In the early to mid 70s dad's cousin asked him about building a modified to run Fonda Speedway. Dad asked a local 35 Ford collector about a 35 Tudor parts car he had. He told my dad he could take the whole car, but he had to return the frame and fenders, and there it sat for the last fifty tears right where dad left it when he returned it. Fast forward to two weeks ago I stopped in and asked the man's son about the frame one more time and this time his wanted to part with it! You can still see where dad cut the body off all those years ago in the last photo, The Modified project never got any further than dad collecting the body and a frame which was a Mako Shark era (68-72) Corvette. The front end had been cut off dad was going to plug 2" x 4" tube into the stock frame, early Ford front axle, and run Chrysler leaves in the rear. The rear wishbones are going under my track roadster (pure race car) project; the driveshaft may end up there to as a Indy/Champ Car style exhaust. Where dad cut the body off all those years ago....
Yes, it was. and it had to be after 1972 when dad had the car as well. Fonda dropped NASCAR (or NASCAR dropped them when Winston came in in 1973) NASCAR had a no cloth tops rule. All cars had to have a factory steel roof.
I have always wondered if it was sold new here in Grand Gorge at W.S. Hinkley & Sons. The were a Ford dealership from 1930 to 2016. However around here Frank Pindar and Son (Chevrolet) outsold Ford! Dairy farmers wanted Chevrolets!
Many years ago, I was still high school (so at least 25 years ago) I asked about it but the answer was "No."
Cool story and a good score Robert. The 35 drums (in conjunction with 39 and later backing plates) are what you want if your gonna run wire wheels with juice brakes and don’t wanna use aftermarket parts.
Your dad is a craftsman, Robert. Every body I cut off in that era I did with the blue crescent. And then had to clean up the edges to use on the modifieds. It looks like he used a sawzall, something that was above my pay grade back then.
The building has some really cool details on the top, but when they put the new roof (the old flat roof was leaking) on the the late 1990s they were covered. It still open but Ford pulled the franchise in 2016 for not meeting sale quotas. The Family fought it saying they had a handshake agreement with Henry Ford who wanted a dealerships in Delaware County, and Henry Ford was friends with the naturalist John Burroughs who was born and lived in Roxbury NY 5 miles west of Grand Gorge and Henry did stay in the Roxbury Hotel, so they likely did have an agreement. Unfortunately, times change and neither Henry Ford nor Winfield Hinkley where hear to confirm it.
Looks like good stuff. The rest of the picture will be interesting In 1986 I was paying on a shell of that year Tudor slant. Then life forced me off that track. I had to take a different road.
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