Here’s the story: It was December 1955. 17 year old Ronald B. and his elder brother, born a decade earlier then he, sat at their families kitchen table in quiet Jonestown, Pennsylvania. The two sifted through stacks of Hot Rod, Rod & Custom, and Car Craft magazines they had collected over the last few years. Ron graduated in 1956 and spent his last years of high school drawling hot rods in his school books and dreaming of the new car culture born in Southern California just a few years earlier. He was an amateur mechanic and an engineering student. His brother, a machinist. Over the next year the two cherry picked the best ideas and aesthetics from publications and the best parts from local junkyards. In January 1958 construction began in their garage. Most of the chassis is 1947 Ford. The frame was altered with the cross member repositioned and torque tube shortened 13.5 inches. The stock 3.78:1 rear was used as well as the wheels, brakes, backing plates, master cylinder, front shocks, rear sway bar, and steering box (with Crosley wheel and shaft welded on). It uses a model A front spring on a 32 Ford truck axle. The emergency brake is an altered 35 Plymouth unit. The battery box and the altered 12.5 gallon gas tank are from a 47 Buick as well as the sending unit. The engine is a 303 from a 1949 Oldmobile 88. Interesting note, the 1949 Olds V8 is the first mass produced over head valve (OHV) engine. This particular motor is number 8A47961 and sports Gotha adjustable rocker arms and collapsed hydraulic tappets. The intake manifold had an inch trimmed off the carb pedestal. The 49 Olds 4 barrel carb had a 1/2 inch machined from the bottom and the venturi re-tapered. The car is wired for 6 volts. The generator, voltage regulator, starter, distributor, fuel pump and flywheel are all 1949 Olds. It uses an altered 47 Buick radiator that was recently repaired. The guy we use (really old school guy) was able to salvage all the parts and re-brazed a connection. He commented on the quality construction and innovative design. It has a cooling system capacity of 16 quarts and runs 180-190 degrees even on hot days. The exhaust from the headers back is 50-52 Chevy and uses 47 Chevy motor mounts for muffler mounts. It runs cool and quiet. The transmission is a 3 speed unit from a 39 Ford with 26 tooth Zepher (synchronized) gears. It uses an 11 inch Ford truck clutch, pressure plate, and disc. An adapter and bushing was used to adapt the gearbox to the motor. The shift and clutch linkage is custom and really trick. 47 Buick clutch and brake pedals were modified to work with swing type pedals. The body is a 1931 Chevy roadster with the rear deck lid smoothed. It has a stock 31 Chevy dash with Rockne and Stewart Warner gauges. The top and side curtains are 31 Chevy that have been modified and recently redone in the original design with new steam bent bows, clear plastic windows, and premium cloth. The doors are 31 Chevy that have had the wood replaced with metal and use 50 Dodge outside door handles. The windshield frame is an altered model A unit. It uses an altered 32 Ford grille shell with brass welding rods for the upright spokes. The hood is a heavily modified 35 Dodge piece. The motor compartment side panels were custom made by Ron. The fenders were made by cutting down old Packard spare tire covers. The rear bumper is from a 49 Dodge with the ends cut off. Everything totally custom. The wheel and trim color is Ford Torch red. The car was finished in 1957 Plymouth Buckskin beige and at some point has a coat of pearlescent clear applied. The paint looks great and has some very minor chipping where the hood meets the cowl and edges of the hood from removal and installation. The car was completed in 1959, taken to Harrisburg (capital of PA), certified and issued chassis number SE7010PA. The car weights 2640 pounds and was designed to have perfect 50/50 front/rear weight distribution thanks to the mid mounted front engine. The car starts, runs, drives straight, handles awesome and stops on a dime. Fire it up an go – the choke works as it should. It has plenty of power and shifts well with minimal grinding going in to third (only when its cold). No rattles, no squeaks. This car was over engineered for the rough PA roads. Welds are solid. Fender struts are 5/8″ bar stock.
Price: Auction
More info: Listing has ended. Click to search on eBay for similar 1959 Chevrolet Roadster (Affiliate link)
Location: Manheim, Pennsylvania, United States
