Not the correct vin for a 32 but I wouldn’t rock the boat, as stated serial number on trans case frame rail and title all matched from the factory usa would have been an 18 (v8 )or B (4cyl)prefix other countries had different prefix also
There is another picture of Ed standing with his coupe sans fenders. It may show the hood since it is a side shot. I'll look for it. I think it was in a late 70's issue of Street Rodder with an article on him.
Hey C, I met Jerry Slattery back in those early hot rod picnics and shows in So Cal. (It was easy to spot us, as we had a couple of cameras hanging around our necks or a brown photo bag being lugged around) I also met him at various magazine offices as we were both competing for story bylines and photo articles. He gave me some great ideas and I am sure his photo files could tell a ton of stories from the time machine. He was/is an artist and took great photos. I, too, lost contact with him over the million years and hope he is doing well. Wow, a lot of So Cal residents end up in Oregon... Jnaki My photo files are kind of cleaned out. But I still have my original Asahi Pentax 35mm film camera and lenses, from back in those early days. We can only hope those photos from Jerry's files help out. Your 32 coupe is rather cool looking. Hopefully, we will see your hot rod on the streets and events in So Cal. Hot rod history is always nice to find and read about for future references. Regardless of the outcome, your hot rod would be a welcome addition to any cruise or event. Enjoy it !!!
update, Ok i tracted down ed gills brother, a super nice car guy, he said ed passed away 3 years ago unfortunately...but he sent me some super cool pics of when his brother found his coupe and built it in 63/64, ed graduated from wilson high school in 64, street raced the coupe with a 330 olds and ran it at LYONS dragstrip too, he said the car was a dark metallic brown when his brother had it....i cant tell from the pics but there are some simularities and some differences, ed had the car upto 69/70....my buddy found the car in 87 and it was dark marroon when he found it....if its the same car then that lapse of time is when a few changes happened to it....tell me what u guys think....
Nice to see those Pics.That's Ed Gill as I remember.I was a sophomore at Wilson High '59-'60 and graduated from Millikan in '62.Later lived in Belmont Shore and the Belmont Heights.Lots of Hot Rodders there in LB at the time.We all kinda hung around together back then at Hody's etc.Sorry to hear of his passing. Great guy.
my dad kerry shaw graduated from wilson in 61 and lived in naples, he had a 51 vicky silver slammed with leg pipes....small world
Those vintage pics are awesome. Love the driveway buzz box action! If your car is indeed Ed's old car, you should see if Ed's Brother can provide the address/street. Would be cool as hell to take the car there and replicate the shot of Ed standing next to the finished Coupe. Chances are those homes look the same. Maybe if his Brother is local, you can ask him to meet up and stand in for Ed. Take him for a spin in his Brother's old car and buy him lunch.
well further invistigation has led me to think that this is not ed gills car, as his brother stated that ed gills car had 1/4" thick aluminum floors and firewall, and my car had the oem steel floor in the car just channeled and welded ontop of the frame rails.......found this pic of ed roths car, shaved trunk lid and running lights and chevy tail lights and louverned hood and channeling....do any of you guys know any of eds super close friends who were around him when he had his coupe in 50 or so? the rear x member on my car has some strange stuff done to it and so does the frame, wonder if one of his buddys would recall?? I hate to unchannel the car if it really was ed roths coupe from 1950...
Roth is cool, boy that'd be something to have his coupe.....I always wonder what happened to his '55 chev
I met Ed a couple of years before he passed at Hot August nights in Reno . I built all his models growing up , I bought a few of his tees which he autographed for me and got to shake his hand . Still makes me smile every time I think about that day . Nice car by the way hope it was his and I might be able to see it one day for more smiles .
old post but from what i can find on my coupe, the lead work is very nice and zero bondo prior to painting. Ed gills car didnt have a filled cowl vent my coupe has a leaded in cowl vent..ed gills coupe didnt have much of a chopped grill, ed roths car has a pretty chopped grill just like my coupe does...I heard by rumor that there is a national data base linking vin#s to license plates running back as far as vin #s?? Cant say if thats true, but it sure would answer some ?s for this coupes history...
this 3 window has the same tail lights and their placement on the rear valance matches the pics, ed roths hood is louvered and the hinge is removed and filled, I have that hood, it came with the car,leaded strap for strength on the underside louvers on the outside. We are going to check the rear deck to see if any holes for the license plate have been filled from the backside...I was going to take this car off its channel job, i purchased brookville subrails to have the Bomb factory put it back ontop of its rails, but the more we investigate this being ed roths car, im torn between the car i want and leaving this car to history to be restored to eds formal glory....eds home in maywood is like 8 miles away from where my buddy jimmy found this car in the early 1985....the headlight mounts look simulair too, the car has an old heavy 32 dropped axle and split bones up front...Im confused now! lol...decisions decisions.....cam
So, why not build it exactly like Roths car, If you find out it is the original car then you did it justice by restoring it, If you find out it was not the car then you cloned a bitchin old hot rod, sounds like a win either way
if it is roths old car i will leave it alone and restore it to the way he built it, just want to find a definitive answer...thanks hamb'rs...
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