Projects Soldiers Joy, A pre 40`s Custom.

Today is December the 7th. Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941 and we entered World War II. This is a Custom build that will have no parts(with some exceptions) later than 1940. Except for mechanical parts for safety and ease of reaching interstate speeds. It is a pre 35 (make) build that would of been completed by 1941. And has been sitting in a shed all this time. Something a farm kid would of built and went off to war. Thus the name--Soldiers Joy. It is a song I heard quite a few years back that I fell in love with. It`s by Hawk Shaw Hawkins. Maybe some one can post a link to the song. It gives you a feeling of the build and the style I`m after. As you know I`m a custom nut. It`s been over 30 years since I acquired my first car which is now a 60`s style custom. I first saw a picture of a car that has inspired me to build this. I was about 10 years old when I first saw this car and found a picture of it about 4 years ago and a bunch more since then. My quest for suitable body, car has been a long one. Cost and condition has been a factor. This will be a slow build as I have not purchased a body yet. Still looking. But I have found a few cool parts that will be used. I thought the HAMB needed a build thread that was different from any others. Maybe it will inspire you to build something a little different. Post a few pic`s if it fits this build style. It has to be a pre 36 model for ease and nothing built after 41. And no parts later than 1940. I `ll post a few pic`s of the parts I have later on.

 

Soldier's Joy is an old fiddle tune to which Jimmy Driftwood wrote the lyrics that Hawkins sings.

 

Will be coming along for the build.

 

Alright Jim! I have been wondering if you were going to start a build thread....
I am very excited to see this one start coming together.

 

Thanks @arkiehotrods for the link to the song. I play it quite often. As I said earlier, this is a pre 40`s build. Completed by 1941. I was reading in Street Rodder about an old famous Hot Rodder who was out at a drylakes running there cars, when they heard about Pearl Harbor. They all scattered and went home and joined the service to fight the war. During this time is when many kids got to see the world and was exposed to Hot Rodding from all over. And the skills they learned in the service while working with different types of machinery helped them in tinkering with cars. Remember, car magazines were pretty non exsistant back then .Speed Age started in 1947 as well as Road and Track and Hot Rod didn`t start until 1948. Throttle started earlier, but was not sold nationally. T V wasn`t even around back then, only the radio was available. The only time the kid had socially was a trip to a small town on Saturday. More than likely went to school in a one room school house. So he worked on his dads farm when not in school. He had little contact with the outside world. And had nothing to do but think. Here is a pic of a 32 that had a couple pic`s in Honk Magazine from 1953. More than likely built after 41 but kinda fits my build style. Just add a hood for more of a kustom look. No spots, no flippers, those became popular later as customs evolved. Even the full hubcaps came later. Finding pic`s isn`t easy for this time period. Now play the tune and look at the car(with a full hood) and think 1939.

 

Here is a Model A customized by George DuVall built in the early 30`s with a padded top and a V windshield. Maybe I was wrong about the full hubcaps. It also has smooth hood sides. Notice the coach style headlights. This past week, I did happen to haul home (what is left of it) a coupe body with the top hacked off.

 

Here is a pic of a 32 I found in Rod And Custom in the September of 58 issue. Maybe some one can rotate the first pic. More than likely built in the 50`s but still has that early look. It has Pontiac tail lights(?), Olds Hubcaps and 49 Plymouth ripple bumpers. The lengthened job gives it more of a custom feel to it. Notice it has a 34 Plymouth hood. A word you will here often. Plymouth.

 

Nice Custom/Hotrod for sure...is there a middle ground to this?​

 

Just an additional pic that gives a better feel of the extended look of this Custom/Hotrod
courtesy of that other cool site...see link below....



https://www.kustomrama.com/index.php?title=Roger_Nettle's_1932_Ford

Credit to Photographer, Owner
​

 

Thanks @Stogy for the pic. I`m not to good with computers.

 

What I mean is Rog's coupe just a Custom or is it Hotrod too...I think its a bit of both...but it has an elegant look for sure and no doubt sounded just right.

 

I appreciate both so it I look forward to your presentation of craftsmanship to us. Wonder what happened to Rog's 32...?

