My bitsa

Wow, you dad had his hand into some cool stuff. Crazy how the Left Coast differed from the Right Coast on Custom avenues. I been corrected on the Chev V8 car in my story. It was actually a cabrolet, and not a phaeton. It was more up-to-date, and I think sported an automatic trans also.
I recently saw a Caddy converted Cord that looked pretty cool though. done back in the day. Had some crazy front suspension in it though.
Sorry I can't help finding your dad's creation. Any chance at getting larger photos of his work from the site?
Thanks, RF.

Red Fred wrote: which was right here in town. It wasn't one Cord, but two that were available!
... up stairs where the Cords were. First one was a phaeton with Chevy V8 in it, belonging to his son. There in the corner, completely covered in 20+ years of body shop dust was my baby.
RF.

Hi RF;
Great collecting stories!
The above mention of the Chevy powered Cord Phaeton caught my attention.
I've posted a few photos of some of my late father's Cord and Duesey projects in those forum threads. One of my Cord questions was seeking the current whereabouts of a Chevy 409 powered Phaeton that my Dad built for wealthy Miami area sportsman, Bill Bourne, back in the 1960s. I have lots of photos of my Dad's custom cars and custom-modified Classics but no photo of that 409 Cord. I "think" it was gray with a cream top, if my memory is correct. Might you have taken any photos of the Chevy-powered phaeton you came across? I'm wondering if it might be one of my father's works. He professionally built and modified race cars, sports cars and custom cars and classics from 1939-1990, at his Raceway Garage, in The Bronx, NY.

No I-phone here. In fact, my house is all rotary dial, except one for modern use for "push 1 now". I'll have to work on getting a scanner. I'll dig though my digital photos for some shots in the meantime.
Thanks, RF.

Well then, use your iPhone to snap some pictures! The photos are as good as most consumer digital cameras. It's easy and it doesn't cost you a cent every time you pull the trigger.

HI Bill, and Thanks Josh,
My old scanner experienced a high speed wobble, and shot a rod through the pan. I've yet to get a replacement for it. Most of my old photos were pre-digital days. Somehow, my photos don't seem that interesting though. I do remember my disgust in learning that all Cord V8s were painted black. I thought I might lose the engine in with all the black chassis work, so I opted to paint mine the body color. The closest engine paint I could fine was something for an MG, which turned out to be more like Pepto Bismal PINK, rather than Rich Maroon!
I remember the engine in Gail's shop, on his engine stand that he made from a spare front frame clip. It was the talk of the town, all Pepto colored, with polished intake, heads, and pan. Gail loved it though. He had never seen anyone dare to be different in this manner.
Right after my engine was completed, Josh had his in for a rebuild. I sure wish I had known about those forged pistons he sourced!
Gail & I remain good friends. He just purchased an Indian motorcycle! But he's no stranger to them.
More as it happens, RF.

Hi Fred,

Why not post some pictures? There are full instructions how to do this in the PICTURE GALLERY section.

What a great story, Fred! I don't think any of the members that I know would have looked down their noses at your Cord even before they read this. After hearing this tale I [i:nz7onjn3]know[/i:nz7onjn3] that no-one will!

Continued good luck to you.

I've probably lost half of you by now, but I thought it necessary to explain myself, and my car, so my poor car may be more openly received when observed. Turns out that my new prize was originally an early '36, that Eugene attempted to "up-date" to a '37 Beverly; sort of. He did a good job welding the bustle trunk on (yes, it is actually welded over the previously damaged flat back section, and not a factory conversion). '37 brakes were utilized all the way around, although the '36 rear axle was still in place ('37s have a strengthening gusset added). Outside exhaust is used, although with no supercharger. The newer mesh is used around the pipes, instead of the earlier screen. I wish I had the screen instead. My car has the cowl fillers, no radio, no heater, wrong carb, no air filter, no door handles, no glass, no windshield frames, on & on. But, it has a real aluminum oil pan. Of course, I had to have it polished, along with the intake, and new heads.
Of course the engine & trans was advertised as "rebuilt", but they were both pretty crispy, and soon found their way to Gail Shaw for a make over. I replaced the original wire harness, and rebuilt the front & rear suspensions & brakes. I added all the gussets recommended to beef up the stub frame, and replaced all the bolts that held it on. I sinned by utilizing a Mazda hood for the donor metal to patch the gapping hole in the firewall for the timing chain access done by some previous dirt farmer. Funny, as the spare car in the deal had a mint fire wall. I managed to swap out it's '37 rear axle though.
At least my car had new laquor paint, and interior, in the exact colors I wanted. Well, the paint & 'polstry were new in '61, when Eurgene did it. The car hadn't seen daylight since! He only mocked the car back together however, and never set the gaps. Thus, every time a door, or hood, or trunk was opened, it bound and blew the paint off at the conflicting edges. The laquor had completely alligatored, and the tons of bondo underneath wasn't doing to well either.
I realized why there were no door handles included; the doors are too thick with bondo to accept them! There's evidence of some sort of chrome strips down the sides of the car, as the old mounting holes can be seen from inside the doors. Fit & finish is not one of this cars strong points. This is perfect for me though, as I tend to use & abuse my vehicles. Now I don't have to be afraid to scratch the car, or get caught in the rain.
My everyday car is a street rodded '33 Ford PU, which sees much abuse, and lives outside on the city streets. My "other" car is the old trusty '51 Merc. Lately, I've added a very roached out '61 Maserati 3500 GT to the stable. It lived outside for over 20 years, and is pretty rough. I got it running in a few months time, and have virtually run the wheels off of it since. Now that the Cord is running, the Maser is seeing some competition, and they fight for the front garage space.
So, if/when you may run into my poor old car, please realize that it is still in it's teething stage, but will most likely never be really pretty. I don't see myself stepping backwards to do a cosmetic on it, and lately, life has been too short to make everything perfect on her. I just want to use it.
As for the spare car, well, I managed to hold on to it for a few years. But space is the enemy here, and I had to let it go finally.
Guess I had better get back to work, and fit some headlights next. I don't want to get caught after dark having too much fun blasting her around.
Thanks for all your help with my "beginer" questions. I'm sure there are many more to come.
RF.

