I knew Dick Smith when I lived in Phoenix. The car was built with a nod to Smith’s car. It has a 40 column shift like Smith’s except he had the lever on the left for dating his wife to be.
Thanks every one! It has served me well. It has about 200K on it since 1990. Ten LARS cups. Never trailered.
I remember seeing Andy's roadster clear up north in Lincoln, Nebraska at Americruise about twenty years ago.
The valve covers and manifold are both Edmnuds and pretty rare. I have seen one other set of the covers and never another intake. Both are stamped 54. Probably date made. SBC killed sales of baby Hemi stuff. The engine is a 54 241. I started gathering parts for it in 85 and got it together in 90 running a 2x2 manifold with 97’s. I was really odd as everybody else was SBC, 350 trans, tweed, and Easter egg colors.
Thanks all. I am really astounded that anybody is interested in the old girl. . PS, In another life it was featured in the April 51 Hot Rod Mag running a flat Caddy.
The carb is a 54 Buick WCFB. Great carb. The inlet is stock on the rear. Only carb done that way I think. A new carb lever was made and the rest is 32 with a new rod using some modern joints.
Bringing this back up to the top. Andy I actually have one of those Edmunds intakes like yours. It has very heavy corrosion in the water passages though and needs major repair. I thought it was pretty rare when I bought it. I thought I could make some money on it and then when it got to me it had all of that corrosion extending to the edge of the inlet ports in places. Unfortunately this is the same way a lot of my unseen purchases have turned out throughout my hot rod life. I still figure it is worth a pretty penny to the right person who wants to restore it. Lol
Just looked in my collection for an April 1951 issue. I've got about everything but I don't have that one. Can anyone post a picture of the iteration of Andy's car which is shown in that issue and has the flat caddy engine in it. Just curious. Amazing if some of these old cars could talk and tell of the tales of the past.
I will post some pictures of it's early life. It was channeled. One thing that was unique was the mounting of the front bones. The cowl sides had holes the shape of wishbone caps. I suspect they used two 32 wishbones and used the balls. They probably sunk one side into the frame side and then sandwiched the ball in wirh another. Pics show up if you look for the caps.
My intake was all eaten up also. Holes and corrosion. I just welded it all up and blasted it. You can not tell the repairs.
I hope all will forgive me for posting more info on the car. I thought some would find it interesting Misc. pics There is one in LA in the rain going ot LARS. The guy standing next to the car is Dick Smith. The young guy is John Hall. I bought it from him off an ad in Specialized Auto in Houson. I drove down to Galveston and told his mother I would be back with a tow bar. I took the plate and light of the 3W and drove from Beaumont and got it the next weekend. I had not given a deposite or a phone number but they held it for me. John and his brother had bought it and another roadster from a guy that had got them in LA. Jan passed and Wally Peckham has the other car to this day. John and Wally still run together. John got a perfect frame and floor from the yard in Brenham. I did not get that axle. I was not going to cut that frame. The whole front crossmember with the spring mount, engine mounts, and steering box mount all come out as a unit. It just slides back and out after removing the bolts. The original holes were used. The headlight stands bolt to the fender brace holes and the shock arms use crossmember holes. I did not weld up any holes one the body or frame. I just filled them with bondo. All can be punched out.
I am extreamly lucky to have the car. I had to wait a week to go get the car and they held it for me. It did not have a title. I asked John where the frame came from. I called the guy and he had the title to the frame. He mailed it to me. I just took it to the DMV and registered it! It was from a two dr sedan. It just said two door so I was good.
Yep. Towed it with my 60 Chevy. I still have it also The roadster has not been on a trailer since I bought it.
I would like to share some of the odd stuff on the chasis. The K member is stock but I added a torque box and legs to stiffen the chassis. It is very stiff now compaired to before. No cowl shake and the doors open even on very unequal ground. It bolts in to stock holes. I had to make a special pedal braket because of the shift levers being in the way The pedals are modified 40 stuff. The Ford throwout bearing fork was bent so it works with the Chevy throwout bearing. The trans is a 57 Chevy The rear suspension eleminates body roll from engine torque plus gives equal loading of the tires. The axle housing wind up puts an up load on the pass side with a torque arm which keeps the body level plus it pushes down on the right tire to equal the loads. No need for a posi or a spool. Equal traction. Rear spring rate is 115 The front suspension features a fiberglass spring. That is how I got the front so low wihout cutting the frame. It is W shaped under load. Front spring rate is 140. It also has a rear anti-roll bar. I use it to tune the car so it does not have so much under-steer. Every time I get new tires I have to change the bar. .
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