Hot Rods I just bought a La Dawri California

I've know Geoff Hacker at Forgotten Fiberglass for years, He's a bottomless pit of information.

Yeaterday I squirted some starting fluid down the carb and the engine started. The gas tank is mounted and fuel lines run. The electrics for the starting and generating circuits is done. I have to do the lighting circuit. I got a windshield for it.
I have to make a shifter, and then it'll be ready to drive. I have no doubt there will be bugs to work out.

I'll post more pics tomorrow.

 

Go Nads Go! Wait that doesn’t sound good. Well you know what I mean. I want to see this on the road!

 

Pontiac offered 2 x 4 with Rochester 4-GC carbs in 1956, not in 1955. And yes, they are quite rare. Even rarer with the original water neck. The original has a bend. Virtually every 1956 I have seen has had the 1957 tripower water neck.

In a different lifetime (way before the internet), I bought a 1955 Cadillac El Dorado 2x4 sight unseen, and had it shipped to me. I was quite disappointed (heh, heh) to find it to be the ultra-rare Pontiac rather than the much more common Caddy. That unit is long gone.

A 2x4 on that Pontiac engine would look a lot better than the Chevrolet carb currently on it.

There were 12 experiment versions built in 1957, using the same intake, but with experimental Carter WCFB's. In 60 plus years of playing with carbs, I have only seen one.

There was a purple La Dawri at the Wentzville, Missouri racetrack (spectator car, not racing) when I was attending SCCA races in the mid-late 1960's. Somewhere, I probably have a picture of it. But no idea where.

Jon

 

Anna will make even this car look good Nadeem

love ya buddy.

 

I once sold a 2 x 4 Pontiac intake on line. The auction winner told me the numbers on the intake was too low to be a production piece. It was probably a pre-production prototype intake.
Talk about rare.

 

It’s her car. I love you right back Glenn.

 

Wow

 

The production manifold had a six digit casting number (see my website).

The "developmental" a.k.a. prototype had a "D" in front of a five digit number (also on the website).

The developmental casting seems to at least as common (none are common) as the production unit. I personally have owned three of the developmental castings and only one of the production castings.

Jon.

 

what's your website?

 

Here you go--https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/

 

Egads gave you the link to the home page.

Here is the link to the manifold listings:

https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Multiplecarbmanifolds.htm

Here is another link, that, if you scroll down to Pontiac, you can see a couple of pictures of the 1956 2x4

https://www.thecarburetorshop.com/Multicarbsetups.htm

If you look closely at the first picture, you can see a hint of the dogleg on the water neck.

Jon

 

I have a dual quad Packard intake that I’ve never installed on my 352 in my ‘34 Ford, maybe one day.

 

Nads - the Packard 2 x 4 used Rochester 4GC carbs.

The 1955 versions are only rare.

One has a better chance of winning an argument with the IRS than finding a set of the 1956 versions.

Jon

 

I’m not sure what year mine is. I’ll check the numbers

 

Headlights and taillights are in.
Headlights were a giant pain in the ass. Someone had glassed in those weird buckets. A normal 7” bucket wouldn’t fit in. I had to grind it all out and I got some fiberglass in my eye. I mounted the bucket from behind and epoxied some brackets made from 49 cent L brackets from J&L Hardware. I’ve been going there for forty years. They are tiny and I love the people that work and shop there.
Today I heard they were for sale. If it goes I’ll be heartbroken.

 

Lights look good, dig that '61 Belvedere hardtop in the background, too.

I know what you mean about the hardware store. There's one near me called Farm & Home that's closing its doors and it bums me out, one of the last remaining places nearby that actually has hardware in it.

 

so sad

 

I’m gonna make some turn signal buckets from scratch out of fiberglass. I can’t find anything aftermarket that I like. Here’s some mock up templates. I think they need to be a bit narrower.

 

Or floating in the corner?
https://www.mgmagicclassicmotorpart...rn-signal-assembly-complete-lucas-style-each/

 

Admittedly a garbage Photoshop, but would something like '64 Grand Prix lights work? With or without the grilles and the center tooth I guess. Not that I don't like the idea of custom made ones, it's just the front of this car reminds me of an early 60's Ferrari and they always had a free standing parking light on either side and some kind of very light looking grille behind those lights.

 

Man, what a neat car!

 

Such an interesting, offbeat car... subscribed!

 

I have one of those GP lights, but I don't know where it is. It's probably too big, but this looks great.

 

I know this is heresy, but '70s Mercury Comets have a very similar style front turn signal that I think may be small enough to fit. It's not as tall but may be longer than the Pontiac piece.

 

Here’s some updates. I got the turn signals made up in fiberglass, im waiting on some clear and prismatic plastic to make lenses. I put in an old wood rimmed steering wheel, it looks great, very sporty and is smaller than the ‘61 Chevy Impala one I was going to use. There’s more lev room with this.
I got the windshield in with help from my son, it took all damn day. It was a total pain in the ass.
I have all the electrics done, headlights taillights horn and turn signals.
I’m waiting on my wheels to get back from powder coating to put the tires on and then it’ll be ready for it’s first drive.

 

Oh and also I found that La Dawri badge on German eBay of all places.
I also have to replace all the wheel cylinders and hoses, I should have done that first but I thought they were good by a visual examination, but there’s no fluid going through the hoses, so they’re shot and I’m sure the wheel cylinders will be too. The shoes and drums look like new.

 

You certainly haven't let any grass grow under your feet. Looks nice.

 

Nads, the clear diffuser lens from a fluorescent light makes a good lens. I used part of one to make my parking light lens. Sorry, no pics.

 

yeah, I've used scraps before, I just don't have any handy.