Features pics East coast hot rods

Classic period East Coast. British car type trunk latches, rolled pan, no chop, inboard mounted exhaust.

 

Even Santa likes the east coast hot rod

 

Blackout, I don't know how you do it but you post Rods after my own heart.
The first time you posted the Fred Steele roadster you said, this is for you Randomrodder and I called it as Steele's, it was like you knew exactly the kind of Traditional rods that touch the core of my very being. Keep posting them Brother.

 

couple others

 

Thanks for the picture of my car. I never should have sold it.

 

blackout, that 5w is classy, what a nice car.

 

OK guys. It's Friday night. We just got our paychecks cashed at the liquor store. Now we're gonna rap some pipes. Zip up your leather jacket, it's cold out.

 

"Channeled to Death" Dig the wishbones passing through the cowl. Big rear nerf, twin pots, and twin cans.

 

Race day. Jersey style pits.

 

The stuff of dreams and inspiration. Still lookin good today.

 

Rubber shock boots, another East Coast patent.

 

I'd recognize that custom hairpin anywhere;Norm Wallace's roadster and the pic was probably taken at the 1958 Hartford Autorama.

An interesting story goes with that car:When Norm decided to get rid of the car,he traded it off for a vintage biplane.Sadly the plane was to crash with Norm piloting the plane and his son in the other cockpit.Norm was killed instantly but his son survived.
Apparently the car passed through several hands and my cousin Dick Manley bought it from a friend of Mark Rogers.We went to pick the car up on September 14th 1969(Dick's birthday) and we were on our way home with it when we got word that Dick's father had died of a heart attack that night while at work.
We found out the story of Norm's passing from Curt Hardy;a friend of Norm and fellow rodder.We also spoke with Norm's widow and she wound up giving Dick all the trophies he had won with the car.
Dick showed the car for several years;one year doing a tribute to Norm and displaying all the awards the car had won.We did a fair amount of driving the car as well.It had a few problems;one being the extremely low clearance in front(less than 3")and another a tendency to bump steer going over railroad tracks.A steering shock cured the bump steer.
The car had twin 10 gallon gas tanks mounted behind the seat with a switchover valve mounted in the center as well as a switch for both sending units.Dick finally got the Columbia 2-speed to work and the car was quite economical on the highway.Dick also added the S.C.O.T.blower with a hand made manifold(done by Bob Serozinski)and the Thickstun air filter.
He sold it in 1979 to someone in Pennsylvania and I believe that was where Larry Hook finally got it.
Strangely enough Dick never got another car and has had nothing to do with them since that one.

 

Wow heavy story.

 

safariknut...great story. It's great hearing the firsthand knowledge from you and other guys who were there.

 

Here's an east coast car someone around here's bound to recognize.

 

thanks for posting that one wires hanging i forget what seat it had then but i am still having fun patti is behind me laughing thank you richie

 

A few from Connecticut:








Cris

 

Love the curved grill!

 

the fan would not fit inside bruce fixed the wires still drive the car now 13 years of driving started building in 88

 

I remember that wiring.

 

i don't know if this puts me in with gene lades or sabie or jack otis they all had thier cars in the fiftys with a bunch of other guys it is nice to be mentioned the jack otis car is for sale on the hamb in texas

 

Blackout, where did those great photos go. I'm sure glad I saved them to my files.

 

Just a heads-up for those who dig old customs as welln the "Ancient East Coast Customs" thread,Len Legere posted some pictures of his old cars.Check them out!

 

looking for any history 1959-1967 & 1970 to date on the Curtis Hardy Machester NH 1929 Ford Roadster . I purchased it from Frank Cadeaux Exeter NH & sold to a guy in Kittery ME 1970

 

I remember meeting him around 1969 when my cousin had purchased Norm Wallace's roadster.Curt and Norm belonged to the same club(can't recall the name now)and I believe built their cars around the same time.There were a lot of similar touches on the cars;especially the nerf bars and radius rods which I believe Norm constructed.

Not sure if Curt is still alive;I know Norm perished in an aircraft accident many years agne person that might know or know someone that does is Jere Sheehan from the Cam Snappers.I don't have his contact info but he is very knowledgeable on the early New England hot rod scene;he was a founding member of the New England Hot Rod Council.