Hot Rods So I may have found the guy who originally built my 40 as a hot rod in 1958.

The car looks better in his pictures

 

I personally prefer the Custom we have witnessed through Ragtops research...

He and many others are not into Customs and many times I am disappointed at the negative rap Customs are given...to be clear the same negativity extends to Hotrods here too on many occasions.

This scenario has and continues to be played out to this day as the interest for survivors whether Original, Hotrod, Custom, Race in their former styling varies with ones interest...can't change reality and taste as its personal...

I thank @40ragtopdown as distasteful as he found this Custom at the time and perhaps even now for sharing and continuing to share additional history gleaned...

I am curious Ragtop did you actually buy this from Yug or were you 2 or 3 owners away from him selling it back in the day? It may have been asked, did you take pics when you found and bought it?

If I was Yug I would have a little heartfelt and gut felt emotion in the transforming of his custom canvas he painted in 3D but what can you do...no law against it. It wasn't his anymore...

One big positive here is due to Ragtops meeting and sharing the past glory anyone here can takes Yug's past Glory and recreate it on a new candidate...

Look forward to more historical details and pics...it is welcome and matters...

 

No after 65 years since he first bought it he was surprised the car was still around.

 

What a great story. Meet one of your friends back at the Sandusky swap meet buying parts from me. Great gent. Said he still has all his cars back to his first. Still hot rodding.

 

I am sure he probably thought so to.

 

Terry it was nice to meet you at the Sandusky swap meet.

 

Stogy I never thought it was distasteful I just thought it was hard to improve the lines of a 40 ford. I love all old cars be it rods or customs. I didn't buy the car from Yug . He sold it in 1967. I know it ended up at a car lot in Elyria around that same time frame. I was 14 years old at the time. I remember seeing it in the car lot owners driveway it was still metallic blue and I told my older brother I sure would love to own that car. Flash forward 4 years a 40 ford was in the paper for sale it didn't say what model . My older brother used to pick me up from school in his Pontiac powered 40 standard coupe. So I always liked 40 fords. I call my buddy up to go with me to look at it. As we're pulling up to the guys house an older fellow is coming down the driveway. He says you kids don't want to buy that car he f$$ked it up he put an oldsmobile motor in it . We just smiled and walked up to the house. Looked at the car and just shook our heads. He was asking $800 for it. Two weeks later it was back in the paper for $400 I called my buddy and told him we need to go take another look at that 40. We pull up to the guys house he says would you guys like to go for a ride. We figured he was going to take us for a ride he gets out and says try it out.we looked at each other like he was crazy turning two 17 year old kids lose in this old hotrod. We took it up route 57 got it up to about 65 it sounded like it was going a 120 . Figured it had a 4:11 gear in it.went back to the guys house and he says what do think I say I think I would like to buy it . But I only have $350 in the bank. He says it's yours. I know the guy I bought it from bought it from that same car dealer. Funny thing is this 40 ford has been in the same area within about a ten mile radius for at least the last 65 years maybe longer. And no I didn't have any pictures of when I bought the car that was .why I was trying to track down the two previous owners

 

Your telling my Stogy that you would look at the fenders in this condition and think “gee that’s tasteful I should make that the part of this car I save”

 

Tim when he 40 got the Custom in 1971 the fenders did not I suspect look remotely like that...they have been outside behind the garage in the elements for the last 48 odd years no doubt after being torched or cut off...

 

40, I thank you for expanding on this interesting opportunity you capitalized on in your youth...

One can't undo your path in transforming this Custom. I too share your passion for the 1940 Ford as it is a fierce contender for any of the Platforms we celebrate here.

Again the silver lining is anybody here can transform a 40 Coupe based on the information that you have shared with us and I truly thank you for that.

I am curious if you were today to open a garage door and be offered the same Custom would you consider keeping it in that form?

