Hot Rods I just bought a La Dawri California

I believe that it is a 57/64 Olds/Pont. rear. Probably from same car as motor and trans. 5" bc is a hint. Cool car in any case.

Pat

 

...and you gotta love that interior...sweet!

 

Nice save, look forward to seeing it up and running. Bob

 

Valley covers and road draft tubes are the same-55-57. I tossed my road draft tube, put a rubber grommet in the hole and used a PCV valve instead. You could fill the oil through the draft tube hole but the crankcase needs an air inlet of some kind. If you want the valve covers in my photo of the 55 engine, they're yours. They are 1959, 389 covers and I won't be using them. I've found valve covers and gaskets fit all Pontiac V/8s although there is a small difference in curvature at the ends of the covers, not enough to affect sealing using a fat gasket .
PM me if you need those '59 covers, just pay shipping..

 

This 1961 Chevy steering wheel from my parts stash is perfect, it echoes the instrument pod. Obviously I’ll have to shorten the steering shaft. It’ll be easy to find a steering column, Chevy parts are common.

 

You are awesome. Thanks so much. I’ll pm you.

 

If you do redo the interior, I'd look into dying the red thread on the dash.

 

Well, I’m about to show my ignorance again.
When I was 21ish I had just started working at a shop. The boss was cleaning up for some extra room. Out back was an odd glass body on a chassis. I had no clue what it was. As the boss was loading it in the scrap bin I asked him what it was. He said it was some oddball glass body on a old vette chassis. The chassis looked like a C1.

 

If the idea of a pass to the VIP tent at Pebble Beach appeals to you, don't make too many changes.
But if you don't care about all that and just want a sweet driver, then hit it with your best shot.

 

I really dislike it.

 

Many, many years ago I saw a crazy car on the secondary "discount" lot at Radir's Relics, it was a fantastic classic car dealer in Winter Park Florida that I went to at least once a week. It was flat black and had fins, it was Corvette powered, at least it had the valve covers and possibly a C1 windshield. It was $2500. It's just a memory now, how I wish I had taken pictures of all the things I saw.

 

I forgot to ask, does the car have any Sports Car racing history?

Bob

 

I knew I was forgetting something sp I will check those bodies out tomorrow and get pics.

 

You are also missing the throttle/kick down linkage/bracket. This is a very important part, the Hydra will not shift properly without a specific adjustment process, see a factory manual for all you will ever want to know.

 

The ones at work are similar and have similar hood and trunk openings.

 

That "kit car" is neat! And those Vegas are way neater than the Vegas around my town.

 

Those are different models of the same manufacturer, see the catalog posted earlier.

 

125 Lbs. Body Weight

Hello,

When my brother and I were building our 1940 Willys Coupe for the C/Gas Class at Lion’s Dragstrip, a friend of ours was building a nice looking sports car with a Chevy motor for the Modified Sports Car Class. It looked like a Devin body and when told it was a La Dawri sports car, we were confused. No one we knew had heard of the La Dawri Sports Car. It was one of those “kit” body build units that anyone with mechanical skills could adapt to a rolling chassis.



Although it was located in the same industrial tract a few blocks from our last Westside of Long Beach house (1528 Canal Ave. ), our friend had access to the factory from his own house a few miles north toward Bixby Knolls. During the time La Dawri was in Long Beach, it was near Mickey Thompson’s Shop, the Joe Mailliard Shop and Tom McEwen’s Speed Engineering, as well as the Clay Smith Cams’ last location in Long Beach.

Jnaki

Our friend had a modified chassis and driveline, so it was the base for the La Dawri body to pop onto the frame. We were at his house several times to see the progress on the sports car. His house was a block or two from Atts Ono’s Willys Coupe build and for us, it was a two-thing in the visits.

The other partner in the finished La Dawri Sports Car was a friend who was on our high school football team as a starting guard. He was at least 6 feet 1" and could pull to make a devastating block to open up holes for our star running back of the time. He also had skills in the automotive end like most of us as teenagers. He was also a roving linebacker lined up next to me on a 4-3 defense, too.

“LaDawri Cavalier. The company moved to the United States in 1957 where it became one of the largest fiberglass sports car body companies during the rebody/specials craze of the 1950s and 1960s. The company ceased operations in 1965. No one company of its time offered a wider variety of body styles than La Dawri Coachcraft of California.”

