Well you have to think and keep it in respective to the times. Average kid was able to get a summer job at .50 cents an hour back in the early to mid 50's. That gave you about 35.00 a week considerning the hours you put in.I purchased several 32 and 34 fords and drivers but in need of repair for an average of $15.00 to $40.00 and in 57 bought a 34 ford from Barris for $450.00. It had a 49 olds motor with chrome block and various other parts chrome with a candy apple red paint job. For $5.00 you could take your date to a down town movie (hiroller) buy $1.00 worth of gas then go to the local kids hang out and get a 2 piece chicken dinner,rolls and honey (all you could eat) and all the ice tea you could drink for .90Cents. Then go to the local hang out and do your drag races go home and still have close to a buck left. This gives you an ides about what things cost and back then chrome was still costly but not near what it is today due to epa and all of the other crap like tax we didnt have back then. They really were good times.
Frank & Tommy's roadsters taken at the photo shoot that was in the ISCA show world book. Frankies car Bob Vivian's rollover A-V8 in summer 1954
Loved the tall T fenderless sedan on the first page. More T sedan's, please... Here's my beater.......
Great thread!!...is it just me, or was there alot of www tires on hot rods then? ...love me some www's.
Keeping my eye on this one! I wish they wouldn't have blocked photobucket at work, or I'd post some of the stuff I've got saved on my work PC.
This was how my 28A looked in 1959,primer for about a week,then gloss yellow was short lived,I did a few other colors,but in 1960 I painted it high gloss black and better headers. Note homemade fin v-covers,could only wish to fine T-Bird alum. I finely found some. Y-block ford power/3speed OD<that blow an went with standard 3.
Wow, I'm glad to see this thread taking off. It got a slow start but is getting some great posts which are mostly dated. The guys in the photo were stationed with me in the USAF in the late 50's . The car was a joint project due to the fact that the TOP salary any one of us was making was less than $50.00 a month at that time. As a look back to the past. the fenders and running boards for the '32 were given to us by an "old guy" "Pop" Kelly who had pulled them off his '32 roadster and dumped them out behind his garage. The pictures were actually taken in spring of 1960. The fat guys in the bottom pic was from a 90's reunion. The color of the coupe was the "ever popular" Boeing B52 white. Sort of free at the time.
Interestingly two cars that I grew up with on the East Coast have already turned up on this thread The channeled '32 roadsters of Fred Steel and Norm Wallace.. Way out of reach for this high school kid.
pics I have saved Tony Nancy AV8 drag roadster Ray Brown Bellytank Lynn Yakel's '32 Jack Chrisman A Sedan
Chet Herbert streamliner Clint Eastwood Engine setup from Don Waite's rear engined lakes roadster Dick Flint roadster Dick Kraft roadster
So would someone please tell this guy: this guy: and this guy: (second pic) ...that they've got it all wrong? With so many cheap roadster bodies around back then no one was cutting up coupes to make roadsters. It just isn't traditional.
My Touring was built in 1953 in Fresno. 1917 tub, 1953 Buick 322 and Dynaflow, 32 V8 axles and 40 Ford dash sectioned to fit. The car has not been changed much over the years. The B&W photos are as it was when I got it. It was painted 'Ol Yaller yellow, and the interior, wheels and tires seem to date from the 60s (note California black tags). The color shots are as it is today. This was a high-end rod back in its prime, with many hand fabricated pieces, all chrome plated. It has a nice 50 year old patina.
The Jalopy Journal
