Hot Rods Anybody remember this 36 roadster from late 50s to early 60s in Huntsville, AL?

Trying to gain some history on this roadster I just got.

This is how it looked when purchased in 1996 from a widow in that area that had kept the car as her husband had it when he passed in 1961. Yep, 1961.
Apparently he was going for more of an Auburn look by removing the running boards and reworking the back of the front fenders as well as the rear ones and trimming the front of the fenders.
Here's a current pic of the engine but believe it to have been essentially the same for many years.

Oh yeah, and it had a 1940 dash and used the column shifter.

The car has been in the Atlanta area since 1996 as it was continually refined and improved.
The dash has been painted and the seats and upholstery have been redone so not sure what looked like in 1961 but it did already have the 40 dash with working column shifter.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It was unique enough that I would hope someone remembers it or has pictures.
I think it was a fairly early car with a body id tag of 2340.
Thanks,
Al

 

that is really cool. do you have any more pictures?

 

No info but cool hot rod

 

This was a very small town in 1961. And probably not many hot rodders here back then. There may not be many people still alive that would remember that. I didn't live here then so I am of no help. I will try and post it on the local car enthusiast web site if I can.

 

All I can say is WOW!!!! That thing is really cool. Make sure you check the oil level as there is a telltale sign in pic #1.

 

1961......could have been a military guy at Redstone Arsenal. I'm not old enough, born in 59, and have never lived in Huntsville either, so I can't help either other than to say it looks like a nice ride!

 

Saw the car in Lineville probably at least 10 or more years ago. Young couple owned at that time. I took some pictures of it and will see if I can find them. It looks much the same now as it did then.

 

wow......

 

Man that's neato! More pics please!

 

Pictures taken a lot longer ago that I thought. 11-5-2000

 

Comparing my pictures to yours, it doesn't look like much has changed. Driver side front fender primered and a few decals added. The couple that owned it back then looked like they were in their late twenties. I don't ever remember seeing it any where else after that show.

 

As a 18 year old I moved to Huntsville in 1964. I know several people { still alive and still have use of their faculitys} that had the local car club called The Coachman. They opened the drag strip and had a lot going on in this area .I will talk to a few of them in the next week and will try to get info. This was in the early stages of the Rocket program and hsv went from a population of 10 thousand in the 1960 cincus to 95 thousand in 1965. PM me the widows name and any other info and I will try to help you.... Bobby.

 

^^^ Thanks for the kind words about the car and particularly the additional pictures. A GREAT start!
I don't have the widow's name but a fellow I know down that way called me yesterday about the glass 36 roadster I have for sale and while discussing that; I mentioned my hunt for info on this car.
Lo and behold! He says he knows the car! He's going back to the guy he thinks offered the car to him in the late 80s. Said the fellow owned a salvage yard but car was in a building of some sort.
Here are some more pictures:


Edmunds Custom heads and Thickstun 7" hi-rise.

Headers

Spare tire cover pinstriping... and almost a selfie!!



Back of the front fender reworked to eliminate the running boards.

Front of the rear fender reworked to eliminate the running boards.

Thanks again for the help and interest... keep those old pictures rolling in!!
Al

 

Man, I really dig the trim job on the front fenders. It gives the car a cool “flying” look.


Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.

 

I agree, Mike, it makes the car a bit more sporty looking.
The PO began work to create some frame rail covers but never finished.
I'm hoping to complete what he started but am pondering making some plain steel covers that would be black versus some louvered polished aluminum covers like I have on another car. I'm leaning to the painted covers because it is much more within my own skill range!!

 

Wow, what a great looking car and a great story to go with it. It's really cool to see you're getting leads on its history and hopefully, the Bama Boys that chimed in will also find some additional info for you.
Someone did some nice work in flairing off the fenders.

IMHO, the car needs to have all the 1980's Street Rod stuff removed from the engine and replaced with vintage parts. My wish would be to have it look like circa 1961 when it was parked. Deep six the ribbed radiator hoses, billet overflow tube, 'nostalgia' stickers. Next detail step would be to replace the modern hose clamps with vintage ones, clip out the nylon zip ties and perhaps even replace the exposed wiring runs with cloth covered vintage type wiring (see Ryan's recent lead post on cloth wiring source).
The split bench seat (late 60's/early 70's Chevelle?) with head rests really looks out of place on the car. (It's akin to all the nice chopped Mercs in the 80's that had pillow top Buick bench seats with headrests.) It needs an original (rounded) bench seat to make the car look like it rolled right out of a mid/late 50's little pages magazine.
Don't take my nit picking personal. It's just that I'd love to see the car detailed accurately to its build era.

