FALSE ALARM!! I went on a wild goose chase !

Latest updates on the investigation regarding the whereabouts of one 1932 Ford Hiboy Roadster now belonging to Faith Granger. Sherlock tripple and quadrupple checked all data and determined there were too many lose ends, enough to give the very sharp detective "reasonnable doubts" as to the identity of the car.

The detective, who's dashing organizational skills are only surpassed by his uncanning fifth sense, decided to back track and go back to the pivot owner who was the last Minnessotta person to lay hands on the car before it was shipped to Wisconsin.

After much probing (including one long, tedious telephone torture session during which the owner finally confessed :LOL: ) , Sherlock was able to get the owner to look AGAIN in his many records and actually locate the photo of above mentioned vehicle, as well as the REAL seller's name.

And as suspected: He had previously given Sherlock innacurate information and the God D*** car on the cover of Rod and Custom is NOT the roadster Sherlock was tracking :eek: ( :mad: well there goes one week worth of hard work for absolutely NOTHING :mad: )

Now a new lead is uncovered, a new path lays before Sherlock's feet and many new phone calls and conversations are to be scheduled. It is expected that the roadster will probably turn out to have humble beginnings, and no claim to fame (well at least not yet ;) ). But rest assure that Faith loves her Hiboy just the same! (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder) :p

I'll keep you posted here as to what I find out now...

:3dSMILE:

Like I said before ....
in this thread ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deuce

Do not put a lot of faith in the stories and tales you hear. People LIE ...:rolleyes:
Lots of folks buy/sell/trade cars like some folks change clothes ... details get lost or misplaced. Time also affects the memory. With over 25 years of owners and the changes in the car and the lives of the many previous owners ... anything can happen.

IMHO ... it does not really matter where it has been or what it has done ... :D Nor the DNA of the parts ( But at least it does have some original Henry Ford 1932 Ford parts DNA ... a lot of " so-called 32 roadsters ;) do not ) ...

What really matters is it is yours and you are enjoying it. Trying to improve it and make it yours ... :3dSMILE: :3dSMILE:

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The frame rails will be 75 years old next year ... :D
A lot of the other parts are as old ... or close to it.
It is fun to track down the history of a car ( I have talked to the man who bought my 32 Roadster off a Los Angeles Wilkshire Blvd. car lot in 1941 ) but my car has only had 4 owners since 1941 ... making it easier to track and verify. I saw it in 1969 and bought it a few years later.

Good luck on your quest ...

Randy

AS I posted on the other thread:

There is still a slight chance the car on the rod and custom cover may be my car.

because some of the details did fit. For exemple, the way the horn and spreader bar are completely boxed on both my rod and Terry's rod. (remember that the cover was shot probably in 1972 and Terry bought that cabriolet - minus body - in 1979, so many things had changed on it already since the photo - like the drilled axle for ex).

Also terry's roadster had a home made 1 inch squarish steel bar going under the inner lip of the dash - curving along with the curve of the dash - AND I HAVE THE SAME BAR ON MINE. Do fiberglass bodies usually come with one? I asked Wescott today and they said NO... But I'm not sure....

Last but not least terry described his steering wheel as a 54 CHEVROLET TRUCK - which is exactely what I have on my roadster - and I have not seen a steering wheel like this on any other roadsters around here... Seems an uncommon choice - so what are the odds both his and mine have it?

In short there is still a small chance that car may be my car, but I now have another lead to check, one that seems more likely. So I'll let you guys know what transpires.

Faith: I think you are on the right track in determining if the cars are the same or not. The boxed front horns may not be significant, as this was and is a common modification, but the dash support and steering wheel seems unique.

Even though various builders have added their own signature to the car over all these years and owners, some elements are usually retained. I don't know how detailed the pictures you have are, but some of the things you may want to look at are :

1) How the front end is set up. Look at the axle curvature on the ends where it was dropped. Also look at the shackles and perches, and how the shocks mount top and bottom.

