Hot Rod.history

Just a random thought, when did chrome firewalls start showing up on hot rods. Do they go all the way back to show cars in the 50s?

 

Fred "chrome" Steele's " '32 roadster had one in the '50's.

 

Probably so, I remember my dad taking me to a indoor custom car show in Greenville,South Carolina in about 1963 and he struck up a conversation with a young man that had a 1932 Ford and he told my dad he had been working on the car for several years...he pointed out that when he purchased the car the previous owner had taken the firewall and had it chrome plated. HRP

 

That's pretty cool story. I can imagine cars with chrome firewalls and the cotton batting stuffed underneath them at a car show.

 

Don't recall about the firewall but Blacky Gegian's (misspelled last name?) was at the First GNRS and it had a chrome frame. I wouldn't doubt that chrome firewalls went at least that far back.

 

Around here they used enormous amounts of Angle Hair instead of cotton. HRP

 

porknbeaner - Blackie Gejeian's roadster does not have a chrome firewall

 

Angel Hair is what I thinking of but didn't know what it was called.

 

Beeno said frame,but I believe he was referring to the undercarriage,all the suspension.

with the body welded to the frame chroming it would have be difficult but I'm betting if Blackie wanted too he would have figured a way.HRP

 

I'd have to believe that there were a few of them on show rods in the 50's and early 60's as it was the era of if you can unbolt it and carry it to the chrome shop it got chromed.

 

Here:

 

Tweedy Pie firewall chrome?

 

some were just covered with stainless steel

 

Back in the mid 60's my Dad was in the Metal Fab business. A high school friend asked if "Dad" would be willing to cut a polished aluminum firewall for his glass t bucket. The car was scheduled to be in one of the Atlanta area car shows. It turned out quite well and the car owner listed credits on his Show Poster stating, "Firewall by Mr.Ray" It looked similar to the the one on Tweedy Pie (pictured above)
Later Dad and I cut another aluminum firewall cover to fit my 39 Chevy. It was secured by evenly spaced aluminum pop rivets. The perimeter was laced with black fender welt, giving it a smooth transition.
Mom complained when I took her SOS and Brillo pads to polish up my firewall (satin look)
The firewall cover (in my case) served two purposes. 1) it looked pretty cool at the time and 2) it covered up the holes in the firewall and eliminated the engine fumes that would come into the cockpit area....... Jeff