Kelsey Hayes Bent Spoke 40 Spoke 16 " Wire spoke Wheels Comparison

Every early Ford enthusiast recognizes the "Buzz Word" Kelsey Hayes Wheels..

I am more of a Chevrolet fan and I thought I would just display a comparison of the two different versions of the 16" Kelsey Hayes Bent Spoke 40 Spoke accessory wheels.

Seems to me, an argument about which one is the most appealing and proportionate in design would be futile.  The center is much more appealing in shape and size on the Chevrolet version.

Actually I have some Mopar wheels and they have the same center as the Chevrolet version.  To me, it just doesn't get any better in the early wire spoke wheels. The Mopar wheels are for sale for $400 for the set of 4 with a 36 spoke spare included.

I'm now offering a set of 4 of these Chevy wheels for $800.  These are extremely hard to find. I put this set together by advertising up and down the west coast and watching eBay diligently.  5/6/22

1931 Ford Victoria Restoration

This 1931 Ford Model A Victoria is a very nice example, in it's original color scheme.

As you can see by the reflections in the pictures,  everything lines up nicely.  Some of the details that you will seldom see on a restored Model A, I was able to preserve.  It takes a bit of perseverance and attention to retain some of the details that I saved,  like the bead roller tracks in the front fender beads,  and the patent numbers on the bottom sides of the running boards,  and the wrinkles in the original sheet metal stamping that are still visible in the firewall.

To me,  these kinds of details really set one car apart from the rest.  

 

1936 Ford Custom Coach Towncar Sedan Delivery

This 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery has been created from parts that have been collected over the last 40 years. You will hopefully have the opportunity to view it in it's first mock up stage, as pictured here, at the Early Ford V8 meet in Lake Tahoe, the middle of June.

We still have much to do to refine it to the stage of completion, but I have all the confidence that those of you who are experienced in the field of restoration, or design of fine automobiles will be pleased with what you see.

The 36 is being built as it could have been, back in the era that the 1936 Ford was originally conceived.

To go back and see where this project started, click here 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery

Early Ford V8 Meet Lake Tahoe 2013 preview 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery

Lake Tahoe will be the location of the 50th anniversary Early Ford V8 meet in June 2013. Larry Hove and I plan to display his 1936 Ford Custom Coachwork Towncar Delivery that we have been building for six years or so.

I have been very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with Larry who has a degree in art and a natural talent and passion for automobile design.
I guess his experience in wood working in the home remodel business has proved to be very valuable in the design and execution of the rear (cargo area) of this fabulous Custom Coach.

This project started out, as I mentioned, about six years ago or so with Larry's vision of using the convertible parts from one of his convertible sedans, and the remains of the Seibert Custom Coach that he had acquired years earlier, to create this 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery.

Larry and I have done some other things together over the years as well. Larry had design input on the 1958 style hot rod 1936 Ford Cabriolet that I built for Phil Blodgett. We also built a custom bodied 34-35-36 Convertible Sedan.

Larry also has a Mullens trailer that we have done a lot of restoration work on. He plans to equip it with some eleven spoke Clev-Weld wheels to match the wheels that will be fit to this car eventually.

Here are a few preview images of the 1936 Ford Towncar Delivery.

Hot Rod Building and Customizing

Hot rods are built to many different standards.

Some Hot Rods are set to a strict theme, having every little detail dialed in to a specific time period as in the 1950's or 1960's. This would be a pure Resto Rod. These Resto Rods are timeless, being like a part of history, they don't lose their appeal.

Some hot rods are just put together with whatever is available off the shelf. Some make use of all the latest hoopla parts that are advertised in the magazines. Those modern street rods are sometimes very expensive. Next year, they're obsolete cause there's new stuff out at that point.

I just have a hard time with the industrial look of the new gauges, steering wheels, shifters, and especially the wheels that are popular now. I like to use the example of "put some of those 21 inch low profile wheel/tire combinations on a Model T". How's that look? Yes it's an extreme, but the concept is still the same. They just don't work on older cars. Period.... The upholstery almost always doesn't fit the design character of the original car either. Loose the door handles and you've lost another major design component. Chrome bumpers.... On and on.

The designers of the 1930's cars especially, were doing their jobs very well, in my opinion. I personally like to take advantage of all of the fabulous design work that coordinates with the theme and the original design of the car. Occasionally, it is possible to improve on original design, but not being a designer myself, or even having any degree in art for that matter, I feel a need to be very careful when it comes to customizing cars. When I do customize cars, I want the changes to be invisible, or look like they haven't been modified at all. If it looks like it hasn't been customized, whether it is a big modification or small, it has been a success!

1940 FORD DASH in 1936 FORD with HIDDEN STEREO

I installed the 1940 Ford Dash in my client's 1936 Ford Cabriolet, and because it is a 1950's theme hot rod, I concealed the stereo system in it. All components are out of view. The speakers were mounted in the speaker grill and behind the leather upholstery on the sides in the rear. The CD changer is under the seat and the control head is behind the radio delete plate. I had to make a custom hinge system for that. The antenna is one that I made from some coax antenna lead with a 31inch length of wire laid into the wooden top bow. 31 inches is the standard length for FM radio. Everything works great.

HOTROD-A-RAMA KING 2006 BEST OF SHOW

Best of Show HOTROD-A-RAMA 2006 Tacoma Washington. It took me 3 years to complete this car. This 1950's period hot rod captured the big trophy at the Hot Rod Show in Tacoma in August 2006. Seen here with the owner of the 1936 Ford Cabriolet and the beautiful lady I hand picked at the show to accent the scene. Doesn't she make that leather look inviting? The beautiful trophy was hand crafted by Sean Harvey. It sports a bronze 32 Ford Roadster on the platform.

1958 Style Hot Rod 1936 Ford Cabriolet

By using only parts that were available in 1958 and prior, we created a hot rod from this 1936 Ford, that is Pure and correct for the 1958 Theme. The engine is an August 1957 Corvette FI 283ci. All accessories are date correct to that engine. Fittings and fasteners are also correct. Yes the generator is a Corvette generator and the voltage regulator is date/application correct too. The attention to detail on this car is unsurpassed. The top material was saved from 70 years ago. It is correct to the car. The drive train consists of a 39 trans with NOS Zephyr gears. The Columbia two speed rear end makes this car very functional at highway speeds and beyond.

The wheels are early 1950's Streemlite trailer wheels. They were originally rough cast wheels but polish up quite nicely for a refined car like this one. The bolt pattern is correct for Ford. The 1940 Ford dash sports all the original gauges, ash trays, and knobs although the knobs now control all the systems in this car. A lot of modifications in the controls and fabrication was required to attain this. You can see more pictures of this in the Rod & Custom Feature article that can be accessed by clicking on the link to My Featured Restorations on the left side of my page here.