I. STORY TIME I have sat down several times to start putting something together to tell the story of this car, never really finding the right things to say, but I know if I strive for perfection it will never happen. Let me also say that I have for many years loved to soak up the knowledge, insight, and passion that exist on this forum as well as countless others. In many previous projects I have wanted to document the build/restoration process. I have started taking pictures, making notes, but with time and life it never made anywhere. So this is also my attempt to not only share the story, but also share the progress of getting this car back on the road. I know it will be slow, slower that what I would like, but I know we call can understand that fact of life. One final thought that I’ve had rattling around in my head is: story’s that cars tell, or want to tell. Some are well known and documented, some remain a mystery only with scars or clues to what has transpired over the years. As of this writing, this is what I know of this particular car, while I am still researching, you have to start somewhere. Ok, enough I know, let’s get to it. Edit: After writing this, it ended up waaaaaaay longer than I anticipated. But, that’s how things go. Just a warning, it’s a read. II. THE PASSAGE OF TIME The first time that I personally laid eyes on the car was somewhere in the early 2000’s. Maybe 2003 if I had to take a guess. My Dad, who’s been a gear head all his life knew of a gentlemen who had some old cars, actually some T-Birds, which interested me at the time as I was working on a ’59 T-Bird convertible. We ended up visiting the gentlemen who met us out at his country property where he had a lot of his cars stored. The building was set back off the road and looked to be an old machine shed or granary building with several sliding doors. One by one, he unlocked the doors and slid them away revealing several old cars. To be honest, I don’t really even remember what was in there. I only remembered the one hiding behind the last door that was slid open. Behind that last door was one of the gentlemen’s most prized cars; a roadster. He bought the car in 1956 from a guy who lived in the nearby town. The gentlemen in our story always loved pre-war cars, and bought many of them throughout the years. In fact he had several already when this car was purchased. He was daily driving a 1928 Model A sport-coupe in ’56 when he bought the car. The roadster was promptly titled in his name, and then it sat. He didn’t ever drive it. It sat for 3 years in a shed at the farm that he and his new wife had been renting. The first time that he drove it was when he bought his 1st house in 1959. The car, along with others in his growing collection were driven about 4 miles down the same road to another farm. Where they each were placed into the shed that would ultimately become its time capsule. For the Gentlemen, time and the years flew right buy, his growing family and own business consumed much of his time and many of the cars that were bought in his youth were set aside, but not forgotten. Upon his retirement, he decided to treat himself to have a proper old car to drive. He pulled a ’62 Thunderbird convertible out of one of his buildings and took it to a local higher end restoration shop for the works, a factory spec restoration. As he always preferred is cars to be non-modified. The car was completely redone, and is just beautiful. So beautiful and nice in fact that in the years after it has been restored, very few miles have been logged on the car. Somehow keeping with the theme of our story. Fast forward to 2018, which was the next time that I saw the Roadster. Myself and the gentlemen had kept in touch on an off through the years. Small towns, local families, make it a small world at the community picnic or (sadly) funerals. The summer of 2018 while at a swap meet, my wife commented on how she really enjoyed the look of a roadster that was parked for sale on a trailer. My wife has always supported my crazy car buying habits and random purchases, but I would not consider her an active car person. Although she does enjoy riding in the finished product. That comment got my mind going, dusting off the mental cobwebs of a car I saw in a barn 15 years earlier. I gave our story’s gentlemen a phone call and after a few missed calls and messages we were able to connect. Late in the fall of 2018, one day after work I met him out at the old farm along with my Dad. Retracing our journey from years earlier. The farm which he owned is now sold, but still is allowed to use the shed, thank goodness. When we arrived, many of the shed doors were open, and empty. He stated that in the past few years he had sold over 20 cars from his various sheds, garages and properties. He is getting older in age and realizing that now is the time to be moving on in many ways. We approached the end of the shed, that final door which was still closed and locked. After fiddling with the lock we pushed back the door and there it was. Better than I had remembered it.