2) How are the wishbones split, and do they mount in a similar fashion. Most remodeling jobs leave this area alone unless there is some problem that needs to be fixed.

3) See how the steering box mounts and the way the shaft goes into it. I forget if your car has vega style cross steering or traditional ford pickup style.

There should be a hundred little touches that are specific to your car and that would have probably remained even though other elements were changed over the years.

Don

Not ever wanting to do a genealogical study of a car before....

Is it possible to take the VIN and trace various owners back? You would need a friend (that's an oxymoron) at the DMV who would be willing to run the number. Even if it went out then back in Calif., there is still some sort of a paper trail for who ever registered the car. Some of the real old stuff may not be computerized but at least you should be able to go back 20 years or so.

My feelings on people that sell cars and car parts l-i-e thru their teeth, all present company and thread readers excepted, of course;) ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Irelands child

My feelings on people that sell cars and car parts l-i-e thru their teeth, all present company and thread readers excepted, of course;) ;)

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The sad truth is ... a LOT of folks .. DO ... just buy and sell the cars for a profit ... and will LIE to enhance it's value or LIE to cover up some things. Then some sellers just do not know. Others kept poor records ...

I know a man who has owned over a 100 pre 49 vehicles in the past 20 years. He buys them, patches them up or gets bored with them and then sells them. He only has one that he has kept all the years :confused: ... A lot of the ones he had ... he slipped the title ... ( never had it registered in his name ) and sold the car to the next buyer off the open bill of sale he got when he bought it. Sometimes he removes the GOOD STUFF and then sells the vehicle ... He is basically a used car dealer for old cars ... without a dealers license. :HMMM:

When you go to a major rod event ... especially from Mid-Summer on ... a good 1/4 of the cars there are for sale ... at Daytona Thanksgiving event ... the percentage is even higher. A lot of folks BUY IN ... did not build the car ... and now want out. They bought someone elses problems and want to unload it.

A lot of Roadster's suffer this fate ... of being sold again and again.
And can be a real good well built car. Folks see a roadster and think ... WOW ... what a lot of fun ... and then the ... MRS ... gets caught in the rain. They get sunburned a few times. The wind bothers them at 75 MPH. The cool weather comes or the newness and novelty wears off and the roadster is up for sale. Roadsters are a lot like Harleys are now. Folks bought into the idea without evering considering the weather and the upkeep.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...r/MVC-006F.jpg

Yes ... I have been known to own and ride a few Harleys too ...
:3dSMILE: :LOL:

Deuce,

First of all, I don't do Harley's or any other motorcycle - but do appreciate them.:)

You made mention of cars for sale at big shows - what I get a charge out of is that some cars actually have the FOR SALE lettered with the same color paint the pin striping is done in - which immediately gives me a warning to stay away - that this car is a 2 gallon bondo-mobile:eek: .

I have seen cars at shows with "For Sale" etched into the quarter glass. Whats that about???:eek:

I have sold a few cars and trucks over the years :)
But I am not a wheeler/dealer. I usually wait and find the best possible car I can afford and then build it ... and keep it.

Since the mid 70's I sold ( hobby type vehicles )
1) 56 Ford F-100 Big Window ... just got tired of it after a few years Fellow just stacked hundred dollar bills up until I could not say NO :)
2) 69 Z-28 RS Camaro ... needed $$$ for a new house
3) 32 Ford Hiboy steel roadster ... new house $$$
4) 2 1940 Ford coupes ... wish I still had the last one ...

Harleys can come and go :D presently without one ... last one was a NEW 2001 Deuce ...softail ...

It is fun to trace you car back ... if you can. I traced the roadster back to 1941 ... ( 4 owners ) and I have owned it the longest of anyone :D

Traced the 3W back to 1952 ... and it has been off the road since 1958 ...
I do this as a hobby ... not a business.

The folks who paint " FOR SALE " on their Hot Rods break me up too ...
Most have a real stupid $$$ money price too ...

