I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

A few months back I picked up this for what I thought was too cheap to pass up. Goal was not to restore but fix up some and drive around....my daughters have been bugging me for a closed car with suicide doors for a while...and since I can't afford a 33 i figured this would work.

A soild car but was missing the engine, radiator and some dash parts, grill parts and a hood ornament.

It had a nasty dent as well on the back passenger side roof that was beat with a sledgehammer.....

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

First step was to haul it home... and get a bunch of the primer off of it and repaint the areas that where in need as well a metalwork the roof and paint the repair.

I then weathered my repairs to match the rest of the original paint.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Sweet deal....My 39 Merc is a "rouge" car. They are SO much fun to just drive and enjoy they way yours is!!!! Have fun with it!!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Next step was to find an original 85hp engine since that is what this car originally had.

Lucked out and a friend had a runner out of car that was street rodded.
Hauled it home and my little one wanted to paint it....so a gladly let her.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Next I put the engine in..... and started looking for a v8 85 radiator.. as well as all the missing dash, grill and hood ornament.

I also needed to redo the brakes..... I was going to stay mechanical but a friend who I have been helping with his model a coupe.. offered to sell and deliver the old chassis from under his car. I couldn't refuse, he bought the A in 1958 when he was a teenager(he set the car untouched in his barn till this year when he finally decided to restore it!!!) It has 1939 hydraulic brakes added to it, so that solved my missing brake part issues.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Ordered up new hoses, wheel cylinders, master cylinder, etc.

And let our daughters (age 7 and 11) totally do the brake conversion (with supervision).

It took them a full day but they had a blast and did great!! I just had to break free a few bolts and help double flair the lines.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Next I replaced the busted rear glass, drivers rear door glass, and found a nicer windshield frame with new glass in it.

I also put a headliner in it and hogringed a new piece of mohair on the rear seatback. (It was badly deteriorated from the window beeing knocked out for so long). I also cleaned up the rest of the interior as best I could.

I found a radiator and had it shipped from texas to pa.

I also found a free cut apart rusty gas tank that was more soild than mine to I cleaned it up, welded it back together and installed it, along with all new fuel lines.

I then took it for the first spin around the block.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Then though here and though the hamb I finally located the missing parts I needed, except the grill trim.. I ended up having to MAKE the missing pieces.


So with the TLC this old car cleaned up fair and gets to see the road for the first time in many many decades!!!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

What a fantastic story-especially with your daughters, makes my heart smile to see families such as yours. America needs more dads like you. I commend you!!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Missing pieces of the "puzzle" are falling together quite nicely!
A lot accomplished in a short amount of time, thanks in part to
your assistants, who deserve a promotion!
Nice job on the roof repair, and blending.....

You and yours will have a lot of fun with this one. Congrats!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Great car, and great story!
Fantastic that you were able to get your kids involved!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Great thread! And car. This is perhaps the best weathered paint job/repair I have ever seen. I have tried many home brews and processes for over 30 years and have yet to hit it right on like you have.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Thanks everyone!!

I try my best to raise my girls as motorheads... they love old cars, help often and love going to the racetrack and really love it when I race.

I try to take my role as dad more serious than any other aspect of my life...I try to introduce them to as many different things as I can.

As a side note

I am also a musician and involve both girls in that as well.. they both play guitar and sing... the 11 year old has more gigs this year than my band actually!!!! She does a few songs with my group... it is an amazing feeling to play on stage with one of your kiddoes!!!

Also, since I keep building cars I have been contacted for movies and recently got heavily involved in a film about the 1965 kecksburg UFO crash....so after renting a few of my cars and trucks I became friends with the director and got my girls the role of the aliens in the film!!!! We had a blast and they LOVED to get a chance to walk the red carpet!!!!

Very neat stuff and strange how stuff happens, I actually am hired as production designer (and head of the art department) on another period film. So this 38 and my 52 f1 (that I am in the process of re-painting right now) will be in that film!!!!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

You've done a great job. getting the kids involved is priceless. Them wanting to be involved is possibly unusual. The missus looks happy enough too.
Winner all round.

Mart.

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

And, the door handles aren't drooping!:) Good job!

Re: I picked up a cheap 38 standard and put it on the road.
 

Great job on the car, and including the family!!!....is there any videos of your band on YouTube?........ Mark