Register now to get rid of these ads!

Customs 39 Custom Ford Conv. Survivor-Ray Cass Revisited

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by LighthouseLady, May 14, 2016.

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

    falcongeorge
    Member
    from BC

    I just really like this incarnation of the car, its much closer to what I am doing with mine.
     
    LighthouseLady likes this.
  2. Hi 57Joe!
    Dad is doing well, I'm sure you'll see him this summer at local shows. And you can give him a shout out right here through me or ask a question. He is reading this, I just have to do the posting for him. I have lots more pics of the '39 and his many other cars over the years. And his friends cars and stories to go with them! So as I post them , you can be sure the words are coming from Ray. Hope you and everyone enjoys his memories!
     
  3. img20160330_21364532.jpg
    This is from Ray Cass:

    My First 36 Ford Coupe-1951 Highlands, NJ

    At 18 years old, my first chop job was done in my buddies garage with borrowed torches. Solid hood sides, 39 Ford stainless side trim, fits good-looks good! Flippers, Packard skirts, 37 DeSoto bumpers, bullnose, and fog lights off an old Packard in the weeds behind an old garage. We crawled under the car late at night with crescent wrenches and started to remove the rusty nuts. They squeaked and a dog started barking. The garage owner lived over the shop and he came down with a flashlight and looked around. We hid under the Packard until he went back inside. We waited awhile and then we took them off.
    Hey, don't judge us! We didn't have any money!
    "But you gotta look cool!"
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2016
  4. img 6mb 20160330_21285049 (3) (800x397).jpg
    From Ray Cass:
    PACEMAKERS CAR CLUB
    About 1953 at Atco Race Track in South Jersey. I was in Korea (Korean War) at the time of this photo so that's why I'm not in it. And why I can't name everyone in it.
     
  5. theHIGHLANDER
    Joined: Jun 3, 2005
    Posts: 10,245

    theHIGHLANDER
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Yeah, Packard skirts on a 36! Awesome look, head and antlers over Ford accy skirts, gives that pretty and subtle bubble. What a treat to see and hear the real deal. I heard a lot of it from my dear departed Dad, saw the pictures (many lost in a house fire in 70). I'm lovin this...
     
  6. NJ PACEMAKERS CLUB CARD 1954
    Still has the original metal plaque on the back of the car.
    img20160407_01305297.jpg img20160407_01323569.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 30, 2016
  7. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
    Posts: 3,823

    elgringo71
    Member

    Fantastic history and a very cool car with the stories told by the one that lived it. I am loving this
     
  8. 39 Back.jpg
    Finally found a pic of the PACEMAKERS plaque. Its on the back of the 39, but we don't take many photos of the back of the car!
     
    G31270Oldsmobile1938 likes this.
  9. Thanks for your "likes" and comments! Dad will be happy when he sees you guys on here enjoying this:)
     
  10. Thanks for these! I was looking for a photo of the Pacemakers Club plaque hanging on the license plate and I didn't have any good ones. Your photo is just what I needed to show it!
     
  11. So glad you are enjoying this! Dad will be glad too!
     
  12. Dad was a member of The Monmouth County New Jersey RUMBLERS but his member card was pretty much shot. This is a courtesy card. Not sure of dates, but it's from the mid 50's. By the way, Dad did the drawing of the car!
    img20160330_21403312.jpg img20160330_21413911.jpg
     
  13. img20160330_21335104 (640x448).jpg 021363b25610983c5acbf26e99ff4cf8.jpg c59de23ba5eec0360cbd9c273d79fe9e.jpg a777e34d276f52118e734d53c8598321.jpg Story from Ray Cass:

    1955-1956

    More pix of my second '36 Ford. First pic taken behind F&F Auto Body (Joe's Garage) no longer there, a small shop on North Broadway in Long Branch, NJ. I used to work on it after hours inside. Joe the owner had a '49 or '50 Nash he kept parked inside. It had the seats that folded down into a bed. In the winter we heated the shop with a kerosene heater. After work Joe would park the Nash next to the heater with the car door open. He would bring his girlfriends over and use the Nash bed.

    I went home for dinner and after awhile I would drive back by the shop. If the lights were still off I had to wait. I would go for coffee or something and try again later. If the lights were on it was OK for me to go in and work on my chop job! In case you were wondering why Joe didn't take his girls home, yes he was married!

    Second pic is chop in progress.
    Third pic is at Jack Lentz's shop in Belford, NJ. 2nd chop was not as severe as the first, and maybe a little better. It's a learning process.

