I was about 12 or 13 when I saw my first ’36 Ford 3w hot rod coupe and I fell in love. I remember thinking that someday, I’d have a car just like that. Over the years I’ve looked at several, but never found the one I wanted at a price I could afford. Fast forward about 52-years and after a year-long hiatus from life fighting off a nasty throat cancer attack in 2010, I finally got well enough to drive my ’55 Buick Special to a local cruise night. I pulled in and my eyes riveted on my dream car. I parked and went over to look it over and it was a hack job. The guy that owned it was sitting there and I got the history behind it. Seems it was pulled out of a junk yard in the late-‘50’s and torn apart to make a stock car out of it…….and it sat there in a garage for roughly 45 – 50 years. The guy that bought it in the ‘50’s passed away and a couple of years after that, his widow decided to sell it. The guy that was telling the story bought it and slapped a junk yard motor in it and got it running. I told him if he ever wanted to sell it, to let me know. He said he wouldn’t sell it, but he’d trade me even for my Buick. Three days late it was sitting in my garage I drove it around for a few weeks before winter set in and found that it was worse that I had thought. I decided it had to be torn apart and done right, so I started dismantling it. With a LOT of help from people on HAMB and through heart, prostate & back surgeries, I kept at it whenever I could. Monday, October 15th, 2018 I realized a good part of my dream and with major help from a couple of friends, it got it in color - not buffed out yet, bu will be in a couple of weeks. I hope to finished it up this Winter and be able to drive it next Spring / Summer, although that might get put on hold as we’re moving to Kentucky next year. But if I manage to stay alive, I’ll have a ride in it before I die……… Sorry for the long saga, but I wanted to share my milestone with the people that unknowingly gave me a lot of hints, ideas, directions, and unintended encouragement to keep on going through the build and especially the dark times – thank you, thank you, thank you !! DCP_6148 by TagMan, on Flickr DCP_6151 by TagMan, on Flickr DCP_6146 by TagMan, on Flickr DCP_6149 by TagMan, on Flickr
Congrats on hanging in there with health challenges, and your beautiful project common thread throughout our world
Been watching the progress of this one here and on the Barn over the years. Congrats on a big milestone. Great color too!
Here's a picture he gave me taken when he got it home and cleaned up IMG_0317_1 by TagMan, on Flickr Here's one after he "rat rodded" it (his words) and it came to live with me 36cpe2 by TagMan, on Flickr
That looks way too nice to have been a stock car, makes you wonder about all the others that died on the oval tracks of America, Bob
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