Hey all. What era did the first chopped sedans start appearing on the scene? All kinds of custom and hot rod modifications were going on by the 1940s, but every place I look I can't seem to find any pictures of chopped, fenderless Model A, Model B sedans in that era. Surely there'd have at least been a few scooting around in the 40s/early 50s, or am I wrong? George Cerny's 32 Tudor:
After WW-II. My dad was one of those early hot rodders. He lived out in California after the war for a year but then came back to Pittsburgh. He said he missed civilization and all the fun. Pittsburgh was the worlds industrial center since we turned Germany and Japan into ashes. He said hot rodding really took off after the war in Pittsburgh since most guys worked in steel mills and machine shops and could make all kinds of hot rod parts..
Like your picture (which is a bit later)...for racing. But at the lakes they didn't even allow coupes in the early years.
Are you saying that, like the one in the picture, they didn’t start happening till the mid 50’s? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The mid 50's seems right in my mind. The famous "Orange Crate" sedan started becoming a hot rod in that time frame. Not sure when the car was chopped.
I would say that you are correct. After the war was when they first started accepting coupes and sedans on the dry lakes and salt. That would have been when they started lowering the rood for less wind resistence.
Can't give a hard and fast date but recall a magazine article from 1951 showing a chopped fenderless Model A 2 door sedan. It wasn't a hot rod magazine, I think it was Popular Mechanics.
I think the Pearson brothers '36 coupe , is usually credited with starting the change ; ****** is referring to. Around 1948 or 1949?
My guess, it was tied to cl*** racing. Sedans or long roofs were probably grabbed for cheapest version of a race car to fit a cl***. The first guy probably caught some **** for bringing a "family car" to race night, so he had to be fast. Once he won some rounds or his cl***, it became OK'ish. At least thats how it went down - in my head.
Here’s the end result. In 51 it was sold to fellow Culver City Screwdrivers members Jerry Keldrauk and Bill Boren. Dig that nose:
Author Al Drake owned that car in the early 50's long before it became the Orange Crate. It was flathead powered and had the chopped top and molded and bobbed rear fenders then. There is a picture of it in his book"street was fun in 51". Al said it was originally built by the Beard Bros. in the late 40's
Found the car I was thinking of. It was written up in January 1951 Mechanix Illustrated so it must have been built in 1950 if not earlier. 1929 Ford Model A Tudor built by Noble Heuter. According to Mechanix Illustrated January 1951 the car was built as a gag, and the rear fenders were retained for laughs. Its top speed by January 1951 was 112 mph.[1] Tip of the hat to Rik Hoving's Kustomrama for the photo and caption.
Hello, The famous George Cerny's history is well do***ented in Kustomrama. Here is the same fenderless sedan making a run at Lions Dragstrip. It was mean looking. The date could have been 1958, but I decided due to the background that is was more into the 1959 season. This the first time we saw a chopped, fender-less sedan at the drags or on any street in Long Beach back then. Coupes and roadsters were usually fenderless at the drags…the early weight theory and all. So Cal hot rod in the pits… Full fenders for the street was usually the case, as the DMV rules for fenderless hot rods was just going through development. Most police gave tickets to those that did not have fenders on roadsters and coupes. (Sedans were instant tickets…) The crackdown was creating a m***ive amount of cut down, stock rear fenders and motorcycle fenders as additions. So, fenderless hot rods were around somewhere, but our local police would pull any hot rod without fenders over for a violation. Jnaki George Cerny
Probably the first time someone wanted to lighten the car to go faster, loosing weight equals a faster time through the lights. HRP
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