MOST are just fishing for a stupid sucker to pay their price ...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cffisher

I have seen cars at shows with "For Sale" etched into the quarter glass. Whats that about???:eek:

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All these guys want is someone to talk to !!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deuce

I have sold a few cars and trucks over the years :)
But I am not a wheeler/dealer. I usually wait and find the best possible car I can afford and then build it ... and keep it.

MOST are just fishing for a stupid sucker to pay their price ... [/B][/I]

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I think we all have cars we shoulda, coulda, woulda.:D :D

My list dates back even further, to the '50s:
'32 3 window w/8BA = bought for $35, sold at the outrageous price of $75:CRY:
'31 A coupe bought for $35, sold for $100
'37 Humpback = bought for $8, sold for $15
'37 Business Coupe = bought for $50. sold for $50 and a Mossberg 20 ga shotgun (I still have the shotgun) Car was last seen going end over end at the local dirt track.:mad:
'63 Galaxie 500XL w/406 Tri Power=traded for new POS '65 XL w/Police Interceptor
'68 Torino 390GT w/HO bought new for $2700 sold 6 years later for $400

I guess you could say that I made a real "killing" on any of these dreams.

Looks like we hijacked Faith's thread - again (sorry)

Out of all the cars I have had and sold, the one that I really regret is a '47 Ford four door sedan I bought in about 1978. The ad in the paper simply said "1947 Ford, no motor, mag wheels, $ 1000.00". I was the first guy there with money in my hand, and when he opened the garage door, I almost passed out. The car was mint and had only 50,000 miles on it. Turns out some rich kid had it previously, and kept putting 327 Chevys in it and blowing them up, so his Dad would make him park it for a while to teach him a lesson.

It was a typical '60's custom, molded in fenders, black diamond tufted interior, and original Rader five spokes with brand new white wall tires. I couldn't get the money in his hands fast enough, and he told me the only reason he was getting rid of it was because he was getting divorced, and if he kept it , she would get it. When we towed it away from his house he had tears in his eyes, and I felt lousy for him.

I used to lay under the car on a creeper and just stare at the underside. It was like the day it rolled off the assembly line. The car was perfect in every respect.

However, shortly after that I got an offer to transfer to California, so everything we couldn't take with us had to go, including the '47. The first guy who came to buy it laid $ 1500.00 on me so fast my head almost spun around, and he told me this was the second cleanest '47 he had ever seen in his life, and he had a collection of them.

I still kick my butt over that one. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:


Don

Well, someone offered me $1,000,0000,000,000.00 (aka: 1 gazillion dollars) for Mr. hiboy last Sunday and I laughed at his face. AS IF!

:LOL:

Just kidding of course. I did once have one person ask me if I wanted to sell it... My little guy currently does not look very flashy. he really needs good carpetting and a clean paint job badly... but all in good time, all in good time...

Did I tell you guys I bought 2 original hood side panels? :D I know it is a bit risky but I decided to take the plunge when I saw them on ebay. Hopefully I won't be biting my fingers when they are delivered. THey look good, the 20 louvers look straight... I guess I'll keep both solid sides and the original sides. Are side panels hard to swap? What does it entails and how long would it take?

PS: I don't think my hood is a Roetlib. Eric thought it was an older roetlib, but after talking to Dale (who owned the roadster back in the 80's) we both agreed it looks more like an original top with custom louvers and not original solid sides. Of course this is all stipulation, but the darn thing sure look old at the top.

Deuce is there anything on an original hood that might tip me, aka: a small detail, a hinge type, a hole, a screw, anything at all that would tell it apart from a Roetlib repro hood? Does anyone know how to tell them apart if it can be done) ?

:LOL: Psssht I just hijacked my own thread :LOL:

http://www.roadsters.com/hood_sides_500x398.jpg

Carefully remove the hood and separate the two sides by removing the long stainless u shaped hood hinge.
Then look closely where the two sides join ... the hood top and the hood side :D and you will see a small round rod going thru both pieces ... ( the hinge area ). Carefully remove the rod ... being careful not to damage the hood tips or hood sides ... and separate the two pieces. I use a 3/16ths rod as a punch, after using a small punch to get the rod moving.

