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History '35-'40 fenderless coupes

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by anteek49, Sep 23, 2013.

  1. anteek49
    Joined: Aug 7, 2013
    Posts: 223

    anteek49
    Member

    It was pretty common in the early '60's in the rustbelt to build fenderless cars. It was only the onset of tupperware fenders that most of these cars were redone. Anyone have pics of '35-'40 cars that are/were fenderless?
     
  2. mow too much
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 906

    mow too much
    Member

    This car was built in the late 70's early 80's by Todd Rasmussen, car looked neat. Not a coupe but you don't see many 35-40's without fenders.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2013
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  3. mow too much
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 906

    mow too much
    Member

  4. Blue One
    Joined: Feb 6, 2010
    Posts: 11,459

    Blue One
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Alberta

    Every one including tho one above are ugly. They need fenders to look right.
     
    RICH B likes this.

  5. FRANKTHECRANK
    Joined: Aug 23, 2013
    Posts: 103

    FRANKTHECRANK
    Member

    I've been looking for pics of this exact subject for another member here,....he was hoping I had some from the New England shows and racing events. Not an easy thing to come by.

    34 and down,...no problem.

    35 and up with no fenders? Trucks, yeah,.....cars?,......not an easy task finding those around.
     
  6. FRANKTHECRANK
    Joined: Aug 23, 2013
    Posts: 103

    FRANKTHECRANK
    Member

    The two pictured above are 2 door sedans, no?

    Coupes look better.
     
  7. anteek49
    Joined: Aug 7, 2013
    Posts: 223

    anteek49
    Member

    Blue one, No fenders look better than rust. Besides,it improved the aereodynamics! that's why there are 1000 flavors of ice cream.
     
  8. Actually once you hit the boat fender cars say '37 on for Ford it does not improve the aerodynamics of them to remove the fenders quite the opposite as a matter of fact.

    That said some of them of you tweek them enough can be made to look Ok in a '90s sort of a way. I am thinking of a certain 37 flat back sedan here. I don't know exactly where I can put my fingers on a pic though.

    There used to be a boat fender car in Nor Cal than ran fenderless, I want to say ot was a ford coupe about a '39 or '40 but it could have been a Willys, I just don't recall right now. But it was a flatty powered dragster and it is doubtfull that it got going fast enough to make use or aerodynamics and it surly took advantage of the weight loss in a quarter mile.

    As a rule the art deco era cars look better complete but like you said it was a cheap and easy way to do away with rust.
     
  9. mickeyc
    Joined: Jul 8, 2008
    Posts: 1,363

    mickeyc
    Member

    There is a flat black 40 coupe I saw in the Red Wing Minnesota area a couple of years back. The coupe was fenderless and had a quick change rear and a Nascar style front assembly. It really looked good to me!
    I did not get a photo, but wonder if someone else may have seen this forty?
     
  10. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Common? Should be lots of photos of '35-'40 coupes with no fenders from the early sixties floating around then...Whats that? So far we only have one, its not a coupe, and its from the seventies??:eek: Oh REALLY....
     
  11. zibo
    Joined: Mar 17, 2002
    Posts: 2,361

    zibo
    Member
    from dago ca

    This is one from my recent history - over 9 years now.

    [​IMG]

    A roach body with no other parts.
    The idea was to do a roundy round style car.
    Not sure what happened to it out east somewhere.
    Definitely learned what to and not to do!
    Was fun to build it.
    TP
     
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  12. b-bob
    Joined: Nov 4, 2008
    Posts: 1,097

    b-bob
    Member

    Zibo, your boys have sure grown since then.
     
  13. fleet-master
    Joined: Sep 29, 2010
    Posts: 1,780

    fleet-master
    Member

    that coupe has a very cool profile Zibo
     
  14. johnny_rocket88
    Joined: Jun 4, 2013
    Posts: 46

    johnny_rocket88
    Member

  15. anteek49
    Joined: Aug 7, 2013
    Posts: 223

    anteek49
    Member

    This was a east coast/ rustbelt thing. I'm getting a scanner to post some pics from some early '60's Little Pages.
     
  16. Spotted this '35 at the Nugget back in '08...

    [​IMG]

    Don't wanna' hurt anyone's feelings, but it really didn't do it for me. Only took the picture 'cos the chop looked about right.:D

    Just noticed the body is actually '36.

    Bear:)
     
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  17. Terrible Tom
    Joined: Feb 15, 2010
    Posts: 582

    Terrible Tom
    Member

    anteek49 is correct. Here in Wisconsin, I can remember several 30's-40's fenderless cars back in the 60's. They looked good too. I think they were going for that circle track look. In those days, at least around here, money was tight and guys did what they could to make their cars look different. Kind of rebellious, I suppose, and the cops didn't like it much. Bottom line is, if done right, I think it looks o.k. Every car does not have to look the same. Personally, I like both of the cars that are pictured. Kind of brings back some good memories. To each his own.
    Tom
     
  18. chinarus
    Joined: Nov 9, 2010
    Posts: 509

    chinarus
    Member
    from Georgia

    Zibo - there was an identical car for sale in SC a year or two ago on CL.
    Very cool.

