I've been waiting a long time to share this story, and now seems like a fitting time. Some quick background. My parents grew up in San Diego and graduated Grossmont High in 1962. Why is that important? Because my dad's high school cars were always shoeboxes, and he loved them. Growing up we never had project cars, my dad just lightly customized our family cars because we never had a lot of money. Still, we had some GREAT cars over the years. I was brought home as a new baby in a '66 GTO with a 389 tri-power, four speed and AC! We had a lot of other neat American cars but my dad's passion was always '32 roadsters and '49-51 Fords. Fast forward to about 1992 when my dad saw an ad for 56,000 mile '50 Shoebox for sale in Kanab, Utah (about 100 miles east of us). He and my mom drove out and met the owner. The owner's 19 year old son had just unexpectedly passed away, and the father was selling his own car (the '50) to finish his son's '69 Camaro. My dad looked it over carefully and felt the price was fair and offered the asking price. The owner said, "You don't want to drive it?" My dad says, "It runs!?" My dad and mom took it around the block a few times and came back to finalize the agreement. Since my dad offered asking price the guy offered to deliver it for free. We didn't have a trailer back then. He drove it around a little over the next few years but it always ran hot. We did all the usual tricks with timing, thermostats, no thermostats etc., but nothing we did could keep the engine cool after running for just a few minutes. So we pulled the engine. The block went to our good friend Stuart for machine work where it was decked, bored, honed, etc. The block had no cracks (56,000 miles remember) and was in exceptional condition... cylinder wise. Infact, the cylinders only needed an easy .010 bore to clean up the holes but nobody made .010 pistons. So, .030 it was. While at Stuart's machine shop they used lots of tricks to free the block of old casting sand, including baking it and the old trick with a hangar in a drill. They got about 1/2 a coffee can of sand out of the thing... hopefully this will help it run cooler! Stuart helped and guided my dad through the reassembly process too, as it had been since high school that my dad had done a lot of work on flatheads. The stock crank was turned down slightly for a cleanup, it got a Schneider cam, a Fidanza aluminum flywheel, Johnson adjustable lifters, Melling pump and more. Of course, the obligatory Offenhauser .400 heads and super dual intake crowned it all. Dad was always proud of what he accomplished as it sat on the engine stand. Forever. In the meantime dad picked up a '32 roadster, a '55 Bel Air, a '30 A Sport Coupe and a few other toys. The shoebox, although his passion, sat. Whenever we had set aside time to work on the shoebox it was usually consumed by cruisin' instead. He and I had so many great adventures! In May of 2011 and about 16 months after he retired we got some news. He hadn't been feeling well for about a year but doctors couldn't find anything wrong. Well, they finally did. He had non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and a mass in his belly the size of a baked potato, next to, but not involving his pancreas. We were devastated, but hopeful. Six months of chemo didn't improve things and his health deteriorated quickly. He passed on December 6, 2011 with my mom, my two sisters, my wife and I by his side. Besides my awesome wife, my dad has always been my very best friend. Fortunately we had always been really close and had a great relationship, so there was nothing to regret or nothing that we didn't get to accomplish. As such, I knew every detail of how he always intended to finish "his" shoebox. That's the path I'm on now. First order of business was to get the engine back in and reliable. Check. He wanted an overdrive so he could run highway speeds to Goodguys shows in Del Mar and Scottsdale. Check. It had to be LOW. Check. (Fat Man uprights, Aerostar coils, lowering blocks in the trunk) It had to have skirts. Check. (Foxcraft wannabe's in the trunk) Had to have a column mounted tach. Check. (Moon tach in the trunk) Had to be noisy. Check. (Straight 1 3/4" pipes all the way to the back) So over the past few weeks I got it running and yesterday after work I finally took it for it's first drive in 20 years. I mention the first drive ever in the video, but that's not really accurate. It's Victoria's first ride in the car as we've been together about 7 years now. I had driven the car previously and ridden in it quite a bit. Twenty years ago seems like forever. So, with no further adieu, I present the first drive (kind of) in unclebob's (that was his HAMB username) shoebox. Over the next few months the car will get many of the above treatments. My dad always wanted to drive the car around with it's patina because even being 64 years old (he was 67 when he passed) he said the car earned it's look and looks like a 12 year old car would have, just like when he was in high school. Future plans include white tuck and roll and paint. Paint is in the distant future, but we'll fix the rust and dents in the very near future. They may be left in sealer or may be painted, he could never decide. Thanks for listening to my rambles. I've lost a huge piece of my life but every time I think of him he's right with me again. The car's first trip out of the neighborhood (once I know it'll be reliable) will be to the cemetery. I will update this thread periodically as progress on the car is made, and as Victoria and I (along with our kids) have adventures in "dad's shoebox". Lots of fun and happy miles to come!
