The Thread on Ryans editorial got me pondering another "Traditional" question. Were the Fords popular simply because of the number built and the cheap price? That's my bet. $50-$100 dollars for a Buick doesn't sound like a lot until you figure you could get the ford for $5-$25(?) and a coke was a nickle. Does that mean there weren't any hot rods built that weren't fords? I doubt it. As has been mentioned, the internet and m*** media weren't the norm back then. There is a lot that made it under the radar. In my Muscle car youth (Cause these old cars were too expensive) I drove a Buick when the norm was Mustang, Chevelle, Camaro. My Father is a Buick man and that's how I was raised, so when it was time to build my first fast car, I went with what I knew. The Body had rusted off my 70's fullsize So I had a 455 under the bench. A buddy turned me on to a "60's Coupe" sitting in the corner of the grainery in his home town. It turned out to be a 67 GS-400. The price was right so I grabbed it and built it. Before you go screaming about an O/T muscle car post......turn the clock back to the late fifties/early sixties.......the body has rotted off my 55 Roadmaster and a buddy knows where there is a 1930 Buick Sport Coupe...... Who says it had to be a ford to be a hot rod. Any old timers out there have a story ?
My grandfather's favorite hot rod was his Es*** (owned several T's too, apparently they could be had for the princely sum of $5). Everytime he sees my T, he goes on about that Es***. He gets a kick out of reminiscing about the old days, racing his friends around the contryside. I don't think there was too much effort put in on design. The goal was just to keep it running and be faster than his friends. Price played a major factor in what he played around with He grew up a poor farm kid. Last time I talked to him about cars he told me about an "old lady" who tried to do him a favor and sell him a pristine Model T when he was about 14 for $20 and he couldn't afford it. I wish he had pictures of all his old cars.
I preferred the GM's, Nash, Hudson, etc of the 30's to build. Reason being that the aftermarket was minimal back then and Fords handled and stopped like the pieces of **** they were. Many other makes had IFS and juice brakes as far back as the late 20's so it wasnt a lot of work to drop in a 283/327 and be on the road in no time with something that was fun and safe to drive. Those were also years I was raising a family so a big 2 or 4 dr allowed long family cruises. The two that traveled the most, up to 1500 miles one way, were a 35 Buick Series 40 2dr with 390 Cad/Hydro and a 38 Roadmaster 4 dr with a 455/TH400. That 38 was an unbelievable highway cruiser, all stock suspension with a 12 bolt rear.
well there were more fords than anything else but find me another cheap car of that era that had a prettier grille the the 32 ford. ford were cheap but they were good looking too.
The Jalopy Journal
