@123...thanks for looking that up...Talk about hot off the press detective work... Aren't those 50 Pontiac tail lights on the upper aft cab? Actually it was a Custom...
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...with-model-a-beds-pics.1043262/#post-11822643 ...this is an Oregon Truck owned by a Roger Simonatti's shared by @lurker mick...it certainly shares similar attributes...could there have been a chop an box switch in a post configuration...remember just like today blowing it up and reinventing a look is par for the way it goes...those back fenders better match yours Gojo...they are not as rounded at the back as yours but that could have been a mod... Maybe Mick has that mag?
I PM’d @keith christensen yesterday. He owned Gene’s Muffler shop and is from Norwalk and knew Don. I was hoping to talk with him on the phone today but he hasn’t read my latest message. Here’s what he had to say about Don and the car show he put on in Norwalk. “I remember Don well. I had work done by him. His quality and workmanship was outstanding ! every pleat, every stitch in the tuck & roll was perfect. From my records , I believe you are referring to the Motorcade show, no his truck wasn't in it darn it ----- keith Christensen (COACHMEN CAR CLUB)” More info to follow after I speak with him.
Louvered hood, swapped chassis, bobbed rear fenders, could be yellow? Could be it. Need to find that magazine to confirm the year. Don owned this truck from 1953 on. Roger Simonatti was a prominent builder in Portland area. Guess he built over 100 cars.
Yours is not Rogers pickup. This is how rogers truck looked when it came up for sale just a few years ago. Mick
I believe Desbrow’s grill and shell was cut just below the splash apron to accommodate the channel job.
I agree @cactus1..me too. Hopefully we can verify some cool history but regardless of that it’ll be back on the road for people to enjoy again.
Just found a few pictures of the Desbrow truck at the 1955 Norwalk Motorcade show in the Peterson Archives. What’s weird is the license plate is different than the plates on the truck when it was in Hot Rod in 52. Was it common in the 50’s to get issued new plates?
Hey @Stogy… check out the antenna sticking out from the bed cover behind the driver. This could explain the multiple cowl repairs on Don’s truck? Roy’s son told me he originally built the truck at his best friends body shop so changes to the body and repaints probably weren’t a problem. When I finally get home late tomorrow night I’m going to search for evidence of the antenna. still don’t understand why the plate changed.
Hope everyone is having a great Christmas! Couple of possibilities here after going cross eyed looking at pics last week while out of town for work. The truck did have stacks at one point. They mounted to the bottom and upper portion of the cab. Pics of welded holes…. This one is very similar. Smooth tailgate and stacks. Anyone know anything about this truck? Does anyone know what happened to Ed Cousins truck? The connection here is the chrome rearend bells, red chassis and the chop. Ed’s truck isn’t channeled here obviously but that’s literally a few days work the way they channeled the blue truck. Ed’s truck was a red/Maroon color with a chrome rearend with color matched chassis. I’m pretty sure not everyone chromed the side bells unless it was a show car. Then I found this researching Ed’s truck…. David’s a well know car builder and painter. Hasn’t been on here for while but I’d trust his comment. Ed was the president of the Renegades car club out of Long Beach. Searching the other club cars they had a lot similar flame styles on numerous cars in the club during the late 50’s early 60’s.
To answer that question for at least Oregon (state will vary but I think its roughly the same timeframe), I think you would swap plates out when they expired. they then went to metal year tags in about 1950 before going to decal tags in 1961. So if they were probably issues new plates when registering the truck in the 50s to take a metal tag. Then you would have swapped plates again in the 60s for plates for decals.
The bed on your truck is too short and rear fenders are the wrong shape. Your truck seems closest to Desbrow’s truck in my opinion. But I have been wrong before.
