"Gowjobs": Depresion Era Performance and Early day hop-up tech

Going back a bit, I haven't seen this front axle mod shown yet. I did this for my "No Dollar Special".

 

*right-click, save*

Cool speedster thing. I've seen axles done that way, but never a how-to.

What are the wheels on the No Dollar Special?

 

DIY. Heat with a rose bud (red hot), make four 45 degree bends using a bench vise. Stand back and admire the job you did. It took 2 hours with cool time. That goofy little car was built in a month and it shows! It is still a kick in the pants. 19" Chevy wheels w/Ford hub caps.

 

Great to know. I was planning to run 19-inch Chevy wires on my '26 project. How did you mate then to the Ford hubs? I know they're both six-lug, but I don't know the details.

I just missed a set on Craigslist because of the birth of my daughter.

 

You can use Chevy hubs on the front, the spindle length and bearing I.D. is the same as Ford. For the rear I used Ford wood wheel hubs. The bolt pattern is larger on Chevy than the wood wheel bolt pattern. I welded a ring to the outer edge of the hub and welded the hols shut, i then machined the hub true then drilled new holes in the hub. I then pressed new studs in. If you need/ want Chevy wheels I have some extras you could buy.

 

That axle turned out nicely, what are you running for wheels? Bob

 

The same combo I'm planning for my Chevy-powered '26 Ford roadster.

 

Hmm, here's some food for thought, even if it's a bit pre gow style.

Wings (1927)

 

Pretty cool!!!!!

Ron

 

Hey gang, It's 11 pm, and about an hour ago my girlfriend said "what ever happen with that speedster deal with ____?" Well, things just sorta happened with that deal, and the long and short of it is, I guess I end up with a cool speedster chassis and stuff... This would be the rails that I fabbed up on page two of this deal, and the front crossmemeber, suspension, rear spring, basic do it yourself speedster or gow job kit. Has any body run across a good article on building a speedster "body"? I mean, I'm not nearly as dumb as some of my posts would suggest, (eeeerrrrrrr.....) so I COULD probably figure it out on my own, but I realy would like to see how it WAS done back in the day. Anybody found anything cool out there in the old magazines of the day that they could share?

 

Perfect license plate for this thread! Shot this at the San Diego Auto Museum three or four years ago.

 

You need this book. It's full of reprints from The Fordowner published during the speedster era. In addition to lowering the chassis and hopping up the engine, there are several articles that address fabricating a speedster body.

 

http://www.nwvs.org/Technical/ConstructionStories/RonLimbrickSpeedster/MMSpeedster.shtml


Here is a link to an article from Modern Mechanics, from 1928. The body is a wood frame covered with fabrikoid.

 

Cool! Thanks guys. I like the fabrikiod covered deal a bunch.

 

A sorely needed bump!

 

Check out the top pic:



It appears I'm in good company stuffing a Chevy banger into a '26 Ford frame. Maybe one day I'll splurge and get Dayton to make me up some narrow 20" wire wheels to complete the look.

 

5000 rpm? I'd like to know what bottom end mods they made. Really neat little car. 111.11? A magic number and impressive speed even today.

 

I have an AA truck underdrive I have heard that they can be run backwards to give an overdrive I also played with the borg warner and English overdrives behind my B motor(27 RP on a A chassis) these overdrives gave problems during hard use I go off road a lot. I currently have a Mitchel overdrive and a kiwi quickchange in a torque tube and am very happy with it.

 

The head on that T looks like an SR Fronty (valve cover at least). Never heard of a Toranado head for an early chevy.

Wasn't Lee Chapel a member of the Hornets C.C. with "Multi", Gabby and Robert Hodge in the 1930's?

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

TORNADO History. Bob http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=180439&highlight=tornado

 

Thanks Bob! That is great stuff!

Dave, you know that pic you posted a few times of the Gow job Era speed shop?....."Lee" is on of the names scrawled on the top, and I believe Chapel's T is seen sitting in the parking lot.

Sent from Mr. ModelT's DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

I do believe you're right. I love the full-fendered "T" in that picture.

 

Tripped across this old post #54 accidentally today. Looked through many of the following pages and was surprised no one commented on the wonderful Hartford friction shocks which were made vitually ineffective by their mounting location.

 

Yup, that picture you speak of is of Chapel's speed shop in the L.A. area that was coupled with Broken Drum auto parts, before his move to the bay area. The picture has been it the Peterson archives since day one, and any time Hot Rod gets misty eyed where this all came from they run it. I can think of about twenty time throughout the years. That "T" roadster in the picture is one of the reasons I'm a hot rodder! That car has been burned on my memory for almost my whole life! I just searched my whole computer for the picture, does anybody have it scanned and handy to post?

Edit: FOUND IT!!!

 

Thanks! Chapel's Chevy powered T is seen in the background on the far right. That full-fendered T in the foreground is actuall Gabby Garrison's T roadster. He of course re-created it years later as all of us know, but this is the original car. There are a few pics of Gabby's T before the fenders were installed, but this is the only one I have ever seen showing all 4 fenders installed.

There is another that shows just the fronts installed as well.

Sent from Mr. ModelT's DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

HUH! I never knew that was Gabby's car in the photo! I alway thought it looked an awful lot like the one he built in nineties before he passed, but never knew that was the original. Makes sense now seeing the modified in the picture too.

I have collected all of the body stuff to do a full fendered '24 roadster for myself BECAUSE of this car. It won't be a clone or nearly "old timey or authentic" enough for this crew, but have very much the same spirit and stance as this car.

 

Can someone supply the info on how that chassis is setup? I really like the look of the longer wheelbase, bit like the ISKY roadster but with fenders & Buffalo wires. I sure wouldn't mind having a clone with a BB RAJO. Bob

 

MrModelT, you are a fount of vintage info, man. Threads like this are the main reason I'm not a member of any other forum but the HAMB. Thanks!

 

I don't believe the wheelbase is stretched at all. I would have to guess that the rear of the frame is Zd it's depth and that the front axle is dropped and crossmember flattened. It loos like the lower portion of the windshield is chopped about thre inches or so and the top either left as is or chopped an inch or so. Just my guesses.

 

I fit won't offend anybody for being a full fendered car, I'll post a bunch more of Gabby's last "T" that I have saved from around the web...