for shipping. I am just completely fed up with all of it and "sick at heart and lonely and deep in dark despair"over it all

 

Washington and Oregon are tough to get actual transport out of this year.

I have been hauling into California regularly all year long - each time I have offered transport service up and down the I-5 corridor between
Southern California and Seattle.

I only get interest in folks wanting hauls out
of Oregon and Washington - but nothing going into those states along The West Coast.


Jim

 

Thanks for the support and story! It really mirrors mine to a T. First guy came, had no winch; the second co tried pulling pricing BS and they even went on to suggest I was double-dipping, trying to get two quotes because my car was listed on "the Board," whatever the hell that is.

I fired them and went with the new company, Tempus Logix. Reviews online looked solid and FB page looks good as well. Who the hell knows?

Anyways, they are all set to go with no issues, but the guy was honest on the phone and explained that car/larger cargo shipping kinda falls dead in December with the holidays. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I ran the black pipe out to the garage off the fireplace I piped in two years back. Bought a gas fire burner to hang on the wall (30,000 BTU). Still gotta pipe the whip and hang the heater. Push-button ignition like a barbecue grill so no wiring... but that option is very close to done. 30,000 for a single bay garage that is insulated (poorly albeit) should make it t-suitable when it is 5 degrees outside!

I also went ahead and ordered the Lowes Craftsman, double-decker largest box for 750, on sale. I saw it and fell in love and said, "God Damn it! I am 50 years old and I always wanted a nice damn box!" So I bought it.

I got the top half from UPS, still waiting for the lower. When the car gets here, I will have a new box, heater, and tools as well (ordered two basic Craftsman sets of sockets and a Cresent set of wrenches).

I just gotta run the whip from the panel for my 220 stick welder for the framework. I can use my mig and have for lighter stuff, but when I built my Dodge frame I used my Lincoln old 60's Redbox 220 for everything! God I love that old welder!

 

I winch all vehicles on & off my trailer.
Always have - whether they run or not.
No opening or closing doors in the trailer.

Most trailers do not have winches.
Haulers want to drive vehicles on and off.
Rollers are a hassle to deal with.

The VW Bus I dropped off had locked up
front wheels that made loading difficult.

My customer honestly didn’t know the
front wheels were locked up - when I
arrived we discovered the condition.

I wouldn’t have scheduled transport of
a vehicle that didn’t roll - but it was a one family owned camper bus going from Father
to son and my customers Mom wanted it the
Hell Outta’ Her Garage .....

So I managed with some help .....

Pulling Out Of The Garage
Two Folks In The Front
To Break Loose The Front Wheels



Mom & Dad Pose For The Camera



Jacking Up The Front End
Trying To Loosen Up The Steering



Safely Winched Out Of
My Trailer & Onto A Rollback
At The Drop Off In Manhattan Beach



Unloading At The New Home



The Son Will Bring It Back To Life



Jim

 

Sounds like a lotta work, but worth it in the end I am sure. Hopefully, I will see mine in the garage as well by the new year!

 

LOL you^^^^^^ I am only about 5'10" (closer to 5'8" actually) and I would have to have a little help screwing myself into it.

This is totally out of character for me but were it mine it would have to get an SBF in one configuration or another.

 

Oddly, one of the most popular and most sought after cars ever made is quite similar... in dimension

 

Not Geoff, but your doors will make it harder to get in than the other cars posted on this page. You'll want to get those gate hinges off the driver's door anyway. Most of the S-4s that I've seen have the same size opening, except that the rear cut goes straight down and yours angles forward. You can't move the door cut rearward (which I would be tempted to do) and still use the hardtop. Interestingly, the T-Bird door actually angles back.
You'll have more problems with what happened to the body after it left the factory than any issues with the construction quality. Yours appears to have been stored out of the weather for most of its history, which is a big bonus.
I'd like to see the back end. I'm curious if the original owner modified the S4 body or if they grafted on something else.

 

yea but the 2 seater bird actually had doors.

 

Years ago, I came across a fiberglass kit car body that was poorly made out of a very coarse weave fiberglass cloth. I think that it was made by taking a mold off a Kellison body. This was also the case with T bucket bodies; people making molds from other fiberglass bodies. Hope yours is the genuine article.

 

I don't understand that comment. but... yeah, okay.

 

Ya, you are right, prob made from garbage bags and potato chips and horse fine manure???

 

He totally modded the rear and I don't like what he did at all. In fact, I will say it is horrible as you can see! He basically made it like an assless Don Juan. I have, however, drawn up some ideas on how to recess the rear and drop a pair of old Dodge 40s tail light assemblies in. But... again, I really don't know and can't do anything until I get the damn thing here in the garage. Thank you, so much, for all of the information, truly!

Regarding those ridiculous barn door hinges. I know! I's like razors on a chalkboard every time I see the picture! SO far, I can do nothing but wait and enjoy teh holidays and setting up teh garage!

 

I really am wondering if the original hips and rear set up are under that contraption he created and stuck on the back of the car. Meaning, I wonder if I can go in, find where he molded in, and carefully separate it back to the core of the original Victress tail/wheel well humps? Or... more my luck, did he simply cut the entire top off the back of the damn thing and lay that square TURD over the original beautiful ass of that car?

If anyone has any ideas for cool tail lights that would essentially make the existing flat ass wonder of this car look more appealing, maybe even cool... I am all open to recommendations. REALLY OPEN at this point.

As I mentioned, I am really hoping that he kinda drywalled over the old wallpaper and I will find some antique beauty and goodness under there if I inspect and very carefully peel back that steaming pile of ...

I mean... God! look at that Ass... Seriously It really is better than most womens'
!

 

It looks like the original builder simply added a flat panel crossing from fender top to fender top and a vertical panel across the back. The bad news is that it doesn't look like there would be room for the gas tank if the original tail panel was underneath. Did you ask for any offcuts that they might still have?
You might be able to do an Avanti-esqe rear with what you have.

Sorry, couldn't find a good rear shot of a convertible.

 

When I started reading your thread I was like, wow, this is a cool project and story. And its a father son project, tres cool! But the further I get along reading the updates and seeing all that is wrong with the car I get the feeling that maybe this isn't the right car to start with. I also get, from your last few posts that you are not fully into this car anymore either. It looks like a LOT of work to make it what your really want it to look like. Im not trying to be a downer here, just trying to bring to light what might not be obvious to you yet....."cant see the forest for the trees".
Ya know what I mean? All the best to you and your son on your project.

 

Thanks, Nash,
I hear you and respect your response. I will admit, it has all started to weigh heavy me. Especially the fact that it will be New Years' and I haven't even gotten the car picked up.

The ass of the car also really bothers me, but damn am I persistent in life. I guess it comes down to can I get it out here with no additional hassles. If such is the case by New Years', I will do it and stick to the original;l project idea, but if by News Year's she sits still in WA, I will sadly contact visa and explain the scenario. I just wonder if they are going to tell me to scratch since the purchase was on Nov 26th.

Pork

 

Wow! That is okay. Kina early Nova Covairish feel which is what I think the guy was going for.

 

I'm 6'1" and 50, and those doors wouldn't bother me, you'll get used to getting in and out of it. I mean, unless you always get in your car like the girlfriend's husband just came home I think you'll be alright...