Termites and Bowties- Early Chevy Group

Ralph did wood for dad's roadster about 35 yrs ago. My Cabriolet was one he started for his wife. Got just the body from him 25 yrs ago.

 

FANTASTIC...............DIRT WHAT DIRT. ?

MIKE

 

I have been finishing up the doors on my ‘33.
I removed the wood many years ago. Made sheet metal pieces to take the place of some of the wood.
I made it like a ‘36 that had little to no wood.
Here is a picture of the right door.

 

^^^^ Very nice work Mike!

 

I'm one of those Traditional guys sometimes referred to by Mike as hairballs. In the '60s had a '40 Chevy pickup with a 261 and Corvette intake and carbs. The more I see of your roadster the more I like it.

 

What the hell is "hairballs"??? Super nice roadster @rtomss!

 

That was my question earlier when Mad Mike was talking about the woven wire like on the 261 engine above. That is a beautiful engine and suite the build perfectly.
Those '33 doors look good and stout too. Nice work guys.

 

I love how your roadster sits. What did you do suspension wise to get that profile?

 

mlagusis, thanks...its basically all stock stuff. The front is a stock 31' axle that's dropped 3" and a few leafs removed. It has all stock Lovejoy shocks rebuilt by Apple Hydraulics. Rear has a 3" shortened main leaf and everything is dearched about 4". The key in the rear is to use another set of front shackles which are shorter and compensate for the shortened main.

 

I'm one of those "Traditional" Hot Rodders, too. Just like probably about 99.9% of HAMBers. After all, this is a message board for "Traditional" Hot Rods and Customs.....

 

Just guessing, but the term "Hairball", probably is not a complement.

 

Your point noted... Just got my approval to move out to Mesa, Arizona last night. Will head out to the Bonneville Salt Flats when the event comes up - 699 miles from my new home - and hopefully will see some CHEVY IRON going at it!!!!

 

Just thought I throw this friend's car into the mix, 34 Master roadster, body by Holden. Blue flame 6 with triples backed by a T400, Pontiac wires and open drive train.

 

Wow another clean yellow one with a six. Very nice.

 

Mark Looking at this 1935 CHEVROLET STD. 4 DOOR PHAETON Australian
Just a few questions why are the windshield post on this car round instead of the square Aussie built windshield post? Why isn’t the Holden tag emblem on the left side lower cowl on this Aussie Phaeton? Plus why is there an extra dash gage on the left side of the original gages?
On this Standard car ID plate on the right side under the seat floor can anyone decipher those #s?
On my 34 Chevy Standard Roadster Holden car my Vin id #s starts out as “MR” meaning = that it’s a Standard with Right Hand drive! Rory

 

rory would have to assume the USA style round windshield posts were used as being in superior condition to the square HOLDEN AU ones.
The guage on LH side of dash , is an accessory gauge either temp or oil, see them come up for sale on ebay occasionally. I do not have one as I run classic instruments from MICH.
The floor tag is not original and was most likely made up to title the car in usa.

mike

The HOLDEN Australia BODY TAGS look like this.

 

I literally cannot get enough of this great little roadster and is worth another look in my opinion. Incredible Job @rtomss Russ!!

 

Rory,
That's definitely a GMH [Standard] body by the side pressings and pivot points for the folding top. Easy way to identify a body:-

• 34s had a rectangular shaped cowl vent that opened to the rear and square profile windshield stanchions; and
• 35s had a chevron shaped cowl vent that opened to the front and triangular windshield stanchions.

Those windshield stanchions aren't original and appear to be thinner adapted 1932 open car stanchions.



That data plate doesn't appear to be an original GM Holden's item in my view, however it could be? Both it and the other one displayed appear to be reproduction. The Moose here on the HAMB is very knowledgeable on early Chevs and could be of more assistance. The first plate refers to the Model as a Standard whereas my OEM plate refers to series only as EC.

• DC (Standard, 1934) EC (Standard, 1935);
  
• DA (Master, 1934) and EA & ED (Master, 1935)

Holden's was a body/coach builder that was purchased by GM in 1931. The company was then renamed General Motors- Holden's Ltd (GMH), hence the acronym. I'm not aware of General Motors (Aust) Pty Ltd.

This is my OEM identification plate, note bottom line


Also that serial number doesn't correspond with any GMH or GM correspondence I've seen. Is that a local LHD frame with an Ozzie body dropped on or was car converted to LHD from RHD over there?



There are originally three (3) small body plates on GMH Chevs of this era; aluminum on lower LH seat frame under the cushion (Colour and production date codes), aluminum on LH cowl behind engine side curtain (Body number, style and series) and a brass identification plate on RHF floor as well as a single Holden body emblem on lower LH cowl, not on RH lower cowl as in Fisher bodies.



The frame number is hand stamped on the outside face of the LH frame rail under the cowl. I'm using modified 34 frame rails under my car as the OEM frame was too good to modify, I could restore car to original by just repainting it and dropping body onto OEM frame.


Also the rear rood bow is way too high when compared to Mike's US phaeton and my Ozzie phaeton as well as other restored (US & Ozzie) phaetons below them.