    Joy is posting a car registration with the serial numbers. Check your frame number, maybe it lived!
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2016
  14. 20160613_181010.jpg 20160613_180954-1.jpg Dad found a courtesy card from the Jersey Pacemakers from around 1954.
    And his membership card (half of it! ) from The Rumblers 1955-1956. (The left side is the original, right side is drawn in by hand)


    Sent from my SM-G900V using H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2016
    Stogy, elgringo71 and kidcampbell71 like this.
  15. img20160330_21202065.jpg
    Photo of '36 Ford Conv. wreck taken by Dave Kennedy at Burdge's Garage in Little Silver, NJ 1948. Charlie Coffie (standing) and Skippy Muskrat Olsen, both gone now.
    Guess they were just horsing around, don't know if it was their car and they wrecked it. Back then it was just junk, today we would fix it for sure!
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2016
  16. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
    Posts: 3,823

    elgringo71
    Member

    That is a fantastic picture. If that is the same car that he still has today he has managed to keep it for a very long time and made a lot of memories with it. This thread is really getting good.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2016
    LighthouseLady likes this.
  17. img20160330_20431662.jpg img20160330_20250616.jpg Just so as not to confuse any one following this thread. Dad currently has the 1939 Deluxe Ford Conv. Custom
    and a 1951 Merc. The 39 is the survivor, he's owned it since 1955. That's the one with all the history. The Merc. was bought a few years back. I will have to try to point that out on my posts. He has pics of many cars he's owned over the last 65 or so years. And I may post some pics of cars he's worked on as he is a body man by trade. Or friends cars. He has lots of history of many car related items. And lucky he took photos and saved them! Hope everyone is enjoying this!

    Also if you haven't read the original thread from 2007, check it out:

    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/garage-magazine-14-about-ray-cass.185540/
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2016
  18. BigEd
    Joined: Aug 12, 2005
    Posts: 246

    BigEd
    Member

    Ran into Ray at a local cruise tonight. He gave me a teaser about an upcoming story and told me to keep watching this thread for further developments.
     
  19. Mooseandsqurl53
    Joined: Jun 6, 2007
    Posts: 255

    Mooseandsqurl53
    Member
    from N.J.

    ray cass.jpg Here's a pic of Ray pre car. He was around 11 at the time. Ray is on the left. The pic was taken in W. Long Branch behind the restaurant that is now Zachary's
     
  20. Merc 3.jpg Merc 2.jpg Merc 6.jpg Merc 4.jpg Merc 1.jpg Merc 5.jpg Story from Ray Cass:

    (Pic 1 & 2)
    This is my '51 Merc I have now. When people say, "To bad it's a 4 door" I say, "I had a James Dean Merc when James Dean was alive!" When the movie Rebel Without a Cause came out the guys at the old Shrewsbury Diner in Red Bank would say "Hey here's Jimmy Dean!" I had side burns and glasses as Jimmy wore off camera. I'd hold my coffee and cigarettes in the same hand like him and thought I was hot stuff!
    ~SHOULDA KEPT IT!~

    Here are pics of it. It was a '50, not a '49 and was dark green not black. But hey, close enough! That's Joy next to it when she was a little girl. (1960) Rear view shot is taken at Jack Lentz's Body Shop.
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2016
  21. elgringo71
    Joined: Oct 2, 2010
    Posts: 3,823

    elgringo71
    Member

    That is a cool Merc, I am enjoying the pictures and stories
     
    LighthouseLady likes this.
  22. catdad49
    Joined: Sep 25, 2005
    Posts: 6,401

    catdad49
    Member

    Thank you for sharing your family history, what makes it even more special is the fact that your Dad is a part of it!! I will definitely check out the original thread. Thanks again, Carp
     
  23. George, I found another one I'm posting, maybe it will help you!-Joy
     
  24. Just a quick photo I found from a long time ago when the 39 was still blue.
    39 Ford blue.jpg
     
  25. F-head
    Joined: Oct 20, 2007
    Posts: 1,171

    F-head
    Member

    thanks for the pics
    I love 39's and 36's for that matter
    and the hand drawn card patch panel is really great also,your dad is the coolest.
    cheers
    Bruce
     
    LighthouseLady likes this.
  26. Here's my Dad's friend Chris from Eatontown, NJ in the Merc. Check out his cool V-8 tattoo!!

    img20160330_20324515.jpg
     
  27. Retroline
    Joined: Aug 20, 2002
    Posts: 1,125

    Retroline
    Member

    Thanks for the great story and pics. Nice collection
    That '39 is beautiful.
     
    LighthouseLady likes this.
  28. Thanks all you latest readers & posters for your comments! Hope you stick around and follow the thread, I'm trying hard to keep posting every few days. It's hard for me as I'm busy with a job, babysitting my grandson and life in general. But Dad has a never ending supply of this stuff so I'm getting the feeling this is my new part time job, without pay! LOL! But it's fun, Dad loves it and we hope you at least like it! And yes Bruce (F-Head) I agree he is a very cool Dad!
    Joy
    (Lighthouse Lady)
    IMG_0933-Copy(2).jpg
    Ray Cass & (Daughter) Joy Cass Arban 2012
     
  29. I just decided to post this for you all to see as I was thinking about this today. I wanted to look at the 39 side by side when it was blue & white verses today as all black. As far back as I remember it was blue with a white top. We went to car shows & parades in it. Rode in the rumble seat, that was fun! When it needed to be repainted and Dad told the family he was painting it black and changing the top to black we all thought he was making a mistake. No way, you have to have it blue again, it will never be the same and all black is way to boring! But after it was done, I realize he knew what he was doing! It looks totally different, but in a good way. Now it's so classy & sleek! I still miss the blue & white, but I really do love the new look!

    img20160330_20385774.jpg img20160330_204316632.jpg View attachment 3266964
     
  30. Thank you for sharing all these great images... great read
     
    LighthouseLady likes this.

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.