“The Cavalier model was first shown at the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver in 1956. Dawes intention was to sell the car in both Canada and the United States. In 1957 the company moved to Long Beach and later Los Alamitos, California. The Cavalier, renamed Conquest, was featured on the cover of Road and Track magazine in July 1957. The Conquest and the later Daytona were among the most popular models offered with a wheelbase of 100". The Conquest was a two-seat open roadster and was followed in 1958 by the Quest, a smaller version to fit smaller chassis.”


Here is a rare shot of the finished Gary Weldele and Bob Foster La Dawri Sports Car in the B/Modified Sports Car Class. Sponsored by the world famous, Compton Service Center Speed Shop on Atlantic Ave.

Pure power raised the front end on full acceleration. It was not a raised up front end set up like in the fad that happened in the late 60s. There were modified shocks that had a 80-20 ratio and the full drag racing shock was 90-10. (A 90/10 shock, on the other hand, requires more pressure to compress it, but very little to extend it. That makes a 90/10 an ideal front shock for drag racing because it lifts the front end of the car quickly and holds it there. That helps transfer weight to the rear of the car.)

No need for the fake front end raised to the sky, let the motor transfer the power. Big M&H slicks, small tires in front and Halibrand slots all around, a great combo for show and drags. A super clean, So Cal Modified Sports Car.

 

Not that I’m aware of, but it’s possible some might emerge.

 

Got one coming, thanks

 

These are Conquests. I like this grille better.

 

Thanks for this fantastic history lesson. It’s incredible that you were there at the time these were being made.
Much respect to you.

 

What's that other car next to the one that has the hardtop? It's really cool looking.

 

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/2022-early-times-cc-mid-winter-rod-run-2-27-22-photos.1257452/

Hey N,

Thanks for the compliment. I am glad I could add to your project history. It was just one of those things that we happened to grow up in the Westside of Long Beach back in those early times. I have to thank my dad for wanting to stick around the harbor area and be close to where he grew up in Terminal Island and San Pedro.

I am pretty sure that when we rode our bikes (or drove in the later years,) as we went by the 1528 Canal Street location. It was an old industrial area from those days and it is still around. Look at the great photos of the gathering posted by @Blues4U on his Early Times thread. (link above) The industrial tract looks like it did 60 years ago, but a lot of the speed shops and parts places are gone.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...rod-run-2-27-22-photos.1257452/#post-14402602

Jnaki

I remember those shops and on our forays into the industrial tract, we were on our way to our favorite Italian Deli and Market Place, Santa Fe Importers. It was right next to the last Mickey Thompson Shop on Santa Fe Avenue. The Italian Deli is still there and is now considered an icon of the neighborhood and in Long Beach.

As nice as history is, the old saying of “you can’t go home again” rings true. We sold our last house in 1998 and have gone by a few times recently, 2017 and 2019 when the Lion’s Dragstrip Museum opened for the set up days. It is not the same, but is still hanging on for the new generations.

Note: The second oldest Taco Bell is still down the street from the old 1528 Canal Street address and they are still going strong, too.

 

Never saw one.
Cool. Interesting.
V8 powered sports cars definitely intrigue me. I sometimes look at ads for old sports cars. I shouldn't. LOL

Here's a '55 windshield in normal position.
Tall and upright.


Here it is laid down.
Low and laid back.

 

I’m excited to be a part of this resurrection. If things were a little less hectic at the shop, a full ground up restoration would be nice. Like so many other projects we come across, you gotta shake your head and ask”what where they thinking ???” Someone was going about this build ass-backwards.
No worries, we have the skill to make it Jump, Jive n Wale

 

Okay, having gotten a 1955 Pontiac workshop manual, the frame is actually a shortened 1955 Pontiac!!!!

 

Holy crap, Nads...that thing is awesome. Have fun with the resurrection!

 

I was just at the Western Maryland Rod Round Up. guy at the swap meet had a 55/6 pontiac 2-4BBL set up, said it was very rare. if you're going early pontiac V8 i could try to get his #.

 

Please keep us up to date on this build, the buy and build to driving on the road percentage is way down on these, probably on any car of this type. The Forgotten Fiberglass site is definitely worth checking out, if you haven't already. That interior may not be to your liking, but somebody paid up for it. You might be able to do a swap with somebody that likes those seats, just a thought. Enjoy!