Apologies if I did Bob, it has all the correct (original) detail and looks real enough to me, looks like the beers are on me then...
I absolutely have never, and will never, try and pass this off as the real thing. It is most obvious that it is not even close to the real deal, though it looks better, IMO. I do feel that it is completely disrespectful to the extremely talented people who did build my rpu to say that it does not take a lot of time, work, or creativity to build this. It is, in fact, the complete opposite. In both cases, it takes an enourmous amount of time and work, and the Brookville, I feel, takes more creativity than the original as with an original you already know what it is supposed to be when you're done. You are basically just restoring it and the repop can turn into what ever you like as you have a cab, a bed, and a set a frame rails, all of which need a lot of work to begin with, and nothing else and say "turn this into something". Just my opinion having just completed this two year build.
Hey Jeem - just messin with ya! See, Lancelot Link says about his that it's his interpretation and indeed it is, (It's not a Brookville body) even if he doesn't mention that it's powered by an air cooled krautmobile engine - I like his a lot. I just have no time for the checkbook gold chainer BSers who wouldn't know a real one if it ran them over, but swear that their non authentic creation is the real deal - "oh yeah it's a real steel '32 rpu". You know the kind of 'I've got a hot rod, so I'm a cool dude' fashion statements weenies who have suddenly decided that they need to buy a hot rod to go with their Harley (after they sold their Ferrari). Kissy, kissy and all's good then eh? Weasel
Can't tell for sure from either picture, but it looks like you reworked the front of the door to swoop up into the cowl/dash. Nice idea and smooths that area out. I know the stock ones likely weren't designed the way passenger cars were, but that area unmodified just kind of look like some mismatched parts bolted together. So are you planning to add the kick to the rear belt line behind the door? I think it would definitely compliment your front mod and balance things perfectly. Looks great either way.
This is my truck and it is homed in Houston Tx. I brought it from Jim Stroupe in Ca. It is a real all metal pick up and he got from Richard Lacey also of Ca. If there are any Questions you can call me or PM me. I have driven it from Houston to L.A. four times as well as other trips accross the states. Bruce
Well I guess that along long as you say it's a phantom, thats okay. "You are basically just restoring it and the repop can turn into what ever you like as you have a cab, a bed, and a set a frame rails, all of which need a lot of work to begin with, and nothing else and say "turn this into something" Thanks for enlightening all of us who take original (that's real) vehicles, bust our****es against almost impossible odds, re-engineer and reinvent them, that we are "just restoring it". I have obviously been deluding myself for over 30 years that what I and many others were doing was hot rodding - just like the guys who did it back when there were no repro tupperware or steel bodies of any kind. I guess they were restorers too? Don't get me wrong, there are many really nice hot rods being built from reproduction bodies, frames etc - some with not a single original part on them, but to say that building from original cars is '"just restoring it" - a big WTF?? By the way, you state "the extremely talented people who did build my rpu" and then you finish "Just my opinion having completed this two year build" - Kind of conflicting statements aren't they?
Hey Lancelot - I genuinely like your ride, VeeDub engine or not. It shows enterprise and imagination - live the dream. Weasel
Yes, the door does sweep into the dash rail on my fake, wannabe, cut-off piece of early Ford... ...unlike a real Ford that doesn't really flow. The back of the cab will keep the double belt line...I think it looks better than the little kicked belt line of a real rpu. I have great respect for the REAL rpu's still out there, because of the rare factor...they just weren't Ford's greatest design, more of an afterthought. Neal
That would be LACY (nfe)... Bruce's truck is the real deal, came from Jack Stewart (with help of Don Thelen) to me back in the 80's. Stashed away for many years until Stroupe talked me out of it... Derek Bower did what Stroupe wanted done to get it on the road, then Stroupe sold it to Bruce and he did some more stuff. The original posts have been cut down and then laid back several degrees, so Bruce has to try not to smile too much on those long trips he mentioned... The 32 cab is a little cramped for us tall guys. The tan 34 in the photo posted earlier was originally a 32 cab and was for years sitting on top of something else in Gene Scott's yard in Irwindale. I tried to buy that one way back in the 70's but NOT FOR SALE. The yellow one with High Grade Plating on the door belonged for years to Jim Lattin. He had it up for sale at an auction of a yard full of cars that he had to get rid of. I was there with the $ in my pocket, but couldn't get myself to buy it for the price required. Jim's plating company was later sold to a guy that I knew since Kindergarten, but the RPU was not part of the deal BUT a pretty nice 32 closed pickup was, and I ended up buying that from the new owner back in the early 80's and gave it to my then 2-year-old son Dennis, who still has it at age 28. There are photos of it on the Flyers board. When I bought the RPU a little later, I was gonna put the open cab on the other truck, but never got around to it and instead gathered up enough parts to make it almost complete. I sold it because I had/have other stuff. Alot of people wanted to buy it over the years, but nobody would come up with any serious $ and it really wasn't for sale. I asked Thelen once many years ago why whenever he got a car finished he would then turn around and sell it. He said "Richard it's not the havin' it's the gettin' " and I think that about sums it up. We can think that if we could just get a certain car/truck, our life would be complete... but then when we finally get it, it seldom lives up to the fantasy. (Sounds like some other things in life???) Older guys know this, younger guys will find out... Why did Stewart sell it to me? He told me (as part of his smooth sales pitch) that anything that ugly deserved a good new home, or something like that... I bought it anyway because after having Thelen restore a car for me, the price for the RPU seemed REALLY cheap! (R.I.P. Don) If you guys don't know, in the 1945 movie "State Fair" the opening scenes show Percey Kilbride driving in a 33 open cab pickup. Whenever I watch it, I think "why did I sell it, why did I sell it..?" but I still have other stuff...
