Hot Rods Not just any barn find!

awesome!!!!!

 

Fantastic ! I enjoyed the video of it driving up the street . It's a great feeling , isn't it ??

 

Allen,
You are correct. There is no better feeling than firing up an old motor that has been quiet for way too long!!

I love your shoebox build thread. Keep up the good work.
Alan

 

Awesome score,congrats...Rocknes Rule...heres mine...

 

Yes it would make a great hotrod. But there ain't many of those left and this is a great original example that needs preserved yet driven. Upside down or not, it's a nice old coupe. Some things actually look good upside down. Even at my age!

 

have to agree with you all the way,dont make them like this anymore

 

It has to stay like this

 

Great car, loved the resurrection videos!
Wow did you guys get some snow!
KK

 

They don't make any of the cars we hot rod anymore, so no reason not to hot rod this one too. I would be searching for a Studebaker V8 to nestle between the frame rails, leave the body just like it is, it doesn't need mods to make a very cool hot rod. I've never done a restoration and don't plan to start now.

 

I really like your quote. By the way, my wife and I came through your town recently on the way to Hackberry and old Rte. 66. That was fun cruising on an actual part of the Mother Road in our '32 Ford Highboy. Will do it again next time we go through AZ.

 

I'm tryin' ... I'm tryin' . It's slow going sometimes , but hopefully it'll be on the road this spring (if it ever gets here , lol !) . I'll be watching your thread closely . I love the oddball stuff - And I mean that in a good way .

 

1932 Rockne Coupe.
Running fine. Charging, starts, stops, all the good stuff now.
Headed for its new exhaust and tires tomorrow. I went with blackwalls to keep the originality going.

When we get back from Viva 18 it will only need its gas tank re-installed. Then i will just be waiting for the salt to wash off the roads.
Thanks for watching.

 

That is so cool, I think the 32 Rockne looks better than the Ford in stock form.

 

I agree Dick, the Rockne has much better lines.

 

That's an amazing find! As a fellow Rockne owner and amateur historian you have a real piece of history. Mostly all the surviving Rockne's (of which there are less than 200) have been modified in some form or another, it's great to see it all original and running. If you want more Rockne information I have a Facebook page - www.facebook.com/RockneMotors that you might like. You can regeister it with the Rockne Registry as well if you like.

My 1933 Rockne was so far gone when I got it I have little references on how a put it together. Would it be possible to get some reference pictures of your car?? You can send me a message at [email protected]
Congratulations!

 

That is a great car. I very rarely prefer "stock" cars, but in this case, you have something very rare and desirable. I think that one is best left as you found it. Maybe trade it for one that's already hot rodded? Thanks for sharing.

 

Thanks Patrick. I sent you a PM. I can take any reference pics you need.
Thats is quite a project you have going!!!

 

Thanks. I love the fins on your car! a whole row of the Mopars out here and Viva..

 

Thats a great pic of the Forward Look crowd. I'm working on my '59 Plymouth and taking it to the Carlisle,PA show dedicated to the '55-'61 P,D,C. in July. With a name like Rockne what more needs to be said.

 

Got the Rockne back last weekend. The new exhaust sounds great "without a muffler" and thenew tires look good too. The only problem is that it overheats after about 5 miles....so "Off with it's head!"
Any ideas on how to flush, suck or blow the two inches of sludge out of the block would be appreciated.
Thanks
Alan

 

At this point I generally pull the motor and put it on a stand, turn it upside down. Get out the Pressure Washer and get busy. Don't forget to flush the Rad, and Heater core.
The Wizzard

 

I had an old international that had an overheating problem due to sludge. I filled the radiator and block with phosphoric acid and ran it til it got warm so I knew it was circulating. Let it sit like that overnight. The next day I flushed it all out and filled it with baking soda water to neutralize everything. Flushed it out again, let it sit for a day or two to fully drain then filled it with coolant. Worked great.

 

I've an old "steam Jenny" steam cleaner I did the 235 Chevy with , turned long block every direction n then resting it upside down n the steamin hot water melted the cooling gallery's pristinely clean. I'd remove radiator , send it off to rad shop to get rotted out & leave the head on and try steam cleaning it in the car through the inlet / outlet first hopefully worth the effort. Be worth hauling to a pals shop or Renting one. Flux

 

If that has a water distribution tube in it be sure to pull it and see if it's all there or rotted away.

 

That's a cool find. It'd be nice to leave it stock, but if you start taking drastic changes it deserves a Supercharged V8 Stude.

 

Too nice to ROD.

 

great score, congrats !

 

Time for another update:
I took the Rockne to a local cruise night and got the best surprise.....
A trophy, my fist ever! I guess the guys liked the back story of how I own it after 50+years of chasing. That I only made it drive-able and left most of it the way it was when parked in 1952.

The overheating seems to be fixed. I ended up having the radiator boiled out and rebuilt the water pump. There are not many of the mechanical parts that I haven't rebuilt.

 

Congratulations on the first of many trophies you are sure to win with that fantastic Rockne