Thought I'd explain some of the back ground on myself & my car so some of you may better understand my rudimentary questions as my car (and myself) develope here. Perhaps this story will enthuse more to interact, and help get more of these machines usable, and back on the road. This history is meant to be more of an entertaining story, and I figure it is best spilled here on the forum, rather than in print (one can easily pass over this nonsense on line, but it won't go away in the news letter!). I'm sure I'll have plenty more mundane questions as I continue to work the bugs out of my "bitsa".
Like any other red-blooded American kid born & raised in the big "City" of San Francisco, I was attracted to all things vehicular, and hot roddish. Slightly different from the rest, I preferred vintage machinery to the modern, or up-to-date stuff. I'm now 51, having graduated high school in '78; way past the Golden Age of the cars & machines I live for.
In high school, I built up a chopped & channeled Model A coupe, complete with big Merc Flathead, Halibrand quickchange rear, Duece grill, and the road sign for the Golden Gate Bridge as my floor. I did all the work myself, including the chop, and chassis work. That car was my life, and it kept me out of the usual trouble most of the City kids were getting themselves into at the time. Most of the kids were driving newish Cameros & Mustangs that their mothers bought them. I then added a '51 Merc to my stable for more sedate comfort (I still have this car). Running out of room (both these cars lived outside, as I didn't have garage space) I soon resorted to motorcycles, as they don't require that much space. Indian was the flavor I picked. They were not so popular, or common during this period when the first big Hondas & Kawisakis were debuting.
Soon I found myself absorbed in all things Indian, and amassed over 40 specimans at one time. I quickly became engulfed with them, and the last 20-30 years have consisted of much world touring, racing, hunting, and swapping of Indians. I'm now on the BOD of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America (some 14K strong, and global), and still very active with them. All this time though, I have maintained a small fleet of vintage cars, opting never to really have anything modern.
I can't actually pin point my first Cord sighting, but I do remember the Concours at Crissy Field in the San Francisco Presidio where they also featured a fly-in of vintage aircraft (another weakness of mine). My dad led me by my 4 yr old hand, and pointed to the "Duesey's" and other cars with the out-side pipes. Like any other normal person, I soon grew an admiration for the Cord, actually preffering the lines of the sedan to that of the open cars.
So I always had a mental antenna out for such an example. More like a dream really, thinking these types of cars way out of my reach. But during my pursuit of all things fun with old junk, I managed to meet many charactors and collectors. One such guy actually had a few Cords (which I never saw) and sold them off to some big collector. However, said collector never fully paid for the project car, and my acquaintance still had the fence and trans cover etc.. for the car. Thinking a Cord can't be a Cord w/o these parts, he offered them to me as carrot to dangle in front of the delinquate buyer. Thinking I was holding the key ingredient to his car, I would attempt to contact him, in hopes of acquiring his car. He never returned my calls. I contemplated making a bar out of the grill/fence, but kept it lashed to the garage ceiling, out of harms way for years. My little Cord bubble burst.
Until one day, when the very same collector who provided me with the grill, asked if I still had an interest in Cords. All this time I was still pursuing them, having my buddies on the hunt (only to have them score the cars they ran into, instead of me.........I had created a monster). Of course I was still interested, so I went to check out the latest stash, which was right here in town. It wasn't one Cord, but two that were available!
By this time I had been an ACD member for some years, and had figured out the specs I wanted in a car. I told myself that if this car was to be a Rich Maroon, on Maroon car, with a bustle back, I would have to go for it. I was directed to the huge body shop of one Eugene Orloff, who was a well known Cord guy, and collector from generations past. He was retiring, and liquidating most of his business, and a lot of his cars. I had to wade through a few Auburns, Kaisers, etc.. to get up stairs where the Cords were. First one was a phaeton with Chevy V8 in it, belonging to his son. There in the corner, completely covered in 20+ years of body shop dust was my baby.
I couldn't even see what color it was from the tons of fine, powdery body shop dust. It was also being used as a table, and many Cord parts were strewn about. It was Rich Maroon, and had a Maroon Beverly interior, kind of. The bustle back, and outside pipes won me over. I could afford it, and it even came with a spare car! How could I go wrong?

Too be continued.
RF.