Tried to revive this thread but... https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...istory-of-a-little-california-hot-rod.989159/ It's moved again in the shell game of hotrods. Tight fit but it worked. 1000mi of driving and a great seller/new friend = a great bonzai run! Back home in KC!
The history is what makes it for me. I'm partial to the earlier iterations of the car. Harold had a custom frame so, depending on the shortened bed and resulting wheel base, a simple Tardel-Z'd Model A chassis and 4" drop axle with steel wheels and a flathead(of course). Super simple but super doable and close to Harold's earlier vision. I have a '35 front and '40 rear but really don't want to build a custom frame or move the front cross member forward as Harold had done. So might be a little less short-coupled. Will have to see how it sits. Also should be obvious that it won't be repainted. Harold's interior might work(how cool would that be) but a few threads have started to let go in areas. Showrod, the latest caretaker, carefully cleaned overspray off the interior and it looks pretty good and has no real smell. Tempted to do a white tuck and roll interior with matching bed cover though. That decision can come later. Also considered starting to look for old chrome to gradually swap out parts. The old chrome door hinges and bed hinges scream old show car so I doubt that would be in poor taste. I already have an NOS shortened Walker radiator I need to check against the shortened '32 shell so hopefully the overheating that plagued Harold won't follow the project. A few parts have gone missing since 3WLarry first shared the car with us - specifically the dash and gauges. Along with some added overspray, the interior had also been removed but luckily is all still present. Fortunately, Showrod replaced the dash with an original but Harold's dash and gauges reside somewhere in the prior chain of ownership. Was all there in Larry's photos 6yrs ago so not really sure. Showrod obviously took good care of it, halted the entropy, appreciated the details, and cared about it's history and keeping everything he received intact and unaltered - thankfully! D
Unloaded it today onto an A frame. Body might need to move back a bit but that just means more engine bay so... The Walker radiator fit almost perfectly! It's a sign!
Should this have it's own separate build thread or just post updates here? Hate to have three threads about the same car. Won't be the fastest build but... D
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