Projects Ruining a “Survivor Build” 50’s hot rod?

So I found a 31 Model A with a 303 Olds, 37 LaSalle 3speed, 32 grill, Olds rear end, etc... I purchased it from the person who bought it from the original builder reportedly....

I was thinking about taking the front 32 grill off, then adding a “Pre-war Alfa Romeo” grill shell I won at an auction in Indiana.... Then using the 40’s tech of the Willys Jeep Dual rear wheel hubs..... Add dual rear wheels to address the oversteer.... Sort of like the 30’s Grand Prix cars.

I’d like to run the car in the hill climb event here in the North Carolina mountains.... Sort of a “Sports Rod Special”.... And as a nice weather driver.

Words of encouragement?
“Been there, done that” advice?.... etc... ?

**** I’ve already got it switched to electric fuel pump, alternator ordered, Aluminum radiator with electric fan almost done, now looking at radials)

Alan

(Full disclosure: I’m new here..... am really planning on the dual purpose hot rod / hill climb thing.... But the Alfa grill, Radiator, dual rear wheels are bolt on / bolt off..... I may have added “modern spice” to my build plans for feedback..... To try and get extra posts... since I’m new I don’t have enough posts yet to message, and I saw a part in classifieds I need.... LoL)


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Here is the car.... with a few tweaks....

 

Here is the Alfa Grill...... Very “30’s hill climber / Grand Prix looking.....

 

..... Some preliminary “surgical work” (keep and hubs are not mine.... For concept though

 

Nice car. Why do that! Just asking as it is yours.

 

.... Here are the dual rear wheel idea shots for concept.

 

Well, I can just bolt and unbolt the the front grill shell off and on to Spreader bar type set up on the front rails.... And the dual rear wheels were used in the 30’s as horsepower outgrew tire technology.... The hubs bolt on and off... I had a 50’s Jeep-A-Trench with a similar set up.

I used to road race a life time ago, miss it... Plus, fast in a “slow car” seems so much more fun than “slow in a fast car”. With the Alfa pre- war grill I can hide a modern aluminum radiator and fan.... Protect the vintage motor on the hull climb events... Then just change the shell back to the 32 grill and old style radiator most of the time.
I just wanted neat way to relive some of the memories from youth.... race again a little (timed sessions this time)... And have a focus weekend or two per year to get the car in shape.

Plus.... I always liked the “Ingals Special”, but don’t have the free time or budget to do the vintage racing thing.... I would like to try a supercharger eventually though.

 

Why not start from scratch , be a shame in my eyes to even touch that as she sits.

 

Wrong car to do that shit to.

 

Ironically.... I really appreciate the stewardship the owner Bob I bought the car from gave it.... He kept it pretty much the same.... As much as you want to “make a car yours”, I just didn’t have the heart to change much.... I went blackwalls and painted his steel wheels, changed the steering wheel.

I like working on things... and this car was street raced in the Philadelphia area in the 50’s... LaSalle 3 speed, 56 Olds rear end, has an Olds J2 modified to fit a 53 block, Ford F1 steering I think....

About the only way I could see honoring the original builders work and Bob, and “make it mine”..... Was to basically update and finish things “as is”... with some upgrades.... Then, If I do it right, the Front grill shell and dual rear wheel hubs get changed for a couple “run for fun” hill climbs or solo time trials around a race course a year.... Then everything returns to how it was.... All bolt in and out.

That approach..... in my eyes anyway.... seemed more sensitive than totally redoing and upgrading / changing things.... Just a radiator shell and axle/rear hub change for a few weekends a year... time period correct in nature... That change back....

I live on a really small hill.... The rear tire breaks free easily.... And I want to keep the engine as cool as possible on the hill climb weekend... So added traction and cooling I can add, then take off easily made more sense....

 

ditto on that... leave it alone... as stated start from scratch.. then build it.. in the end your choice.. but foolish.. just my 2 cents worth

 

No. The pictures you posted were not Model As. Yours is a Model A.
You have a chance to piss of everybody who sees that car after you're done ruining it. From all sides. People will laugh at you, as they shake their heads.
Your car, blah, blah, blah, blah....
Don't do it, please.
Build something else, don't fuck up that Model A.
EDIT... I do like crazy shit, but sorry, that's just wrong.

 

Don't rat it up! Dualwheels n tractor looking grill is ratty crap. Do something cool with it,like a standout paint shiny job an maybe some cool upholstery, vs junk it up with ideas like those. That's a pretty nice start on what canbe an even better hot rod.
If it is not cooling the Olds,fig out why! Just from photo there is no fan/no shoud,is it jetted right or timed off, has the pulleys been change so water pump is wrong speed ect. Look for probs n fix,don't bandaid them.
My first thought was say nothing,thinking by read of OP,no info will be heard,if those things in OP are real ideas. But on thought #2,you were kind of asking,so maybe you are open for info. Even starting out 180*out of HAMB. It could just be time for popcorn,benafit of a try!

 

It's your car but IMHO (and probably most of the members on the HAMB) it's absolute sacrilege to make those Street Rod style "improvements" to a survivor Hot Rod. It's akin to airbrushing enhancements on the Mona Lisa. Fair warning; people will bust your balls here.
If you want to go hill climbing, build up a Jeep. Just way too far apart to make a dual purpose vehicle out of it w/o ruining it.

 

Your mods are interesting, but that roadster, with its period mods, is just about the entire reason why this site exists and why we are here. We celebrate things as they were and try to make old cars usable in today's day and age. The alfa grill shell and dual rear tire bit is not what this place is about..

