Projects *** The ElDorodder '32 Tudor build thread ***

Well, I figured it was about time I got off my ass and started a build thread on this one. For those who follow me on Instagram (Gray's_Garage), you know we are already a ways into the build. I'll do my best to get caught up here soon and then start the real-time updates.

I bought this car in April of last year with the intent of starting on it late last summer. I really didn't have the funds available to build it until I sold my '33 known as the Caddyhauler. Well, as it goes, just as I was finalizing a deal on the truck when a local hot rodder approached me about being the next caretaker of a '34 3 window he had owned for the last 36 years. I jumped at the chance to own the 3 window. This put the future of the Tudor in limbo. I had started to put out feelers to some friends about selling the car when, out of the blue, my father approached me about buying the car and finishing it together. Problem solved.

Now for a little history on the car...
When I bought the Sedan out of El Dorado Kansas it came with this picture that really peaked my interest.



I was able to determine the the picture of the car, still unfinished, was from the 1959 Daryll Starbird Show in Witchita Kansas. With the help of HAMB'r bscottstudio I was able to fill in the blanks of the cars history. Here is what bscottstudio had to say...

"The car was owned by Bill White and his brother Tom. Bill at this time was the president of the ElDorodders Car club . It has a Cadillac hooked to stock 32 trans and rearend. Based on some info from my friend John Brown who was the treasure of the club at the time, it was stored at the ElDorodders club house where the intake and other motor stuff was stolen or just plain lost. From Johns memory it was never really driven or was road worthy.
The paint and body work aka the leaded in fenders and lakepipes in the running boards were done by a local old body man named Lindsey. He painted it the medium metallic blue you see remnants of. He must of had a barrel of that paint because there is a couple other old hotrods around here from late fifties and early sixties he did with the same color.
Bob White died in 59, rumored or as the story has evolved, at a club party. In any case the car got put in a barn at the family farm where it stayed until 1992 or there abouts."

While some of the missing parts had been replaced and some work was done to the car in recent times, the car has never been on the road since 1959! That's all about to change as My father and I will have it back on the road this summer.

So, sit back, follow along, and enjoy the ride. I know we will!

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SWEET! '32 Sedans are tops in my book! I'll be following along. Maybe it's about time I get an instagram. This'll be a fun one to watch... subscribed!

 

looking forward to your progress

 

I remember seeing at the show!

 

dad's are like that...yeah they are

I'm in

 

Whenever you post here on the hamb I will follow. HRP

 

I can't wait to watch this one unfold!

 

I'll be watching with interest! Sedans are great

 

Hooked in for the ride

 

This is gonna be great.

 

Sign me up to watch! I have two that need to get rolling.

 

Subscribed.

 

Looking forward to the build.

 

One of the absolute best father-son projects i have ever heard of!! Hope that You fellas enjoy every minute of it!! ... i'm subscribed no doubt!!

 

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After getting the car home I was amazed to see how solid the car really was. Having been off the road since '59, it had obviously been in dry storage since then. When I opened the doors, the Henry Ford black paint was staring back at me. They hadn't painted the door jambs when the car was sprayed blue. Anywhere the paint had flaked off there was original paint underneath. I was soon able to determine that the the body had never been off the chassis and the fenders were original to the car. Also, there was not a single patch panel in the thing.



In the above picture you can see one of the things that attached me to the car. The sedan has the fenders leaded to the body and the running boards were narrowed up and Lake pipes run down the outer edge of the running boards. Very reminiscent of early Daryl Starbird and Dave Stuckey builds which is not surprising being this car is from the same area as they are. In fact, if you look at the very first version of Stuckey's Li'l Coffin Tudor the running boards and lake pipes are almost identical to this car. While no where near as radical as the Li'l Coffin, you can definitely see the influence on this sedan.

 

I hope you leave the side pipes the way there are in the pics. Very cool touch, and different!

 

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Before disassembly I wanted to fire the 390 Cadillac engine. I didn't know if it as any good, but the rockers and valley looked really clean so figured I bolt on my Edmunds dual quad intake and try to fire it up.




You can see in the pics that I threw a hood top on the car. I think it really improves the over all look.



As good as the engine sounds in the video, I was short lived as it started to knock shortly after.

Unfortunately she had spun a rod and cracked a piston. A piece of the piston floated around and made a mess. The engine is currently being rebuilt by my friend Mike at Gas Axe Garage.


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Cool intake!

 

Been waitn' to see what was happening with this gem since you first posted about her. It's a shame about the mill...sounded good. Anxious to follow your progress.

 

Love the history!

 

Is this it?

 

It is.

Sent from my SM-G900T using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Love the color. My Gosh it's beautiful.

 

Yup guys that's it.

I got busy and fell off the face of the HAMB earth. Sorry about that...

Here she is in all her finished glory.



I took her down to the Detroit Autorama Extreme last weekend for her first public appearance since the Starbird show in 1959. She was awarded with a Best Of Show and an upcoming feature in Hop Up Magazine.

In a few weeks she'll active on the road for the first time since the late 1950's.

I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out especially since this was my first paint job I've ever done. Most of the work was done at home in my garage with the help of a few friends. I look forward to putting some miles on her this spring.


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I spotted it in the Detroit coverage, and was 99% sure, looks GREAT, hell of a job! Love the Trinidad with the white binding, classy! The whole interior is REALLY nice. The whole package really looks great.

 

I featured it on my site also. Great build and right on the money for me. Congrats!!

 

is the green 40 sedan yours?

 

Thanks guys.
The interior was done by Mikey's Kustom Upholstery in southern Indiana. Mikey knocked it out of the park and the whole damn thing took him just 2 weeks. Mikey totally gets wound up on this traditional stuff which is awesome as he is only in his mid-twenties. I've already have him set up to do my roadster.

No, @40Standard , the green '40 was not mine. It was just on the transporter when the sedan got dropped off.

 

Boy, 2016 just flew by!

 

Congrats. on the hop up best in show. We took my pops 28 A-v8 to the Grand National and won the Hop Up best in show, One of there photographers is rolling thru S. Dak. this spring so we are hoping to get photos also. Funny thing, You picked your car up in Kansas, I belive you said it was built in the Wichita area. My Pops grew up in Wellington 30 miles south of Wichita in the era your car was built.