Ryan submitted a new blog post: The Jack Mickelson Roadster: FOUND! Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Very cool! Love seeing cars resurface! Another one just popped up inside the tweety bird thread recently as well https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...s-after-50-years-kerville-drags.985495/page-9
Having had several race cars with known history getting the word out is really important. You never know who has original photos or related information that make the cars history complete. Hope the car gets a full 1947 era restoration at some time. Bob
About 40 years ago a 1926 Rolls Royce owner stopped in the shop and gave me all his pre 1951 issues of Hot Rod magazines and CT News. Up until that point in time his visits were all about Rolls Royce maintenance, you just never know what people were interested in when they were younger. Bob
Lots of them. I'd guess at least 75 percent of the existing hot rods were hot rods back in the ol days. Just recycled and changed up over time. I welded together a 32 roadster body from about a half dozen different chunks in the 1990's. The quarters had been channelled at some point and had a maroon/purple paint on them. I often wondered what that car looked like in 1950? Was it famous? I did the bodywork for a local restorer, so the car was destined to return back to stock. But he never got it completed and sold the project to a hot rodder from Michigan. Now the car is a black highboy roadster with a flathead. Whoda thunk?
Wow-- So cool! In its current state, it would be easy to walk by that car at a Goodguys show and assume its just another Brookville or even fiberglass-bodied street rod.
Guess that filled grille shell, and wire holes and the louver free hood helped with aero package. Bob
That is great news, Jack's roadster is one of those classic postwar highboy's up there with the Brown, McGee, Nitti, Stewart, Spencer roadsters. What has been said above about these old hot rods being recycled into newer builds reminds me of the John Siroonian 1932 Ford Roadster which won the AMBR in '81. Siroonian roadster was built from the old C-T Automotive roadster that ran Bonneville in the 50s with an Ardun. Back to the Mickelson '32, hopefully Chris can enjoy it as is for a while longer then look to restore it to the Mickelson version, this would be the most significant '32 roadster restoration in more than a decade.
Thanks Jimmy, I see a lot of fine details in the Mickelson Roadster, hope more original photos are out there. Bob
Hmmm . . . pretty fucking cool. And I guess the ultimate hot rod provenance includes having run at the dry lakes in the late '40s and early '50s, can't be that many of those still out there, can there?
EXACTLY! I am pretty sure the photo of it in the parking lot is at Pomona, I probably didn't give it a second look. Honestly it is so unassuming, I would probably glance at it, see the four bar and move on and not once ever think of what it could have been!
As a name car, I would hope that he take it back to its original form. Not only for the historical aspect, but because it just looked better.
Soooo 'similar' to the plight of the McGee '32 roadster. After the many movies it was in, and the SBCs that sat between those rails. Bet I walked past it at Pomona too, scowling at the 4 bar... Could our own HAMB be responsible for most of these post-'street rod' lives getting new old blood transplanted in the shape of flatheads, wishbones, and the way we were? Bet it was 90+% HAMB...
I had no idea Gene had owned this car. This is really good news Chris, and I hope you can return your roadster back to it's former Glory. I'd be glad to help in any way......
Gene Scott had his 32 Roadster for years.....In the late 80’s Roy Brizio did that yellow chassis under it. There is even more to this cars history in how Chris came to be its care taker. Take a ride over to Gene Scott’s Antique Automotive and talk to Jim Gordon, there’s pix in a photo album that shows it going away and coming back.
You would never have known that that car with the exaggerated small block and strange paint job was a true racer and not one of the typical fiberglass 32s you see everywhere. This needs to be restored back...
Well let me say what most have already said; if this is Jack's car, I hope Chris can see his way to restore it to it's original glory. What a significant find for our community and the hobby as a whole. I have a few things to say and post so I'll try and keep it short. First off my Dad and Jack were friend's and grew up together. You can see a lot of this history in my thread Lakes Pictures P.R.C.. Jack's Son Fred and I went to High School together and still keep in contact. When I first seen this thread I called him to see what he thought. He said that his Dad had lost track of the car after initially selling it. Last he remembers of it was that it was in Las Vegas and still had the flathead in it. Not sure of the year. He along with everybody else hope's it's the car and would love to see it restored. Fred had given me pictures of his Dad's years ago. I am going to post some of these pictures, with Fred's blessings, in the hope that if Chris does restore the car that it will help with the restoration and maybe some inspiration also. So if you're listening Chris, the pressure is on! Love this first picture with the Calori car in the background!!
For those of you who don't know El Mirage, this is what it looked like back then, and has not changed too much since. Except population obviously.
The Jalopy Journal
