I sold my '32 coup in '98 to a young guy who worked where I was retiring from. Yesterday a friend of mine saw it at a small local show. Same paint, same tires, same decals. No change since then that I can see except the SBC. I sold it with mounts for a Y block, a GMC, or a Chrysler. And he puts a SBC in it. Should have kept the car.
It was mine from '65 until '98 when I really needed the space it was taking up. had not seen or heard from it until yesterday. Hard to get it in my head it's not mine. He gets to do anything he wants. But then he should remove my number from the doors.
After seeing, and reading of what has happened to guy's cars after they are sold, i think i'd be happy that thats all he did.. Imagine it with independent front suspension, tweed interior etc etc.....not THAT would ****! Cool car regardless of what's under the hood, and cool that he left it pretty much as it was.
It's not like he crushed it or anything, if it bothers you that much then buy it back...besides, no matter what motor is in it, it's still an ugly car...
Hey Rich. I like your old coupe, there. Can you give us a little of your history with it? What was the car like in 1965 when you got it? Was it channeled then?
Feel lucky because if it had ended up in my hands you wouldn't have recognised it, would have stopped it looking like a big orange trumpet and been a whole lot more HAMB friendly
Is that big carb stack in the grille an air intake or a cyclope like mono-light? I'd be intrested in hearing some history at this point.
You should have removed the number before letting it go if having it on there bothers you so much. Frank
In '65 I bought the body frame rails and rear crossmember for $75. It had been a drag car and had no floor or firewall at that time. I wanted to run it at Bonneville so it was raised up until the body was even with the bottom of the frame as is legal for the cl***. Fabbed a floor and firewall. Installed a 270 GMC and nine inch rear. Dropped axle and brakes. Boxed the frame, made a front crossmember. Took it out and ran it. Went 158.814 MPH as it's best speed. Record off the trailer. In '84 it was the highest record bump at Speedweek running in **O/VGAlt. It was a fun car. I guess the "Tardition police" don't like the Centerlines. Well at that time that was what was happening. What? Not the tradition you imagine? Like it or not it's the real deal. PS Yes the stack was the air intake when I was running a single 4 bbl.
Interesting car. I'm not real familiar with the **O/VGAlt designation. Can you fill me in on that a little? I've never been 158.814 MPH in a car of mine!
**O/VGAlt is the XO(pre 1959 inline engines and non Ford flathead V8s) the next X was for a Specilaty racing head. Howard Johanson in my case. V is for a pre 1948 body. G is for Gas. No fuel or NoX or anything like that. Alt is Altered coup and Sedan. No roadsters or other ******* cars. The GMC went 177 in my Vega and the Vega went 208 with a 455 Pontiac.
Yeah, that seems really petty. Looks like to me like the guy is taking pretty good care of the car...
Looks to me like he hasn't done almost anything with it in 11 years. Installed a non running SBC I am told. But it's his and he didn't screw it up. I would not have put the Chevy in it. And if you look to the left maybe you can see that 104 is still my SCTA/BNI ***igned number. He can't run with 104 or 1104 at an SCTA or USFRA meet. I really thought that by now it would be his car not my car that now belongs to him.
One hopes that someday it will be running. I think that is his plan. Maybe you would have a different plan. Hard to say.
Your hopes dont have much to to with it anymore. You cashed the check. Its no longer your car. Just like you got to do with it what you wanted when it was yours. You said it was an old Drag Car... Did you the take the time to find out which one?
since you sold it with the mounts to choose from a Y block, a GMC, or a Chrysler... my plan would be to find a running GMC for it, and drive it to shows with the bragging rights, "Some old guy sold this former Bonneville record holder to me. He went 158 with a GMC!" So, what happened to that engine or the Howard Johanson head? Did you ever run it with a hemi or a Y block?
I bought it from the guy who drag raced it. Didn't take much to find out about it. Same as the guy who bought it from me. We all worked in the Machine shop at United Air Lines. Guy I bought it from was leaving to go to Boeing and build the new 727s. I was just leaving. I sold the Howard head motor to The guys who ran it in the "Salt Circus" roadster. They also set a street roadster record with it. The turbo motor went to Bud Morrel for his lakester. Then he sold the turbo stuff to Don Ferguson who may still have it. Bruce Johnson bought the 270 short block and I bought it back and ran it in Bob Daltons streamliner. Went 202 on it's one and only p***. I sold it to Bill Carlson who ran it in his "Jack's Bar" modified roadster and in his nostalga fuel dragster. He sold that to some guys in OR. or Wash I think. Doubt there is anything left of my original parts there. I ran it once at Sact. nostalga drags with the 392 and found the drags were nothing like I remembered. Took it to El Mirage and made one p***. Not areo enough. Then I sold it.
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