Folks Of Interest Rieds fiberglass Dayton Ohio ???

I have a 32 roadster that was built in the late 80,s early 90,s in Canada.It has stickers in the doors and under the dash that say Reids fiberglass Dayton Ohio. anyone have any info on this company? Still in business? long gone? thanks RLS

 

I am from the Dayton area . Built lots of cars but never heard of them. Not even a shop by that name. Sorry, maybe someone else can help.

 

Back in the early 70s there were some glass 32 roadster bodies built in this area.They were all channeled bodys with no opening doors.A friend of mine still has his.I heard they were called Brown bodies.I could call and ask him if yours is a channeled body.I believe there were only about 6 bodies built.I also remember another friend of mine worked for a guy who was building glass bodies in the mid 70s but i do not remember if they built 32 bodies or not.The guy who had the company built the fiberglass uhaul trailers at one time.

 

I think Brown bodies were made in Mendota, Il. in the 70's and the weren't channeled

 

I bought a bunch of molds from a guy whose dad was in the fiberglass bussiness in that area before he died. There was a mold for a one piece 32 roadster body in that group and Rich venza ended up with it I think.. I think the dad's name was Gump Andrews?

 

Gump Andrews also did louvers. He did my Chevy coupe in 1955 and my Merc in 1994. RIP now I believe.

Jim

 

Gump was my ex-mother-in-laws brother. I still have contact with the family, and could probably put you in touch with his son. pm me if that would help.

 

Guffey's memory is pretty close. Tim Hansberry from Pottstown, PA and I purchased a bunch of molds while we were in Indy for the US Nationals. Tim wound up the one piece '32 roadster, but the bodies were produced in my shop in Cumberland, MD. I marketed them as Po-Boy's and sold most of them as channeled cars with a simple 2x3 frame.

These Po Boy photos were taken at the 2009 GNRS. I've lost track of the owners name, but he's a HAMBer.

 

Both of these guys are original members of the "Hoodlifters" car club here in Dayton, Ohio. Now I am only 40, but I grew up around these guys and have spent most of my life listening to their stories, so I think I may know the history on this body, if I am wrong on a few things, forgive me.

Rieds Fiberglass was Johnny Ried from Trotwood, Ohio. He has not made fiberglass bodies and parts as a business since the late sixties/early seventies. Johnny made a lot of the parts for George Montgomery when he was racing and is still a master model maker for a company here in Dayton. One of the most talented men I have ever been around and a true craftsman. Johhny is still building Hot Rods and I was at his shop a few days ago. Johnny raced a rear engine coupe named "The Mole" that was featured in a few magazines back in the day. When he stopped selling fiberglass, a lot of his inventory was sold to others. I do not believe he ever made a whole body, but I am not 100% sure. I know he made doors and the dash, so you probably have his doors and dash that actually where made in sixties or seventies.

"Gump" was Bob Andrews who was half Owner of A & M Automotive in Trotwood, Ohio. An early pioneer in Hot Rods. Gump was a drag racer as well, and another super talented guy. Now I was never at A & M's old shop because I am to young, but from what I have been told, in the day the guys would start lining up before the opened on weekends to get their hoods louvered. If you ever got the chance to be at the farm where Gump moved, it was a walk through history. The barns where full of parts, bodies, and engines. The only 32 mold that remember Gump having was one that was pulled from a roadster that belonged to Jim Lakamp (also an original "Hoodlifter") I believe. If it is the one I am thinking about the original car had partial doors down to just above the channel line of the body. When Gump pulled the mold, he kept the doors in the body. The original mold was owned by Walt "Butch" Bunn of Butch's Rod Shop. I think Gump may have pulled a second mold off one of the bodies and this was the one that he was working on when he passed away. He had told me that he planned on putting the original door jambs and doors back in the mold. I'm not sure if this happend or not prior to his death.

This may not be 100% accurate, but it's 90% so I hope it helps. I will try and upload a bunch of old pictures I have of these original Hot Rodders...

 

In the early 70s I built one of the Brown bodies, ranked right up there with Speedways first efforts. Does the term Jig Saw Puzzle sound familiar?

