In my leaaning curve in hot-rods I direct understand I was into the early style. It started early 50's as idea of a 32 3W, then to a 29 roadster pre-war then to a 32 5W mid to late 40's to early 50's. As was into the historic information in time when the parts I did like was aviable. This is the time of speed parts from Bell, Halibrand, Stewart Warner, Ardun heads, Italmeccanica blowers, Scintilla magnet etc. As Halibrand wheels came in and Ardun heads was for sale to hot rodders it was 1950 and I decided to split the wishbones in front. As a dragracer my ideas was most street racing and not mud, track, desert or B-ville. One thing I knew as I did like my car nice painted and I knew few was into chrome back then and had a nice paint and leather inside. I like both modest chrome or a chromed front axle, but how many did chrome in this time frame ? -What I got to found out was hot-rods and racing cars ( track or Indy etc ) was not to bee seen as a equal thing. I got to hear few street racer did use this parts. At most they might had used some speed parts but this was young people and no money, maybe a set of finned heads. Is that the correct way to see this ? In my mind set I was thinking as this parts was for sale, they did use it. Ok fresh from that historic information I can question the use of Ardun heads, and also Halibrand wheels and who bought a full set S/W in a Master panel ? Well, I has to look at it this way. This car can of course never be era correct, but I can use the speed parts that was aviable. I also did hear the Halibrand magnesium banjo was not out until mid 50's. That got me to maybe get Kinmont brakes to ( I had Ford 40 but updated to 42 Lincoln ) I can then use my chromed A-Ford axle and get this coupe to a nice car. The Halibrand wheels are just to coroted so they need be painted Dow 7 'look a like' ( or I like them black.. ) and Ok no one might never had the black but many did paint them - so not all hade the at Dow 7. Still I like to use all parts Henry. So as I see it, the parts will be my direction. Shore it's no right or wrobg here, I'll just like to find my way here. I'm not shore I will use Ardun heads as I got a set of cool heads and a 4 carb intake from E&S and I know that was out late 40's. The Ardun heads as people told me was never in streets and maybe in nostalgic dragracing/B-ville in the end of 50's or the 60's but did find its way to street/hot-rods in the 70's ! ( that was a new thing to hear... so never expected that ) -Correct me on my path here.
If you want era correct, buy the magazines of the period and take notes. Just like most of us did. There are very few guys still alive who were building hot rods in 1952.
Yep. Don't take anybody's word for what was "right" in '52. Most of the "experts" are more talk than anything else, and most of those who "were there" are too old to remember. The magazines of the era are by far your best source. And...they're fun!
From your first post to this one I’ve thought the same thought. Just build what ya want man. as you’ve found stuff existed but that didn’t mean someone did it. The parts that existed at the time and the style that existed at the time aren’t always the same. You seem to want to build one of those “I mean it could have existed if a millionaire decided to Compete with broke teenagers” cars that has every rare “it did exist in 1952” part on it. and really, what’s wrong with that? It’s clearly what you want. Better than building an actual 40’s car and you not loving it at all at the end of all the punishment building a car dishes out.
Yes I had read some magazines and books ( not many ) and I realise the style. I can't see any of the parts I thought they used. One can say I had NO clue what I was thinking or talked about. I might been to focus on era correct, but I shore knew I can do whatever I like. When I was thinking era correct that was not Centerline wheels or 14" rear tires or Autometer gauges. I soon found out new body/frame/axles/wheels/brakes etc was not 'me'. So I like a tight road for a build-up in a style. My NHRA racing has been full of rules and I restored Ferguson tractors to std factory specs. I did like this car to has a historic road. I see I get more into the expensive parts that no one used ( back then. The dusty not painted style is not my cup of tea, but I'm loving the era speed parts. What get me confused now is the Ardun Hemi, but I must say it's lost its glory, plus the new heads take some of the 'edge' away ( sorry to say that ) so whatever speed parts to the FH might be the way, as to me it feel way more hot-rod. Funny how it can change..
Having built a totally period correct circa 1942 AV8 roadster, I would strongly suggest getting magazine and books on the timeframe you want the build to look like. That said, my next build will look fairly correct, but have parts that make it even more fun to drive. T-5 or similar overdrive transmission and other things that make the car even more fun to drive will be included with round two. Only you can decide what you want, how it will look and what the final results will be. Seems like your thread has been going on for months. Time to start building, make changes along the way, and get it done.
