Features The Ott Family Deuce 5wd Coupe: A Reunion Story

Awesome journey, post and super stoked that car is back in your family.

 

Its a Ford car with GM suspension, still has original 32 frame under it.
Trailered due to logistics- had to drive up to fly out to east coast, drive back to Dougs house and I had to drive home (3 hours away) and worked easiest to trailer back home… Hope it makes sense now!

 

Awesome man! Congrats and thanks for sharing, i really enjoyed the read

 

Thanks for taking us on the trip, we enjoyed it

 

Great story, glad to see the car driven, and driven far too! Pretty neat to see a rear sway bar on there, did they actually come on GM cars in '56?

 

The Ott Family Deuce 5wd Coupe is at the 46th NSRA Western Street Rod Nationals in Bakersfield this weekend ... bug splatter and all!

Here's a couple pics:

NOTE: Chuck already found a replacement '50-'53 Oldsmobile 88 wheelcover on ebay


images from Chuck Ott's April 29th post on @fuely32's "Deuces and 40 Fords" Facebook group​

 

Chuck, just pulling folks leg. No offense meant.

Ben

 

Great story
Thanks for sharing
Aussie

 

super cool thanks

 

cool beans

 

What a fabulous story! The other thing is the craftsmanship of the conversion. Not a high polish show suspension swap. It's something that worked well and wasn't all cobbled up. The proof is in the handling of the car with the IFS . I couldn't help notice the clean installation of the rear shackles....I'm sure that quality was carried out throughout.

 

Very cool, I keep going back to take another look. Didn’t even notice the blisters on the front fenders. Very well thought out build

 

During his 2008 visit to California, Swiss HAMBer Marc @Lowtech Wöltinger had an opportunity to visit John @Papa Bee Bade's San Diego garage . . . here's a couple of his night-time snapshots of the Deuce 5wd:

images from the February 13th 2009 LOWTEC Blogpost.​

 

Mike -

That was my first thought when I saw the 5wd on Doug's April 6th FB post.

If @3wLarry Roller was still with us, he'd be the first to post "Cool Beans" in this thread.​

- Todd

 

Cool Car, Very Cool Story and what a fabulous Trip / Adventure.

 

Man I love this story. Thanks for sharing it!

 

Does that mean ifs swaps are traditional then?

 

Fantastic story!

 

What an amazing story, thanks for sharing it here!

 

That's about as "traditional" as it gets... and IFS to boot! Go figure, huh? The quality of workmanships stills shows through 67 years later. Charlie is definitely an innovative rodder/builder!
So cool to see the car come full circle back to the family, and that Charlie gets to enjoy it once again!

 

Just my humble opinion:

• ‘56 Chevy IFS swaps done in 1957 = YES!
• ‘60s Corvair IFS swaps popular in the late ‘60s & '70s = NO
• ‘60s Jaguar IFS swaps popular in the late ‘60s & beyond = NO
• ‘74-‘78 Mustang II IFS swaps popular in the '80s & beyond = NO

 

I love road trip stories and this is one of the best. this is a good testament to you dad's engineering and mechanical skills. Tom ps I figured out why you trailered the last leg of the trip happy hotrodding

 

Man, what a great story and trip! Thank you so much for sharing it with us here. I saw it a day or two ago, but didn't have time to read it. Just now went through it and it sure started my day off good. So cool that you could drive your dad's car cross country then show it to him. Well done and I am sure you made memories that you will remember forever.

 

cool car, saw the car at Bakersfield show Saturday-just happened across this story today.

 

By far an inspiration to Hot Rodders from coast to coast & beyond !

 

What a great car and an even greater story! Those were some tender shots with your folks!
Thank you for having us there.

 

Great story. I met John Bade back in 2005 when we (I drove my 32 tudor and him in this 5W) went to the Roundup escorted by some crazy Houston Texas Hot Rodders from San Bernardino CA to Houston then to Austin. John had just had the SBC rebuilt .

 

From the last line of the OP:

So . . . just to clarify:

I started this thread to share the 5+ day journey across the US that my friends (Chuck @Ott's Garage Ott & Doug Caldwell) took to reunite Chuck's father (Charlie Ott) with the Deuce 5wd Coupe that he bought in 1954 . . . and started Hot Rodding it (with a 303ci Oldsmobile V8) in 1957.

As you may know, my father (Bruce Olson) also bought his Deuce 5wd Coupe in 1954 . . . but started Hot Rodding it (with a 331ci Chrysler HEMI) in 1955 . . . and we haven't embarked upon any 5+ day journeys across the US in it since 1980.

Sorry for any confusion the slight similarities may have caused.​

- Todd @HEMI32 Olson

 

Great story and one to bring a LOT of happiness to your family and all us fellow hot rodders. Way to go!

 

Awesome story. Thanks for sharing.