Pics: Channelled 1932 Hemi 5W Built in 1957 (York PA)

this is why i love hot rods

 

History, Hemis and high times!

 

glen did have the body shop from what i`m told.he has a big pole type building that is full of cars like a museum.you would probably like to hook up with him.from the land marks in the original picture looks like it was taken at the corner of highland and monroe st.the factory in the background looks like where they used to build truck bodies.us30 dragstrip was also the thomasville airport.now it`s just an airport.they even tore the tower down.i remember when i was a kid they`d stop racing to let planes land.the root beer place in hanover was also torn down a long time ago to make way for mcdonalds.as far as the circuit i havn`t been in there for years,probably tuner cars now.

 

Thanks, that's some cool history. So US30 no longer exists? That's a shame, I was hoping to take a run for old time's sake. I do hope to visit Glen ("Rudy") but nothing's set in stone yet. This car came a bit of the blue for me. I'm madly trying to organise my business so I can take a month or so off to come and pick up and drive the car.

What events are good to attend from now to the end of summer up ? Is there anything up that way (PA) that would be cool to attend? It probably won't be until after September and my birthday's coming up so I'd like to pick it up as a Birthday present (early October). It would (without any doubt) be the best Birthday I've ever had.

 

@32ford5 - Here's a few events that you might consider:

* September 24-26 : Goodguys Great American Nationals (Pocono Raceway)
* Sept. 29 - Oct 3: Fall Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet & Corral (Carlisle)
* October 2: Jalopy Showdown Drags (Beaver Springs Dragway)
* October 6-9: Antique Automobile Club of America Eastern Division National Fall Meet (Hershey)

 

Thanks Todd. As you know your car has influenced me greatly for many years and especially in this purchase. It would be great to find myself down your way but that's a long way to drive and I'm not sure how this car will handle long distances. It should be ok but I'm in two minds as to how to treat this car. I would love for it to be an easy long distance hauler and would make a great site driving down the road.

Regarding events, thanks. Hershey and Carlisle sound cool and I've always wanted to go there but I was looking to hang around with rods a bit more. Goodguys event sounds fun. Is there anything hot rod based around late September/October anywhere in the North East or is starting to get cold around then?

 

i just got back from a show and ran into one of the owners of the car.says he talked to you on the phone.it`s the guy who had the car lot.i remembered him from when i bought a truck off of him in the 80`s.there are shows all the time around here.there were 3 today in the hanover area.if your coming around at that time do not miss the jalopy showdown drags at beaversprings dragstrip.instead of cars just sitting there they run them down down the strip.definitely a don`t miss event if your in the area.

 

Dude, I am so diggin that car! I think its the hood and that beautiful dash that really does it for me. I'm not easy to please but this car does it for me on several levels.

 

Cool! That must have been Karl. Great bloke! I'm going to call him this weekend. Really had a lot of time for me and was glad the car is going to a good appreciative home. He just sent through all his pics and some of a big shed with some cool old dragsters and some cool cl***ic cars. He's got quite the history with cars. If I get permission I'll post some of them.

Jalopy drags seems like a blast and it's good to know there are lots of things happening in the area.

Speaking of drags, when asked about how strong the rear end is (Hemi up front/old rear end = gently on the go pedal but I was told by Jim (the guy who put together this car's history and tracked down the previous owners)...

It sure would be good to drive it (not punish it) a bit hard like a hot rod is supposed to be driven.

I'm feelin' that too. It's a real credit to the timeless styling of the day and level of workmanship that Glen ("Rudy") and his Dad put in back in '57. Looked good then, Looks good now, will look good in 50 years from now. I'm proud to be the current caretaker.

 

That car is Awesome!!

 

it was karl who i talked to.really nice guy.i think those pic`s of the shed was glen`s.the jalopy drags are Oct 2.you can google it and find info on it.it`s not too far from york.i believe they`d even let you take it down the track a few times and karl is a drag racer too.i bet he`d enjoy it.he`s 78 and planning on doing some more racing.

