Golden-Era Hot-Rodding

[Warbaby]

Found it. The auction ended today so I assume it's ok to post the item number and URL:

200465410294

http://cgi.ebay.com/EARLY-1900s-B-W...wItem&pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item2eacab68f6

It sold for $128.50 - definitely beyond my budget for whim purchases.

 

[David Conwill]

This just surfaced on the HAMB's May "Banger Meet" (a thread for vintage four-cylinder enthusiasts):

I post it because it's rare to see a T-framed hot rod, most builders opt for a Model A frame or a fabricated tube frame if they're not staying with Model T axles and driveline. Since I plan to use a 1926 frame as the basis for my car, I save every picture.

With fenders this one would have a bit of a Gabby Garrison look.

-Dave

 

[Silver Dollar]

Now that's what I call an old school hotrod. :eusa_clap

 

[Stearmen]

Golden Era Hot Rod

The real start of Hot Rods! My great uncles stripped down Model T. Just shows you, that even then a cool car would get you the Babes!

 

[David Conwill]

Very neat. My great grandfather had a Ford in that era too, but I’m fairly well certain it was a stock touring car, and not a speedster.

I still have one of the cowl lamps and the tail lamp, amazingly.

-Dave

 

[Stearmen]

Running Lights

Very neat. My great grandfather had a Ford in that era too, but I’m fairly well certain it was a stock touring car, and not a speedster.

I still have one of the cowl lamps and the tail lamp, amazingly.
-Dave

I have the two side running lights from this car! My dad converted them to electric back in the 60s, put a nice vintage gas lamp looking bulb covered with cloth in them. They are on either side of my office door. They don't put out the most light, but I wouldn't trade them for any thing!

 

[p71towny]

My buddy picked up an old A that was a drag car in the 60s. I'm a huge fan of Rat Rods myself, or any home built rod really. Now I need the space to work on one

 

[David Conwill]

My buddy picked up an old A that was a drag car in the 60s. I'm a huge fan of Rat Rods myself, or any home built rod really. Now I need the space to work on one

Pics? At least a really good description?

You can't just tease us like that!

-Dave

 

[David Conwill]

Here are a couple from the era that I can’t stop looking at lately:

The Spurgin-Giovanine ‘25 Chevrolet roadster, c. 1942: This car was one of the rare Chevy in the crowd of Fords on the dry lakes. It was recently restored to its postwar configuration with a “track” nose instead of the Willys Whippet radiator shell shown here. I like this version.

Unidentified ‘26 Ford touring car, c. 1935: I don’t know much about this one except what I can see. It’s got aftermarket wire-spoke wheels and what appears to be a Rajo overhead valve conversion.

I want to get 8x10s of both of these for my office wall as inspiration.

-Dave

 

[David Conwill]

Just because I can’t stand to see this thread lie dormant...

-Dave

 

[John in Covina]

One of the things I had heard about the hot rod culture was that it got a boost from WWII vets returning after the war. There were a lot of guys that gained experience in engines from the service and it translated into an interest in hot rod work when they got back.

I got to work with the guys at Egge Machine a few years ago on their Performance parts application listings. The amount of performance parts still being made for some of those old engines is astonishing.

 

[David Conwill]

One of the things I had heard about the hot rod culture was that it got a boost from WWII vets returning after the war. There were a lot of guys that gained experience in engines from the service and it translated into an interest in hot rod work when they got back.

If you read Dean Batchelor’s book The American Hot Rod, there is a quote from a famous early rodder (Alex Xydias, founder of the So-Cal Speed Shop comes to mind) where he says about exactly that - service in the military gave young car enthusiasts technical skills and discipline they did not have before the war.

Interestingly, a big difference between pre-war hot rods, and post-war was the proliferation of instruments. Many attribute this to encounters with high-performance aircraft during the War.

I think the War also exposed a lot of guys to California and its car culture that otherwise would not have encountered hot rodding.

I do not, however, agree with the thesis that I frequently encountered as a kid in the ‘90s that it was exposure to European sports cars in the ETO that led to the creation of hot rodding after the war. That may have led to the increased interest in sports cars after the war, which in turn induced a few people to create hot-rod-like, home-built sports cars (i.e. Max Balchowsky’s Old Yeller), but I think the number of people it led to the dry lakes and drag strips was nil.

-Dave

 

[AtomicEraTom]

There's a lot of guys still building old school rods. I am planning on one myself, something like a Model A or a 32 Deuce with a Flathead. Something you would have seen in the early postwar years. There are a ton of parts available for Model A's, flatheads, and all the other stuff that makes us car guys drool.

 

[David Conwill]

There's a lot of guys still building old school rods. I am planning on one myself, something like a Model A or a 32 Deuce with a Flathead.

Tom,

I hope you've got the assembly manual.

-Dave

 

[John in Covina]

TFlathead - Something you would have seen in the early postwar years. There are a ton of parts available for Model A's, flatheads, and all the other stuff that makes us car guys drool.

When I was working with Egge Machine we put togther a lot of performance parts for all sorts of vintage enhines. The Flathead Ford engines have a ton of stuff around, Egge put together rebuilders Rotating Assemblies for the various Flathead Ford engines in variety of oversizes. They are known for engine stuff but have tons of other product lines and if you are looking for something they don't carry they can often point you to someone that has what you're looking for.

http://www.egge.com/

 

[David Conwill]

John, what did you do for Egge? I haven't yet had occasion to buy from them, but given what I've seen/heard they're on my preferred list when rebuild time comes.

Especially if a Y-block falls into my lap at some point.

-Dave

 

[John in Covina]

John, what did you do for Egge? I haven't yet had occasion to buy from them, but given what I've seen/heard they're on my preferred list when rebuild time comes. Especially if a Y-block falls into my lap at some point. -Dave

I did a lot of cataloging work. I created a lot of the charts used in their printed catalog for some of the performance and bling sections. I did entry of new part numbers in their system and some purchasing too. It's a good place and they are always trying to improve. The tough thing is for some of these parts the old stock is gone and getting new stock made can be really hard to do.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

True hot-rodders don't need no assembly manual haha. We have a 52 Ford Pickup with a flathead in it, that's coming out and we're going to put a Chevy Drivetrain in it. We're holding onto the engine for a Model A whenever we finally find one we like.

 

[David Conwill]

True hot-rodders don't need no assembly manual haha.

It really is a worthwhile book to own if you want to know the build techniques and preferred used in the era, and maybe how to improve on them without degrading the period correctness of the build. It's not really a formula, so much as a guide to avoid reinventing the wheel.

As they say in the book, it's the closest thing to being in the era and having access to the magazines and older guys you would have back then.

-Dave

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Oh, I completely agree. I was only joshing wit you. I always read up on these things before I do anything.

It really is a worthwhile book to own if you want to know the build techniques and preferred used in the era, and maybe how to improve on them without degrading the period correctness of the build. It's not really a formula, so much as a guide to avoid reinventing the wheel.

As they say in the book, it's the closest thing to being in the era and having access to the magazines and older guys you would have back then.

-Dave