Hot Rods Whose '34 3W is this (San Gabriel, 1990s)?

I spotted this car a block from my house in San Gabriel, CA sometime in the 1990s; it was parked across from O'Donnell Chevrolet-Buick on Las Tunas and San Gabriel Boulevard:






Last registration sticker was from 1960; looks like a garage find with fresh wheels and tires. I never saw it again; but I think someone here may own it? Would love to hear the backstory and find out what's under the hood, and what it looks like now.

Over to the experts!

 

Critter: Sorry, I don't know. What I do know is I wish it was sitting in my garage.

 

yes, that is nice!

 

ss34coupe, the car in your avatar is what made me think it belonged to a H.A.M.B.er - is that the same car?

 

Not the same car. The one in my avatar was owned by a local guy for almost 4 decades before I bought it in 2012 - it has since gone to a new owner. During that time it was not operable, and was in Canada at the time you spotted the coupe shown in your pictures. Like you, sure would be nice to find out what happened to the San Gabriel coupe.

 

love to find something like that!

 

Maybe the ZZ Top car ?

 

............................Sure hope not.

 

I guess I’ll cop to being the expert . That’s my 34 Ford Deluxe 3W. I worked @ O’Donnell Buick-Opel from 1981-99, this picture was shot probably around Dec, 97.
In Oct of 1989 Mr. R.W. O’Donnell thought that we as a company should buy Mission Chevrolet (Since 1938) 100 S. San Gabriel Bl. San Gabriel, CA.91776.
We had the Buick-Opel Dealership @ 220 S. San Gabriel Bl. since 1964 as Fisher Buick-DBA O’Donnell Buick-Opel. The reason for this explanation is because had we never bought Mission, that coupe never would’ve never been parked there.
So 1st off I’d like to say “Thank You!” for taking these pix as I rarely parked there as that parking belonged to our neighbor across the street on the S-E corner. Most of the time,We’d get in trouble for parking there.
So a little history on my 3W. This has been my 4th 34 3W in as much in a 10 yr period during that time and I ended up with another shortly after that picture was taken so that would be #5. So all of the #’s 3 thru 5 I continue to care for.
This blue one is indeed a true old school “Barn Find” which was actually in a garage in the High Dessert. The owner lived in Compton. It has a CA. Pink paper title from 1949 when it resided in Calexico. He only had recently stored the coupe “Up the Hill” as he bought a house for his sister and that was a nice dry place to store it.
Now I’d be remiss if I was to tell you this coupe was easy to obtain, It literally was as a result to a slew of calls to Compton and numerous conversations with its former owner as he really wanted to make sure whoever was to become its next caretaker wasn’t going to flip it. He’d be happy to know that I’ve continued to have it 26 yrs later.
I’ve told the story elsewhere of how I came to know about this 34, but I wasn’t the only one, it seems that this person told like anyone who’s in the model 40 know, so as I was calling the former owner, he informed me that like 20 something people that I know was trying to get it as well.
Fortunately for me he said that it was mine just show up on Thursday by noon, he didn’t arrive till 5pm. I laid that cash in his hand right when he drove up, switched out the tires hooked up the tow bar to my 76 Datsun King Cab and dragged that sweetie home white knuckling it all the way home to Temple City. Mind you I had no tow lights….
Lastly below is parts of my 1st & 2nd 34.
this 34 was always on the street just south of where your images were shot, most of the time it wore Dirt Track Tires on the rears on 16” American 5 Spokes that are presently doing time on the rear of my 34 Roadster.
Thx 4 posting this nearly 7 years back, now ya know most of the story.

 

$

 

Took a while, but there she is.

 

To cool
The power of the HAMB

 

Neat story....

 

I found this post by coincidence. I was looking for vintage pix of where I worked and just happened upon this post otherwise I most likely wouldn’t have seen it. Pretty funny but I did find it & I dig all of the pix, wish there was more. Other than me changing the color of the wheels from off white to black , that car looks exactly the same. one kool fact. The rear tires that are on it are the originals from the California Kid, Jake gave them to me. I wore them out in the River City Reliability Run.
I was sick about that, Had to leave them in Redlands @ a Winston tire Store.