 

Reading this brings back some memories. When I was 15 in 1967 I worked part time after school in a body shop in Brookville Oh. The owner was a real car guy always had tons of hot cars around and more bench racing went on than body work. That worked for me I loved all the stories and even got to ride in some hot car. Life was good. This guy from Trotwood Oh. used to come in he had a super cool, I think 33 ford. No hood flat motor dual carbs cool. Well anyway one day we went to his shop in Trotwood to check out some parts thay were making out of fiberglass. The thing I remember most is riding in the hotrod ford. Thay were talking about hand laying and release agents. Those days lasted forever and never will be forgot. Ron

 

Thanks for the info. My car is channeled on the frame(low boy) and it does not have a trunk that is cut out. the doors are functional. After reading this the car may be older than I think.It has a 1999 the Grand National roadster show dash plaque from San francisco California. It also had stickers from shows in Canada. It has car show stickers from the late 80,s-early 90,s. thanks again Robert

 

Your car sounds a lot like my friends 32 except his does not have opening doors.

 

please post the pics you have...............I have heard alot about those guys and would love to see some pics Thanks..

 

Thanks for the great info. RLS

 

I also had the Butch Bunn mold in my shop for a few months around 2006. He wanted me to make a couple bodies for resale, but the mold was is such bad condition, I decided not to become involved.
It was unique as is had a rolled rear pan with cutouts for dual exhaust.

As far as I can remember, the John Brown mold was the first '32 roadster mold ever built. He also built molds for a touring body.

 

Rich That is very interesting because mine has a rolled rear pan and cut out for the exhaust(they are used for a t shaped bumper.) Did they say Po- boys on them anywhere? Robert

 

ok which one of you guys from dayton rember this car???????????NO hints yet.....but if you really new the people you are talking about you should remeber it.....

 

Was John Brown out of Treasure Island Fla

 

Rich have you ever seen anything from Almquist in Milford PA they had a 32 glass body listed in thier catalog reai early like mid or early 60's I will have to see if I can find it.



Was that channel red body just a body at one of the Andrews boys garages by chance I think I remember seeing something like that on a table or along the wall there was lots of stuff there.

 

I met Gump when I was 22. He made a glass front end for me for a 55 Chevy I had. I remember going to his farm in Verona and seeing all the molds he had. There was a shitload of them. He even had a mold for a 63 split window.
Hell of a nice guy.

 

I know the body you're talking about Guffey, cuz I dreamed over those Almquist catalogs as a kid. The only one I ever saw was in their small showroom in Milford, PA. I talked my Dad into driving up there when I was about 15. I've never seen another, and I have no idea who Ed had making them or what happened to the mold.
As I recall, it was not very accurate to a '32, but more of a '31 Model A style with big buckets on the rear to mount T-Bird tail lights.

 

Kool I just remember seeing that in the old catalog and was amazed at the fact fiberglass 32 ford that early in the 60's

 

so no takers on the roadster pic??????????????????????

 

I wondered if I hadn't seen that red roadster body in One of the Andrews boys garages when they were selling Gumps stuff off I remember a red roadsterbody maybe in pieces and that weathered paint?

 

I've been to his shop and he does killer work. I know him as "pork chop" super nice guy, but damn I can't remember is name or his shop name I know it's in Lewisburg O.

 

yep you both are right.....that was the snail drag car that had the 6 banger in the driver compartment and the driver drove it from out the deck lid area.......Yes it is porkchop that owens it......Check out his web site. It is under construction but there is soon to be some real cool old pics on there so keep looking might be up this week.............

www.sinisterhotrods.com Check out his youtube vids also......

 

Finally got some time to scan a couple of pictures. The Roadster that I was talking about is this one. The mold I saw was for this car.

This pic is in the alley of my Grandmothers house.

 

Interesting information here... I'm from the Dayton area and was not familiar with these bodies. But hey, did you know that Butch Bunn is now back in business! After he sold Butch's Rod shop back in the the late '90s he retired, the new owners didn't do much with it and now Butch has opened up again as Butch's Cool Stuff manufacturing all kinds of stuff. Talked to him recently and he and his partners are in process of coming out with a new webiste in a month or so with all the goodies on it. Can't wait!!!

 

that is great..please post more if you have them....we love seeing them old pics from some real cool hotrodders from dayton...