That was awesome had to watch it a few times!!!!!! Congratulations!!!! I like the wife's comments haha
Thanks fellas! Yeah, my wife is a crack up and a lot of fun! My '27 T Roadster build: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
uber-kool! i loved the video, reminds me of my first ride in the truck. it went pretty much EXACTLY like that, we lucked out tho, ran outta gas right at the end of the driveway ill be watching this thread. youre about 2 steps ahead of my build, youre at the "okay, it runs, drives, and is legal, now we can start the kustom work" stage, and i'm still at the "i need insurance for this thing, then its kustom work" part. anyway, have fun and get workin on that thing man! we'd love to see some more vids. your wife's really a trip, kept me laughing throughout the video.. and remember.... GAS IS OVERRATED.. unless you have to go somewhere, that is
Hats off to you. I bet your dad is by your side on every ride. Very cool. Looking forward to the updates.
Good story ... even better commentary in the video.. Gotta love the old shoeboxes... I have a 51 that I inherited from my father who passed away last summer... I have had quite a few rides like that myself getting it all dialed in... once the weather warms up im going to take it out and see if I finally got the fuel system ironed out... Keep up the work man and enjoy it...
Thanks man! Muchas gracias. I know he enjoyed it, and will continue to as we do. Thanks brother. One day, when I grow up, I want to be just like you. I sure didn't want to inherit this car, and I'm sure you know what I mean. Much rather have my dad around, but the car means so much to me. My wife who is my world sure is a lot of fun! I should probably post a few pics while I'm here so y'all can see what I'm working on. Two photochops by my new pal themoose. My '27 T Roadster build: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
Heartwarming story. I had that same grin on my face the first time my flathead came to life in the Merc. I ran true dual 1 3/4 all the way back, still my favorite sound in the world. Your dad seemed like a great man, my only wish is that I had gotten to take my grandfather for a spin in mine before his passing. Best of luck, and cheers for the great video. You seem to have a great wife like mine that supports our undying love for old steel. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I really enjoyed the video , laughing , joking , shit-eating grin and a cool-sounding flathead in the background . Perfect ... except for running out of gas , but even that makes the moment even cooler . Congrats on the first ride !
haha oh, yeah insurance sucks. you really dont need it on a car like this cause you do all the repairs yourself. insurance is really nothing but a mere obstacle, and an expensive one, especially for a kid like me.
this is so cool daddio. i know how that had to feel. with the boss lookin down on you from above. and she sounds great. i think she looks great too. and has character. i even love the amber fogs. almost gives the front a blend of 50 and 51. love it.
Thanks fellas, I appreciate all the kind words. With any luck I'll have another video for you tomorrow.
It's tomorrow, and although not exciting, my daughter shot video of me firing the car up and driving up and down our street. Really did this at the request of my pal CRUZN60, and I'm glad he did because it's the first time I've started the car since last weekend. Been WAY busy! <iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/9t-1ndAoHsQ?list=UU0pk0HmrNGFVVkQlq0BRIwA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Brockman Mellowtones will be ordered in the morning. I love how loud it is but it's just too ratty without mufflers. I think a pair of 12" steel packs will quiet it down just enough and smooth out the ratty-ness of it.
it ALWAYS is cool to see youre driving it a lot, im gonna try to sneak in a drive in my truck today (my parents wont let me drive it until i get insurance. but i gotta learn stick somehow so....)
Brockman Mellowtones ordered this morning in 12" x 2" steel packs. They no longer have 1 3/4" available but that's a minor obstacle my exhaust guy will easily address. Why not the beloved Porters? Two reasons. 1. My dad ordered Brockman's for his '32 and their customer service was exceptional, plus they sounded perfect. He planned to grace them with his business again on this car when the time came. 2. Porter's are fantastic. Great quality, made in USA (as are Brockman's)and good customer service. But when it came time to price the Porter's cost more EACH than a PAIR of Brockman's Mellowtones including tax and shipping. Even with my Alliance discount, Porter's were $81.00 each and Brockman's cost $72.78 shipped. I typically try to give patronage to the shops who support the HAMB but this worked out well for me. Had my dad wanted Porter's I would have paid the price, plain and simple. They're a great company with a great product and I'll always recommend them, but wanted others to know there's an option. Ace, listen to your parental units. Typically we old farts (I'm 42) have learned the hard way and we're trying to save you the same trouble. Speaking of which, I'd recommend learning to drive a manual trans on something newer and less delicate than an old Ford. Borrow someone's Honda Civic to learn so you have a decent understanding of what to expect when you get your old car running. My '27 T Roadster build: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App and a big box of purple crayons suitably made before 1964 so as to NOT be OT!
Not sure yet Kipp. If we make it I'm betting the wife will want to take her roadster... we'll have to see. I met 50merckid from your neck of the woods tonight. I had just begun pulling the passenger side thermostat when he arrived. I finished that up, fired the car and heard knock-knock-knock. It was from the flatty, not the door. Ugh. Steve and I went up to work on the wife's roadster for a few hours instead on diagnosing the flatty. Thanks for all the help, the company and the stories Steve. Had a great time hanging out with you. My '27 T Roadster build: www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t= 734383
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