Not necessarily. Tires of natural rubber were originally all white, but didn't wear well. Tire manufacturers discovered that adding carbon black to the rubber would increase the tread life and sidewall durability, but was an expensive process so they only put it in the tread and left the sidewalls white. The most expensive tire was the all black tire that used carbon black in tread and sidewall. Of course, the evolution of synthetic rubber changed things. Since it was black to start with, adding a whitewall became an additional expense. Bob
Economic status wasn't really the determining factor, although in the '40s and earlier, white-walls were mostly seen on bigger, more expensive, "fancy" cars. It's more of an era thing with hot rodders. Think "racer" vs. "cruiser". '40s racer vs.'50s cruiser. With hot rodders, things such as white-wall tires, rolled and pleated interiors, bright paint, chrome, etc. didn't become prevalent until the '50s...more of a "ginchy" look for the street...for profiling and lookin' cool. As far as the economics though, there was more expendable income for many in the '50s compared to previous times. As more hot rods went to the streets, some exclusively...the style-trends of the factory cars had an influence. This is a good way to think of the distinction between a '50s rod, and one from an earlier time. Not just in regards to the drivetrain used, but the style too.
This thread blows my mind, I've always heard guys were chroming 16" ford wheels in the 40's, it's good to finally see photos of that.
Hi erlomd! Well...how's it feel to have started "the best thread ever"? LOL! You should feel some pride in what youve started. So cool. I was up 'til the "wee-hours" the day that you posted this thread, and saw that there were surprisingly few replies! And a couple that were there, were unenthusiastic. I also saw your posts lamenting the lack of interest, saying that you supposed the thread "wasn't going to go anywhere". So I typed a reply with just a bit of history, and included the two vintage pics of that '32 with the blown Cadillac engine. My intention was to generate some interest...to "rev up the troops" so-to-speak. Then, of course, Jimmy B posted all those wonderful pics. Well pal, look at your thread now!!! LOL! I predict that it's going to continue to grow for a long time. It's going to have a long life. This thread is certainly entertaining, but more importantly, is becoming exceptionally educational in regards to the history of our hobby. Its important that the torch of hot roddings past stays lit, and continues to shed light for all who wish to know where we came from. This thread contributes to that cause.
These pics are great. Many I've never seen before. Anyone have pics of Connie Weidell's '27 roadster with the Cad flathead? Recognizable for the twin pipes along the side. There's one pic of it I've seen somewhere but can't find online: parked nose-in at his muffler shop. There are several in the Don Montgomery books, but I don't have a scanner. Here are the ones I've found online:
The rootes blower on the flathead Cadillac engine, in the '32 roadster, was homebuilt by a guy named John Beverage. He lived in the Pasadena area and I believe worked for the Jet propulsion Lab (JPL). It was also run on Bob Wright's '27 T roadster and also later (very briefly) on a new 1951 Chrysler coupe, owned by Don Andrews, with Don Nicholson doing the tuning. I believe that Bob told me that the blower body was machined using a boring bar at his Butler and Wright auto parts and machine shop. I used a photo of the Bob Wright-Don Berg T roadster with the blower on it in my book "Authentic Hot Rods". The photo was Bob's and was taken in Palmdale in 1949 on the way to the Lakes. This is old Pasadena hot rod history. Don www.montgomeryhotrodbooks.com
I unfortunatly don't have anything to add to this thread but lets keep this going as long as possible . I agree it deserves a sticky I mean if any thread is going to show what the olds day were about its this one .
Don? Don Montgomery?...is that you? What a pleasure! Guys, we have a celebrity in our midst. Sir, it's an honor to have you here with us...a true honor. You bring great credence to this thread and the H.A.M.B. by your presence. I'm sure that I can speak for others here, that your books are as bibles to us that care about the history of our hobby. Thank you for all you've contributed to us over the years. May I ask you a question, Don? I posted that photo of the Cad-powered '32 at the beginning of this thread. Can you tell me...what year was the photo taken? Thankyou so much, and good wishes to you. - Rick P.S. - Isn't this a great thread?
Hi Mooseman! Nope...nobody is gonna mind one bit if you save pics. That's why they're hear...for us all to share. Most here hoard pictures. Of course, at the rate I'm saving them, I'm gonna need an additional hard-drive! - Rick
Tom and Bill Spalding built this car in the late '40s and raced it in '50 i think. A little too late as roadster racing was reaching it's end rendering the car pretty much obsolete. Do a google search on the brothers, there should be a great article in Rod & Custom Magazine with extra pics.
Yup.... we built this car in 2003, over the course of 3 weeks. Frame and body sat on the floor, frame painted and body primed. The almost complete car came out of the midwest, I believe, where it sat in a junkyard. Came to Denmark 10 or 12 years ago.
G'day Skywolf, It is surprising how regularly new images show up. When you think about how in '48 they had around 10,000 spectators at each lakes meet and say .05% of people had cameras that's a lot of pics out there.
Jimmy, maybe the fact that there wasn't any media coverage apart from Throttle and club newsletters, that prompted guys to photograph stuff. You couldn't exactly get home and look it up online.
I've posted these on other threads, but folks seem to like to see them anyway. They were taken in 1938, but were still around in the early 40's.
What a great inspiration, I just love the 40 styles. I see both General and Firestone made white letter tires back then. Here I thought it was a 60-70's thing. a few more pictures from the salt.. The Birth of Hotrodding by Robert Genat
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