Yeah it really can. You’re figuring it out. Even with a solid plan in place before you start the car will tell you what it wants as it comes together .
banjoner, I read some collect parts atleast 5 years or more, and remember all this is old parts and some imports from USA to Sweden and just to get the body was a huge operation ( to get one ) I got wrong parts, missed parts so it's not easy. I has been to south Sweden 3 times on parts recently and it was 8 hours drive each way, so collect parts don't come easy and I search parts from the 40's. So I started last summer and had not much of a idea where it would get to, but what you say is ; to many updates is not good ( agree ) But,,, So my idea has been learn, visit people, asking on help, collect parts, feel my way in. That must get one to wrong way, wrong parts and updates. Remember I has focus my life from 1985 to 2015 on dragracing, not hot-rods ( I'm new ) So I has no hurry here. I also has a new Hemi for my 70 Cuda and a business to run. Anyway, next step now is mock-up and you need to wait to see this, as body will be at a experianced guy next winter and just the engine is a huge operation. My focus will be clean parts, get it to work condition but not fill it with parts ( thats a huge project ) and not needed now ) but get it on wheels before winter. Just get a belt solution for a blower etc whit a mech fan is a big work, I can't call Summit. Just say this so you don't think I can show this car here at HAMB next summer. -It's simple not possible.
I think it was mostly who could tune up a stock car to run the best. That’s about all a poor teenager could afford. Or if you wanted off the line quicker you used a different rearend gear. Top speed? Get bigger rear tires. Cheap things like that are probably the most traditional you can get. But that doesn’t dazzle the crowds of today.
I hear ya and have a lot of respect for you guys in your part of the world. I have a group of European guys that stop by my spot at Hershey each year. They tell me about how they go about collecting a lot of parts and then have them shipped over. My car went through three different versions before I finalized it. It's all part of the process. I think your idea of having a flathead with some cool speed parts is the best way to go. You can always change things once it's done. Life got in the way of my build many, many times. I got to a point where I had to either make it a priority to get it done or sell it. With help of friends, I put the hammer down and got 'er done. Good luck and I think we are all looking forward to seeing your car once it's done.
Motor Trend + Channel online now has Hot Rod Magazines back to Issue #1 in a digital archive that you can view online. I don't know how you'd subscribe to the Motor Trend + Channel from Sweden, but it would be worth the effort to do so. This would be an excellent source of the information you seek about early hot rods and how they were built. Good luck! https://www.motortrend.com/plus/magazines/hot-rod/3169
Here is the deal. No matter what ERA or location you are in, there was ALWAYS kids scraping together dimes to afford to build a hot rod as well as that one person or persons that could afford to order the latest and greatest speed parts available to them. Even in my little area (which was still the Wild West in the 50s) there was an Ardun powered car and a relatively famous A RPU that has been cloned at least 2 or 3 times. Just like the Colonial Living History I have been involved with, YOU pick the Era and YOU develop the backstory to support your build. Just be ready to defend your choices because SOMEBODY always knows more than you
Hank, I'm loving the process you are going through to talk out your ideas, I too am looking forward to seeing your collection of parts come together, I can understand your desire to piece together a car in a narrow era & to thrash out the balance between what could have been & what was. Keep up the good work, you do well with English, I have some Swedish friends but cannot speak the language. I will keep an eye out for your build thread!
Stop over thinking and just start building, the old saying goes, “don’t talk about it, be about it” once you actually start building the car, it will in fact dictate how it’s going to be built. So will your budget, and your taste. Mine has definitely changed from my early years, and I realize I won’t ever be one of the cool kids, so why even try. I’m just into old styled hot rods and that’s cool enough for me.
OpenThrottle, In a way I understand what you try say but as I explained to bajoner. I can’t build before I know what to build and I cant build before I has parts to build. Naturally I’m a dragracer and I never read Hot Rod magazine or was at hot rod events. After the cowid years and age 57 and not totally broke I had a idea do this or another related project. My Cuda has a brand new Hemi with the latest tricks and parts but got into hot rods now. I always runs my project home, so do not worry. I think with good help from friends and Hamb it started to clear out what I like to do. Look forward to mock this up. Still missing a 34 TQ tube as one here at forum sold me but got lost. He said he get me another one but nothing so far.
I appreciate a period car, but don't get sucked into the "more is better" attitude. What I mean is, I see guys that collect the rarest parts for the era of build and cover the car in these rarities. It's almost cliché at that point. You can pick out the guys that are "rare parts collectors". Build something that fits a certain era, not narrowing it down to a specific year. You Swedes always do justice to your builds, so I expect you will come out with a great finished product.
