Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Wish they Still made Those... Continue reading the Original Blog Post
Your post of that old hubcap Catalog, reminded me of a memory of my childhood. I like to go shooting at old dump grounds around my area, back then. Folks would throw Oem hub caps away, there, and I would pick them up. So I started collecting hub caps then and have continued some what to this day. I used the J C Whitney catalog to figure out what the hub cap fit! There was a manufacturer, back then that reproduced virtual every hubcap made! I still have , probably fifty/ sixty of those old hubcaps in a barn down on the ranch. Bones
They do, they do. I've seen a couple of blondes lately that look almost exactly like that, skirts and everything
Sometimes I think about how much easier it would be if these parts were reproduced, but then I remember I maybe the only person who is building a 261 Chevy with an early Ford transmission, a Schiefer aluminum flywheel,and a Mag-Spark!
I have a pair of the aftermarket "Fiesta" hubcaps like advertised in that book. They are not identical to real Fiestas, but would fool the average person. I'll post a picture of them when I get home.
Well I was lucky. I managed to find a fella who was parting out his fathers "stuff" and he had a set of real baby moon hubcaps. I had a set of not so nice but these were still in the box new Cal Custom. The best part.....they were very inexpensive.
My Dad received the Warshosky (spelling?) catalog which was identical to the J. C. Whitney but was their wholesale catalog for shops, dealers, etc. I bought a lot of stuff from them for the 33 Chevy in my avatar.
Urzi's Auto Supply on 3rd Street in San Jose. My bud Bill Segal worked there in high school, after sch and on Saturdays. They had MORE magazine advertised merchandise than anyone, including MOR-DROP axles, ($10.95 exchange) Cal Custom, Eastern Auto, and a host of others. Belond 'Equa-Flow' system was hung on the wall, they had them IN STOCK for most makes & models. Hellings air cleaners, exchange Stromberg 94s & 97s, it was a walk-thru paradise of parts. Shopped there from 1955 to 1962, they had a top shop/upholstery shop adjoining, too. (Seat covers were 'ready made', they installed 'em.)
I think they still do. I've seen plenty of them; come in red head, blonde, brunette, raven hair, lots of varieties.
Those old parts have a soul that the new repops don't . I always wonder what life these parts had before I got my hands on them. Was my Sharp Chev. 6 intake on the coolest car in the high school parking lot 1955 or was it on a dirt track car chewing up flatheads? Why was the bottom of my Cyclone Chev 6/G.M.C. to early Ford transmission adaptor cut off? (I think it was to run a 10 1/2 clutch) Who cut it off ? Did it give them the edge at the strip? I know the story on some of my parts. I bought Halibrand Champ Q.C. and Schroeder steering box from Russ Betz, A legendary north east NASCAR modified mechanic and car owner, and were used in one of his winning cars!
This ad cracks me up today. A 12 port head on methanol is claiming 1hp per cubic in on a GMC. For your + .125” bored 302 would be 325hp and very doable. Folks building stock head GMC’s think this a walk in the park on gasoline. My 311” in a roadster pushing a 32 grille shell at Bonneville has been 171 and 159 at El Mirage and I would be very happy with 1 hp per inch and I’ve got parts that very few have or want to pay to have made. If you want cheap hp ....... get a supercharger; it’s a lot easier on your wallet. As for 12 port heads. They are out there and can be bought.