Customs New member. Searching for grandfathers old ride

This is really amazing.

Searchingforaclassic, I know you are, but you need to treasure these moments. They are special.

 

pic from From 2013 pics @ Kustom Car Chronicles web site.

 

This pic ???


Look closer. Not the same car. This one is a 3 window, and is a clone.....................

 

This is without a doubt an 'Inspiration' of Vintage Hotrod...and there is a Hamber connection to it, maybe both...I thought this one was a BC Hotrod...I think I saw this in Deucedays covered here a while back but it could be a Stateside as many attend that event...

The article in CC was 2013...

Finding it as Grandpa had it all in the center of a nice dry barn...would be epic...be nice to see at the vintage drags...for a snotty pass...

Then head home...
​

 

Ok here is how the story goes.....

The car purchased by him (phil JR not his father) in 1954 as a bone stock 32 he stripped it down and traded parts off of it to machine shoo in exchange for a flathead v8 and the machine shop even installed it for him as soon as it was running the car what chipped and channeled with a drop axle up front and he z’d the frame in the rear for more drop. Drove it back and ford to school for quite some time like that, then he was a Chrysler dealer in Louisville picking up parts for another project and they had 5 354 hemi engines on pallets at losing dock and he purchased one for $500 and began installing it. The car had a 39’ for trans, a 48’ ford 2 speed rear end, 50’ Pontiac tail lights, a Austin Healy seat, 55’ or 56’ mercury steering wheel, and a 37’ packard dash panel with gauges, and a de Soto electric screw lift to raise and lower trunk lid. After he ran it around like that he put 4- 97 strombergs and contacted Ed inskenderian (isky racing) for a cam and he was sent an experimental cam that didn’t have any information it arrived wrapped in newspaper inside a piece of aluminum downspout and Ed told him to run it let him know what he thinks. After about a week he said he called him back and told him the cam was way too big so he swapped him out for a production cam. The exhaust was originally 4 into 1 with one pipe going into exhaust under car like in his pictures but he said his long trips to school they go way too hot so he changed it to 4 into 2 like in the pictures I have.

Ok now for how the car got painted.

The car was originally black with red steel wheels. He was a huge fan of barris and wanted the car painted purple. So him and two friends decided they would drive to California and get barris to paint the car but school and lack of money prevented that. So his two friends who’s parents were a doctor and lawyer told him they would drive his car out and get it painted if they could drive it out there and that there dads would pay for it. They wanted to go to beach for spring break 1958. He agreed so they drove the car from Louisville Ky to California got to barris’s shop and he turned them away said he was too busy but sent them down to none other that Larry Watson. When they arrived they told him all Phil wanted was it too be purple. So he come out with the pair left over from his very famous purple and silver paneled thunderbird. And that’s what color this car was the same exact color as his thunderbird. It also had very subtle orange pin strips and in the center of back trunk lid it said “ Paint by Watson”.

Ok here is where the story gets crazy. The friends were cruising Long Beach and stopped for gas and starting talking to a police officer and he informed them about all these hot rods that were impounded for street racing and they were trying to sell them. So they go down and take a look and they see a pretty much drag car that’s had the works done to it for $900 so the kids call there dad and tell them that Phil’s car engine blew and there gonna have to buy another car to get back home or plane tickets. So the kids fathers western union then the cash and the buy the hot rod out of impound. Well they didn’t wanna drive the purple 32 all the way back so they parked it behind a flying A gas station and leave it then head back to Kentucky in there new car. Obviously when they returned Phil looses his mind fights them and the whole works. He tells him mom and dad what happend and they have a friends at L&M railroad in Louisville so they ask if there is anything he can do to help get back. This is 3weeks later mind you. He obviously asks if the car is even still there. So with some phone calls to Norfolk railway in California they confirm the car is still at gas station with keys in it so the friends proceeds to tell to load car on container car and send it East. Eventually ending up back in Louisville at the train station.


He drives the car for roughly two more years and takes it too several gear hammer car shows where the car is promoted and photographed by bill carr. The same bill Carr with “ the Aztec” then in 1960 he lists car for sale in hotrod mag for $2500. In the mean time he is hanging out at drive inn and a guy from Shelbyville Ky pulls in driving a red on red 56 vette power pack 3 speed and they trade.

Ok here’s how my grandfather ended up with the car. The guy from shelbyville worked or went to school in millersburg Ky at the millersburg military institute which is the town where my grandfather was born and raised. And my grandfather approached him asking about the car ending up purchasing it with the help from a friend of his and the rest is history.