 

Hi Kevin! Thanks for sharing and filling us in about that sweet coupe. What year flathead is it running? Any mods to it? Looks pretty stock.
I remember one of the older mechanics there (or his dad?) had an o/t yellow '66 Grand Prix with vintage mags that used to be parked out there - couldn't get him to sell, unfortunately.
I used to live in this house just north of there on Elm Avenue from 1988-2001; supposedly an old mechanic lived there before - there were two garages; one had a grease pit and I found some brake lines tagged "41 Willys" in the other (behind my '63 Ford), plus an in-ground oil tank with hand pump. Sound familiar?



Sorry about the O/T car in the house shot.

 

Hey there,
Yes, that 66 Poncho belonged to a young man who started across the street at our Buick store by checking in new cars off the truck, did some warranty claims under my wife’s (Sharon who I met there in 1983) guidance. His name was Jon and he later became a service advisor @ our Combined Buick-Chevrolet Store. That car was his fathers originally, I believe he still has it?
I’m sorry but it was early in the morning when I surprisingly found this thread and amazed that someone actually took the time to record those images of my 34 Coupe.
You inquired at about the drive train. I think about the time when you shot the coupe, it was running the 40 Ford engine & original 34 Ford trans. Can’t tell from the pix if I put the Mor-Dropped axle in about the same time, but around that same time I decided to swap out that engine & trans for a rebuilt & modified 1940 24 stud & Joe Mac built 39 trans.
One of the most important things that this coupe has done is that it was the test bed for my continued existence with Cyclone Racing Equipment and it’s 24 Stud heads. Per Cook’s Machine Works-Cyclone’s partner Jim-proprietor of our Cook’s side required that we “mount our 1st continued run on that coupes engine”. That’s 24 pairs of heads that were poured machined, tested and later recast again to prove that we!d have a continued proven product that would continue Mendel Ledington’s proven legacy in the pioneer aftermarket racing equipment forum.
The engine is .040 over and runs adjustable lifters, a single 94 carb, a 12 volt positive ground generator by the late Stan Van Amburg
And of course 24 Stud Cyclone Heads.
We’ve done a lot of things with the coupe, it’s been to Muroc in 96-97-98, and many Antique Nats.
These days it’s land locked by an off topic 87 V8 Buick Regal from.O’Donnell and a 66 Malibu with a 383-4spd. All projects…
I had it out a little while back, it’s coming out again especially after seeing this thread.
Thank you again & if you have any other pix send them on over.
I do recall that exact house that you lived in, the guy had a Black 39 Coupe with a nice Flatty, he had other cars, perhaps that Willys?
That was a bitchin garage!!!!!
Hope all is well.
CK.

 

Hey Kevin, Good to know Jon's GP is (hopefully) still in good hands. Interesting to hear about the previous resident at the house - we rented it when my roommates got the job repainting it; by then it belonged to the old folks' home next door. They decided to develop the place in '01 so we had to move, but before then you might have seen some of my other H.A.M.B.-worthy cars - blue '64 Comet wagon, that '63 Galaxie, and my white '64 Catalina 2+2 convertible.

I don't have any other shots of your '34, but in 1994 I shot some photos of cars being used in a scene for the Showtime cable movie Roadracers, filmed at the roller rink next door to O'Donnell:
















I also recall a maroon base model '51 Kaiser for sale next to the dealer for a few years - guess it sold eventually.

Just remembered one more thing - some TV series filmed a scene in your showroom where an actor had to throw a football through a big glass window; unfortunately the flying glass scratched the hell out of a new Corvette and the studio had to pay to repaint it .

 

Wow great
Thread

 

Super cool!

 

Thanks @Cyclone Kevin for the history on your vintage rod.
You have a nice collection.

