Long-lost ’32 Ford was drag-racing star

We don’t hate him already?

 

It's kinda easy to have a history that's only one race meet long. It's a cool old Deuce race car that NEEDS to be given another chance at life. Restore it properly.

Scotty.

 

Dave,
Your car is Bad ass as well!...I remember the pics you posted when you first got it. I think alot of guys that wish for the old Hot rod barn finds, Don't realize How much stress and sleepless nights come with owning a real old hot rod, As that real old hot rod will always belong to the builder in everyones eyes. and sometimes it sucks to own someone else's car....LOL. When I got my first five window. It had sat in the same garage untouched since 1954. however it was all original. I put gas and a batt in it and drove it. I had guy's telling me Not to do anything to it! others telling me to hot rod it.(which were my plans when I bought it anyhow) but because of all these guys in my ear, I was afraid to touch it for the first 2 years for fear of making the wrong choice. That's why I am so glad I was never able to find any history on my other five window, It was a old hot rod from cali chopped in the late 50's and leaded in. But that is about all I know, And I am good with that, As I am building it the way I want to and it will be my car, And Not someone else's old car....LOL....But I love your car and I think you made the right choice with what you have done with it.

 

Yeah, but why spend the money to restore someone else's car?...unless you have tons of it. Not to mention what about the patina on that car the way it is?...Not even the best fakers could fake original patina like that.

 

I think it has gone beyond cool patina. way too much serious rust.

the thing I don't like about a lot of these restorations of old HOT RODs like this is they overdo it. probably had a brush painted frame and cheapo paint. then someone buys it and restores it to compete at Pebble Beach.

I lean more towards a redo, though either way it's cool.

 

not guna restore it...what a waste.

 

right on!

 

Nice find! Its a split decision on restoring it.After seeing all the pics and seeing it still retains what looks like every part of the original build is still there and nothing borrowed,I would lean more towards restoring it EXACTLY like it was since you have documentation.Only because it is rusted so bad. Kinda funny guys try to make cars look like this and now here's a 100% real example and more people want to see it restored!??? All I can say to finish my comment is do it right and have fun doing it!

 

on the topic of the "patina"

Think of it this way, if you originally built that car, would you like to see it years later rusted and rotted out to shit or nicely restored to how you built it? I know which way I would like to see it.

We have a hamber here Dean Lowe (if you spent any time here you shouldnt need an explaination of who he is), who had a well documented race car/cover car that was found and now is in the UK...its sitting as found, Dean wants it restored back to how it was, not left the way it was found.

 

Great looking car. They need to document the hell out of it... as is... and then restore it.

 

What a great fine and story. If it was mine i would restore it to the day it was put in storage

 

Too cool , what a find.

 

I have to agree...
This is NOT what it looked like in it's Glory Days
Restore to 100% what it was when parked....But...Don't Over restore it
Put a smile back in the car....

 

Contact "deuce3w/coupe" for advice - he has a similar barn find. By the way Gerard, did you see this...

 

At one there was a old 8mm film someone posted on U-tube that showed that race in 1954 .

 

Can we have more pics of it please??
Amazing find!!

 

Put a fresh charge of Alky in that bitch an get to the strip!

 

That car needs to be in a museam and 105 mph from a carbed flathead back then was fantastic......

 

I absolutely love this car, the history and the fact that it is completely unchanged. It is true history in 3D. Not just old black and white photos of how it was or old stories that have been embellished each time they are told. This is an artifact. Maybe the only survivor from The 1954 World Series of Drag Racing. I wouldn't touch anything. I would probably have never washed it. Very surprised to see everyones opinion here since this is the home of all things vintage. So many people want to restore and otherwise molest it. This is a rare piece of racing history, not a project car. O.K. That was 3 cents worth.

 

I agree.

I'm typically all about not messing with good patina. But this isn't good patina, this was a very nice car that was neglected in a field. It's scars didn't come from racing, they came from neglect. That rust in the lower panels is a deal-breaker for me in trying to preserve the original paint. If it was really solid, I'd do a "sympathetic restoration" on it....buff out the red paint, pull the body of the frame...probably repaint the frame, grill insert and firewall white and redo all the mechanicals.

I'd leave the dangerous gas tank as a historical item and hide another gas tank somewhere.

I'd LOVE to find something like this. I'd treat it right, get it back on the road and cherish it always. I'd restore it, but not like the goobers do with some of the Pebble Beach hotrods. I was raised around some very very nice homebuilt drag cars from the 60's and 70's and while they were nice....none of them looked like the big bucks over-restorations that you see on some of the historical hotrods.

Maybe one day, I'll be the guy uncovering something of this caliber.

 

That is beautiful!!!My Dream engine in my dream car!!!!!!

 

Time to bring this one back up for anyone that missed it the first time around....
I have wondered what did ever happen to this outstanding old race car????
Anyone know it's faith?

 

IMO, This car should be properly restored to what it was, and run. There is plenty of documentation to do so, and have it correct. But to each his own. GREAT CAR!!

 

History is History . It needs back on the road , restored or as the new owner sees it. It is his now.

 

Wonder how much he paid for it? Looks like a nice little retirement fund!
Jay

 

Cool story. They are still out there....

 

I have to question that 8/10's of a mile thing. Don't that sound like one of those stories some jackwagon would expect you to believe? Didn't even need a test lap!

 

Thanks! It's a classic story well worth revisiting.

 

There is History and there is HISTORY, winning a race in 1954 does not make it sacred in my thinking. Fix it up and drive it, that's what it missed in the last 60 years, being used.