Plot twist with the history of the truck today. After speaking with Don Hudson’s son Steve this morning the truck can’t be his dads. He never owned a 32. Only the 34 that was featured in Honk! magazine. He sold that truck sometime in the 60’s. Jimmie Don Hudson owned the blue truck. No relation to Don Hudson. Steve did have some very interesting info though. When his dad was racing his 34 pickup in the 50’s he had a “arch nemesis”. A guy who raced a yellow, chopped, channeled 32 pickup who would “speed shift” and always beat his dad when they raced. His dad refused to beat on his transmission so every time he raced this yellow truck he’d get beat. Steve sent me this is a photo of his dads 34 pickup paired up against his arch nemesis. sure does look a lot like the Roy Desbrow truck! The photo was taken in 53/54
Being able to compare them side by side the differences are significant. The front fenders and stance are dead ringers. Cab looks identical too except you have a big back window. Moving on to the bed yours is shorter and the fenders are bobbed more. Grille surround and hood don’t match either. Maybe his truck was parted out at some point and some parts ended up on yours? But as for his truck being yours, I don’t think so.
You mentioned finding a 1961 registration card; what was the license number on it? That would help match it to photos from the '56-'62 period.
I agree, if it is the Desbrow truck it’s just the front fenders, cab and running boards. The chassis is completely different along with the bed.
...this made me go cross eyed a bit too...I'd like to see another angle of this...is it a pickup...roof has an insert...but it sort of shares some things that makes one wonder a bit...
Thanks Mick...that's a great shot, awesome...I guess it's the era but those flames...wow!...no surprise the trophy haul...stunning Hotrod.
Paging @jnaki what class would this truck have been running in the mid to late 50’s? the motor is a 303 olds.
@GoJoMoJo Chuck Porter’s Truck Locally, in Santa Ana in 1955, the odd named classes with identified racers in specific classes. Chuck Porter. Hello, Thanks for thinking I have those facts in hand, or in my files. But, I did have this bit of information handy as I was going to write a story about Gene Adams and that classic, powerful Oldsmobile sedan that was the envy of all of our friends from that time period. 1956-60. But, without knowing the exact weight of the blue truck, we can only guess the 303 Oldsmobile motor vs weight would put it in B/ Gas or C/Gas. On the observation, not too many Gas Coupes and Sedans had the Moon Gas Tanks out in front of the car. Look at Gene Adams’s Oldsmobile sedan. The popular place was at the foot of the passenger’s space on the floor, using the pump for pressure into the tank. Not the safest place, but early hot rodding was experimentation and for that by itself, the later hot rod gas coupes were safer in their racing applications with that cool looking aluminum tank removed to the front of the car or in the trunk. But, as we all know, those gas tanks in front are a nightmare waiting to happen on any street corner of our neighborhoods during a fender bender or on the highways. Bigger motor, heavier car (in the U.S. Nats coverage in the Nov. ’57 issue says the car weighed 3700 lbs. While the Engle AD in that issue says 4150 lbs.) The same drag race as Chuck Porter’s Truck in B/Gas. How could a larger motor be in the same class as a smaller motor? Gene Adams had several manhole covers in the trunk for additional weight. Jnaki Our friend’s 1934 Ford 5 window coupe was in A/Gas class with his 303 Oldsmobile, but in a lighter weight hot rod. Then he got a larger Oldsmobile motor and still was listed in A/Gas. No additional weight involved, just a larger Oldsmobile motor and 6 Strombergs. With similar weights of the 32 truck vs 34 coupe, it might be classified as A/Gas. But, remember, folks wanted to be in a competitive class with limits in size for motors and car weight. So, the A/Gas was limitless for car vs weight. Gene Adams Oldsmobile sedan was in B/gas with the heavier car and larger motor. Note: Our 292 c.i. SBC 671 supercharged motor in our 40 Willys was larger than our original 283 SBC B/Gas listing, but with several thick steel plates, welded in the trunk, over the rear axle location. It was part of the structural rigidity for the stock frame. That was allowed by the class rules, welded in place, not bolted. So, with a larger SBC motor, we dropped into the C/GasClass to go for the records. B/Gas at first listing and early runs. Then, in the later months, with the addition of the heavy steel plates welded into the trunk area, it was enough of a ratio for us to run C/Gas Class for timed runs and eliminations. YRMV
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