Roothawg, Yes we might can call it a 'christmas tree'. I know there is a line here. I visited a guy here in Sweden that had work with traditional hot rods for decades ( as his work. Actually he builded the red 32 roadster my Halibrands was on before ( I might showed pictures. I has huge respect for that guy. He was working on 2 cars last time I was there, one 32 roadster with a a new B-ville body and new frame but old firewall and axles etc and finned head FH. Not any special 'speed parts' but at deep dark old style solid red and rest was black, 34 axle at rear and a 32/heavy in front, 39 transmission, dark leather interiour and a modest wheel and gauge set-up but car had not what I can say a 'attitude' but a very well balanced early style hot rod. No one build a car like that whitout tons of experiance. I call him sometimes on adwise. As I mentiomed I might get a set of Kinmont brakes. I was Not into them before ( even if cool stuff ) as I did like the Lincolns, but now with the update on the wheels I see this maybe more the way to go. Shore expensive but one can see it as a invest to. Its well over 11K converted and I can spend that money on body and parts to get the car complete. But if we forget about era correct and money or a invest, I'm not shore on them. So let's see. Basic my build is not that drastic. A Henry std frame and body, but chopped 3.5" and no fenders and no hood and in black. Std tank on, 37 rearaxle ( all black ) and no QC, Lincoln 39 transmission, ( Lincoln 42 brakes ) a chromed A-Ford axle or a polished but painted 32/heavy axle, splitted 32 bones, std steering box, not much chrome, only small parts, 39 rear light, Guide 682-C front lights, S/W master panel with Wing gauges, 39 shifter, Bell Auto 15.5" steering wheel 3-spoke, black leather inside in std sofa ( modest made ) wheels will be Ford 40 and 7.50/4.50 or Halibrands solids gold painted with 7.50/5.50, FH engine with a 59 block, 4" Merc crank/rods, Merc camcover with a Scintilla magnet and with E/S heads and intake and 4 of 81's ( I really start like this set-up ) but but there is Arduns to and a Italmeccanica. I start get some left overs so I can change style and axles as I has ex a non chromed 4" drop 34 axles to, A-Ford spring rear, 36 bones etc. I guess the Ardun and left overs will be spares, maybe this car not even get the Halibrand wheels on or maybe just the at the rear ( I might paint them black just because I like it, let's see at mock-up.
This is purely for illustration and nothing more. To me its always more fun to take something old, and then modify it the way that pleases YOU ! I did that so many times when building model cars and trucks as a kid, sure the picture on the box was a good guide, but when you took a variety of parts from different cars and trucks, then made a new creation, that is a one of a kind, then its truly more fun to do that. To me same with real cars and trucks.
3w Hank, your Kellison friend here. Do a quick search for a current thread here on books pertaining to hot rodding. These books will give you an idea of the business in the era that you're trying to recreate. I'd recommend Roy Richter, Striving For Excellence by Art Bagnall and The Business of SPEED by David N. Lucsko. Both of these books will give you snapshot of who was in business and what they were selling. HOT ROD started in 1948. BELL auto parts started in the thirties. Lucsko's book starts with the the Model T speed equipment vendors in 1915 and goes up to 1990.
So what would you have built in period if you had been alive and building your car with the resources available ? Be true to yourself.
It's like anything skill, taste, money, and region often dictated what and how a car was built. Chet Herbert's 32 from the March 1952 issue of Hot Rod Street 32 sedan propane powered 270 Cui GMC with a Horning 12 port head (far more rare then Ardun heads) chrome front axle. Two cars of the same era- Kenny Shoemaker at Fonda Speedway Fonda NY. The car sits at stock height on top of the frame. Jim Reed of Peekskill at Rhinebeck, N.Y. in the early 1950's. The car is channeled over the frame. (McDowell photo. Phil Miller collection).