III. THE CAR – Finally I know The first thing that caught my eye was the ’32 Ford grill shell, then right below it a custom front bumper that came off of a Packard. It was hard to get a clear view of the car with all the rest of the stuff surrounding it, but we slowly walked around it revealing the custom interior, ’35 wire wheels and a rumble seat. It was clearly a ’30-’31 Model A roadster that had been hot-rodded sometime in the 1950’s. Beneath the layers of dust and grim and raccoon shit, you could tell it had been painted some sort of custom dark red color, which blended with the surface rust which had taken over most of the car. We opened up the hood wondering what was inside, at this point thinking we could find anything. It was, a fairly stock looking Model A four cylinder, what most likely was still the original engine. However it had a downdraft carburetor fitted to it. While we talked and reminisced inside the shed, which we then found out that it was actually the chicken coop section of the shed, he stated the reason he never drove the car, all those years ago. He liked his vehicles stock, bone stock. Because of all the custom touches he didn’t want to drive it until he could put it back to what a Model A should be; with the larger wheels, grill, etc. Well it is a good thing that he didn’t get to turn it back into the run of the mill Model A, as finding a period Hot Rod, in a barn, is a dream we’ve all had. And a true once in a lifetime opportunity. IV. THE DEAL As much as I wanted to make an offer that fall afternoon, I really did not know the right number as I was still taking all the details of the car in. We left that day promising to get back in touch with each other and that I would have 1st rights to make an offer whenever the day came that he wanted to sell it. I really couldn’t ask for more at that point. I spend that winter and the many coming months searching classified ads for Model A Roadsters. Every time I found one needing restoration I would print it out. I never found a Hot Rod Model A just regular ones. Soon I had a dozen or more ads printed and a range of pricing put together. In order to quickly have cash in hand to propose a deal, I decided to sell off a different project car (and that is another long story, but not one for today). By the summer of 2019 I had a price range in mind, and cash in hand to make an offer on the car. One day on my way home from work I stopped in the gentlemen’s home to visit and to also make an offer on the car. We had a very nice time visiting, and I left him with the folder of ads and the price range that I was thinking for the car. I said “whenever you decide you are ready to sell, just give me a call.” Well to my delight a few days later I received a call and we agreed on a price. SOLD! Later that week I stopped by and dropped off the cash, and picked up the title (from 1956) along with some other history on the car. We made arrangements to pick the car up that weekend! I could hardly believe I bought the car, and that it would soon be unearthed from its chicken coup tomb! V. THE CONNECTIONS – The Story’s Best Part While finding a Model A roadster in a barn is neat, and making it a period hot rod, really neat. By far the neatest part of this car for me are the connections that our family has to one another. This is probably the biggest reason I pursued this car. I had mentioned that in 1956 when he bought this car, he was living on a farm that he and his wife were renting. Well that farm… is… the same farm that I grew up on. He rented it from my great grandmother right after he and his wife had married. The farm if one of two that have been in our family since the 1840’s, and at the time in the 1950’s was either vacant or either used to house the hired help for the farm. It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that our family moved back into the farm. So from 1956-1959 this Model A Hot Rod was parked in the garage where I grew up! Not only that, but that was the 2nd time that he lived there! He is one of 8+ kids, and his parents rented the farm from 1945-1947. Again from my great grandparents. Of these 8+ kids, one of them is my neighbor and lives on the farm right next door to mine. Also, when they were growing up my Dad was best friends with the younger brother of the gentlemen in our story. Small world indeed, and I really think that it was all of these family connections that helped him decide to sell me the car. And I don’t think that it would have been sold to just anyone – but I may be a little biased. Like I mentioned earlier, this history is the biggest reason that I pursued this car (followed shortly by the fact that it is a time capsule of a 1950’s period correct Hot Rod.
