My intro - and I'll probably have a flathead question tomorrow

dad's deuce roadster

dad's deuce roadster

Senior Member
Per the title, new to the forum. My user name likely says it. My brother and I are in the process of bringing back to life, for the second time, our father's 32 Roadster rod from from the 50's.

A couple photos as it is now are attached. Dad stopped playing with it about 1961 - 3 kids and another on the way. My brother and I had it running pretty much as you see it here in the late 70's. It was never road worthy, no registration, insurance, etc. But I did manage to get a ticket in it.

Question 1, we can't seem to find a decent mark on it to ID the engine. My father believes (yes, he's still with us) that it's a 48 Merc, though the distributor is earlier.

Question 2 will hold until the tomorrow. We had the block boiled and magnafluxed and the shop owner told us one small crack was found on a valve seat. We plan to check it out tomorrow and I'll post a photo to get the take on whether it's repairable.
 

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Welcome aboard, always room for another Deuce roadster. What a great looking project and story.
 
Welcome to the barn. Great car there, geez that would be fun to have "Dads" hotrod. Gotta get rid of those plastic lights on the back or even girls will be giggling and pointing!:D
 
flatjack9 said:
If it is a 48, there will be 59 cast on top of the bellhousing. Otherwise late 38 to 42.
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Thanks. I'll have my brother check it out. The car is at his place in NY, near Buffalo. I'm in PA.

cas3 said:
Welcome to the barn. Great car there, geez that would be fun to have "Dads" hotrod. Gotta get rid of those plastic lights on the back or even girls will be giggling and pointing!:D
Click to expand...

Do you mean those rectangular directional lights on the custom copper brackets I made when I was 17? They came in handy. When the sheriff pulled me over in it on a country road 4+ decades back the conversation opened with , "license, registration, and insurance", to which I replied, "I have one out of three". He then rattled off my violations, "no registrations, no inspection, no insurance, no exhaust, bald tires, no lights", at which point I interrupted to inform him that all the lights worked. He opted to let me go with just the unregistered violation, a $10 ticket, but back then that was 5 hours work.
 
Yup...I am the self appointed plastic light police, just ask anyone here. So, you put them on when you were 17, glad you said it, because thats exactly what it looks like! A well preserved 50's hotrod with wall mart lights on it. There are so many better options, vintage glass lights, or how about this, since the car is down while waiting for a motor, you could convert the housing in the main tail lights to function as turn signals too. Its a clean easy job done on the bench, you obviously have some skills, so thats an option. on the front, I would go with cowl lights converted to serve as both signals and cowl lights, just my opinion. you could also get some headlights with the signal feature incorporated. Again, my opinion, but as of now, you have a cool period correct car, in very nice shape, worth about 50k, with 1.99 wall mart lights on it. so, you want to be charlie tuna that taste good, or cool charlie with a beret and shades with good taste ? What do you have for the signal switch? I'll bet I can start an argument there too ! LOL, not trying to be a jerk here, just point out some better options for your swell car.
 
That engine is not a 48 Merc...on account of the pencil test. No worries, how wonderful that your father is still alive and kept his car all those years. Enjoy the resurrection.
 
At your convenience give me a call. I live in Orchard Park, N.Y. I'm on a diet of flatheads. If someone in the family has the time this Sunday come on over to the big indoor swap meet at the Erie County Fairgrounds 9 am to 3 pm....my spaces are
99 & 100.
Charlie ny
Charles Schwendler
716 440 8952
716 662 9159
cas5845@yahoo.com
 
Everyone, thank-you for the warm welcome and all the advice.

On the plastic lights, my brother is already working on something more 50's period correct. Our intention is to keep it just what it is intended to be, a 50's deuce roadster. The question of the directional switch, it was just a 2-way toggle. Next to that was another toggle to turn off all the rear lights in case we needed to make a quick getaway at night - obviously I wasn't thinking about the fact that in Genesee county, with fewer than 50,000 people, it wouldn't be too hard to find out who owned a red 32 roadster with a flathead.

On the pencil test, I had seen that on a site, but hadn't tried it. Though I guess just looking would tell the tale.

Concerning the swap meet, I'll see if I can get my brother off his snowmobile long enough to go. If I tell him that he can talk with Mark Moriarty in person, that might work. He's already spoken with him by phone.
 
Photos of the crack attached. Thoughts? This is the only one found on the block.
 

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ford38v8 said:
The round Buick tail lights are vintage hot rod, keep those.
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Look like '50 Pontiac to me; very popular for roadsters
back then.......

Don't worry about the cracked port; too common w/ f-heads.
A GOOD machine shop will be able to repair it.

Congrats on the project; very cool it's a "hand-me-down".
And we all thank you for keeping it traditional!!
 
This can be stitched depending on how far down the cyinnder it goes, So, it might need a sleeve as well.
Gramps
 
welcome to te barn. matt @iron trap garage is a good source for flathead information, he's on youtube, you'll find his contact info there
 
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