Here are GMH production figures from my History of Holden book


These are the serial numbers range for frame and engine. I'm not certain if that MR prefix would appear on frame however it would on engine. I'd need to do some more research.



Insofar as the additional gauge is, I've no idea. It doesn't appear to be stock that I can recall, possibly an aftermarket water temperature gauge as only OEM gauges were speedo, amps, fuel and oil pressure. Masters had additional water temperature with extra dual gauge in cluster.

This is a similar Ozzie Master gauge, looks like they've swapped the outside gauges over to the opposite side.
I think 34 gauges are white on black with 35 gauges being black on white?


I fabricated a 34 Master insert for use on my 35 Standard

 

Where can you get a tag for a serial # mine was tossed by the other owner.Or I will have the state give me a new #

 

Depends on your particular state as each one seems to have its own rules. As you can see by the link below this guy duplicates original tags. So hoping your original paper title has the right info on it re serial number, model designation ect. Contact them.

.http://datatags.com/

the tags pictures are of a 1934 chev master sedan model 551 built in Atlanta GA plant, other tag is a 1935 Chevrolet 2 door sedan model 1207 , symbol O would be built in Oakland calif plant

mike lynch

 

12.01 AM tonite , starts off INTERNATIONAL "HAIRBALL DAY".

All types and categories of Hairballs are included.

mike lynch

 

Thanks Dave...Looking forward to breaking her in!

Sent from my SM-G950U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

?

 

I didn't mention, that is an Australian GMH body not a US body. Lots of differences I posted on this thread previously. Note the cowl pressing differences, the twin US pressing are different to the GMH single pressings.
Additionally, those door external handles aren't OEM GMH.




Looking again those windshield posts on the GMH body they resemble the posts on US body.

RHD Canadian export phaetons to my knowledge did not come to Australia due to government imposed tariffs on imported cars, this was designed to protect the local car manufacturing industry. However Canadian built RHD Chevrolets went to New Zealand as it didn't impose tariffs as it didn't have a local car industry to protect. Similarly RHD Canadian Fords went to NZ as Ford Australia built the bodies like GMH. The Chevrolet frames came here in CKD form as Holden's built the bodies for them.




Also note the smooth Ozzie 1/4's with no pressing on wheel arch where rear fenders bolt to body. The US body has that pressing that extends down in an arc from the belt line towards the tail panel whereas the GMH product doesn't. The US body has different shaped door handles as well to GMH product.

This red body has (10 digit) serial 32C0727975, whereas the yellow body has (11 digit) serial 12DAD952850? I'm not aware of how to decode US serials. The later serial (12DAD...) appears to be similar style to red US body serial (32C...) however it is on a GMH body. The yellow body IMHO requires further inquiries to establish its' bonafides and a 'bitsa' car, purportedly being passed off with a US serial data plate. i.e. a rebodied US phaeton with a GMH body and original ID?

This appears to be the correct US serial data plate, attached to the RH front seat riser base of the red body.


The inside front door handles on US body are horizontal and located at the front of the door, opposed to GMH body which are vertical and located at the rear of the door.


Further the wiper motor on open US models is on the upper LH side of the windshield. This is opposite on GMH open models.



Inquiries with this organization may assist with US body serial number decoding:-

• https://vcca.site-ym.com/

 

To keep the HAIRBALL TRADITIONALISTS happy , on INTERNATIONAL HAIRBALL DAY , here are some pictures of a 1935 Chevrolet roadster under construction with flamed hood, DUVALL style WINDSHIELD.

NOTE, this Duvall windshield is a TONY CARTER of Australia that he made for me in aluminum. Had to narrow it 11/16" per side as the holden cowl is that much wider than USA builds. The aluminum windshield header casting on top is from the people that make the reproduction Duvall for speedway motors. Had to have a 6" piece machined and welded into the top piece as too narrow. Was for a 35-36 ford. We made it all work.

MIKE LYNCH....a bowtie loving hairball

 

Since all of my termite-infested early Chevy stuff is headed for storage during the move/until the shop is built, I have nothing to add, except maybe this:

 

These are what US 1933-35 Chevrolet open body (Roadster and phaeton) phaeton looks like, totally different profile to GMH products. Both attach the same way with a large nut and washer on the threaded stalk and clamps around the circular shaft above.

 

Ran across these on one of the TROG threads. Pretty cool roadsters. Not sure of what year, the #8 roadster is, but the radiator shell appears to be a 1926 Chevy? Or a 1927 Chevy?

 

Here are a couple more rare Ozzie GMH Chevs that require major work, however given their uniqueness they've been kept undercover for many years. Both GMH versions feature suicide doors

• 1932 Club coupe, note the 32 3W Ford style suicide doors

• 1932 Moonlight coupe

I've posted the speedster previously however not the GMH brochure


This is US Fisher body by comparison with conventional, not suicide doors




Moonlight coupe resting for now


Moonlight speedster and the Vauxhall Hurlington it was modeled on, Vauxhall is the English subsidiary of General Motors so technically the design wasn't stolen as some like to allude to. Similar however they're aren't the same.

 

says right below his name " George Brehmer " in picture , its a 26 Chevrolet with a ford 4 banger of 124 cube inches

mike lynch