Art & Inspiration Before and after shots

I am a little late to the game here, I just saw this today. Your wife is going to be very happy when you finish her ragtop. PM sent.

 

31 Buick the day I bought it.
Owner passed away during restoration. All the woodwork was done and the body was 95% ready for prime. I was going to hot rod it but decided to put it all back together to make sure what was there.



The day I sold it.
A better project came along.
Buyer drove straight through from St. Louis MO to Portland OR. He was so excited because he once had one like it. This was a good car and very complete.

 

Reo! I had one, kinda hankerin' for another.

 

I hope the bottom pic is the before and not the after..

 

@texkbc If those are indeed the same car, then this is exceptionally impressive.

 

Yes sir , thank you

 

before

after

 

Yeah! Incredible transformation... the finished product is truly Bad-Ass!!

 

Understated and subtly mean looking. Love it.

 

One of the best As I have seen. Love the simplicity and neatness. Very close to my ideal.

 

How much of chop on the roof? It looks great.

 

My 39, pretty much off the road since the late sixties, had 27 miles put on it, according to the inspection slips in the glove box from 1968 to 1977 when the wiring caught on fire and it got shoved into the barn till i brought it home. First is after I swapped roller wheels on the front after bringing it home and washing the 40 years of shit off of it. some of the repairs needed, then how it looked when I first got it going, then pulling up to The Shop in Marquette Nebraska with the Bones to stop by @383deuce place for a killer lunch on the way to the Salt. And the last is as it looks today. My favorite old car I've owned so far.

 

In process but currently on the back burner

 

Heres another one, just to keep the thread going.

 

Wow, Jim, you are something else....

 

Holy guacamoley! Nice save!

 

My son's 50 Chevy Coupe. A 327/400 Turbo/9.3 Olds with a pickup axle project. Top picture is the first mockup, the last ones are from the Glory Days event in Byron Illinois.

 

Lloyd Holt Coupe 1973


After a 2013 (I believe) garage fire.


After being restored by Jeff Holt in 2022

 

Very nice. Love the old speedway gear. No bling and at least look like a car unlike the bland stuff that runs these days.

 

Hello,

When my wife and I were still on the search for our next hot rod project, we saw several we almost bought, a 50 Ford coupe, a 46 woody, a Model A sedan, modern, at the time two door sporty coupe, etc. But, when we drove 40 minutes away to central OC and saw this funky old 40 Ford Sedan Delivery, it instantly brought back old high school memories of our surf trips all over the coastal areas in So Cal.

The look was similar with black rims and small center hubcaps. But, the paint was not a “Salmon Pink” like the old Flathead powered 40 sedan delivery. This time, the paint was excellent and in a darker shade of orange/red that made it look like a show car. Detailed like a “For Sale” car should appear in the parking lot where we saw it as we drove up to the shop.

At the sight of this newer sedan delivery, to me it looked great. To my wife, well, she had her doubts at first sight. It was not a normal all window sedan, coupe or station wagon. But, it did have lots of privacy, which we liked immensely.

So, as we were able to get a closer look and a short test drive around the block, we were blinded by the build. A 327, auto trans, upholstered seats and cave, a comfortable driver’s position and started up like a new car. The sound was also nice, too. Now, we were definitely blinded. No one else had a sedan delivery and to top things off, my wife instantly liked the A/C.

Jnaki

Our test drive was nice as the block seemed short, but, at the time, satisfactory. Stopped, started, no noises from the motor or suspension and it was fairly quiet with the full upholstery. Not like my old high school surf sedan delivery with bare bones inside and out.

So, the deal was bargained and we drove home. It must have been the excitement of a new/old hot rod in our hands. But, the whole car needed something as it shook at higher speeds, wandered over the lanes and a deep pedal push to get it to stop fast. The motor compartment looked ok, but needed some detailing with new wires and a general clean up + some accessories to spiff it up. Finned valve covers, Packard wires, new belts and a general tune up for better running, etc.

As we drove it around, we noticed it definitely needed something. I got to work and over a month of changing things, adjusting things, it still did not handle as it should. My wife loved the A/C, but she, too felt the little things that did not make it a great driving hot rod.

It took many months of visits to the suspension/tire/alignment folks and no long distance driving for the time being. It still took a longer time than any of our other cars to get it right. Finally, it all came together and then I made it look like the old Flathead sedan delivery and it was one of the most reliable hot rod daily drivers we had ever driven or owned. YES!
100 mile road trips weekly to visit our mom in Long Beach became a regular event. It was necessary and a happy event as our favorite place, Ford Parts Obsolete was in an old building just a few blocks away from our old Westside of Long Beach house. The sedan delivery never gave us any problems after at least 6 months of “terror” at what would happen next.

My wife and I have to thank our friend who owned a shop and had the skills to get it right. His repairs and modifications worked. We had trusted his skills since 1959 and now, with more experience, he was very knowledgeable and an excellent mechanic.
The last photo prior to selling it to another young couple in 1976. 6 plus years and 1000’s of miles later… My wife was almost the primary driver as it was the only car/hot rod that had A/C. But, once set up to drive comfortably and safely, she had no qualms to grab the keys and jump in for a ride to her favorite shopping center in Newport Beach or coastal Laguna Beach. YRMV

 

My chassis

 

No after shot but here is a half way there shot.