    Here's some more.
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 24, 2013
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  19. zibo
    Joined: Mar 17, 2002
    Posts: 2,361

    zibo
    Member
    from dago ca

    chinarus, fleetmaster & johnnyrocket - cool you guys liked that old heap.
    At the time it was the best I could do with a body that was pulled out of a canyon!
    I can still imagine sliding around the Ventura Speedway dirt track...

    The plan was to modify those inner fender well sheetmetal pieces,
    and blend them into the side to cover the frame a little.
    It sold before I could really get the front end right.
    Whatever the case,
    it really helped in figuring out how to do our rusty 40 project,
    other than forgetting that they took so much time to do!

    Yeah b-bob! They think hot rods are a normal way of life!

    TP
     
  20. manyolcars
    Joined: Mar 30, 2001
    Posts: 9,176

    manyolcars

    Check the hotrod magazines from that era. I dont think you will find any that were driven on the street. 35-40 cars with no fenders do not look good
     
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  21. deuce1932
    Joined: Jul 24, 2006
    Posts: 126

    deuce1932
    Member
    from Australia

    one of the English Hambers owns this.. if I remember right..
     

    Attached Files:

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  22. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    Still no early sixties pics...
     
  23. F&J
    Joined: Apr 5, 2007
    Posts: 13,222

    F&J
    Member

    I never carried a camera then:rolleyes:


    The only one I can remember is likely the only one I ever saw in the 60s.....because I never forgot how "not so nice" it was.

    Back in the 60s in my area, we were not fussy, not narrow minded, as any "hot rod" prewar coupe was just plain cool to see on the street or local hangout spot. We did not even care if it was an unknown make of coupe body either, they were all hotrods to us

    But 67 or 68, It was a 35-up 5w unchanneled with stock rear fenders and grille, but no fronts (maybe I missed if it had cycle fronts) and had horrible looking white fenderwell styled headers.

    I recall thinking that I really didn't like it a lot, which went against me liking ANY prewar rod, or postwar souped up car. I just did not like it at all. I never saw it again. It was at the local Friendlys Ice Cream place.
     
  24. slick a&t
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 361

    slick a&t
    Member

    Here are a few from my saved picture's.Fenderless 35-40 coupes aren't great looking on the street,but as race cars they get a thumb's up.
     

    Attached Files:

  25. mow too much
    Joined: Nov 20, 2008
    Posts: 906

    mow too much
    Member

    Here's a picture of my 35 before the front fenders were put on, same thing only different.;)
    [​IMG]
     
  26. zibo
    Joined: Mar 17, 2002
    Posts: 2,361

    zibo
    Member
    from dago ca

    Hey A&T those are some bitchin pictures.
    They do work as purpose built race cars I think.
    My ears are ringing just looking at those shots!
    Thanks for finally proving these existed!
    TP
     
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  27. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    dedicated drag (or other race) cars do not constitute "proof" of what was being built for the street. The way race cars are built is dictated by the class rules. If I was running a mid-thirties coupe at the drags, and got booted from a gas class to altered because of (pick one) a gutted interior, no lights, too much engine set-back, or any other of a half dozen reasons I could think of, damn straight I'd pull all the front sheetmetal off, ugly or not.

    As far as "proof" that these existed back then, I have pics of ONE, yes, thats right ONE period '35 up street driven hot rod with no fenders, I will post it later. ONE example in no way makes it a "traditional" build style, and its pretty ugly, so brace yourselfs. The guy that started this thread and told us that this was the "hot set-up" in Wisconsin in the early sixties should be posting several of them. And no, circle track cars wont count either...
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2013
  28. Some guys are just dying to have a fenderless "hot rod", but don't want to hunt down and then fork out the cash for a pre-'35 body.
     
  29. falcongeorge
    Joined: Aug 26, 2010
    Posts: 18,341

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    I'd take it to another level. First, lets be clear, no-one gives a rats-ass what anyone is building here, the real crux of the matter is that they are lobbying hard for the "traditional label, and whether or not they will get "Hamb certification". Guys have later coupe bodies with no fenders, they dont have the werewithal to bother getting fenders, steel or otherwise, and fixing and painting them, so they want to create a new "traditional" category, basically for "rudys" built with coupe bodies. That pretty much sums it up. In other words, now that the term "rat rod" is passe, and "traditional" is "in", they want to add a new build style to the traditional lexicon...

    Call me a cynic, but I foresee a new build thread on the horizon, using a '37 Ford coupe body on Model A rails with the big dents hammered out with a ball-peen and a brick, rattle-can black primer, an S-10 rear and a auto-wrecker fresh 2bbl 305, labelled as "the Wisconsin style".:rolleyes::p
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2013
  30. anteek49
    Joined: Aug 7, 2013
    Posts: 223

    anteek49
    Member

    Falcon george,don't be so anal. NO one trying to say they are Traditional.Traditional is someones opinion. But they were cars done unfendered back then. A man built what he had,no 1-800 parts. I notice you don't even own a "traditional" and that is yiur choice. Don't bad mouth the guys that are old enough to have memories of these.Your early muscle car cars indicate you are probably not old enough to remember these,especially being in the area roads weren't salted. If you can't say anything constructive,listen and learn.
     
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