Heres another huge factor often overlooked. Regions, it waant JUST east coast and west coast style rods. County to county and town to town had different things thay were in or cool and werent. For my dad in the Dalles Oregon in the 1950s, black cars were cool, white or red interiors. A lot of guys in that particular area didnt necessarily consider 50s cars "hot rods" 20s-40s fit that bill even regarding well modified 50s cars. They had a drag strip and guys ran their cars there. My uncle in the same town had a circle track car, a 36 ford 5 window. Lots of flavors for different folks. If you drove a cpl hours south though youd find a shole different group of car guys into different stuff. The commonality was the printed word, hot rod magazines "the little books" thats where you would get similarities, otherwise remember, these were mostly kids in a time with no internet, no cell phones, no h.a.m.b., my advice similarly to what others have said is look to the vintage mags, while doing that, also look at the towns folks were from. When building a car, a time capsule, imagine the age of the fella who wouldve built it, his budget, where he wouldve lived, did he run it at the strip on the weekends or was he trying to build something extra special for the growing in popularity car shows? Or was he just building something neat so the girls would notice? Just my 2 cents, loads of ways to skin a cat
Daniel Dudley, ’be true to yourself’, Yes that’s a good way see this. I think one could ( should ) spend a year or two just visit people/garage, meetings, get books to read. And not do ANY process. But thats not the way I operate.. —- In this case I had doing racing for several decades ( totally in focus ) and decided to take a year off and get the new MP Hemi block. I sold the fast engine I worked on for many years as I got a good offer, but later it was no way found to found a new block but, I will not get into that long story but it's a story on back orders and parts special made and then the cowid years. So this engine took several years to build and allot of money. So I bought a 1947 tractor I could work on for fun and some hot rodder friend helped out on straight out parts and said this might be your hot rod.. To be honest I had another racing idea ( but that also is another story ) Well I started get a idea and one evning I just got a ’picture’ in my head on a black chopped 32 coupe with no fenders. I first find this picture and later on I found Larry Rollers 3W, and from there all new ideas come in. I started get a frame and was into QC, pinched frame, Rolling Bones front ideas and FH was the engine idea to use and soon came Ardun in. Anyway I bought some parts as Ford 40 brakes/wheels, order tires a QC etc and body was a big case to solve ( I showed that before ) So I has breef many ideas here at Hamb and ask question ( always a big help ) as I started fresh on evry idea/concept. I talked last time on Kinmonts. Well I got the idea to fill the 32/heavy axle ends as the Halibrand wheels fired up new ideas. So now I bought that Kinmont kit. This is a way that I was not into really into as I had a dropped 34 axle and updated the Ford 40 brakes to Lincoln and the use of Ford 40 wheels ( no hub caps ) I still has the parts so I can change but I hope I bought what I like as its allot of money in axle/brakes/wheels. This is parts I will has hard to sell if I change my find. I has asked some people on this stuff but few thinks its really cool or worth it and few used it back then. -It might make the car from modest ( read cool ) to just ; ’to much’ now. I might need a push tell me it was a good idea :- ))
The old guys that I am fortunate enough to interact with have mostly graduated to street rods for comfort, convenience and safety, but it is great to hear their take on what used to be. Also remember there were a lot of ugly/homely/ awkward/mismatched hot rods built back in the old days. Gather your parts and build your creation with the benefit of all we have today, perfect 20/20 hindsight. Not sure all of that will translate into Swedish.
Rodl, Yes I enjoy open this new doors, but I'm not planning a USA trip now. And its several reson for that. One its time and our money SEK to the USD is worthless, so I spend it on the car instead. The money convert is twice really what it should be at the moment, plus add up freight in parts and we has high taxes and a tax that is 25% on it all. The good thing is I found allot of hot rod parts here in Sweden ( I never thought that ) But I has been in USA 1-2 times/year since 1988, but at the cowid it was stopped. I went for racing as information, visit shops, visit NHRA events, and I'm at the PRI show as I sell a product that most goes to the US market ( engine rebuilding ) Friends that's been over in USA tell how expensive it has become now for us I was actually going to Bonneville last year but its hard get into country as USA has restrictions I can't fill.. so I can't go anyway. The good thing I save money that can be invested on the coupe instead !
The mantra "magazines are the source of expertise" is a potentially false one. Magazines came out monthly (if that). Due to print and distribution prices, and the restrictions of time and location, they only featured just a few cars each month. In many cases, these cars were not all that far from where the editorial staff of these magazines lived, and infrequently anywhere else. If Hot Rod Magazine optimistically featured, in-depth, four cars per issue, over all of their 75-years, that's 3,600-cars, or one modern Northern California car show, plus one Southern California car show. Now, the HAMB-era ended 57-years-ago, so subtract that 57 from the 75-years that Hot Rod Magazine has been around and you are left with just 18-years of data, which could be as few as 864-cars. That is one poorly attended Northern California car show. If there ever were ten monthlies, that would only be 8,640 cars. Compare and contrast that to tens-of-thousands of cars built in the period. I am reminded of this every time someone says that something "was never done back then" or that "if it were done back then it would have been in the magazines". Just 200-miles away from the publishing house, to where it was being none, is enough to make people believe that it was never done, and man do people ever get pissed off when you show them pictures! Don't even get me started about the alarming percentage of people that believe that lowriders were invented in the Midwest, by white farm kids, and then migrated to Los Angeles!
The Jalopy Journal
