Projects 50's Northeast coast built, channeled Chev RPU with early Olds Rocket

Perfect header for your car.

 

i do not think they could be any better.

 

got the right look Frank! get them if you can.

 

I can't spend a lot of time on this car right now, but I did get up to Massachusetts to the old parts warehouse to maybe get a windshield frame. The WS assembly is the worst part on the car..

He did not have a 29-31 Chevy roadster WS frame, but we went through a huge inventory of teens/20's frames, trying to find the correct oval tubing, and the correct pieces; the lower piece is straight, which is not common. That lower piece always has a groove for a T rubber seal, and most all cars used a curved lower WS piece. The top piece does not have a groove.

The store owner gave up looking, and sent my son and I to try looking closer in the back of the building..

Finally found one with a straight bottom that had the groove, but not wide enough, but I bought it anyways. It is not pitted, so it can be chromed. It's a 2 piece frame, but that is good, because I need a pair of those special end caps when I build the top piece of the chevy frame. The old one is rotted away on one side.

He also found a matching pair of old glass or steel packs for those slots in the bed rails. I wanted these smaller diameter pipes that were more common back then.

I spent a few hours this afternoon, trying to figure where to cut and splice. So far, I have the lower piece stretched, and both uprights are tacked into place. I will finish the top piece in the AM.

 

Great looking headers. Boy it's coming together nice.

 

WOW...what a cool find, and I love what you're doing with it...nice!

 

Cool discovery and it looks like it ended up in the right hands. I really enjoy the funkiness of the old builds. That car has a lot of soul! Look forward to seeing pictures of it from its former life.

 

Thanks, I feel lucky to have it, even though it's a bit rough. I really want to save an unusual Boston area build..

Well, I guess I measured OK before welding and splicing, because the original glass still fits the "new" frame. I'd like to save the glass because it is light tinted, which I think is another unusual feature for such an old build. Just need more finish grinding and sanding, to get it ready for replating.

That body piece below the windshield is too far rusted/pitted to be replated. I hope I can find a good used one, as it should be the same from 29-31 Chevy roadster/phaeton, and 30-31 roadster pickup. I am not sure if I have the skills to make a new one. It has pressed-in details on front and back, and folded over like an upsidedown U, made from maybe 16ga.

The roadster pickup with it's Olds motor is in good company in the packed shop. There are 3 early olds powered cars in the pic; the 37 ply coupe, I just put a another 1957 J2 in to make all the mounts and clutch linkage for it's local owner. Then the blue coupster in the backround is 324.

oh, that green car is NOT Olds powered It is a 1907 Maxwell-Briscoe that has a 2 cyl opposed motor. It's not mine either..

 

Frank,

Nice job...... Coming along awesome !

 

Always look forward to the return to the 50's posts .... thanks for taking the time to share.

 

That cant be an northeast car, the roll-bar isnt square.. I like what you've done with it so far, gonna clean it all up and paint it copper? Off-white interior with copper pleats? It has a TON of potential. What are you thinking of in the way of wheelcovers?
So I'm guessing this is why the '40 is now minus motor?

 

I agree 100% on those headers too. They BELONG on this car.

 

Lots of questions George

Yep, no square bar, as he worked at the Quincy Mass General Dynamics shipyard. That's where he must have bent the thick wall pipe...and the US Navy paid for it I love this car as it has so many quirks on one build.

Yes everything will be painted exactly the same as it was; Body was white, all the rest was dark copper. Gotta get the old 35mm slides converted, as the freshly painted motor seems more gold tint. There was/is white painted insets in the recesses of the chromed front axle and chromed backing plates. Those backing plates insets were outlined in red stripes.

No signs of any interior left, but it must have been finished, because it was said to be in a indoor show. I may try contacting one guy in the Square Roll bars, as he was showing 2 cars back then, from the same neighborhood. He must have show pics, and maybe this car shows up in backround? He is a older cousin of my ex. Funny thing is that I was just thinking today about a white/copper 2 tone interior

I can't tell if it had full wheelcovers, because the bead area of the copper painted rims, are rusted where there would have been cover teeth scratches. One color slide shows another clubmembers car with WWW and full 15" covers.

The 303 motor is still in the 40, parked two cars behind the coupster. The chevy has a J2 for mockup. I should use a 303 headed motor to use these "borrowed headers", due to port size. They will work on a 324/371, but a bit restricted...so we shall see. I don't have a decent budget, so I may use whatever runs OK.

I was thinking today that I might try to contact the original builder. Not sure yet. Let's just say he has had a colorful life. He was real good at heavy metalworking, according to his youngest son; as the Dad built 50 cal gunmounts on all 3 decks of his 120 foot service boat. Half the crew were ex Vietnam vets, half were ex cons.

 

I was kidding about the square roll bar. If the rest of the paint on the wheels is pretty sound, and they are mainly rusted in the bead area, that could be an indication of full wheelcovers, the rust may have started in the scratches.

 

What a bitchen RPU! Can't wait to see it come together, please post the slides up ASAP.

 

Ditto! I want to see this in its former glory!

 

Reminds me a bit of the RPU on the cover of Mr Southard's book "Hot Rods Of the 1950's", similar colour scheme.
http://books.google.com.au/books/about/Hot_Rods_of_the_1950s.html?id=F_AIAAAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

 

^^I loved the pale yellow version of Southards RP.

 

Yep, F1 steering columns are splined so chances are that is what they did.

 

That car just screams old New England Hot Rod. Thanks for keeping it like it was. It would have been tidied up as you have done if it had been kept a little longer. I would guess late 50's but do you know when it was built? From Mass myself orig, " Headers of Haverhill."

 

From what I can see in the 2 color slides I have that are dated Apr 1960, the car build was at least started in the very late 50s....or...I could be seeing a remodel that was going on. Some parts that were later chromed, are blue paint in those pics.

It also shows a Ford banjo rear end at that time.

At some point I bet I will find a pic from the autorama, and find out what year it was at the show.

 

This Boston area Hot Rod has gone to the best possible home today. Here are some pics today. I have never been happier as today...lots & lots of smiles from the New Generation to carry on for our great hobby.






BTW, I did locate the youngest son of the original builder, his name is Karl. He is quite proud of his epic Dad who is known as the "Pirate of Boston" Frank Ganter, who in the same marine salvage business to this day. That roll bar, I am sure, was bent up at the Quincy Mass naval shipyard back in the day where he worked as a young man. This car has so much great history and stories of it's use. I am hoping the new owner may choose to do a rebuild thread here on hamb, we shall see.

 

I love that little RPU!

 

Super Frank, good to see it going to a great home and so close by. You must keep us up to date on this adventure.

 

Yes I will Walt...hey while I'm here, I did get your snail mail...You are welcome to whatever you need for Olds trans stuff that you need, if I have them. Been super busy, and my email service is so SLOW, that I never got back to you.

EDIT on 5-26-2021; the car is back as the guy never did anything with it except let the 303 get ruined/stuck. here it is today:

 

Been a few years. Any update on this cool lil truck?