Next time I see your sweet old roadster pickup (if I can afford the gas to drive out there again ) I'll look for you so we can talk Deuce. With the collection you have I know you have the "Deuce Disease" as bad or worse than I do. I need to get down to Kerrville for the Deuce Reunion this year if possible too..
Iowa, home of "State Fair", and home to 32-34 roadster pickups. Besides the parts to my 32, there is also a restored 34 owned by a well-known parts*****er. It supposedly was built in the US, lived here for years, moved to Europe with the owners and was converted to RHD, moved back to Iowa, and was discovered, restored and converted back to LHD by the current owner. Saw it once and took measurements to replicate the missing parts for mine. All this talk about "fake" RPUs, and nobody said anything about the fake I posted a pic of in post #2. That beautiful bare metal car is brand new. Well, maybe the cowl is old, but the rest is new and looks exactly like the old (minus the wood inside). I saw one of those "authentic" glass RPUs at Americruise around 2000 in Lincoln, Nebraska. Was painted tan and it might have been made as a 33-34.
Hey Alchemy, I glossed over the pix you posted in post #2 and figured that the cream/pale yellow truck was Jim Lattin's old truck from Pomona Plating which I think is now owned by the guys at Scandinavian Street Rods (they really should change the name to Scandinavian Hot Rods). Yes, they have reproduced the body and IMO that is not a fake but a replica. It replicates the original. Sure the door structure is improved - the originals were completely wood framed, but the body is authentic looking with the correct kick behind the doors and three indented rear panels. 32Dude and Richard (EV8G) are correct about the provenance of that RPU. Jim Stroupe and discussed this in depth at the 2004 LARS when I had my second one for sale, (which I had originally acquired from Stan Betz) and before Jim sold it to Bruce. I sold this to a guy in Temecula who also had a real '34 RPU which was one of two owned by Bob Bornstein in Sun Valley. Last I heard was that Randy Clark was finishing both trucks for this guy. The tan/drab '34 mentioned earlier in this thread belongs to Jim Gordon who used to work for Gene Scott and it does indeed have a '32 cab - the firewall is the identifier on these cabs. As always "the truth is out there" and it is to be found alive and well living on the HAMB.
The yellow one from Scandinavian Street Rods was sold to Jim Jard of houston and they got it running and sold it to Don Smith in the Dallas area and it is now back in Pasadana Tx at Roy Pigfords Shop being rebuilt . I have a customer BILL Lindig (gold chainer on the ham) that has a 32,33,34 roadster pick up and i am finishing up the 32 that Bobby Walden did the metal work on and i have another customer Larry Martin that has 2 ,34 roadster pickups one is restored and the other one we are now working on and it has a H&H Flathead with a blower. In the Houston area right now there 5 real rpu and there 2 more in Kerrville Tx.
Try to come to the Deuce Reunion and stop in Houston first then we can travel on to Kerrville together , I can show you some Deuces 3windows,5windows,roadsters.Big trucks, closed cabs pickups, Pheaton. I am about to put the body on the frame of my new roadster, it is a Henry Body I will get my son hot rod pro? to post some pics. as i do not know how to.
I can't verify this personally, but I'm told that the roadster pickup body differs slightly from the roadster bodies used on the BB 1-ton trucks. For example, there is a difference in the floorpan area due to the difference in the frames. Again...I can't verify this personally.
the only difference is a bolt hole behind the support riser.my closed cab truck has the same hole. -danny
Hmmmm. I was lead to believe that the differences were somewhat more than just one bolt hole, but not enough to keep the bodies from interchanging. I'll take your word for it though. Here's a thread with a good bit of info in it on the '32 RPU's: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201153&showall=1
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