Hey C, What a coincidence that the coupe had an Olds rear end. Another check from the list of my friend's Olds powered coupe. Wow, it has been over 60 years and the memories linger. My friend, like all of us back then when we sold our cars, was happy with the money. It was the next step, so we could apply it to the following cars, next in line. He remembers his first coupe, but not the second. San Fernando was usually not on our places to race as Lions was only a few blocks to a mile away from our neighborhood. Again, Arizona is out of state...so, there is still some hope. This coupe story is like our 671 SBC motor we sold to a guy from the Midwest. Where in the Midwest? Who knows, today? But, we probably knew then. He had it shipped back there in 1961 for what purpose? He may have told us, but it has been a long time ago. That 5 window black coupe was pretty nice. Back then, gas coupes did not have roll bars as they were street hot rods with mufflers, hubcaps, headlights that worked, and brake lights. But safety Scattershields were part of any wise racer's builds. Your coupe is in its multiple owner with multiple changes...so, maybe. Jnaki Thanks for trying to get the info. If you come across any other information, please pass it along. My friend will be very happy about the past history of his 5 window coupe. It was a long shot, but as we get on in age, only those memories spark, until they don't. My friend's coupe did have a connection to the Reath Automotive shop back then.
Jnaki - any chance your friend would have any photos of the car? I'm curious if the license plate that's on the car would match anything in photos?
You kinda skipped over it but dang you got it sitting good in short order! Looking forward to the rest of your post
Hey C, As impressive as that old 5 window was back then, it seems like I have a vision in my mind as to what it looked like. It was at my house regularly as he was in the same high school class as my brother. Since it was my first real hot rod ride/cruise, I have been trying to get photos of that car from back in 57-60. It has been listed in the Drag News for winning the A/Gas class, but so far, no photos are around. But, at the time, there were very few people that walked around with cameras when visiting our friend's houses. The owner said there are still boxes of stuff he has yet to uncover that is in storage. So, I guess that what my wife does is pretty efficient. "If you haven't used it in a year, out it goes." We don't have storage areas other than in an small attic. That garage attic area is minimal at the least. One box of 60s memorabilia together, is what is left from those purges over the years. There are other boxes, but nothing as large as needing a rental storage facility. The last time I looked up there, I found some old surf photos (photo prints, I shot and developed) that I have not seen in years. Jnaki I will continue to ask my friend if he had any other photos laying around from back in those early drag racing and high school days. He has a vacation house in Oregon, so that is another storage area to continue the search. Sorry...no photos at this time. But, I do like a mystery and clues leading up to an answer.
Jnaki - would you happen to remember your brother's friend's name by chance? I would like to run down it down to see if this could be the car you remember.
Hey C, Do you remember what color it was when it was originally sold from So Cal? And who bought it from California? (It was at least 50 years ago, so memories fade without original photos.) That would give me some information when I next get in contact with him. The last time I remember...way back then before he sold it, the 5 window was black. Thanks, Jnaki
I don't know what color is was during that time unfortunately. The car was originally black, and it appears there may be an orange color under the green that's on it now.
A few weeks ago, a couple of friends came back from Northern California to help me chop the '33. I'm not a sheet metal guy, so having them here helped get the car on the right track. We spent about 2 1/2 days in a thrash, and got the car pieced back together before their plane headed back west:
I've got a lot of finish welding to do, as well as the garnishes, but I'll chip away at it now in the evenings and weekends. A look back at the car Bill helped me with in 2015, next to the car in 2018:
The header was still out of the car, allowing access to the backside on the upper a-pillar corners. Once that was welded, I refit the header in the car with some sheet metal screws, and got the windshield frame chopped. After the frame was mounted, and everything dialed in, I pulled the frame and welded the header in the car. I'm real happy with the size of the opening, and with the frame in the car, the lean of the windshield shows well now.
Looks great! Spot on! 4" chop? You'll find there's a lot of work getting the quarter window corner dialed in on a 33/34 5/w chop. A bit of a bitch. When we did mine, I didn't lean the A posts. We lengthened the roof about 1 inch, cutting a slice from the upper door jamb across to the insert opening (just forward of the B pillar at the factory weld). This lined up the A posts. Lengthened the door tops accordingly to match right up with the A posts.
Just found this thread......car looks awesome, and now even better than when l seen it this summer. Great work and vision as always. Sent from my SM-G955W using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
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