Projects from a 63 year slumber to the "Race of Gentlemen" 33 5 wdw ford "

well i picked up this 33 5 wdw ford last year and i haven't really done much to it cause i want to do it right and i've had a couple other projects that needed attention and i want to build a new shop so this one has sat untouched since i bought it . when i saw the coverage on the "Race of Gentlemen" last year, like most of you , i said DAMN !!! this is the coolest thing i have ever seen !! .i knew i would not miss it if Mel and the rest of the Oilers cc decided to do it again . i was super busy last month trying to finish a car for the Syracuse nationals with a few club brothers, so i didn't see the official announcement that the "RACE" was on again this year in Wildwood NJ until a few days ago ! i sent a pic of the 33 to Mel, half kidding, asking if there was a spot for the 33 in this years lineup, when he said to bring it is when it really hit home how much work is needed to get it there .

a little about the car , (i have a thread on the hamb here regarding when i found it ,but i'll do a quick rundown here) !!

roundy round racing legend , Al "Suicide" Sanders out of Utica NY (RIP 1931-2013) was the prior owner of the car . he purchased it around 1948 . it is a 33 5 window ford . in 1948 at 17 years old Al set out on a cross country trip on a 46 Indian motorcycle . he rode from upstate NY to sunny California and while he was out there he got his first taste of hot rods . he met up with a man selling dropped axles for these hot rods and decided that was a good place to start on a hot rod of his own so he bought a Moore drop axle and strapped it to his back and made the trip home to Utica with the first piece of his hot rod . when he got home he scored this 33 ford and began to build what he saw out west . a hot rod of his own!!! he torched the fenders and running boards off , he torched the drag link and pitman arm off it cause the steering was locked and he didn't have a key ! he drilled the wishbones to match the dropped and drilled front axle he bought out in Cali , he swapped the spindles and moved the tierod out front to clear the bones and frame with the dropped axle . he began to remove the interior to do a chop on it but that was where his build ended . he must have ran outta steam or life got in the way but that is how this car sat from 1949 until i bought it last year . Al had a pretty colorful career as a dirt racer for many years and destroyed many cars in the pursuit of speed but somehow this 5 wdw escaped his hands while building race cars (tempting i'm sure).

so fast forward to a few days ago . i decided to run the option of a 6 to 7 week thrash by a couple club brother to see if they were interested in seeing this car race on the sand in jersey , just coming off a 2 1/2 month ground up build on a 27 roadster these guys have spent more than their fair share of time wrenching and fabbing on my car to get it ready for a show so i figured they would all tell me to piss up a rope , but to my surprise they all said "hell yeah lets do it" ! so this is the thread where i will post some progress pics and the re birth of this 33 ford that has not been driven in at least the 64 years of it's history that i can account for ! it will be version #1 and by no means is it going to be DONE , i am really just hoping it will go, stop, and mark its place in history at what i am convinced is the greatest car /show/event in history !

here is a pic of the car the day i found it ....imagine my surprise when i show up to look at an old car for sale and the first thing i see is the drilled unsplit wishbones and drilled dropped axle and reversed rear wheel . " AN OLD HOT ROD "





and this is the interior



and the motor



and the half finished drop axle install that was started in 48'



so the following 5 or 6 weeks will be interesting uncovering what was and was not done on this car. we have our work cut out for us but we are determined to have it there for the 2nd annual "race of gentlemen" see ya all in Jersey!

 

Oh man!!!!!! What a find!!!! This is going to be good, I'm subscribed!! Good luck and I can't wait to watch this one!! It really looks like a damn, solid place to start.

 

Wow! Such finds like this are special. Very good. Carry on!

 

Incredible!!!! I love that car and the story is so cool. Well now I have to try my hardest to get my '33 done for the race. I think we might have a match!!!! I even picked up a 21stud yesterday to run for the race God willing it runs.

Now much time left but you're so much further then I am so that's gotta feel good!

 

cant wait to see it on the sand!

 

i'd be honored to line up next to you at the ROG .i really look forward to meeting some of the guys here on the HAMB . i picked this motor up last winter in hopes that i would someday get to use it in this car . well someday is right friggin now so hopefully within a couple weeks this thing will make real noise instead of just me sitting in it making halfassed engine noises with my mouth !

 

Awesome car, following the build/prep, looking forward to seeing it in person and making passes

 

You tha man Hollywood glad to see ya moving forward on the 33"do not let nobody talk you out of that car. Great story keep us posted.

 

What a cool car, HollywQQd. Good luck to you and your buddies getting it in shape to run. Especially with such a gentlemanly challenge from JeffreyJames so hopefully he'll also be ready and we can see you two lined up on the sand.

 

Yikes !! Here we go again !!

 

Hollywqqd once again you are proofing that the rods are still out there
waiting for someone to breathe life back into them
good luck very cool even just as it sits

 

Ah hell yes. I'll definitely be following along on this one! Get to it.

 

Wow, what a find! The old hot rods are still out there waiting to be rebuilt. I will be following this thread, I like the concept you are following. Good luck with the build.

 

Good Luck Man! I cant wait to see the final product! It'll look good on the sand!

 

Looks like Mark and I are heading to Jersey in Oct.

 

you live for this shit , who you kiddin'?

 

Well? It's been tree days....where's the progress pitchuz? Oh!

 

sorry for the crappy pics but my i phone camera screen is all scratched to shit so it's all you are gonna get unless someone else takes some pics .
here is the ol'girl with her heart ripped out making way for the newer flatty.... ya think i should replace the windshield or run it as is !




and i decided that since my early 327 powered t coupe altered drag car project is a ways down the road that i would rob a couple of the chrome strombergs i had for it and use em on this one !!




i will try to dig out my digital camera and leave it in the shop so i can take better pics !!!

 

Tonight we swapped out the kingpins and checked out the front end components . Al drilled the bones back in 48 and he even drilled the web at the end where they mount to the tranny he was really trying to lighten this ol'girl up !!!

i'll post some pics tomorrow when we drop the motor in it !!!

 

on my way over to plunk the motor in the ol'girl pics tonight !

 

Sweet! Am watching this build! Unfortunately I am not making this one... But next year it is on the list

 

For Gods sake get a better camera!

Loving the car and will be following this with great interest, but it really deserves some decent pics.

Mart.

 

Ya know - whenever I see stuff like this I always think to myself "Ya know, sooner or later these finds are going to run out...." and I always end up wondering what the date will be when the last true automotive relic is discovered.

I guess the process just ends up repeating itself over time...however I doubt its perpetual. It'll run out someday.

 

These are the gem finds that the HAMB was aiming for. They shall be uncovered for years to come. Beats fake rust every time. That flattie will be perfect for these old frame rails.

 

Awesome man. Model 40's forever

 

I am getting really excited to get up to Jersey, and looking forward to seeing this car and all of the others! I am puuling for this '33 against JJ's '33 on the beach, JJ get going!

 

i really hope JJ gets his ready as well it would be neat to line em up next to each other . the whole concept of this event gets me excited!!

 

its in !!

 

Keep'em coming cool hot rod!!!!