History The Doane Spencer Roadster from '52-'69...More details?

More info on a favorite car. Thanks Hemi32 and thanks Pat.

 

What a great coincidence I just saved this photo last night not knowing who it was. Now from Pat's article we know the rest of the story.

 

Great article by Pat, I know he says he wont do any more books but with his vast archive I wish he would.

This photo from my collection, some may disagree but I believe it is the Doane Spencer '32 when Jack Dorn was still the owner, filled grille shell and cowl. Same '36 Chevy headlights as full fendered version and some random Doane bloke leaning on the car. Guy in leather Jacket looks like Jack Dorn. '35 wire wheels indicate pre-war, war time era.

That weird drop axle in one of the photos still exist under Don Orosco's '32 roadster with the Riley ohv heads topped Flathead v8. Featured in one of the last Mort era Hop Ups.

 

This thread appears all but dead, but I thought l would add two photos of the roadster taken at the 1962 San Diego Roadster Club show. I had never seen a photo with the blower installed, but here it is. Photos courtesy of the Petersen archives.

 

Wow! Cragar injected blown Y-block! How cool issat??!!

 

Great photos, we get confirmation of the 4-71 installation and a good look at the beautiful headers Doane built in the R&C article from Sept. 1959 that @thunderbirdesq scanned for us in 2012.
That looks like a Scott injector rather than a Hilborn and the throttle is controlled by a Marbet hydraulic cylinder. Early on Marbet had their own foot shaped throttle pedal and later Dean Moon sold those with his pedal.

 

Found more in the Petersen archives, search Lynn Wineland for many more.

 

^^^^^ Great photos, first real clear ones of the front frame stepup. Bob

 

That Roto-Faze front mount is cool!

 

I like the tool set. Nowadays that looks like a "hack" pile. Lol. Amazing.

 

What a great thread. I just found it and read the whole thing. Fascinating!

 

Looks like the front framerail is "Z"d a little bit.

 

I'd put money on that being the original dash pictured earlier. Too bad it doesn't have that Covico wheel back in it too.

 

It is, if you read the thread you'll see that Doane wanted to lower the car but not drop the axle, so he z'd the front.

 

Perfect

 

More Petersen photos, shows good detail of front chassis rails.

 

Great photos, probably saw them before but old man syndrome is kicking in.

 

The boxing plates are stepped in like everyone does nowadays. Just another thing he did that took the rest of us a few decades to adopt.

 

Those photos are priceless!

 

Man loads of good shots in this thread. Awesome

 

The exhausts look solid mounted (welded?) to the frame, he must've used flexible exhaust tubing from the manifolds to the pipes?

 

I probably know more about this car than anybody.
Years ago , I worked on it for Neal East.
Then when Bruce Meyers sent it to Pete Chapouris' for the restoration,
I was the one who took it apart , did most of the restoration , & I put it all back together
I'm probably the last guy to have touched and / or massaged every part on this car .

 

Those archive photos are great, even with the watermark. Thanks for posting them.

 

I think it's very fitting that you were the guy to do the work Pete.

 

How does the car drive? Is it stiff? Or supple? Is there much travel on the suspension?

 

Good eye, and a great modification for the time frame it was built.
Doane Spencer was truly ahead of his time, and his 32 was the ultimate roadster in my opinion.

 

Most definitely. He never worried about the constraints of "tradition" on his builds. Little did he know he was creating techniques and build methods that would become the traditions we would adhere to decades later.

Bob

 

Great front end photos submitted by Jimmy B. I hadn't seen such detailed photos before of the kick up and narrowing in of the front frame rails. Did this configuration stay pretty much as is or was it changed somewhat in the Neal East or the Pete Chapouris later restorations? Maybe it is just the angle the photos were taken on but the frame rails seem to be narrowed in a lot. I find this car just fascinating to study.

 

Doane was a true open air roadster lover. Pat G. said he had a padded top and later a steel top but never seemed to run them.