History FOX & COBBS/JOEHNCK….1936 FUEL COUPE

Same car as the black one checkout the nerf bars did he ever tell you the history?

 

Anything else on this ?

 

No longer for sale unfortunately

 

Definitely the Fox/Cobbs/Joehnck Coupe.



Looking up from the bottom, these are the holes in the back side inner structure from the 39 teardrop tailight buckets


Inner structure lapped over the gutted doors and tacked on .


Frame not Z’d, but lightening holes drilled in from its racing days

Could not get good photos but filled screw holes on back side from plexiglass windows.

 

Nice job Bubba67. Hopefully we will see more of it. Good match. The screw holes form the plexiglass windows are dead giveaway's along with the other details.

 

Do you own the 36 coupe now ?

 

I do

 

Did you start a thread on it yet ?
Or you can post here obviously

 

I didn’t start a threat. I would probably just use this one.

 

Can’t wait too see more !

 

Me too!

 

Finally got to see the car in person.
Weight saving holes drilled not only in the rear of the frame, but the front as well. Gutted deck lid with cross bracing still in it hiding under hideous velour.

 

Getting rid of some of the ugly…

 

Wow.

I really thought this car was a lost cause. The small changes made have transformed it and really brung out its original persona.

Please destroy that front grille so it can never be fitted to another '36 ever again!

 

Thank the Hotrod God for Hambers...

@Austinrod...thanks for getting the ball rolling with your eagle eye and typical research. Additional thanks to the others feeding the research and congrats to @bubba67 on turning the clock back...very admirable...

 

Always nice to see an old race car turn up. Great when there are old photos to match details that confirm things. Bob

 

So amazing that the old race car survived as a street driven rod after all of these years and even more that it was rediscovered.

 

Same tail lights? What are the ones on the Coupe? Bob

 

It appears to definitely be the Fox Cobbs car based on the x brace and all the other corraborating evidenc. And the Fox Cobbs car is the same as the Joehnck car. I see some big differences with the rear view of the Millwinders 1954 car and the Joehnck car. I'm thinking the Millwinders starting in 1954 was a different car. According to Nes Synadinos wrote on the hamb that they set the engine set back in it for better traction after they took out the Ardun in 1954. Also the rear window looks chopped more severely on the Millwinder's car and the left nerf bar is not the same as is shown on the Joehnck car. For what it's worth. Also the posted article states that the Joehnck car was maroon. The Millwinder's car appears to be red in the cover photo.

 

One of the dilemmas is which version to bring the car back to ?

 

Did you know the car had history when you bought it, or find out later? I think the odd tail lights are Pontiac from around 1948. Bob

 

Waayyy better

 

I did read that the Fox/Cobbs car was transferred too
Joehnck.
And like you sad MILLWINDERS is a different car
P.s your doing everything I would do to the 36

 

Millwinders '36 is a different car to the Fox/Cobbs-Joehnck '36.

Personally I love the Joehnck version that is what I would restore it to. But the fact that the Fox/Cobbs version is a former SCTA Points Champion car that is far more significant and hard to pass.

ps Jim, you are getting quite a nice collection of '36 Fords.

 

VERY cool that this car was re-discovered and that it's in the hands of someone who appreciates it's history, the street rod/ghost flame version is pretty horrible but it looks like it's still mostly intact underneath it all.

I agree about the dilemma about what version to restore it to. The maroon is prettier but the white version is maybe a bit more historically significant.

But I'd be thrilled to see it brought back to either version, or even a hybrid of the two with features from both cars, especially if features from both versions are still intact. Either way it'd be a treasure.

 

Yes two different cars MILLWINDERS verses fox/Cobb
Previous owners was kinda claiming that but after starting this thread it was obviously different
Best look is joehnck version
Most prestige is fox/Cobb

 

Jim (@bubba67) –

I completely understand your dilemma … and I’m sure whichever version you decide upon will be faithfully & properly executed.

For what it’s worth (i.e., not much), I’ll offer my perspective:

Although the “Buddy Fox ~ Tom Cobbs” version has very significant Dry Lakes history ... an SCTA points leader and set two Modified Coupe records at the ’52 Bonneville Nats (i.e., 129.94 mph with Cobbs’ B class flathead and 143.82 mph with Cobbs’ C class blown flathead), the “Bob Joehnck” version has an equally impressive history on the Drag Strip.

If you decide on the “Fox ~ Cobbs” version, you’d obviously have to paint it white … and you & your father are already caretakers of a very historically significant white ’36 Ford

When Joehnck acquired the ’36 in late 1952, he drilled all of those lightening holes on the frame rails to go drag racing … so you would either have to weld up all those holes … or put a new frame under it.

If you decide to “restore” the “Fox ~ Cobbs” version, I vote that it would be with the GMC 3-71 blown flathead:

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… and since that (or a very similar) engine is currently in the (very historically significant) “Tom Cobbs ’29 Roadster”, you’d need to contact Don Prudhomme (who I believe is still the current caretaker of the car after Ralph (@rodster) Whitworth passed away in 2016) to assist you in “duplicating” the engine … i.e., Snake had (the late) Dale Armstrong get the Cobbs’ blown flathead running.
Lastly, there seems to be more photographic documentation of the construction details of the “Bob Joehnck” version … some examples from the “RED HOT '36 article that appeared in the November 1953 issue of HOT ROD Magazine:

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You might already be aware that Bob Joehnck passed away just a few months ago (see his obituary HERE) … but I’m guessin’ that his son (Fred) and/or daughter (Cindy) may have additional photographs and/or information about their father's old ’36 Ford Drag Coupe.

Again, I'm sure whatever version you decide on, it will be done right!

Please keep us updated on its progress.
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- Todd (@HEMI32)