They came with the car. those cars then were only 10-20 years old most of them still had their tops too.
That top is PERFECT! Is that a carson style top, or did someone manage to chop the bows ad recover that well!! wow!
I agree with Al -- a Bob Lee top. While not exclusively his, deep side-curtain plackets and hidden snaps on the rear at the cockpit combing are characteristics of his tops. That, and he had 'the eye;' a Bob Lee top looked great! Mike
interesting...wonder if bob lee tops are still being made? or style, im sure you could have one made but man, that sure looks good! love those ribs in the back
As best as I remember, Bob Lee was a trimmer who did tops one at a time. He no doubt had some patterns for some of the pieces, but he was essentially a custom top trimmer -- along with doing upholstery work. As with the other disciplines needed to create hot rods and custom cars, trimming -- upholstery and top making -- is only as good as the abilities of the person doing the work. There are, and have been, a lot of folks doing competent work, and some of them -- like Bob Lee -- have the designer's eye that allows them to elevate their craft to something approaching art. You can have a Bob Lee-style top, just so long as you find a really good and willing trimmer who will understand and pay attention to what you want and then deliver -- not always easily done.
My `32 should fit in here ,too original frame 1939 brakes and wheels 1935 trans 59AB engine brookville body....i guess you can`t have it all...
"Lee Blaisdell was the official SCTA and CRA photographer, who later worked for Pete Petersen at Hot Rod Magazine from January to May, 1948. His treasure trove of photos were given to the SCTA and we are now trying to locate them. Don Garlits has some of Lee's later photos and has made them available for the SCTA Minutes 1937-1948 book." Here are my photos of Grandpa Lee he gave to me last month.
1949 picture of Dick Price's '32 Roadster. It was red with cream colored rims. The house in the background was just used for the back drop (San Bernardino, CA.) Dick's father owned the local Hudson Dealership. It was kind of the hang out for the San Berdoo Roadster Club which was founded in '48 by Harber and a few other guys that were tired of driving over to Redlands for the Hornets meetings. That '32 roadtster ran 137.00 on pump gas at El Mirage. It would have been a record but he could not back it up. Dick knocked up his girlfriend and later had to sell the roadster to pay a lawyer for a divorce. He told me, "it was worth every penny to get rid of that bitch." The roadster was last seen at a gas station in Highland in the early 50's, it has since vanished.
This is Harber in front of his parents house in San Bernardino back in 1947. That is a Chevy frame (Harber will not admit to that) with a T body and a flathead V8. They towed that car from San Berdoo to El Mirage with a rope. Eventually it ran 124.00 (I think) in '48. The engine was pulled and went into the # 29 Belly Tank. It ran 164.00, then he sold the tank to Scotty and the engine went into Harber's '41 pickup. His wife drove the pickup with the 164 mph engine in it while Jim was stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Korean War.the last shot added is of Jim Harber's #29 belly tank at the 2nd Bonneville meet in 1950 just added it for story reference.
Sandy's Muffler Shop roadster, on the lakes in 1941 with a borrowed engine from fellow Idlers club member Bob Lloyd. Sandy had purchased the Orr streamliner with Lloyd at the conclusion of the '40 racing season and they had installed the 115 mph engine from Sandy's roadster into the liner. Orr continued to pilot the liner through the war years and I have to look for signs of Lloyd or Hanks taking the controls after '40. Meanwhile Sam Hanks was building a replica of a Miller Ford Indy V8 to put into Sandy's roadster. At the conclusion of the '41 racing season the roadster went through a complete makeover at the hands of Bill Summers, younger brother of famous bodyman Jimmy, in preperation for the Miller V8 and in '42 at a REVS Car Club invitational it was awarded the REVS Fastest Roadster Trophy with a speed of 125.854 mph.
The Jalopy Journal