I replace the rod with a Stainless rod ( 1/4 inch ) whenever I reinstall hood. The stainless rod does not rust and bind up like the originals do ... yet cannot be told from the original when installed/ Bob Drake also sells the rods.

Look at the photo above and you can see the hinge hoods on the hood sides. The hood tops also have the same hooks ...

Repro hood tops are hard to tell from the originals :HMMM:
Except they do not fit as well. The curve is not as correct.

On my Roadster ... I used parts from 3 different hoods to get it to fit ... like I wanted it. Each hood top came from a different hood set and I bought the 25 venter sides at a swap meet in Florida ... about 25 years ago.

One misconception folks now have is how good 32's fit from the factory. They were just a common mans car and came down a factory line so the fit was NOT as good as most 32's have today.
:D :D

http://i24.ebayimg.com/02/i/08/dc/04/09_12.JPG
Better photo of the hood hinges :)

This looks like an engine that someone is wishing for (NSRA-York2006, and in the rain- again).

<<Carefully remove the hood and separate the two sides by removing the long stainless u shaped hood hinge. >>

:confused: what do you mean by seperate the two sides? Are we talking about splitting the top part of my hood (where I have my big louvers) into two parts ( each still attached to its side panel) ?:confused:

OR?

<<Then look closely where the two sides join ... the hood top and the hood side and you will see a small round rod going thru both pieces ... ( the hinge area ). Carefully remove the rod ... being careful not to damage the hood tips or hood sides ... and separate the two pieces. I use a 3/16ths rod as a punch, after using a small punch to get the rod moving.>>

I take it I use a rod to push the other rod out (makes sense), yes?


Ok here are my panels - WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO?? :LOL: :rolleyes: I sure hopw they are in deed original - they came off a coupe.

http://www.bettatalk.com/hiboy%20ima...od%20sides.gif

1932 Ford hoods come in 4 separate parts. 2 tops and 2 sides.

http://www.rootlieb.com/html_files/v..._32_hd_jpg.jpg

The left top and the left side panel are joined to the right top and right side panel by a stainless strrl strip ... that goes to a bracket on the grille shell and the other end is on the cowl.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...r/DSC00340.jpg

You can see the chrome bracket that the hood hinge goes to at the cowl in the above photo.

Separate the 4 piece hood into 2 separate sections. The right side and the left side. You will have a pair ... each having a top and a side.

Remove the 1/4 inch rod that holds the top to the side ... being careful to not damage the hood top or the hood side panel. Once they are separated ... :D you can re-install your new hood sides and then re-intall the hood on the roadster. You will need some hood latches to hold the hood sides closed ... like this ...

http://i5.ebayimg.com/03/i/01/a2/80/ba_1.JPG

C.W. Moss in Orange California will have them ... and most anything you could need for the Roadster.

http://www.cwmoss.com/images/cwmHome.jpg

Heres a photo of a 32 Hood that has been separated ... into two sides ... like you need to do ...

http://i14.ebayimg.com/05/i/08/e8/6b/07_1.JPG

A top and a hood side ... for each side of the 32 ...
See the stainless steel strip that holds them together ??

This is what you need to do to yours ... and then seperate the top from the hood side :3dSMILE:

OK I got it :).... Thank you Deuce :)). I heard from seller and she shipped the hood sides yesterday... Keep my finger crossed they make it OK. I already have latches on my roadster, they stay attached to the body so no need to buy more if I change panels... I visited CW Moss when I drove down to the Cruise for a cure show in OC, and Mark there is very nice & helpful. They all loved the roadster :)... Here is a photo of their building.

http://www.bettatalk.com/hiboy%20images/DSC04636.JPG

Good ... glad you have it figured out ...

I usually go by CW Moss's whenever I am in the California area ... they usually have a great selection of parts and are very knowledgeable also. :)