History Barn find! Bob Bishel's Model A Roadster

Looking for any info, stories, pictures, or footage of this car. It was owned by Bob Bishel, who was the 1958 president of the Nutmeg State Timing Association here in Connecticut, and helped create Connecticut Dragway in 1961. The car was shown in the 1st annual Rod & Custom World's Fair in Springfield Mass in 1958, and was last raced in the early 60's as far as I know.. After we got the car, I contacted a friend who I knew had an old race flathead with 4 deuces from some CT Dragway Model A. Come to find out, the engine was the original engine to Bob Bishel's car! So after nearly 50 years the car and engine were brought together today, sitting next to eachother only a few miles from the old dragstrip. Anyone remember Bob or the car? *More pictures to come!*
-Dean

 

thats fantastic.. cool little roadster..

 

How cool is that?

 

WoW! Great score! Would love to see more pics and history.

 

YES! I've got a few photos from 1961, The moulded rear fenders are a great way to ID the car. I'll post them as soon as I find them. Bob

 

Sweet! That would be great Bob,

-Dean

 

very cool!

 

subscribed. can't wait to see more pics...

 

i love these story's.. the states are huge for stuff like this to happen so often, yet it dose.. guess its safe to say hot rodders are pack rats heh.. cool little car. look forward to more pictures, updates on bring her back to life etc.
chris.

 

What a great find! Can't wait to see some more photos

 

Cool car! Square roll bar!

Spike

 

Also pg 131 from Cool Cars Square Roll Bars, by Bernie Shuman. I think that’s it but without the roll bars.

 

That's awesome! Love the hood scoop!

 

Man, I need a copy of that book, anyone have one for sale?

 

cool. very cool

 

So do I! There are two pictures of it in there. We're unloading the engine this evening, I'll snap some shots of it and the car.
-Dean

 

Thanks Dean. The book is very hard to come by. I will ask around. Slim

 

Didn't AB reprint it, or is there a Volume #2?

 

Very cool find, I love it.

 

Manny possibilitys you have there and it's a cool ride like it is.

 

Not on ABEBooks, but check out

http://www.davesracing.com/books.htm

Slim

 

Just spoke with Bob Bishel's wife! I'm going to speak with Bob himself later on tonight over the phone. It's great that he is around and in the area, he should be able to provide tons of history and details about the car. The engine has a Edelbrock intake with thick Edelbrock heads, four Stromberg 97's, and a Harmon Collins dual coil distributer. To be continued! ...
-Dean

 

just awsome history ...

 

Oh my god! Awesome. Great to see a piece of history coming together....

 

Wow, super cool!!! Subscribed.

 

When ever you can find and preserve history it's a very cool thing.........and that is history in spades.........outstanding and keep us posted..........!

 

If I were you I'd get the car "Certified" by AACA and plan on having on the Show Field at Hershey some year. Having the original builder/owner close by to provide all the history on the car is VERY special. Please ask him if he ever raced at Dover in Wingdale, N.Y. My Lyndwood raced at the Montgomery airport in 1959-60, two guys saw it race and went home and built drag strips, Dover in New York and Connecticut Dragway in East Haddam, Ct. Sure is nice to know another car that was there at the same time is alive and well. Bob

 

So cool!! and right in my backyard (sorta) to boot!!

 

Nice find & how lucky to get the engine too??? Play the lottery!

 

Spoke with Bob last night! He bought the car in February 1955, and had the car registered and on the road in 1957. It was in the Rod & Custom World's Fair in August 1958, the same year he was president of the Nutmeg State Timing Association. The car was raced at Orange Airport in Mass, Charlestown Dragway in RI, and CT Dragway in East Haddam. The '36 Ford dash and boat steering wheel are original (I thought they were added later). The car never had any upholstery, just two sparce bucket seats, and it was always a street/strip car. The engine is the original mill, and the only engine it ran. It also had a '36 Ford truck trans with Zephyr gears (not sure if that's what it has now), and a Model A rear (has a early Ford 9" now). Everything else is original. He's a pretty busy guy for his age! But I am trying to schedule a time for him to come over and see the car, I'll probably have him sign the hood too which still has original paint on it. The goal is to have this roadster and my '31 coupe (period build) done for spring!
-Dean