VI. OUT OF THE TOMB: 1st Sunlight in 60 Years Before setting out to pick the car up from its chicken coup resting spot I loaded up the truck. And took almost everything I think I could have needed… including a shovel to latterly dig it out if need be. Thankfully it all went very smooth. I went with my Dad and a couple of buddies along with an extra truck. The goal was to pull it out of the shed to a point where the truck/trailer was accessible. When we arrived the door of the shed was open and a few items were already pulled out, including this really neat hit and miss engine. It was so neat seeing the grill sticking out of the shadows. We jacked up each corner of the car and attempted to fill the tire with air from our air tank. And to our surprise every single tire (tube) held air. And what was even more surprising was the once we had it jacked up, each wheel spun freely. I couldn’t believe the brakes were not frozen to the drums. Standing on the running board of the car, with a tow strap around the front axle, the truck slowly started pulling the car out. Out into the sun, out into the world it hadn’t been a part of for 60 years. It was an amazing sight and feeling. Once we had the car out in front of the shed, my dad told me to put it in 3rd to see if the engine turned over. And to our disbelief it did! For the next hour or so we rounded up the parts that went along with the car such as the hood and custom top with side windows. While we were doing all of this, you could tell it was hard for the gentlemen selling the car as he enjoyed it so much, even if he never drove it.
We also stumbled up a Heath-Henderson motorcycle-aeroplane engine from the late 20’s taking up its residence in that same chicken coup. The next day was our local car clubs annual picnic, and for grins we decided to leave the Hot Rod on the trailer and drive that down to the picnic instead of a different collector car. Well we weren’t even parked and we had a dozen guys crawling all over the thing. It was great for them to see the car, and most couldn’t believe that something like that still exists and it was so close. We got the car back to my place and decided to leave it parked indoors on the trailer in my barn for the time being. The interior was disgusting and I wanted to remove it before bringing the car over to our shop. Not only if someone was still living inside of it, but the smell was just awful!
VII. HOT ROD: What Makes it a HOT ROD It was great taking time to look over the car while it was on the trailer. From what I can see here are all the items that were done to the car. - A ’32 Ford Grill Shell that has been filled, along with a modified Model A Radiator to fit. - Packard bumper guards on an unknown bumper - ’35 Ford wire wheels - Aftermarket or commercial head lights, looks to be painted yellow in a former life. - Downdraft carb. Carter W1 on a modified Model A intake manifold. The bottom was filled and an outlet was added to the top. - Fuel pump. Most likely was needed because of the downdraft carburetors bowl height. - The car looks to have had – at one point a nice burgundy paint job. You can tell it was originally blue as there is still traces of it round the door handles. - The custom roll and pleated vinyl interior - Custom top - Dual tail lamps - Spare tire cover to cover the ’35 wire wheel
VIII. PROGRESS: Last Fall Once inside my barn, we started removing the interior. The bench seat removed without too much of a fuss, but the rumble seat truck lid was stuck closed. The handle is missing, but were able to turn the mechanism with a screwdriver to unlatch it. At one point someone had jammed penny’s into the upper corner on both sides of the lid. Maybe to prevent it from rattling? We had to chisel them out in order to open the truck lid. Once we were inside the seats were removed without too much trouble. But the amount of mouse nests and raccoon shit in the car was crazy. We filled up a 20 gallon shop vacuum twice getting it all out. Amazingly the floor and seat frames were in decent shape. However the rear ruble seat bottom is badly rusted due to sitting in that mess. The floors back by the rumble seat is also rusty. And the section where your feet would go is pulled apart – which could have happened long ago from people standing in the back. Overall not bad at all.
IX. GOALS So what are my goals with this car? In one word – Preservation. Because of the car’s neat history that is the only way to do it in my mind. My plan is to keep the car looking as “chicken coup” fresh as possible after a good cleaning of the car. Going through the mechanical portions of the car to get it road worthy again and just enjoying it. I would like to find some distressed leather when doing the interior and a few other items to keep it looking as correct as possible. This will help get it on the road sooner and also keep the soul of the car in my opinion. Personally I hope to avoid an engine rebuild (at least for this year). And have a spare if the one in the car isn’t usable. Once it’s on the road in its as original configuration we can then see if I feel the need to continue on some of the HOT ROD path that was originally set. One example would be juice brakes.