 

^^^ Nothing wrong with sharing your thoughts on the car and the "nit picking" is actually helpful in spotting some obvious later period updates.
BTW, that is a beautiful cabriolet you have there. Looks like a polished stainless folding top frame, too. Very pretty. How about an overall shot of the car?
The bench seat in the car at present came from a Ford Torino but I don't know which year.
I've got a great original front seat that I removed from my cabriolet and replaced with buckets but those solid original seats REALLY make getting to stuff behind the seat a challenge; especially when flying down the road to the LARS!
As to the wiring, I wish someone would come out with the equivalent of the current plastic wire loom but with a cloth cover... that would be a huge help in disguising later wiring.
Of course it would be even better to have used cloth wiring to begin with but so many of us get caught up in the rush to get riding and compromises are made.

 

The cloth covered plastic wiring is easly sourced. COOL CAR

 

^^^ How about sharing one of those easy sources? I don't get out much.
I'm locked in the garage trying to get a failing wheel cylinder replaced.
Waiting on mail order parts is frustrating... particularly this week!
I can wait... I guess. Kids come first.
Merry Christmas!
Al

 

The headrests kinda ruin the seat but I think if they were gone the seat wouldn't be so bad, and there is a cloth looking electrical tape (friction tape? Is that what it's called?) that can wrap plastic wires nice and neat so that the zip ties and replacement wiring may not be necessary. Overall the car is pretty and impressively intact yet.

It's a great car and it's great that you're tracking down the history of it, the work on the fenders appears to have been really well done.

 

The PO did a good job or restoring the front edge of the front fenders... those front "flares" just didn't look right to me... nor him!!


He also stripped the hood, doors, and spare tire. He said under the black he found maroon and under that was a bright yellow. I've always liked yellow... maybe that suppressed yellow paint helped it find me.
I just need to get the rest of the car to that shiney black on the hood and spare tire cover.
The PO also was responsible for reworking the spare tire mount to sit closer to the body.

 

Wish the photo was my car, but I just lifted the photo off the internet.

Ryan spoke of the cloth wiring a short time back.
Here's a link and a link to the cloth covered wiring source:

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/?p=36158

https://enginebarn.myshopify.com/collections/cloth-covered-wire-16-gauge

 

if your going for a 1961 build the plastic insulated wire is correct and so are the worm clamps.
i really like that car!

 

Christmas came early!! Got my wheel cylinders from Dennis Carpenter via the post office... I kept watching for UPS/FedEx!
Anyway, I installed the replacement wheel cylinder and bled the brakes with help from my granddaughter, Savannah Leigh. It was her first brake job. She didn't even get her hands dirty... other than touching something in my garage she said.

I ordered some new vintage 16" wheels from Wheelsmith that I hope will fit... I measured it many times so it has to be wrong! I'm hoping to be able to use a larger tire to better fill the wheel well since lowering it will likely reduce the limited travel available now. It seems like there should be more room but there isn't.

Wheels are still a few weeks out so we'll have to wait.

I plan to test the brakes tomorrow... don't get concerned unless I don't post about the test results!

Tomorrow is another day... and I hope it is a great one! I want to go profiling!

 

lt's going to be a great resection under your hand.

 

Enjoying the car is a lot of the fun but finding more of the history is pretty neat, too.
I appreciate all the effort thus far and hope to learn more soon and maybe find a picture or two.

 

Very nice find! That roadster is perfection.

 

Well, I think the new wheel cylinder worked just fine. That is the good news.
The bad news is that the LR wheel cylinder not only failed... it locked up!
And I was all of two long blocks from my house! A neighbor saw me walking home and gave me a lift home to get a brake wrench and brought me back. Bless his heart!
I released the pressure on the wheel cylinder and freed the car up enough to drive it home... slowly,
Seemed like no brakes at all when got home so eased it into some foliage along the driveway.
Then I retightened the wheel and it started dragging again but would still move. With this built in brake I was able to get it down the hill and into my shop without incident.
In order to get the roadster into a shop with more room to work on the LR wheel, I had to shift a number of my treasures around.
Knowing how y'all like pictures, I gathered them for a photo op.

Here's the roadster..."parked" against the foliage!

Oh well, back to more brake work. I KNEW I should have done the LR at the same time but I just HAD to drive it at least around the block.
Film at 11.
Anybody found any more pics of the car?
It did go to the Frog Follies at least once.
Thanks again for your interest.
Merry Christmas!
Al

 

After talking to some of my older friends I found out one of the owners was the late Sig Parks who owned a salvage yard and at one time had over 150 running classic cars. He said he thought he saw it but did not know history. Look on the engine for a rebuilders tag. let me know what machine shop is on it,