Now the question still remains where did the car go after that. I know that was a long story and still doesn’t get me (us) any closer to finding the car but atleast we know how it got painted and the crazy story of how it go left for dead and shipped back.

Hopefully there aren’t too me grammatical errors. Sorry if there is.



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Holy crap.

 

Holy crap!

 

Look closer. Not the same car. This one is a 3 window, and is a clone.....................[/QUOTE]
Sorry for Mis information,
Was Focus on tag, Need to get eye's checked , I had to go look @ my 32 to make sure its a Five window

 

That's a great story, thanks for sharing.
So it is your understanding, it was your Gramps who sold the car to someone in California? Do we know this as fact?
Who told you it was sold to a new owner in California? The reason I ask is, is it possible the story of the car being abandoned in California morphed over time into it being sold in California? Why does this matter? Well, if you didn't hear 'it sold to California' from your Gramps, and you heard it from your Dad (or someone else) your Dad would have been very young at the time and maybe the stories got mixed up. How does this pertain? Is it possible the car is still local? How would someone in California have known about a car for sale in Kentucky in the early 60's unless it was advertised in a magazine?

I see you say Phil K advertised in a magazine but how did your Gramps find a Cali buyer ... or did he?

Just sumpin' to think about

 

The HAMB strikes gold again. What a great story. Hope you find it.

 

It made its way back to Kentucky in 1958 after it was left behind gas station. My grandpa said it was sold to a guy in California. His best friend that help him purchased was a car dealer so I’m not sure if he had ties to someone on the west coast or if it were advertised in a magazine. My dad said he is pretty sure the car was gone around 63-64.


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What a beautiful car wow!! The HAMB HAS eggs too. Ya hang around welcome there are great people on here cool car

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@Ryan if you haven’t seen this you should see this

 

Lot of that in the Vatican!

 

Phil said that when he opened that container on the train when it arrived back to Louisville and saw the paint job for the first time he said it would put your eyes out it was so amazing. He said a few other things too lol not appropriate in case kids are reading lol


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Whether the car is still around remains to be seen but I will be very surprised if this car just vanished with no one remembering it after its arrival in California ... someone out there has to either know where this car is, know what happened to the car if it is no longer with us (accident/fire) or remember it as being owned by ____ in ____.

 

I agree with that 100% especially being paint by Larry Watson in his prime


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As cool as it gets.

 

If this hasn't been mentioned.....think this 2015 die cast was inspired by the original. Nailhead instead of the orig. Hemi. @Jive-Bomber post.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/grand-national-deuce-series-diecast.962912/

 

Truth is stranger than fiction. Great story, but where the #@%& is it??????

 

Phil kept saying no one ever believes this story lol. You are correct totally threw me off didn’t see that coming


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A lot of those early custom paints didn’t hold up very well, unless it was stuck in a garage it was most likely repainted.


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Great story .Hope you find it.

 

My father built this truck back in the 70s and sold it in 91. My brother found the vin number on an old registration and found someone at the local DMV willing to do a search. He found it 2 states over and was able to make a deal and buy it back. Maybe there's a registration for the coupe somewhere? Just an idea.... I wouldn't give up. That car is very cool!!

 

What? Kid abandons a Watson painted car behind a gas station with the keys in it? Why not sell it? What were they smoking? To get parents to give them $900 to buy a race prepped car and drive it home and then get into a fight over it, finding the coupe still behind the gas station after four years and shipped by rail.......Maybe its behind the gas station..

 

Not 4 years. Only 3 weeks.

 

Greatest story ever

Assuming the '32 survived the 10 years between being sold, and Street Rodding's resurgence in the early 70's, you can almost bet that it got a repaint and some Torque Thrusts to bring it into a more acceptable '70s/'80s "modern" look.

My suggestion is to start a new thread :

"CHANNELED '32 5 WINDOW COUPES"

These types of thread get very picture heavy, and who knows, Maybe someone will post and/or recognize some feature(s) of the original car.
It's a long shot...but could be a path to your next lead.

 

Question is what is Seb smoking?

 

Hmm Magazine coverage in the last 20 years? Seems like a good time to page @pgan

 

Amazing story! I'll be following along. I'd like to find my grandfather's 61 F100 but it was a stock nothing-special truck. A Watson painted channeled 32 coupe? Gotta be around somewheres.