Technical History of So Cal 1932 Ford Roadster, LA Roadster Club, Riverside, Cusey, McMullen

Wasn't this car used in the film "Look Who's Coming To Dinner?" with Spenser Tracy backing into it?

 

DeuceDaddyDon and Scritchfield are good friends ... their wives were BEST friends. Don's first wife has p***ed on but Beverly ( Don's wife ) and Scritchfields 2nd wife are good friends also.

Don was President of the LA Roadsters ... I believe in 1971 and became a member earlier ... if my memory is correct.
We all were hanging out and went out to eat last year Saturday night after the LA Roadster show.

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Unbelievable ..... love it!!!

 

I fell in love with that color cover shot too! The green paint, yellow engine, and black wheels just does it for me. I will be watching this build. Congratulaions on finding it and thanks for saving it.

Neal

 

You got me curious, but nope, definitely not the same car:

http://autoculture.org/?p=1029

Sad day for the Deuce, but cool pics.

 

great find, very cool old hotrod.Al.

 

Sorry for the scare... I haven't seen this movie for 40 years and the car color made it look familiar.

But seeing it now I see that it looks like a Coupester with a 40 Ford dash!

 

A better shot...

 

That is a very fine car !

 

That be a genuine Duce roadster.

 

When the article came out about the " Old to New " in Street Rodder 1982 ... I already had the 32 roadster I still have. I read and reread that article until the magizne was almost in pieces.

Even then ( way before the HAMB ) ... I thought it was a shame to redo the roadster. I thought it was just about PERFECT. The only two things I would have changed was the NAME on the ***le ( to mine ) and I love a dropped headlight bar.

Glad to see someone get the roadster and honor it's past.

 

I agree, I can't believe they changed it but that was the times. Ian doesn't seem like the type to look back too much, but he did tell me he wish he had never torn it apart. I would have loved that, I guess, but doubt I would have had the chance to buy it had it not been torn apart.

The first installment of the article was about the new ch***is that Ian bought for the car, in fact the new ch***is was on the cover with another ch***is that McMullen had bought for Tom's Tub II.

I couldn't get a definite reason of why it stalled from Ian, but he did say he was traveling alot for work at the time. Tom McMullen was doing Ian's car as a favor to him and at the same time was building Tom's Tub II and Ian was helping him with that. He stated in the article that he wanted to finish both cars for Tom's Fun Run that year. I looked through the SRM's for that year and he did finish the tub in time for his run and Tom thanked Ian and a few others for their help in the last installment of that series. The series on Ian's car stopped after the second installment and the car was never finished. Tom did mention in the second installment that he was going to take his tub on a roadtrip to attend and cover a series of car events that year after the Fun Run, so he had a pretty ambitious deadline and he also mentioned that he had broken both collarbones and his shoulder in an ATV accident. I'm thinking the injuries slowed him down and Ian's roadster had to be pushed aside to make the deadlines.

Thanks to you and everyone else who has commented for the kind words and appreciation of the car. Randy

 

WOW WOW WOW!!!!!! That is one of my ALL-TIME favorite cars and I had no idea it was sitting waiting to be reborn. I remember vividly being 15 in 1982 and VERY bummed they were modifying that car into yet another ugly 80s rod in that 1982 article. I was fully wrapped in nostalgia and so many great old cars got ****d during that time. I have multiple copies of the Speed Tuning book because it is one of my all-time favo***e covers. I can bring you an extra if you let me come take a look at that old favorite! My '32 had that same dash panel.

AND!!! That Astronauts cover is my FAVORITE Hot Rod Album Cover! Have had a mint copy for 25 years and just bought a new reissue a couple weeks ago.

 

I have to add my WOW. I remember the car and the test in R&C. One of my favorites also. Congrats for having the insight to seek it out, I would say you were meant to have it.

 

Nice score Randy! I'd like to come by and see it some time...

You didn't get rid of the 3 window to buy that, did you?!

3blap.

 

Great car and story, good luck with the rebuild. That wiper motor in the lower windsheild should be a good feature to look for while thumbing through old issues of Hot Rod.

 

Yeah, good point. The wiper motor in the wrong spot, non-'32 rearview mirror, wideset '39 taillights, bobbed rear fenders, undropped headlight bar, chrome sealed beam headlights with gl*** markers, and painted windshield, '57 Ford steering wheel, and instrument cluster should make it easy to identify in pictures.

It also had this sticker from the Municipal Motorcycle Officers of California in the right side of the windshield:



The sticker is visible in the earliest pictures I have of it, from '62, and the MMOC was established in 1928.

It appears to have been original black paint before being painted green, so might be looking for a black car as it could have been hot-rodded before being painted or maybe it was all done at once. It's not easy to see in the pictures, but it also had some old bucket seats, the R&C article states they were Volvo buckets. Anybody know anything about them or where I could find some?

Thanks for all the replies and input, hope some other info turns up!

 

Thought someone found it in an episode of Happy Days. I called Ian and he said he and others in the LA Roadster Club regularly rented their cars to the studios. He said they were paid very well, sometimes the studios would keep the cars for days, sometimes weeks, and that they didn't always know what they were used for. I asked if the studio would have removed fenders, he said absolutely as long as it was returned in the condition it was rented in. I guess times were different when these were $500 cars!

It's a cool picture, but it's not this car. The color looks spot on and the fenders are bobbed, but they're bobbed at the front edge where Ian's were only bobbed at the rear, the windshield is not chopped, clearly there is no windshield sticker, and it still has a rumble lid handle.

 

that green reminds me of Aston Martin "Almond Green". I had a TD that had been painted that color. Poplular in the 50's.

 

Hi Bob!---been many years since I sent you a LAR newsletter in the early 70's!!!
Yes, Ian Cusey was an LAR club member, #34, according to my original member list.----Don

 

Randy---gotta' correct ya here!---This month Bev & I have been married for 60 years!!!---She's my one & only wife.---HA!
Yep, Scritch's wife Marian & Bev were best friends for many years until her death in Hawaii.
Scritch & new lady friend Carla is also good friends with Bev too.

 

Yes Randy P, Ian Cusey was member #34 in the LAR club, according to my old member list.------Don

 

TYPO ... I meant to say ****'s first wife.
I know you and the lovely MRS DeuceDaddyDon were sweethearts and have been married to each other forever. I know she is your first love and only wife.

Hope you two enjoyed your vacation recently down in LA land

 

Thanks for the info, Don!

 

Thanks GA, See I was listenin' while you were talkin'...you didn't think I was, did ya? Randy

 

The R&C article said it was '57 Plymouth Coral Green, but who knows. That could be right, maybe one of those computer ****yzers will be able to tell me. Thanks, Randy

 

Randy P.-----Here's info from Jack Stewarts book on Ian Cusey's '32 roadster.-------Don

 

Here's Carl Schrodes'32 roadster.

 

Great info, thanks for sharing those, Don!

 

Okay I stopped by Randy's dad's shop, where he has his roadster stored, and got to put my hands on this piece of history. Randy and his dad are two of the coolest car guys you could hope to meet and have a neat shop filled with cool pieces of history.

I want to bump his thread back up and refresh some of your memories about helping find info....This car is to cool for someone not to know something helpful.

Thanks again, Randy.