Hot Rods Bib Overalls Is Back In The Game

My friend Garry Carter built a very nice Chevy powered 1930 Model A highboy coupe ten years ago and I watched the process through pictures he sent me via email. I had a similar coupe in high school and watching his come together and later riding in it to and from the Lone Star Roundup set my heart to lusting. I had to have one for my own. One built the way I wanted to build my first one if only I had had the skills I now possess, the tools I now posses, and of course my deeper pockets.

Garry found a 1931 coupe for me in his home town of Krum, Texas. When I brought it home it looked like this:

02Body13-Home by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

After bringing the coupe home for dis-***embly, I took it back to Dallas so North Texas Customs could media blast it and then to Combine where Tim at Irrational Metal Works chopped the top and fixed the usual cowl, door, and quarters rust.

While that was going on I had Gary Maxwell at Black Board Hot Rods build me a pinched 1932 Ford frame:

01Parts03-Frame by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

I took the frame out to my friend Barry's general fabrication and machining shop (Miles Machine Work, Bono, AR) and, with his help, finished up the ch***is:

06Ch***is09 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

Then, with a lot of help from Barry we adapted the body to the frame with new subrails in the trunk area and a mini channel at the firewall:

07BodyFrameAdapt21 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

At that point, the fire went out. There were several reasons; my shop was inadequate, I had some health issues. So the coupe set. It wasn't like I wasn't doing anything. I improved the insulation in my shop, upgraded the lighting and put in a 3.5 ton heat pump. Another issue was a skills set problem. I could do the ch***is work to include fabricating the headlight stands, making body mounts, and doing the subrail work. But I am no body man and no painter. I needed help and that frustrated me.

Recently, Randy Bolin, one of the young men in our local hot rodding community decided to strike out on his own so to speak. Randy is an excellent fabricator and metal man, a real wizard with a hammer and a dolly and a vary capable welder as well. Randy has never promoted himself as a painter but he is good at that as well. Randy's first commission was to build a Chevy pickup truck for Danny Burrow. If Danny's name is familiar it is because he is a member of the SCTA Bonneville 200 and 300 MPH Clubs. His ride, George Poteet's Blowfish.

In a little over 3 months Randy took the truck from a neglected garage dust collector to this:

Danny's Truck At SEMA by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

The truck was selected for display at this year's SEMA and Randy went along. A good credential for a talented young man.

When Randy came home he needed both work and a place to do it. My shop was upgraded, well lit, and heated and I had a Model A body that needed a wood kit installed, final metal finishing, and paint. It was a perfect storm. Randy went to work about ten days ago:

05Body Work 093 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

05BodyWork102 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

And tonight, when he was ready to go home it looked like this:

05BodyWork111 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

05BodyWork112 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

05BodyWork113 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

05BodyWork114 by Bib Overalls, on Flickr

Randy is going to start wet sanding tomorrow and hopes to have it in color sometime next week.

So, it looks like old Bib is going to get his coupe after all. He is one jazzed up old man right now. For sure.

 

Wow! Love the way it's going together and thanks for taking the time to post up the pics. Full speed ahead now...........................Don.

 

Hey Bib....congrats'....as well....hey HAMB.....I dig quick photo builds like this one. Saves us from going grey, deaf, dumb, and impotent waiting on updates !! Thanks Bib.

 

That is a cool story and going to be Awesome ride congrats!! Jim

 

Congrats! Looks like its gonna be a nice ride. Rob

 

Gonna be a great looking coupe,subscribed! HRP

 

Nice!!! Happy for you Bib!!


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Steve, glad to hear you're up and running. I know well those periods of stagnation, for all the same reasons. Our age certainly doesn't help. Looks like you'll be riding this summer.
Well done!

 

Lookin' Good.

 

Gotta follow this 1, great progress

 

like it a lot.

 

Having a nice place/shop to work helps a lot, and of course some great help. Getting back to work and completing a stagnant project is VERY rewarding, cant wait to see the finished car, looking great!

 

Glad to see this come back to life!

 

Thanks for sharing, it's nice to see the stages it takes to bring one of these coupes back

 

Looks good, glad you were able to hang on to it and have cir***stances fall into place to move forward.

 

Looking real good. If it turns out a nice as Garry's, it will be one smokin' ride! Subscribed!

 

Hey, I resemble that remark! Nice looking Coupe you have there Bib Overalls! Bob

 

Good to see your dream project coming together, Model A's RULE !

 

I'm in

 

Very cool ride!

 

Nice

 

Im watching.
Congrats on making it happen.

 

Can't wait to see color on this fine coupe

 

Glad your back. Coupe looks great. Bob

 

Thanks guys. Randy is well along on the wet sanding. Should have some color on it in a day or two.

As always, there are more recent pictures at the link in my signature bloc. Over 400 photos in my "Project 59" album.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ratpoison/sets/

I'm stoked!!

 

Cool project. Great progress.

 

Good on you Bib, glad to see your getting it done. Look forward to more progress pics !!!


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looking great!! Are you putting your nailhead in this?

 

How come , what we wanted when we were in high school takes so long to get ?

 

Bib its great that your project is getting completed. Maybe the price of gas will continue to get cheaper so you can drive it plenty this spring?