You sir, have hit the jackpot ( struck gold that is, won the lottery). Get that thing on the road (driving that is). Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Congrats on your domino run to ownership of this moldy oldy...it will take some tlc...well alot of...but the journey will bring a smile to your face the second you turn the key and run it down the road...there are mixed opinions on patinamobiles as that was put in storage in a somewhat different condition but take your time on it and your thoughts on where to take it may change... Banger Hotrods are popular here and can deliver a quality Hotrod experience as well...So @Ardent Motors welcome to the Hamb and thanks for sharing this...Look forward to the continued adventure...
Very cool! Gotta love the leopard print seat cover remains! Looks to be an early 1930 judging by the dash cluster. Dave
What a great story! I commend you for your preservation plan, the patina cannot be duplicated. For distressed leather look for a well worn couch or large chair at a resale shop or used furniture place, it should yield enough material for the roadster. Jim
Thank you sir! I really feel like I have on this car. It's one where if feels like a privilege to work on and always brings a smile to my face.
Thanks Stogy, I appreciate your comments and agree that patina can be a tough subject to navigate but for now the focus is on getting it going. I completely agree about a built banger, the monthly banger post is always a great read.
Thanks, and I have thought about using a couch as well. I was down at the upholstery shop a few weeks ago working on a different project and got a few distressed samples. Not sure which way to go yet. But I'm halfway keeping my eye out for a couch!
X. RIGHT NOW Over this last winter I have tried to get several smaller projects wrapped up so focused attention can be put on the Model A without several interruptions. The last several weeks I have spent cleaning up the exterior of the car, but better understand what is laying under all that dirt. It will also make it a bit easier when digging in the rest of the car to have a cleaner starting point. I though the easier approach would be to pressure wash the car, but ultimately decided against it for a more manual approach. Here are the basic steps that I used. 1. Shop vacuum with brush attachment across the entire car a. Along with agitating the surface with a machinist brush b. Some use of a plastic putty knife 2. Washed the car with water It was amazing that once we got the dirt and dust off of the car that we actually were finding some paint hiding under it. Not much and not very great, but it was nice to see some pigment through all that brown. Although the burgundy was now blending with rusty hues. I also removed the battery, which at one point removed one end of itself. The spare tire came off to get better access to the rear. And the last bits of the interior were removed. And not to mention more mouse nests remnants stuck in the interior regions of the car.
Now this next part I did quite a bit of reading up on. “how to preserve a car, patina, etc…” That is one large rabbit hole indeed. And people have strong opinions about it. So in an effort to preserve the car in its current state after several articles I decided to just try something. For the most part, most of what can be done, can be undone if necessary. I was spurred on as well by the positive results of when the car was washed the amount of color was brought out. So I decided to: 1. Scrub the surface with CLR using a foam scrub pad, then rinsing after it sat for 10-15 minutes 2. Finally a rub with boiled linseed oil Even though it looks a bit “wet” I think this was the best option to bring back what color was hiding under the dirt. These pictures were taken right away, and I noticed that after a day it had already softened and dulled. I was also surprised that although it looked wet, when it was touched it felt dry, and odd sensation. It also darkened up some of the rust and overall helped blend everything together. I’m probably not done on the perfect preservation method, but for not it’s clean and easy to work on. And to be honest I personally like the way it’s looking. Chicken Coup fresh!
Here is a side by side comparison, before and after the BLO application, not exactly the same angles, but the same part of the car.
Neat car, great story. Glad you're not planning to modify it from it's original build. There are only so many untouched time capsules and once they're changed, they're gone forever. The filled '32 shell is really something.
Hell of a find, congrats and keep up the good work... And, that is one hell of a first post!!! Chappy
Fantastic ! The "story" is just as great as the car ! Really happy you are preserving as is, keep us posted & thanks for sharing!!
The Jalopy Journal
