A survivor that I missed once by 10 minutes came home with me Fathers Day weekend

Hahaha.
I must have stared at it for half an hour. Others would come over to look at it and I'd end up tellin' the story, or at least my version from what I remembered readin'. Some folks seem to get it, others, well ?????

 

One year Bump.

I am going to try to get the '35 to the Roseburg Graffitti Weekend on July 13th this year, and get some pictures of Dave with the car!

Hope to see some of you there.

 

What a fascinating story. I think it is cool how Car Guy's will work just as hard on the "back" story as they will on their cars Great Story and Great Car! Happy Trails!

 

If only I could read past 2 paragraphs.

My ADHD won't allow it

But judging from others,,,that was a great story.

Pictures I can handle tho!! Looks nice an amazing car!!

Congrats!!

 

Great car and a wonderful story, I enjoyed it more than I can say.

 

I love to hear stories of how guys got their cars. History is always good. Glad you're enjoying the car. "35's are the berries.

 

Who the hell wrote this Henry Gregor Felsen?

 

Great story and great car!

 

Great story and some fabulous photos but how about a picture of Janeen and the shop?

 

Woof, that is one hell of a survivor.

 

Great story Belongs in a book. Awsome Car.

 

Thanks for the compliments everybody!

...and since a few of you have requested it, here's a shot of Janeen after I let her drive the car for the first time. Though she's a bit more of a blonde now...

 

This one needs to come back to the top. What a great story!

There's a nearly identical '35 coupe that was sort of phantom of the desert out in central Nevada. Belonged to a guy who was the sole resident of a ghost town that is so far off the map virtually no one goes there except wild burro's. Marietta Nevada. I too pics of it 20 years ago, in a shed with a full inch of dust on it. The old guy had driven it to high school in the late '40's. Then we lost track of it. Turned up in Mina, Nevada and the current owner has it all cleaned up with a couple of primer shots just like yours. It's the original Ford tan paint, whatever that was called then. I got to go for a ride in it. Sweet original survivor '35.

 

I realized that I have let life and work get in the way of an update for much too long now, so here it is;

I took the car to Graffiti Weekend in Roseburg in July of 2013 and met up with Dave Early. It was quite interesting to have him walk around the car noting things he had installed back in '62. He said the JC Whitney was a car guy's best friend back then, and that's where most of the small pieces came from. He pointed out some small things, like he installed the tail light gaskets, and they were a bit too small to fit right, so he is the one who split them. That the trim around the grille was not there when he had it, so someone else must have put it on.

Dave only spent about half an hour looking at the car and talking about it, as if it were such a distant memory from another lifetime. When I inquired about his brother he said that Pat was in South America now, importing and exporting fruit from Argentina or Chile, and was a bit elusive about me contacting his brother for more information about the car. However, he did remember that he got the car from Steve Inda, who had only had it for a few months, and thought he had gotten it from a Steve Minor. Dave said he would look into it and let me know if he found out anything.

We shook hands, I thanked him for making the time to meet me and talk about the car. Janeen took a couple pictures (on her phone, or I would post them) and he left. I don't even think he walked around the show.



August 11th 2013 at 3:19 p.m. I get a text from Dave Early

(which is awesome cause Dave has to be in his 70's)

"Steve Minor lives in Grants Pass. Should be in the phone book. This will be a call out of the blue so you will have to fill him with the details. He would have sold the car to Steve Inda in 1962. Hope this helps. Only 95 per cent sure this is the right Steve Minor. Dave


I grab a phone book, and sure enough, there's Steve Minor, and he lives about 3 miles away...

I'd probably better call first.

His wife answers, I explain who I am, and briefly tell her about the car & it possibly once being his.

She says "Hes a car guy, so it's probably him. He's out in the barn, can I have him call you back?"

I give her my number, and wait.


About a week goes by, and I call again, his wife answers, and hands the phone to him. I introduce myself, and begin to tell him about the car. I tell him that I got his name from Dave Early, and he instantly recalls Dave & Pat, and also Steve Inda. He then confirms that the car was once his.

"I got the coupe from my sisters boyfriend at the time, I can't remember his name, it was my first car in high school.

"I sold it to Steve Inda right before I went into the military, cause he blew the tire on his 41 (I think) and totaled it. He told the cops he blew a tire... We all knew it was probably cause he was going too fast. He liked to go fast. From there Dave and Pat got it, I became a teacher after the military, and lost track of it.

"I remember I wanted to go 100 miles an hour in that car. Now mind you it only had rear mechanical brakes, no shocks all around, no seat belts, pin wall bias ply tires, skinnies on the front, and the 8.50's I put on the back to get the gearing higher. My friend (I can't recall the name Steve told me right now) climbed in the passenger seat, I needed someone to look at the speedo while I drove, and we headed to a road with a long straight downhill. It was a pretty hairy ride, but I can tell you, that car has gone 100."

"Wow!" I said. "I think it still has those same tires on the front, but the rears were rotted, so the guy I got it from reversed the rear wheels and put on pin wall radials"

I then mentioned it has a flat head, and the tranny pops out of second when you decelerate. He said "It had a flat head when I had it, and I think that trans might be the one I put in, cause it did the same thing. The tranny in the car went out when I had it, and there was a road between Oakland and Sutherlin that they were putting some fill in, and there were a bunch of cars at the bottom being used as retaining walls, so a friend and I went down there one night with some tools, flipped a car over, and took the trans out of it for the coupe."

We started talking cars, in the process I mentioned that I had just sold a 356 project that my girlfriend wished that I had kept, and he says he has a 356 cabriolet in the garage.


At this moment it hits me; Steve Minor... military... teacher... 356 Cabriolet...


"Wait, are you Major Minor who used to substitute teach?"

"Yes"

"I went to North Valley and graduated in '90, I had a white lowered Volkswagen, My mom Maria worked in the front office."

"I remember you, and that car. Maria is a great lady. What's she doing these days?"


And just like that, I find out the the car was the first car of one of the coolest teachers I ever had.

 

I'll be at the Reno rockabilly Riot this weekend. I'll have the car in the show, and Janeen will be backing up Justin Shandor as Elvis at the Atlantis. Maybe we'll see you there...

 

Awesome score very cool ride. !!!!!!!!!!

 

Remarkable story!

 

Steel3window great story

 

Great thread man! But put some new tires on the front your just asking for trouble, that and mixing radials and bias plies is typically a bad idea at best.

Loved the story telling and all the connecting the dots

 

great story.....great car

 

Very enjoyable read, and great car.
Thanks.

 

Great story that I missed the first time around.

 

GREAT story,great car,graet pals great ole lady!!!!!! YOU are one lucky man!!!!

 

Anytime a story starts out with "I'll just start at the beginning..." you know you're not going anywhere anytime soon. It was a great story though, and a great way to get a car like that.

 

You cannot make this stuff up,a kewl substitute teachers ryde,way too kewl

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

First time I've seen/read the thread!! Mesmerizing to say the least. Thanks for sharing with us. The car is great!. Great story, lucky man. Tim

 

So did you ever get a garage or did you stay with the girl?

 

ALLL that AND she lets you use HER shop???? What her phone number?

 

Great story, great car!!

 

Great score and story behind it.