Projects Help identifying this Vintage Lakester?

I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. I just checked your 4x4 link and your intro and wow!! I lost my Dad 17 years ago and there's tools and parts I'll never see sell in my lifetime. He raced in the 60's and 70's and we had a machine shop together until he died. We did some kickass race engines and it was great. I still do it for myself and freinds but took a normal job. Hang on to the memories and the rest can fund your build or builds on those cars.

I have that cooler too!! Used it on my bike at Speedweek 2010

 

The number 35 car was originally raced with a flathead six Chrysler. The yellow car will have a 235 Chev.... and a Wayne head.

 

OK, that is cool!!!

Luckily for us, Dad also left us 3 working shops and 1 parts shop, what they don't want, up here in Rubicon country we have more than a handful of Fab Shops that are always looking for more tools, machinery and tooling.

The stuff that dad used all the time which you can tell by the amount of wear, will stay with us. I have a 2100 sft shop and can always use them as I have a few project cars myself. My Sister also has the 'gene'. We both also have Husbands who are as passionate as we are about the 'junk' Dad left us.

 

Thank you, Bebe. It has been copied and sent.

When Pinky came and visited me with the news, the moment was somber indeed.
Bless you girls.

 

Thanks, I just put one up.

http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/board,41.0.html

 

We found another Track "T" today

 

it just keeps getting better,having fun yet?

 

Give Bob "LilAxle" Stewart a call he is in the phone book up in Grants Pass,OR he may know some thing about the cars you have he is about 73 years old and has been in to Hot Rods from age 2 He and my Granddad raced the dry lakes in CA and UT back in the day!!!!

 

You dad was one big packrat!

 

It's amazing you found another body. Where could he have hid it?

On another angle, is your family at all related to this Bruce Canepa? It might be a place to get some restoration done, if so!

http://www.canepa.com/

Or... my first Skipper in the Navy was CDR "Bullet" Bob Canepa. He was a career Navy jet pilot and great, however short, guy. I was in VF-21 at Miramar in the early 1980s. I think they are both from central California. Just wondering, Gary

 

The red body is a 26-27 with a correct 26-27 turtle deck. Looks like it is stock width, unlike the narrowed yellow one. The firewall and cowl section have been modifed, they never came apart like that when new. Hope you find the history on all three. Bob

 

Yes, Dad built at least one of Bruce's Sprint cars in the 70's, and he worked on a few of his "hairier" projects over the years. I think there was a Turbo Carrera that Dad put in a water cooled 350 in. That thing was stupid fast.

Sadly our Dad and Bruce's Dad passed within a few days of each other.

 

We have the front and sides as well. We will get those together next weekend. I love the Bonneville car, but I think this one is my favorite.

 

I agree, just something about the 26-27 that looks so right. Is that one steel or fiberglass? Look forward to seeing the hood and grille. Bob

 

It's steel.

 

What class and era would these open topped cars raced?

Would someone put a number on a street driven hotrod just to be cool?

 

I wonder if he took the cowl off to get it inside? It's really cool to see these bodys the so well preserved!!

 

I don't know. We will pull out the front end for this car this coming weekend. I found this in the Hot Rod archives, I can see where they cut off the cowl, not sure why.




But all of the interior upholstery is there.

 

Probably to have access to the engine compartment, if they were going to make a hood they might as well make it longer and cut off the cowl.

Very neat car.

jeff

 

Wow i'm in love with that red t roadster, I'm Sooo effing jelious!!! And it's so cool its the COVER car on that issue of HRM, make sure if you dont build it, it goes to a good home where it gets restored!!! It's amazing to see a cover car from the 2nd year of HRM come out of the woodwork like this!

 

Bebe, I'm sorry for your loss. Going thru those containers and storage must be comforting and therapeutic. My Nan (Grandma) passed away last year and little things she gave me in her later years are now some of my most prized possessions. Your dad hoarded some incredible hot rodding treasures and we are all the richer for it. Thank You for sharing the pics!!

That red 353 '26/27 T roadster has all the hallmarks of a lakes/Bonneville roadster. I am really looking forward to seeing the Hood/sides and nose as they are usually what makes these cars more identifiable

It was done for two reasons for access to the engine as you say & also to reduce frontal area & drag

Cars like the Cooper/Hayes T


Dahm bros T


Ak Miller's "Millers Missile"


Al Dal Porto's T


Fred Carrillo's T


Track jobs like Johnny Hartman's T


Al Cooper

 

353 T isn't the Cooper/Hayes T.

 

Okay i see it now I didnt catch the smoothed body, but what are the odds that 2 27 roadsters that are the same # both have bodies sawed off a the front and the panel under the deck lid streched too?? I find that really hard to belive that they arent connected

 

I was going to do some more research on it, I thought maybe some of these cars go through several incarnations like some of our big money race wheelers.

 

Making replica's of famous cars is pretty common place. Like... How many '67 Eleanor copies are there??? Wouldn't surprise me if it was a "copy".

Pop's was very much a fan of many race cars. Whether the were straight liners or did roundy rounds....

 

Most period race cars have the engine set way back...getting them close to a "mid-engine" car and thus making them stable at speeds.

Because the T cowl is so small to start with...it was easier to just bypass it completely, rather than recessing the firewall (which was more common on model A's and later models with bigger cowls)

 

It's sad to hear that your dad passed away...but on the flip side of that coin, we're all taking great joy in the fact that you guys are embracing his legacy.

We all gotta go someday, and when we do...it'd be nice to look down and see our loved ones tinkering with our stuff and carrying us in their thoughts and hearts.

Nice work!

 

Glad to see this get posted over here.

 

Triple Nickle??? BigWoodyWag?

Hi

 

The one and only.