News Break; Historical Modified Roadster found !

I'm saying just WOW. And Thanks L B showing this for us, please keep us informed in the future. And one more: That's the most beautiful nose I've ever seen!

Mika

 

JimA,
Check it out. I don't spend as much time as you on the computer to respond back quickly, but I'm still laughing about this crap since I really have nothing to do with this car other than I know a guy who knows the owner of the car . That is all. I posted the pictures of car that were sent to me via email and some people including yourself , gave negative opinions on whether the car is real or not ? What the F-*k ? Who do you guys think that you are ? Is this the way that you can be somebody and highjack a post for justification of how important you can be ?
Think about this . If you had some pictures posted of your car (all steel hotrod ) that you valued and liked very much and some guy who does'nt know you from Adam posts on the WorldWideWeb that he knows it is a fiberglass kitcar and is not worth crap. Would you be a little upset ? ? No wonder why the guy got mad.
Listen, It's not respectful to ask a guy how much money he makes. You don't ask a woman how old she is and you don't SAY that in your opinion that someone's historical race car is not real , if you don't know the fellow or have not seen the car in person unless you are asked by the owner ! What an insult to the guy and to Don Waite. You guys need to think before you speak/write. The post was not for knowitalls to figure out if it is real or not. It was about the racer , Don Waite . The history is not really about the cars anyway. The cars are a memorial to the PEOPLE involved . It's about PEOPLE and their accomplishments. Get it ?

Back to the original post ;
I asked some older racers about this car and this is one comment that was interesting and may answer one of many questions.
This car was only run like the pictures from 1950 hotrod for one year and then went through drastic modifications in the later years. In the last season the car had a long pointed nose ( knife nose ) for streamlining aerodynamics. Hmmmm......maybe this is why the original nose was not with the car later in the future ? Maybe not ? What do ya think JimA ?
Anyone have any of the later pics of the car when ran in 1951-1953 ?

I am not important ! LOL !
Till next time , L B

 

thats so fucking rad. thanks..

 

Obviously the truth is not an issue here.

 

JimA, I think you and I have the same opinion on this vehicle. Clones are clones but the real cars have a true history. If you value the history of one car you have to protect the history of others.

 

Sad....


Mutt

 

Thats a very cool looking car. Inspiration for old noisy?

 

LB, don't let the small minds get you down.

Good to see you at LA roadsters.


jerry

 

Fuck it- I don't care- I'm out on the road with real rodders in real cars. Have fun- I will be home working on my projects as soon as this trip is over. It's too bad it comes to this.

 

So, then, it looks like there is good evidence to suggest that rear engine cars can be traditional. This is very cool!

Thanks for posting the old and new pics of it.

.

 

It's ashame that this has devolved into drama (getting somewhat predictable here).

Personally, I really like the car. I had never heard of it or seen it, so I just know what I like and I normally don't care a whole lot for track-nose cars.

I do see both sides of this. I think it's silly to let a bunch of anonymous folks on an internet bulletin board hurt your feelings. If the owner/restorer gets put out by folks asking questions about the car, he needs to grow thicker skin. Understanding that you'll never please everyone with a restoration, you at least have to expect some questions about details - moreso on a famous car.

Having said that, how many restorations of "historic" cars have I seen in the rags that say, "So & so decided to restore it to it's 195X version" - so for the train-spotters out there, relax. Whenever an old car (historic or not) is restored, especially one that's been modified over the years, one has to decide what snapshot in time to restore to. And that's all it is, a snapshot in time.

While I'm not sure if you can restore a car from a single lugnut, I, for one, like RS's outlook. I think folks should go re-read his initial post in this thread - it really is what it's about.

 

that is some great history and some awesome craftsmanship. that guy had some serious talent. both cars are things of beauty. i love this historic stuff. great stories about great people doing great things. it's inspirational.

 

In '53, Don Waite is shown with a DeSoto engine that replaced the flathead in the roadster. He used a 257ci DeSoto in the 'A' in '62 also. Wonder if it's the same one?



Mutt

 

what IS it about cars?

i've never been overly fond of track noses. i deadset fucking HATE model T's, and yet... and yet...

my god that car is the horn. through what subtle trick can someone combine the same bucket of bits as 5000 other guys and yet somehow create something so much better?

that car...












is fake.


SORRY! beautiful!! i meant beautiful!!

jus' messin' with ya!

 

As LB said, with racecars, especially Bonneville cars, the original car is lost over a period of time - due to many reasons - such as wrecks, or modifications to increase performance based on new innovations.
In this case, the car had changed by 1958, with a new nose, and new drivetrain. It was then changed more on the last day of racing by a rollover at 200mph. So chances are there wasn't a lot of the original car left after the crash. Some would argue that the car wasn't the same when it crashed, so it's really a moot point as to whether it's original. Just enjoy it....


Mutt

 

I recall that rear-engined comp roadsters were a part of the Bonneville scene for much of the '50s, and were eventually outlawed because of stability issues and resultant crashes. Is it possibile that the crash of the Waite car was the final straw?

Nifty car. Worthwhile restoration. Stupid debate.

 

Rear engined modified roadsters were still running in '60, so I doubt it was the final straw. There was another that crashed in '58 at 200 mph, and the Summers Bros crashed theirs at 225 mph in '59. I'm not sure when they stopped running.

Mutt

 

By God, Mutt's my hero.

 

Hey Guys ,
It's people like Mutt that keep the history going in the right direction. The dude is into it and researches his statements.
I was not really all that surprised at the few (3) hambers that would ignorantly give negative opinions but, was a little ashamed of their criticism for the builder and the old racer , Don Waite.

I want to thank Ryan for the "ataboys" and have decided that in the future, I will post about other historic criteria and will be "OK" with the "know it alls" and hecklers .


Thanks for the lesson on " the psychology of man " , L B

 

I have an old axe that my Grandfather owned.
We replaced the head twice and the handle six times.
But it's the original.......

 

Very funny , but not an original statement. I've heard that one ! LOL !

 

Here are some better shots of the drivetrain.

 

I had the # 500 hemi car in my shop for awhile and the same guy had the car your showing, Ill call him and get the skinny.

another guy in my area had the lil car at his shop , he's a total thief , POS loser , hope he's not the one with it still, it will never get done ever.

 

Hey,

Does anyone know, did Waite do all of the sheetmetal work, or was
there out side help..... Whitey Claton -like track nose?

 

As usual the HAMB manages to outdo the daytime soaps. Come on guys, someone is doing something with an old car, an old car with ties to a bygone era that we all cherish. Who cares if it's the real thing, I'll be glad to see the final result. At least there will be a visual REMINDER of the real thing. And what if it's the real Mcoy? I've got a couple of receipes for Crow that are really tasty if you can just get past that "crow" taste.

BTW, I just went out to the shop and took another look at the Hilborn roadster. Boy, will that ever cause a stir if I decide to display it. I'm thinking I just might keep it under wraps, too much drama.

Frank

 

i did work on one of don' s cars a 32 roadster i worked on it when i worked with john carambia we did the full paint and body work on it. a dark blue color . tom sewll did the inteior. hes a real neat guy good to work with very knowligble.i belive he said whitey worked on it he said he had just picked up the nose and was on the way home from his shop a guy ran a light hit him and the nose flew out and got smashed in the street. he took it back and he fixed it like new. i wish i had a tape recorder for all the cool storys he told us . it is great to have met him and to be freinds with jack calori its a real honor. billy

 

Wow, that's a whole bunch of unsprung weight, especially while still using the torque tube pivot and transverse spring. Any modest bumps would send that setup for a real ride!