 

Funny Avatar ..... Advice wise.... Tubbed Mid year vette.... I had a 65 way back... Used to see them in SCCA sometimes....

I think the grill shell is what.... Four bolts, and two radiator hoses.... The DRW set up is eithier a bolt up hub... or just drop another axle in and out..... Then it’s exactly as before.... And I can enjoy a vintage class hull climb in the mountains...

Ironically “that shit”.... and why people did it... It’s where and why hot rods originated.... I appreciate your view.... I just don’t see changing a radiator grill shell and setting up the rear for traction for a vintage class hill climb a couple times a year .... Then bolting the old shell / radiator back in..... changing some wheels.... Something the guy who originally built the car to street race anyway would disapprove of....

 

If it's all bolt on and off stuff, I don't see why you couldn't do it. Bolt it on and see if you like it or not. If not, then just put the original stuff back on.
I like the car the way it is now, and it adds some coolness that that's the way it was built back in the day.

 

Sounds like you have already made up your mind to do it......but for some reason you want the approval of a bunch of strangers??? Not likely too get much love here.

 

I can see both sides of the issue. One is you bought a car that you had a plan for, then by all means do it.
The other is changing things that were done 60-70 years ago and really should just be gone over and made safe and reliable and driven like it was meant to.

How’s that help the original question? Not one bit, other than to say the HAMB may not be the best place to do your hill climber thing to it.

Kinda like going to the Corvette, etc sites and ask about turning a ‘55 Vette into a drag car, right?

 

I don't recall seeing any vintage pics of dual wheel hill climb cars that weren't the single passenger racing style body. The only dual wheel hot rods pics I've seen were for drag racing.....and they look nothing like the old hill climbers. A cool looking old hot rod with provenance is a hard combination to come by, you're lucky.

 

Your vision, your car, your money, do it and take us on the ride

 

There are a few guy's a year show up here with car's, Guy's like myself have looked there entire life for...
You Sir... Have that car!
I get it's yours blah-blah..
Here we like to preserve the history..
I would be on here trying to locate history, The builder, race history etc..
Represent that car As it was, Or finish it in a period correct fashion... $.02

 

Not sure what everyone's panties are getting bunched about...I see nothing at all wrong with making some bolt on changes to have fun with YOUR hot rod. You said everything was easily reversible and this was a setup for running a hill climb, how rad is that!

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While the Hamb is a Traditional Hotrod site there was oddball shit done to Hotrods, therefore Hamb Friendly but not Traditional and what's very interesting about all of this is Hotrods had different lives and all had influences to the masses...duel wheels and weird noses are nothing new...even the hated Tractor nose...I feel this fella wants to give this rocker a notch in its belt that was lost long ago...remember every Hotrod has a story...

Remember Kookie had many lives...what was Kookie before Norm got it...

Was there Alfa's of that noses lineage in North America at the Time in question...

As said keep the mods period which seems early 40s to early to mid 50s...

Don't pass it off as Traditional but more plausibly as a purpose built hybrid...I ways believe there were those that embraced the Culture but had their own groove they chose to follow...

@MindTraveler64 welcome to the Hamb and enjoy the journey with your Hotrod and time traveller...for what it is and what it may have been and back again...

 

There are no rules in hot rodding until you break one. Since it is easily reversible, why not?

 

Here’s how I’ve “airbrushed the Mona Lisa”..... “destroyed history”..... etc..... So Far.... You know, made it a “street rod”....


I took the mini van seat.... That is actually a pretty cool size, just not my thing.... and made some garage seating from it....



I found a couple old black vinyl office chairs.... And I’m in the process of driving around on the sheepskin... Adding padding.... Then I patterned out some really new “street rod” type vertical fancy sewing... LoL to replace the more “traditional” I guess.... LoL .... Look of the minivan seat that originally came in it... Don’t worry fellows, I can return that back to original if I ever do sell it....

I just have to finish aging the leather so it looks 50’s, and confirm the padding for my wife and myself. The cars channeled so I’m spending extra time sorting the padding recipe in the seating...

My Goal is to have something that looks a little like the last pic of that cars seats in form.... but more period correct, with hand aged leather to make the patina match the rest of the car.... the sheepskin over a frame helps me just add and subtract padding, see what’s comfortable, before I make a final choice and close the seats for good, fill out the padding.

 

Don’t know for sure.... but you might have seen one.... the black hill climb car a few posts up is a street car, plate on the back, two seater.... it just has a tonneau over the passenger seat.

 

Like tubbing a '63 Sting Ray.

 

It's your car, do what you want. I personally wouldn't go that route. The first reason is that ride is BITCHIN. It doesn't need any changes in style. I'm not one for patina but this car is different.
If you want to do this justice, go through everything mechanical and fix/upgrade as necessary.
Then have a new bad ass interior done so it's yours when your behind the wheel.
After all this work I would consider it "mine" while still respecting the heritage.
Looks like you need another ride as well. If you want a hill climber than build it and make it competitive and purpose build.
The reason you are getting alot of negative comments is that is a truly sweet ride and asking for personal opinions will always get you in trouble here. I did it once. Got lit up.
All that said, LOVE THE CAR

 

That car is perfect. Just the way it sits.

I would not touch a crew on that thing and drive the crap right out of it, fix the crap and drive it some more !!!

your mods are interesting, I dig the grill. I’m lazy and could not be bothered swapping stuff around. But it really is simple bolt on stuff.
Try it, like it, don’t like it, what ever it’s yours .

my only advise is don’t muck up or butcher that car as it’s worth some decent cake just as it sits. Stupid it up and it’s simply another old car.

cool car, neat idea. Keep us posted.