I just bought the 29 Roadster yesterday evening. I do not have it at the house yet but i do have a single photo of it in its long term storage trailer. Not quite a barn find, but close. I purchased it from a guy that now lives in east Texas (originally from Around Phoenix AZ.) named Clyde Trampp who bought it from a man named Richard Page Watson out of Glendale CA. in late 78. The ***le shows Richard registered it in 1970. When Clyde got it, it was running a small block but he put a big block in it and raced it for one season around Texas and Oklahoma. It still has the glide with a 5500 rpm stall and a 57 olds rear with 512 Gears maybe. The fenders are light weight gl***. I plan to put it back to small block status but would love to know if anyone knew the car in its early life as that may change my mind on what i do to it. I will bring it home this weekend and will post more pictures then. Also, the red oxide primer is protecting the chrome axle and wheels because for a few years it lived in south Texas near the coast and Clyde did not want any rust to start.
You might have more luck calling it a street roadster, because that would most likely be the cl*** it would have run in because it's still running fenders as in A/SR, B/SR and so on and AA/SR, BB/SR for those who were blown.
Yep, wouldn't be a g***er, but a street roadster cl*** car. Looks pretty neat though. I guess lacquer thinner will be taking the primer off of the chrome stuff ? Don
II Funny, you are exactly right. It did run in the Street Roadster (A/SR) cl*** because it is still running fenders and due to its weight. I was just trying to get those hot topic words in there so if somebody were searching it might make it more visible. You know how Barn Find and G***er have become super hot topics. I am hopeing to catch somebody on here that could shed some light about this car pre-1970. Terry, i think we have both won already with our newest scores.
Iget it. Those words are almost 4 letter on here to some people. I love /SR cars they were just as cool as a full on altered especially toe DOORMAN KOOPMANS AA/SR that ****er is bad.
II Funny, that is a great looking /SR cl*** car. It is a shame that the early coupes get all of the recognition when the /SR cars are so much better looking. Of course i am a little bias. Anyway, the car came home last night. I still plan on just getting a small block in it, adding breaks at all four corners, a roll bar, light brown vinal interior and proper tires for now. I also have a few repairs and modifications to the ch***is to make it safe and clean. I hope to find out some more of its earlier history before I tear it back down for a little bodywork and paint. So if it looks familiar to anyone, let me know. The previous owner also threw in a new floorpan set, firewall, big and small block headers, 5 point belts, throttle pedal and a few other odds and ends.
I did a little investigating and found a phone number for the last registered owner of my car. His name is Richard Watson and he lived in Glendale Ca. when he registered the car in 1970. He bought it from someone else that ran it as a drag car with an injected small block minus the motor. He ran three different small blocks in it during his time with the car and then he sold it. While he had it, the car made an appearance in the Sept. 1974 issue of Popular Hot Rodding on page 48. So I am now trying to track down that issue. Richard is not exactly sure who he sold it to, but i know that the man I bought it from bought it from Philip Cameron in late 78 who was a drag racer and was known for buying and selling cars. I Believe that Cameron was fairly well known for running a quick 33 Willys coupe and may have owned a header manufacturing buisness.
Well I've never met it personally so I can't say that I know it but it was raced around texas and oklahoma for a season by a fella named Richard who swapped in a big block in place of the small block. When you get it look for any type of lettering, maybe have to carefully sand off the top 3 coats of paint to find them. If not use the history that you know and make your own history with it. Not every car ever raced is worthy of restoration and what used to happen with old race cars was that they went on to new owners who raced them with different badging and their own setups. That is the most traditional thing that you can do with it.
That's going to be a neat little S/R when your done. What are your plans for it? Streetable? Race only?
Wat's going on with that chunk taken outta the rear cross member? It's frigtening. But I love that car!
The car was raced by Clyde in the Texas Oklahoma area, and so far I have most the history back to 1970 and there were never and graphics, stickers, or lettering on it that anybody knows of. The cuts out of the rear cross member were for clearancing which will get corrected with new metal and I will box the frame. I will also need to rebuild the front hairpins to be a little more beefy. It may have worked Ok a 1/4 mile at a time but probably wont work to well for too long on the road. The ultimate goal for the car though is to be mostly for the street and keep its early look and style.
I am currently planning on putting a small block back in it, keeping the 2 speed with a different converter and putting more streetable gears in it with drum breakes all around. So if anybody has good rear gears (around 3.5 or so) or brakes including backing plates for the 57 Olds, please let me know. It seems like every advertised set I find have already been sold.
Looks like a great place to start and some of us liked STR or GR cl*** way back when. I think that if you build it ?/str you are ahed of the game that most of the fellas like to think they are playing. Will be fun to watch it come together.
I have been sweating over my Olds rear end parts problem, but i now have that more than covered thanks to Brad over at Fabcraft Metal Works. (1-800-208-8242) They sell new and used parts to complete built units as well as brake parts and clutch systems. Very patient and friendly folks.
I got a copy of the Sept. 1974 issue of Popular Hot Rodding over the weekend with one photo of my car in it. Not a centerfold but cool none the less. I also spent the weekend with my new Olds rear end manual tearing it down and had some good news once I got it all apart. It is a 57-58 case but it has a later series three limited slip carrier with the 31 spline axles with no visible defects. It is running a 4.56 gear now and I am planning to put a 3.42 or a 3.64 back in it on the limited slip carrier with a re-build and new bearings. I also got a call today from Terry that he has a good core 700r4 so i will grab that and get it rebuilt. The O.D. will make a world of difference in this on the street.
No, I did not get the roll bar with the car and it was a welded in unit. I plan to rebuild a faithful replacement with a slight change in design to allow for a p***enger.
Whoa thats not what Steven said he told me he had a new book and he could identify my rear end after he looked at his !
28RPU6, your car will look sweet. Here's a picture of Don Waldron's roadster. He is also working on my 31 A g***er style. Keep us posted on progress.
I am still in the sourcing parts mode at the moment but I am doing pretty well. I bought a new straight axle with hair pins front and rear from Clyde that he bought in 1961 and never used. I also have a nice set of 16" x 4" Ford wheels for the front. I got a clean 283 that may be going to the machine shop shortly and a few other things. The weather is starting to break so I will get with it soon if I can manage the time off of work and keep the cash flow rolling. I also got a few more pictures of the car yesterday. The first four were taken for the insurance company in 1972 and the last one was about 1978 after Watson sold the car.
I'm back at it now. A lot has changed. I am divorced, have custody of my daughter 50% of the time, and have decided to make a nice street car out of the old race car. I have a 4" dropped axle, all of my patch panels, dash column, motor, trans rear end, wheels, tires, etc. Work began this week by cutting the ch***is and re-contouring it to fit the body, it will receive a Z and a new x member with trans mount and drive shaft loop. I am starting a turnaround at work and wont be doing much for the next month, but a little every day will get it done. Hope to be ready for the round up 2014.
Got the back half in place this week. Thanks for all the help Terry. X member will be next on the hit list when time becomes more available.
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