 

Stogy I might give it a second thought today but with todays crazy prices there's no way in hell I could afford it. Me and Yug discussed this. He said he probably didn't have $500 in the car finished. He told me everybody in the club worked on it and parts where readily available in the junk yards. The dual quad manifold for the olds cost him $12 the top came from J.C. Whitney for $32 with the boot. He said he was going to have a guy that did engine swaps put the olds in it but he wanted $30 so they did it themselves. He said we built these cars because we loved them not because they were worth a lot of money and the ladies loved them too. Here's a picture of the Stylers working on a 34 Chevy they put a Cadillac motor in.

 

One word describes this story, AWESOME !! Glad you got to meet Yug and I sure you got copies at least of the pictures . Later Bill

 

You've had the car longer than everybody else put together. It's your car more than Yug's. But it's still cool that you got to track him down and piece together more of the history.

 

Here's a picture of Yug from his military days. He is second from the left. Thanks for your service. Also a picture of his dad and a couple of his neices with the car.

 

What a great end to a great thread, thanks for sharing it with us.

 

This is really an awesome story. At this point it's more your car than anybody's, you have certainly had it the longest. What's next with your plans for the car? I'm curious, has meeting Yug influenced your direction at all? It looks like a great car, but we all know they are never really done!

 

Cool to get the history. Seen your car for years when I lived in Michigan, whenever I’d see it I’d always say to my dad, when is that guy going to paint that fender and quarter panel.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

That's awesome. Glad you got the build story on it. That car is an icon in the area. I remember first seeing it in 87.

Sent from my SM-G930V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Don't forget about your other needs here 40. If you could get your phone overtop and closer to the pics it would help for manipulation of the images...I've used my cellphone quite successfully for captures...It's your 40's history so it warrants a better capture...

 

The only plan I have is to drive the crap out of it like I have been for years. But it sure is going to need another top real soon. Meeting Yug was a blessing. The stories he shared with me and the enthusiasm those guys had for these old cars was unreal.

 

I have heard those words a few times before. Lol

 

Hey was @hotrodA talking Yug's version with previous owners or yours when you had converted it back prior to color match or final paint?...

 

Stogy I don't own a cell phone. I took these pictures of Yugs pictures with my tablet. I am hoping to get back to his place and talk to him and maybe try and get some more pictures.

 

Get all the history in pics he has including all additional Hotrod/Custom/Race rated 65 and down...its rare and could make for great conversation and reference here...

 

I am pretty sure he is talking about my version we have attended the nats north since before n.s.r.a took it over when it was in Detroit and every one since.

 

This is Mcanns 57 convertible. He is the 14 year old kid that went with Yug to pick the 40 up at the car lot in 1954. I am not sure what year this picture was taken.

 

Best thread I've read on the HAMB.
I've seen this car around for years.

 

I'm 40ragtops nephew. This is the the car in I believe 1979. At this point it still has the custom dash that yug built for it. The 1957 in the background was my dad's, it had a 427 with a 4 speed. The 1933 Plymouth was another car that 40ragtop built and later sold to my dad. Had a 283, and at one point had a blue plexiglass roof panel. 40ragtop has put 400,000 miles on this car since he has owned it. It was mostly all on the same 267 c.i. small block. We put a crate 350 in it two years ago. The car is a local icon, and non car people even know the "old car with the primered fender" lol. One thing is for sure that he drives the wheels off of it with a giant smile on his face the entire time.

 

Thanks for those pictures Mike. We had just got back from Saint Paul Minnesota when these pictures were taken.

 

This is picture when the battery was on the firewall. Yug said when they moved the battery to the trunk he was pulling on the cable to get it loose when it finally did it knocked out one of his bottom teeth. He said the only tooth he ever lost in his life was to this car. Also I found out that the stylers still exist and they have weekly meetings on Tuesdays . I ran into another older fellow at the local friday night cruise that was a member and he says he still has his stylers jacket from 1958 but it don't fit so well now. I asked him to bring it with him next week so I could get a picture.