Originally built in the 60's, by the early '70s Ron Wilson's '29 Chev Roadster was for sale on a suburban Melbourne (Australia) used car lot. When I was young, primer was something you lived with until you were ready for or could finally afford, shiny paint. This is the standard of fit, finish and presentation we aspired to. Check out the wide tyres on deeply reversed chromies, this was the state of the art back in the late 1960s, early 1970s. Goodyear's new 70 series Polyglass tyres and Firestone's 'wide ovals' were just arriving on the scene and only the richest car owners could afford them. The popular alternative for anybody wanting the wide wheel fat tyre look was a set of used Dunlop, Goodyear Blue Streak or those new Japanese Bridgestone racing tyres. No matter how it's viewed, Ron Wilson's '29 Chev was a class act then and it would still be so today. This car had it all, including an almost completely chromed undercarriage. Aussie Chev's only came with sixes, even during the fifties and early sixties, so with very few SBCs available for the rodder who wanted a modern OHV engine, there was only one way to go. The venerable Ford Y block. Another indication of the attention to detail in this car is in the hand made studs with diamond shaped heads that were used to retain the chromed firewall. And the chrome plated trim piece around the exhaust pipe to neatly protect the paint where the hot pipe passed thru the valance panel. Inside, the black pleated upholstery was simple, with the padded dash filled with dials and the deep dish '56 Fairlane steering wheel taking pride of place on what may have been the original steering column, or maybe it had the entire steering system from the Fairlane, I dunno. Even the trunk was fully trimmed, with the custom fabricated battery box and all the garnishes and brackets etc. liberally chrome plated. Yup, coming or going, this car was one class act, which I guess is why the dealer was asking almost 8 times the going rate for an EH Holden special (an 8 year old used family car). Lookin' at thes old pics makes me wish I'd had enuff cash to put a downpayment on it, instead of just taking some photographs. :cry: Now almost 30 years on, here's what it looks like today..... Looks super cool for sure, but I think I still like it better the way it was......
One of the great Aussie Hot Rods, thanks for the great detailed shots Carps. I've only seen the grainy AHRR & AHR articles. It is only a shadow of its former self but at least it still looks like a Hot Rod not a tricked out street rod.
Some interesting history there but i can't help wonder what the price difference in the day was between that and the red Monaro in the background of one of those shots?
In the late 60's Ronnie Wilsons Chevy could be seen cruzin around where I grew up in Sydney, and at the local shows. It was a stand out Rod for its time, and its great to see colour pictures of how it use to be. And how I remember it. It is a shame that cars like this have to change, but new owners need to personalise them make to it theirs. And time and trends also change. At least it has survived, where many others have not. I have some B&W photos of it somewhere.
Nice pictures carps!! I love how terrible the proportions are on a lot of early aussie hot rods. Wide front tyres on hot rods did and always will look awful!!
Where would Aussie Hot Rodding have been without the Ford Y-block? Great pic's, the whole concept of a Rod of that quality being for sale at a local used car lot is amazing to me.
My pleasure Jerry, I figured there'd be some here who'd appreciate it. Yeah, it just got too hard, if I need to be told that I don't know shit from clay all I gotta do is talk to my daughter, don't need to come here for it. ;-) However, I do lurk and I'm active in the model car group, such that I won the first build off.
Here a couple of 'indoor' shots from the early '70s. Shot about 30 years ago, the bloke who owned this one is a regular here and well known to many others. Some of you may even recognise him..... And a few from the early 80's, this one is pretty much unchanged. This roadster originally built in the '60s is now in the care of Whodaky. This one is now a full fendered SBF powered restorod.
thanks for the cool oz history lesson carps. i love seein this stuff and great to have the modern version to compare it to.
Nice carps..........did we have much in the way of roth style rods during that time? Bubble tops.etc?...the chrome back then seemed deeper and better quality to whats around today too .................Bert
Hubba, I love old rods! I used to be turned off by show rods and the more garish examples of the 60's and 70's but I'm finding more and more I appreciate them for what they are. Danny
Nah, the typical rod was like the pair of channelled roadsters, although the blue one known as "Rapshody in Blue" was much better finished than the average rod. You aint wrong there Bert, quality plating has become a victim of the 'green' society we now live in.
That's interesting because some of the responses to my posting the pic on Ozrodders.com suggest that you sold it and it's inrecognisable. Just enough to make it better and leaving his own 'mark' on it is not going to make it worse. When it passed thru my shed it was duck egg blue, but since it was too tight a fir for me to drive, it was moved on quickly. Did you know it was yellow before it was blue flake? Me neither but that's the word according to 'brother cousin'. Mark has copped a mountain of shyte for doing what he's done, but when it all boils down, it's his car and his right to rebuild it the way he wants. As I'm often told........forget feeling, "You are!"
Thanks for the cool pix Carps, any more? It is a shame when you see cool old cars getting the modernisation treatment, but like you say it is theirs to do what they like with. Here is another that just recently got modernised, do you remember it? Regards Charlie
Thanks for the pics Carps, Every thing looks great with a Y in it! Has the sedupe got a flathead back in it yet?, when i saw it in sydney a few years back it had a sbf in it-looked a bit goofy with 4 into 3 side pipes but glad it is relatively untouched. $1950 for a 350 munro-got a time machine anyone?
The Ozrodders thread is up to 33 pages now and I don't think I've even scratched the surface. But it's very time s=consuming scanning then making themm web freindly so rather than repost them all here, here's the link to Ozrodders for all who may be interested. http://www.ozrodders.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=29313&start=0
Thousands! Check out the link to Ozrodders for a few more. WOW Charlie that sucker looks perfect the way it was! It could be one of many I've seen over the years but that car in that condition doesn't ring any bells. If it were mine I'd be 'restoring' it. However, I do remember white fender piping.
The Jalopy Journal