 

Great trip down memory lane for me, I moved to SoCal from Oregon at the ripe old age of a teenager in 1970. Went to work at a muffler shop turned Firestone tire store on San Gabriel blvd just south of Mission. Directly across San Gabriel from that shop was Jon's Speed and Sport which was next door to Gale Banks racing Engines. Adjacent to our shop was a welding shop that was eventually bought by Dale (forgot last name) and Gary Lorenzini who eventually went into real estate and still is in Arcadia. He had a T-Bucket that I rode in once and scared the shit out of me! He sold it and his wife bought it back years later, he has some really cool HAMB friendly cars still. I eventually went to work for San Gabriel Ford (was always a Ford guy) and moved out of the area in the 80's finally ending up back in Oregon in the 90's. Great area for a young gearhead to find and move to, met Pete of Pete and Jakes at the welding shop and bummed a ride in the "kid", met and did some work for Gale Banks. Met my wife there and she worked at Jon's Speed and Sport for many years and spent way too much time at Irwindale drag strip. I do remember there was a house in the middle of the block that Mission Chevy occupied, rumor at the time was that the owner wouldn't sell so they built the dealer around it. Great times!

 

What a cool thread / read. Thanks, guys!

 

Very cool pics and brief stroll back through time…

 

That’s so kool and something that I was actually looking for, “Vintage Pix” of where we once worked. If you look in the background that’s the original location of “O’Donnell Motors” @ that point. I really learned many things there and enhanced my life with many of the relationships that we as employees cultivated.
What’s the street address of the house that you lived in, I googled the area I think that place is a memory now. Most places are including both of San Gabriel’s GM Dealerships. I drive by them most days.
CK

 

All of those places mentioned were shops that I couldn’t believe I live by,
Both Gary & his son Scott are pals of mine. That T is indeed “Vintage Tin” material.
The 32 3W coupe has a helluva historic background once owned by a Banker Bro & later Richard Loe.
The area had all kinds of great car stuff to do
That shop where you worked was off of Fairview and San Gabriel Bl. directly across from Alta Dena Dairy to the west and The Patio bar/restaurant to the south. Did ya ever eat @ Bobs Beef Burger (Formerly In N Outs’s partner Bob and an original location).
I lived @ the West Side San Gabriel Village off Ramona. I still have the family house, but live in Former home of The California Kid’s place of creation-Temple City.
I’m glad that you had a chance to live here in that time as those sound like kool memories, did ya get a chance to take any pix? If so, would love to see them.
CK.

 

The address was 8226 Elm Avenue, on the corner of Elm and Gladys. The property owners squeezed two houses on the lot, now 8226 and 8228.
From what history I could find, our house was built in 1906, and was originally the farmhouse for a walnut tree orchard - the rest of the neighborhood homes date to the 1940s or so. My housemates were a family of house painters originally from El Salvador, and the rent was reasonable for the time as long as we didn't bother the owners over pesky things like maintenance . Plus we had free avocados from the backyard tree if the squirrels didn't get 'em first.
A couple more shots of the place (again forgive the O/T T-bird, which I bought at San Gabriel Ford):

 

I haven't reached out to Gary for several years (man time flies!), we sent a few emails from time to time. He sold me both houses I owned in the 22 years I lived in California. The first was in the county area north of Duarte on Muscatel, the second was in Glendora. I don't have any pictures of the workplaces in San Gabriel as I was not really into that as a young person and didn't even think of spending money on film, sounds dumb now, doesn't it! Had another friend in common with Gary and that you may know, he lived on the corner of Vista and Duarte named Terry. Had a 40 sedan and a 29 roadster, his mom had a 66 Mustang GT Fastback, he moved to Idaho years ago. I worked with him at Robinson Erickson Ford (turned San Gabriel Ford later). Also on Vista was my old boss from Firestone, a guy named Addison. He had an early 442 that ran low 12's and a Porsche 356 SC. Just trying to think of people we might have known in common. Tell Gary Mark and Cheryl say HI! if you see him. Mark EDIT: Oh yea, I did eat at Bob's Beef Burger, another favorite was Fosters freeze on San Gabriel just south of Valley blvd. Also still miss Taco Lita and still go to the one on Duarte when we visit SoCal. Have some bad stories about the Patio, don't ask!

 

Best thread in a long while! Love that coupe.

 

Reading this thread brings back memories. The Terry you are talking about didn't have a 40 but, his 29 roadster had one of the coolest four port Riley's around. At various times he also had a 32 window with blown flathead and, a 57 ranchero. Moved to Boise after his mom passed. Still lives there today.