Hot Rods The original "A.I." Anderson Industries... Where did the molds go ?

Anderson Industries offered 1934 Ford 3 Window coupe bodies in the late 1970's... Stock and Chopped. (This thread might just get locked down,.... But let's give this a try). If my memory serves me right, they were one of the first fiberglass company's to offer a closed car body in fiberglass. the other was VWT .

Although crude by today's standards, they were pretty exciting back in the late 70's... Anyway the chop on the 34 was exceptional !... and pretty darn wicked cool !.. An old pal of mine bought one and built it back in the day... it took an awful lot of body work to get it straight, far more than anyone expected. But when it was done, the car was crazy cool with a unbelievable profile. (sorry I don't have a picture of it)

The car was sold almost forty years ago,... But in a recent conversation with my old pal, We got to reminiscing about it,.... He said "I sure would love to find another one of those AI bodies".... Then we were wondering what happened to the original molds,... And if they would still be usable, Or too deteriorated from age...

If you have a 34 that was built with a AI body, lets hear your experience,... If you know what happened to the molds or the whereabouts of a body,... let me know.

 

They were slanted post, right? Back in those days most of the chops were done straight down, with a stretch in the middle. Might be the only glass body I can remember from that era that had slanted posts.

 

https://www.hotrod.com/features/bods-for-rods-october-1986-982-1344-76-1
partial quote
ANDERSON INDUSTRIES
One of the oldest of the reproduction body manufacturers, Anderson Industries (Ai), offers the potential rod builder a relatively wide selection of 'glass slippers. Included in their product line is a '23 and '27 roadster body, a new "ultimate" '29 roadster body, both a chopped (3 inches) and unchopped '34 three-window body, plus '48 to '53 Anglia, '37 to '48 Fiat, and '32 to '37 Austin Bantam bodies. Anderson Industries, 6599 Washington Blvd., Elkridge, MD 21227, (301) 796-4382.

But this says ended in 1985.
https://www.allcarindex.com/brand/united-states/anderson-industries
So I'd guess it's time to call.

 

Class Glass ended up with the bantam mold - my avatar is one of them - could try to call them and see if they have the '34 molds or know where they may have ended up

 

My AI C cab body came to Australia in the early 70’s I believe it was one of ten produced.

 

Check with Scotts Rods ,I think they ended up with some of Dave Andersons molds

ScottRods

later kb

 

Dave is still around, living somewhere in New England, not sure exactly where. He used to show up with some regularity at the NSRA Nats East in York as he was once very active in the Capitol Street Rods, the club that started the event that ultimately became the Nats East. I'll have to ask around to some of my Maryland peeps as to what they know about the old molds. A friend of mine lives in the house in Elkridge that Dave once owned. I think they kinda stay in touch. I think one of Dave's former employees/ partner may have operated the business as Rod & Race Fibreglass for a period after Dave sold it. Fuzzy memory here, some facts may vary.

 

HAMBer Frank Morawski was the mold maker for all of A.I. bodies. He is still around and still building cool fiberglass cars. He built all the bodies for Rod Saboury’s Corvette drag cars.
My 1917 rpu sat in the front lobby of A.I fiberglass for a lot of years.

 

Only thing I can add is that I worked there and it was a wild time I will never forget. Everyday was an adventure. Miss Vivian, if you read this, hope you are doing well.

 

ok-at least tell some story!

 

..Absolutely.

 

...I'll tell one story, an innocent story. I stopped in there one day back in the '90's. Dave always had a table up near the front of the building with a lot of chrome bolt-on goodies displayed. I was looking for a chrome alternator and I saw one, but there was no-one around to ask about it or pay for it. About that time I heard some noise way in the back of the building, sort of a grinding noise. I started walking toward the back when out pops Dave, covered in fiberglass dust from head to toe, "Can I help you?" Just looking to pay for this alternator, Dave. Guess I could have just walked out, hope no-one else did!

 

Ok, here's one. Before I was moved into the office to deal with day to day running sales, shipping etc., I did the spraying of gelcoat on the molds before the parts were laid up. The "spray room" was in the back of the shop and the walls were covered with sheets of plastic to keep the gelcoat off the walls. The had a thick coat as business at AI was booming. It was a hot summer day and we were all eating our lunch sitting on the front loading dock. I heard a strange noise and looked back and the gelcoat area was on fire, a big fire! Everyone ran back there to help put it out. I ran in the office and was calling the fire department when Dave came running in a grabbed the phone from me and hung it up. He said "are you crazy" if I remembrer correctly. That place ( all fiberglass operations are) was a fire trap with all the chemicals and resin and fiberglass materials, The fire started by itself from the heat of the acetone soaking spray gun I was cleaning. It was the start of OSHA and when they inspected the place, the violation report was as thick as an old paper phone book. That is about all I am willing to talk about, the rest in not PC to talk about in public.

 

....WOW!!!

 

@Rich Venza

 

Rich Venza was a Hamb regular but I haven't heard anything from him in years.

Pat

 

.....Seems like I saw Rich had posted on FB not too long ago, but I could be wrong. Yes, it has been quite a few years since he has been active on here.

 

lothiandon1940, that's a lot to type. I'm not on any social media just Hamb. I like to keep what's left of my sanity plus keep my blood pressure under control.

Pat

 

...I feel your pain, brother.

 

"That is about all I am willing to talk about, the rest in not PC to talk about in public." .

Chuckle... .
Nice mic-drop, "just when it gets interesting",
Well, since I'm sure the statute-of-limitations has passed by, interested & inquiring mind need to know... .
& it's all hear-say anyways - . May as well...
Marcus...

 

OK, one more PC one. We had a Christmas Party one year and it got sort of out of hand. It was suppose to start after we worked till lunch time and the crew was somewhat pissed off that we had to work a half a day, so the drinking picked up speed real quick (if I remember correctly, there was some smoke in the air too) once it finally started. Well things were moving along at a lively pace and the building had a large wooden truss roof. It was quite high off the floor. All the sudden someone looked up and saw Dave's brother who also worked there drunk and hanging ape style from one of the trusses. Half the guys were cheering him on while Dave and the other were trying to talk him down. A couple of us climbed up and got him down without killing him or us.

 

Sounds like a great place to work, and like some of the places I worked back in the 70s.

 

Things were, let’s say, just a little “looser” in the 70’s.

 

FIRE WILL ALWAYS BE A POSSIBILTY IN FIBERGLASS PRODUCTION AREAS....

WE HAD A FIBERGLASS BOAT BUILDING OPERATION IN OUR CITY.
ALWAYS A PRIORITY ON OUR DEPARTMENT RESPONSIBILTY...

 

BTTT

 

"Hold my beer and watch this!"

You wouldn't be facing cancellation of this thread if you had just mentioned the Ai '33 Willys front end!

 

Didn't they make a 33 Willy's coupe that was a little shifted to one side. I had one like that and was told the molds were made frome a body that had been sitting in a swamp. There may be no truth to this at all but maybe just a story .

 

..Don't know if this is true or not but, like you said, it's a good story.

 

Scott rods has most of the molds.