History Bringing the Wetzel Roadster Back to 1952

The flathead is back in the "Wetzel Roadster":

image from the July 18th Roy Brizio Street Rods Inc Facebook timeline
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See above

 

Why was the Caddy engine removed from the Barris Parisienne custom? All this mixing of engines from historically significant vehicles leaves me confused.....

 

I guess it's all part of the everchanging world we live in.Perhaps we need a Jolt to our senses every now and then,on what we think is history. Neat car in both versions...

 

@HEMI32 I am of the opinion he actually ran Bias 16 big bike tires but I have glanced through the scanned articles and not seen mention of what the vintage tires were...but note a rounded look different to the Automotive cousins...

I had them on my Vintage Harley...I think they may however have went with a Automotive version...which looks fine as well as Bias Tires are as we know are Period Correct...

Interestingly Hamber @quickchangeV8 may in fact have those by the sound of it...would they happen to be the Bias depicted in the scanned articles?

So Quick change are you saying the fronts wheels and tires you acquired the ones in the scanned articles or those modern ones in the OPs?

 

Jair Valle (of Roy Brizio Street Rods) was tasked with pulling the flathead out of **** Carroll's Deuce 5wd ... Blowing it apart and giving it a quick detail and a minor rebuild before putting it back in the "Wetzel Roadster":

images from Jair Valle's June 5th Facebook timeline​

 

Jair Valle (of Roy Brizio Street Rods) finished putting the "correct engine" in the "Wetzel Roadster" ... and took it on a test drive:

images from Jair Valle's July 10th Facebook timeline
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Huge improvement!

 

Yes Stogy, the wheels and tires that I have are the ones that were on the front of the 1952 version of the Wetzel roadster.The tires are the old bias ply tires and due to their age, these tires wouldn't be suitable for use anymore. The original front wheels from the 1952 Wetzel roadster are on the front of my 1927 dry lakes roadster and have been fitted with new bias ply tires.

 

“Turning Back The Clock” Great Recoveries of both the Hook/Wetzel & The Kookie T, by Roy-Boy & Co. Those 3-Dog Garage Guys are putting their money in the right places=HISTORY!!!!!

 

Is it camera angle or does the radiator/grille shell lean forward a little? (Post #39)
My Dad always used to say, “the only color for a flathead Ford is red” so we dressed up the engine in my first car just like Jair did with this one except mine had Edelbrock heads and a Thickstun intake. Even the black oil pan.
Sure brought back fond memories...... Miss you Dad.


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My question is since you have the tires that were on this distinctive Hotrod that look to be Firestone's is, were they a Motorcycle tire on an Hotrod...why I do ask is one, they look rounded like a cycle tire and I'm suspecting it may have played a part in choosing a Modern Cycle Tire being fitted to the the pre restored version...presented in the OP. It's funny all these articles and very little mention of the original tire config other than the fronts are smaller...

 

1952 2020 You have arrived!!!!!!!

 

Stogy, if you look at the second post on here by Hemi 32, it gives you a clear picture that there is indeed a Firestone tire on the front of the roadster. You can see clearly that the Firestone logo is embossed on the front tire. I still have the tires in my loft and they are 16 inch Firestone bias ply tires. Perhaps the tires in the 1952 photo were slightly over inflated and give that rounder look.

 

Looks like a 39/40 steering box from what I can see of it!

 

Thanks for your help and patience, these latter images clearly show the flat contact surface on these what must be one of the smaller Bias Piecrust Auto Tires available at the time by Firestone...

And yes the graininess of images and possibly over inflation didn't help with my ***uming he may have in fact run cycle fronts back in the day...

 

Incredible story and transformation
Such a cool Hot Rod
I think restoring these is more difficult than doing a stocker


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

 

Incredible story and transformation
Such a cool Hot Rod
I think restoring these is more difficult than doing a stocker


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

 

Totally warps my head, even if I know what a bad*** Flathead feels like under your control. From the sound of the starter to that feeling you get when the clutch comes up and you give it more accelerator pedal. There is nothing more visceral in this life. I wonder does it have an aluminum flywheel? That adds to the way it takes the gas and gets up to speed. Not quite sure of the period these were used. Lots of carbs on that baby, and with no visible fuel tank I wonder how soon you needed to start looking for a filling station? Only discordant note is the green seat. ****** Hood, a legendary sprint car driver, my younger brother pit crewed for, put us all wise to green as being bad mojo. Otherwise, I give the resto a thumbs up and hope like hell Roy (who is a hell of a nice guy) bagged the Caddy for the Coupe where the secret of its motivation would be a hidden secret. A dream engine in its day and no slouch today, with the go fast goodies, a horse trade like that would make us all happy. But, then again we all know money doesn't just talk. It shouts. On a stand?

 

What a great thread and read. I met Kurt McCormick years ago and he gave me a grand tour of his rides that stick with me to this day. Cool car indeed.

 

Yellow and jade green go together. The best 54Merc’s were yellow and green with a yellow/green interior.

Green on a race car is totally different. I would love to put a “6” ball on my GMC 6 race car but it’s green....

 

would love to know about obtaining history photos of the roadster, im putting together archives towards a future speed and kulture issue . i was able to photograph the road while visiting Mr. Kurt McCormick

 

@SpeedandKultureTRENT Sherrill -

I can certainly send you some high resolution scans of vintage photos of the "Wetzel Roadster" (I already have your email addy) ... but I would suggest you try contacting Ross Myers (the current caretaker of the car) as I'm sure he has an extensive archive of historical photographs of each and every one of the vehicles in his Boyertown, Pennsylvania historic-vehicle museum:

“Doctor Wetzel”

Los Angeles hot-rodder Bill Hook began building this modified 1932 Ford Deluxe Roadster in 1950. The body work was performed by the well-known Valley Customs in Burbank. It included channeling the body six inches to achieve an extremely low profile. Hook sold the unfinished car in 1952 to Dr Leland Wetzel of Springfield, Missouri, who had Valley Customs complete the body work before shipping the car home. Dr Wetzel then installed a bored and stroked 1948 Ford flathead V-8, with a full-race cam, Evans heads and 3x2 intake, three Stromberg 97 carburetors and custom headers. When Wetzel sold the car more than 40 years later, the new owner replaced the Ford engine with a supercharged 1954 Cadillac V-8. Fast forward to 2020, when the roadster became part of the 3 Dog Garage collection. In remarkably original condition and requiring little in the way of restoration, the only major item needed to return the car to its 1952 specification was replacing the Cadillac engine. Well-known California hot rod builder and restoration spe******t Roy Brizio sourced the original Ford engine, which was still powering another hot rod and still in Missouri. The engine once again resides between the frame rails of the Wetzel Roadster, reunited with the car nearly 70 years after it was first put there. Who says you can’t go home again?
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- Todd @HEMI32 Olson​

 

I restored the Wetzle roadster in about 1994. If you have any questions about it let me know. I touched about ever thing on it except the inside of the engine, transmission and rear end. I also restored the Buddy Alcorn '50 Merc, the Johnny Zaro ,40 Merc, and the Parisienne, 54 Cadillac. It was really fun doing those cars.

 

What has Dave Conrad not done? Amazing! I didn't know you did the other cars, too Dave!!

 

Any pics of the 32 with the caddy engine?

 

Very cool car for sure.

I am a dyed in the wool flathead guy to the core, but that blown Caddy is boss. Not sure I'd take it out.

 

Dave is the man......

 

See post #53 above.

 

... and post #1, #12, #22, & #30 ... but I think @F-head means the'32 5wd Coupe (previously owned by **** Carroll).