 

It`s kind of funny, on the trip back from getting this, Leonard says, how are you gonna build this thing. You are not mechanically inclined. Me and Norm laughed. What do you mean. I work on cars all day long. Just because I do not know how to weld and I`m not a mechanic does not mean I `m mechanically inclined. You just have to know what needs to be done and do it your self or have people who know how to do it. I have a 75 year old guy here in town that does all my welding. He`s a car guy who also does my mechanic work as well. I have done 3 cars for him(upholstery). He has welded up at least over 100 seats for me. Repairs and alterations. I do the fab work and he welds it up. Here is a seat I widened 2 inches to fit the customers truck better and added a center armrest. He also welded up a Kwik top so it was solid for me. Also changed out the rear bow from one out of a Mustang. So I could staple the top to it. A few of the many welding jobs. So here is the body. A 33 Plymouth. I found this on the Sitting and R otting thread that Dyce posted on page 409. Wish me luck. I`m gonna need it. Only using the body.[/QUOTE]

 

Forgive me if I mess this up but I found this Quote from a book by Pat Gahnal. The American Custom Car. If you don`t have it, BUY IT. I was researching when the old timers were building customs. Al Hagy had a shop(Streamline Shop) in the 30`s and mostly worked on fat fendered cars. 36`s, 39 and 40 Fords. He did mostly filling, removing door handles, recessing license plates and chopping tops. He also built the 40 Ford that Earl Bruce would later own for many years. A helper in the shop at that time asked Al when all this custom work started. He said I don`t know, We were not doing this to 33 Plymouths. It had to start sometime in the mid to late 30`s. They certainly weren`t chopping tops on Model T`s. Gahnal goes on to say that Bertolucci figures Westergard started custom work sometime in the late 30`s. He was older than, about 10 years than we were. So, 36 Fords were the king of customs in the late 30`s. Here is Posies 36 that was built in 81-82. I saw it in 82 in Des Moines KKOA show. The earliest custom I`d had seen in person. I was 12. It was my favorite car by far at the show. Sorry for the poor pic. Taken from Classic and Custom magazine. When you want to find something, you can`t.

 

It`s -8 and with a windchill of -21 today and is supposed to get colder. So I`m inside on the last day of the year. Here is a shot of the Carson top shop in 1941 from Gahnals book.. See all the 36`s. Now here is an article from Auto Trim News from June of 1981. A good read. I acquired the magazine and a few others in 91 from Nat Danas who was the founder of this trade publication. The Chevy top was the Corvette. Wow. Did you know that. Sorry, I jump around a lot. From one subject to another. It will all tie together eventually.

 

I'm glad to see the plymouth is getting a little love. I've thought about that body often and it has a lot of potential.

 

It started getting cold the night we arrived back to town. The frame the Plymouth is sitting on has 4 flat tires. So we just left it on the trailer at my boys place in the country. It`s been to cold to do anything. Now here`s a 34 Ford, what would it look like if we blended the two together. Full fendered, hoodsides, running boards and skirts.

 

I heard Rick Dore was building a 34 Ford taildragger. This is from the 05 Street Rodder. Not my style I was looking for back then when it was unveiled.

 

Here`s a 34 Ford Roadster that is a little closer to what I was thinking. Taken from 2016 Goodguys Ray Forbes from Reno. Then I saw this 34 coupe that fits the style I`m after. It has that 35-40 time period look. Sorry, I mocked up a convertible top awhile back..

 

Some more "inspiration" All from Rik Hoving's Archive....

 

What are your plans for windshield/top?

 

Was this Gene Winfields the rear fenders have to be removed to change the rear tires. I was looking for this pic this weekend. There is another one similar to his, they met on a street in his neck of the woods. Two very similar looking cars. Can`t remember his name, but he was a famous hot rodder. Later on in this thread I`ll post about an old pilot from WWII and also about a battleship. @Sancho, I`ll post again tonight.

 

Not Winfield's, it belonged to Alex Xydias.

 

In the 80`s I saw a pic of this car in Street Rodder or Rod and Custom, the darker version. I loved it. Then the article appeared in the Rodders Journal. There is also a 34 Roadster from Colorado that I have a pic of somewhere. I took it in Lincoln Nebraska`s Americruise in about 92. No skirts thou. I don`t venture on other websites like I should. Like Ric`s and Kustomrama`s. Don`t know why. I don`t do facebook and I don`t carry a cell phone(trac phone) unless I leave town. I never even texted either. And I don`t have Email. I guess I`m old fashioned and don`t like change. Don`t do Ebay either. And I`m not even 50 yet. We will see if all this changes as this thread proceeds.

 

Then Winfield had the other one.

 

I remember reading the article in a magazine on this one. It was found by a hot rodder, I was afraid it was going to be rodded. Glad they kept it a custom.

 

Winfield actually took that photo! From Kustomrama:

 

Similar to this one. Chopped an inch or so. I like the looks of the squared off top in the rear. I also like seeing the outlines of the convertible top bows. The windshield frame will be similar to a 34 Ford Cabrolet. With roll up side windows. If anybody has one of these laying around, top piece not installed. PM me. This went on 33 and 34`s. If they don't have this, they are more than likely not true convertibles. The guys get real testy when you question there convertibles. Trust me, I`ve met a few.

 

Here`s a 33 from Hop Up June of 52. In the readers rides section. Notice the Plymouths have a longer wheelbase.