Technical History of So Cal 1932 Ford Roadster, LA Roadster Club, Riverside, Cusey, McMullen

This the one in Wellington, Texas ... Andy ?

 

Did this roadster ever get finished? Would love to see it in it's former glory!

 

When you look at the R&C article you show, the comments just above the picture of the roadster smoking the tires down the strip says it all. The car was comfortable to drive, handled well even in the wind. So with that being said you can't loose. Clean all the pieces and reassemble it the way it was and again, a bitchen roadster. Congratulations on becoming the caretaker, have fun with the rebirth.

 

< cough > < Wellington, Texas HAMB'r > <cough > < cough >



Is this supposed to be top secret ? It's on his Instagram. Been on his Instagram. For a while. A parts man, making dreams work.

Whoops. Sorry. Shhhhhhhh' !!!!

 

AMBR 2022 Contender:

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I have been dreaming of updating this story for around 8 years, which is when Flattop Bob Owens of Owens Salvage in Wellington, Texas, became the new caretaker of the historic Cusey Roadster. Bob has diligently, faithfully and lovingly restored this beautiful roadster and it is making it's return to hot rod history by competing for the title of America's Most Beautiful Roadster at the Grand National Roadster Show this weekend. Bob was the right man for the car and I couldn't be happier for him. With the aid of some very skilled craftsmen, he has completed a painstaking restoration of this car back to it's SoCal hot rodding, cover car, and album cover glory. I'm pulling for you Bob, congratulations for a job well done!

 

a few more pics...

 

Looks great!

 

Very nice... subtle and classy. Im a blue kind of guy when it comes to everything! My favourite colour but back in the mid sixties I built my first model kit. I think it was an falcon ranchero or something. I hand painted it with a little bottle of Testors paint in a shade very close to this green. Every time I see that colour it gives me a good feeling. This car is giving me a very good feeling! Good luck at the show!

 

Good luck to Bobby Owens at the GNRS and I hope all the fantastic work done on his '32 by great craftsmen is acknowledged. Body, paint, assembly, engine, upholstry, etc. A very well done '32 Roadster and recreated to duplicate the original build. A beautiful car!!!!

 

This has always been my favorite ’32 roadster, followed closely by the Neal East gold car. The restoration is beautiful. I hope it wins the AMBR. That it can be so simple and understated, yet etch it’s way into our hearts and memories says it all.

 

Returned to its former glory. Well done to all involved.

 

To me the Cusey/Owens roadster, aside from being an outstanding restoration of a beautiful car, is iconic in the ways that it completely embodies the transition from the 1950s style to the 1960s style, which is perfectly illustrated on the Astronauts album cover. The full-fendered Cusey roadster with its practical late '40s improvements of the solid wheels, juice brakes, '40 rearend, '39 trans, and then further upgraded with the '50s baby moons and 283 adapted to the early closed driveline, contrasted with the McMullen car and its blown 327, 4 speed, open driveline, hairpins, mags, slicks, etc. It was 1964, the Beatles had arrived and surf rock had peaked. It was the end of one era and the beginning of another. Both excellent cars, both have their place in history.

As for putting a pair of iconic roadsters on the cover of an album called Competition Coupe, well I'm not sure about that but I sure am glad they did it! I've tried to sing the song replacing coupe with roadster and it just doesn't work...

 

^^^ " Bitchin' "

 

They need to arrange getting it back together with the McMullen roadster and recreate that album cover photograph

 

It is still one of my favorite roadsters. I am glad to see that it was restored to its former glory.

 

But don`t have the guy sit on the front fender.

 

I too have the very issue portraying the green 32 Ford. I visited with you 5-6 years ago and bought 2 flathead engines from you. I thought you were contemplating selling the car when I visited. Glad to see you kept it.It’s hard to “beat” a hot rod with traceable history. I had a nice 39 Ford pickup at the time but finally acquired a 32 cabriolet since our visit. Good luck and keep pursuing your vision for the car.

 

Hi John, I remember your visit, good to hear from you. I did sell the roadster to my good friend Flat Top Bob Owens, of Wellington, Texas, and he is the one responsible for bringing the Cusey/Owens Roadster back to the beautiful condition we see it in today. Bob just completed it and debuted it at the Grand National Roadster Show. I'm sure we'll all be seeing a lot more of it soon. Love your Cabriolet, glad to see you're still building flatheads. Take care!

 

Congratulations to Texas' own FlatTop Bob Owens, and all the talented craftsmen and friends involved, for winning 3rd in Class (Historic Hot Rods) at Pebble Beach today for the outstanding restoration of Bob's historic SoCal hot rod, the Owens/Cusey Deuce Roadster, a former 1962 Rod & Custom Magazine feature car, 1963 Speed Tuning cover car and 1964 Astronauts album cover car, with new magazine features to come:

 

Re: the Astronauts’ “Competition Coupe” album cover I guess they weren’t car guys or the cover photog didn’t know the difference between a roadster and a coupe! Rather goofy I’d say.

 

Fortunateson, I hear you but consider this:

RCA Victor: "Hi, I'm with RCA Victor. We'd like to pay you to photograph your roadster along with Tom McMullen's roadster to be on the cover of the next Astronauts album."

Ian Cusey: "All I have to do is drive my car to the location and stand around shooting the breeze with my roommate Tom while you take photos of the cars and then you'll hand me a check and mine and Tom's cars will be forever memorialized in hot rod and music history?"

RCA Victor: "Yes."

Ian Cusey; "I don't know, what's the title of the album?"

RCA Victor: "Competition Coupe"

Ian Cusey: "Nah, don't think so, my car's a roadster."

Tom McMullen: "Nah, don't think so, my car's a roadster, too."

I'm sure glad they didn't care! It's a great cover photo and lots of great other photos from that photoshoot. The best thing about this photo shoot is that it perfectly depicted the changing of the guard from the late 50s full fendered roadster with a 283 adapted to the early Ford drivetrain, closed driveline and banjo rearend to the 60s flamed hiboy roadster with a blown small block Chevy, 4 speed, open driveline and modern differential. It's a classic moment in hot rod history!

 

Did anyone ever let Ian Cusey know his old car is done? Did it win anything at GNRS?

 

Like GeeRam said, it would be cool to reshoot the photo today, but make all the guys old. You know, time goes by but some hot rods are timeless classics.
Congrats on their Pebble Beach showing. I like the choice of the Speed Tuning cover for the display board.

 

Yes, Bob has kept Ian informed all along the way.

 

bchctybob: The Astronauts are still around and so is Ian!

 

I hope he as seen the car.