 

Here's a few more pics.





That front axle looks mighty familiar and someone put a lot of work into blending that front fender in. Must get the story on that.

Sorry to repeat this picture but it's one of my favourites and I think the reason is pretty obvious.

 

Wouldn't it be the coolest to get Glen (the original builder) to give it the once over and Karl (the engine rebuilder) to tune the Hemi? Cameras in movie mode.

 

Just picked up these old Edmunds valve covers.



The current chrome valve covers were not on the car originally when built in 1957 according to Glen so that's a way I can add my own touch but the choice had to be "right". These would be a good match for the Edmunds intake and we're guessing they would have been available by 1957. This car has also had Chrysler Firepower, Imperial in the past so I have quite a choice to pick from that are still "historically" correct.

Looks like I have three choices of wheels too. Those rear tyres look very skinny on the gr*** photos (which are the current shots). Is the stance supposed to be flat or could some rake (even just tyre rake) be "acceptable" if I was trying to keep it "era-correct...ish". I know there are things that must never change but wheels, tyres, Valve cover and even intake (the car was built with a 4 barrel carb) as well as the seat and petrol tank are all things that have been modified since it was built.

 

Ryan, proud to have this car mentioned in your "survivors" blog post. I might have to agree with your comment...

...not a huge fan of the plexigl*** hood either but apparently it was installed for PA regulations sometime in the 70s (I think). Rudy (the original 1957 builder) says he would remove it immediately and he's not sure why the grill has been moved so far forward either. It wasn't like that when they built it in 1957.

 

Super Cool!

 

The "favourite pic of your car" thread made me crop and darken the background on this shot of the poor thing waiting for me to come and drive it. Now with the Aussie dollar equal to the US dollar it might be the time to hop on the next flight and take her for the maiden voyage to the original builder's house to give him a trip down memory lane. Weather's starting to close in in PA and MA though so I better be quick. Might also ship it down to CA so I can fly in and drive here when I'm bored (CA is much cheaper to fly to than MA). One thing's for sure I do want to drive it to a few US runs, hangs and shows before dragging it down here to Australia.

 

I may be in the minority here, but I like the plexi hood.

 

I don't hate it so much but it is a bit out of place I think. The Australian authorities will love it.

 

There is a full sized anatomical model built by the Dresden Hygiene Museum that used to have a gl*** body - now I think they are clear plastic. Lots of museums have them - there is one in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The skeleton, musculature, circulation and organs can be seen underneath. The plexigl*** hood looks like the car equivalent.
Nice find - congratulations.

 

Love the photo from back in the day with the plymouth cones.

 

Thanks and you're right. It does have a certain "display" element to it. I don't have the full story on it and who installed it or when.

We were trying to figure out what sort of caps they were earlier in the thread. Plymouth you say? Fits the Chrysler/Hemi theme, makes sense. Anyone hazard a guess as to what year and model caps I'd be looking for precisely? I've seen plain chrome caps that are similar but not quite as sharp a point as these but I want to get the "right" ones and original are the only thing I could consider. They would have to have been available in at least 1960 which is when the black and white photo was taken and probably in 1957 when the car was built.

 

I miss this car so much.

 

Hard to tell at the angle but the back in the day pic looks like '57 or possibly '58 Plymouth caps, or clones; IIRC the originals are 14 inch but aftermarket copies could be had in 15 inch.

 

Love that '32. Brings me back to my childhood. I've attached a pic of my channeled '32 five window I built in 1953. At the time I lived in the Boston area. A guy named **** Sharrigan of the Nomads club had also built virtually the same car. We both had put Desoto hemis in them. Later ran my coupe at the drags with a Chrysler hemi and the original '32 rear with 4.11 gears. We wiped out axle keys a lot, but the rear held up unbelievably well otherwise.
Wishing you the best with your new car. Ah, the memories.