“Sleeping dog in Boyle Heights”, Herman Schultheis, Schultheis Collection, Los Angeles Public Library. Used with permission.
The above photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.
It was taken in 1938 by Herman Schultheis, a recent immigrant to LA from New York City and a doctor of mechanical and electrical engineering working for Disney. From the title and caption, it appears the LA Public Library may not fully appreciate what it shows: “A dog is sleeping on a littered dirt sidewalk next to a very old car parked on Estrada Street in Boyle Heights.”
This “very old car” (probably a polite way of saying “jalopy”) is actually something rarely the subject of quality photography in the era. It’s an early hot rod—a gow job or hop up, as they were called at the time. At first blush, it appears to just be a stripped Ford Model T with later wheels, but certain features grab the eye and hint at its true nature.
First is that floor shifter. Ford’s Model T used a two-speed planetary transmission controlled with foot pedals. The shifter, along with the wheels (probably 19-inch Ford Model A items), has led some to believe the car sports a Model A engine and transmission. The rear differential is clearly still Model T, which means that while the addition of an A transmission is not impossible, it’s somewhat less likely.
We’ve had the Schultheis photo saved on Pinterest for quite a while now, and really didn’t think much more would come of it. But on October 22, another Pinner commented that he believed the chassis was Model A and pointed out that frame horns are visible forward of the radiator—something not characteristic of Ford chassis before 1928.
We turned to Clayton Paddison, of Vancouver, Washington, for assistance. “Mr. Model T” as he’s known around the Internet is an encyclopedic resource on all things automotive and pre-1935, with an emphasis on the Ford Model T. He owns one of the better period-correct early-‘30s gow jobs built from a ’26 Ford roadster, and has an astounding eye for detail. He’s also a talented illustrator, adept at rendering what he sees for the illumination of others.
“Clayton,” we asked, “this car has a T differential but front frame horns. Is it on a T chassis or Model A?”
Wrong on both counts, as it turns out.
Note the parallel leaf springs above the sleeping dog’s head. Art by Clayton Paddison.
“It’s most likely a Chevy Frame actually,” he says, “it’s a parallel-leaf front, as evidenced from the leaf springs and shackles seen just below the door and in shadow on the street.”
Note the Ford crossmember and rear spring, the small brake drum inside the Model A wheel center, and the elongated differential housing indicative of a Ruckstell two-speed rear.
Oh, but what about that ox-yoke shaped rear crossmember? We’ve seen enough T and A frames to know what a Ford crossmember from that era looks like, but not enough to tell which is which.
“The rear crossmember is most definitely ’17-‘23 T,” Clayton says, “I’ve fixed and taken apart enough to know without a shadow of doubt.”
So what we have here is a “Three Springer,” a somewhat popular combination in the 1930s using a Ford rear axle and spring in a non-Ford chassis—the most-popular suspension arrangement for non-Ford automobiles in the pre-IFS era being parallel leaf springs at both ends. There were a couple reasons for such an arrangement: Some viewed the parallel front springs as being capable of superior handling (although more susceptible to crash damage), and others were seeking to lower the rear of the chassis.
Ford frames before 1932 used straight side rails and post-WWII hot rodding practice is to cut the chassis and re-weld it in a lower configuration known as “Z-ing”, but in the era before welders were ubiquitous, the factory steps of non-Ford chassis were a convenient way to achieve the same effect without cutting.
But, back to the car that caught the eye of Mr. Schultheis:
“The rear axle is also T,” Clayton continues. “A small-drum unit based on the brake-drum / adapter space. And due to the fact you can see a bit more of the left side of the diff than normal, as well as a brass tag, it’s a Ruckstell.” He also points out there is no Warford-like auxiliary gearbox in view, which would be visible below the chassis (where, Clayton points out, one will note the presence of the Model T’s distinctive hogshead). So that explains the shifter and tells us definitively that this car is Ford Model T powered.
Note the Model T’s characteristic transmission “hogshead” visible below the body, showing that this car still uses a Model T engine, despite the non-Ford frame and front suspension.
But Clayton, as he is wont to do in our experience, did not stop there. He also points out that the body itself is from the T’s late “black-radiator” period of 1923-’25.
“Because of the cowl height to the hood mostly.” And that there is some customizing going on with the body.
“The seat back has also been cut down about 4″-6″ across the top. See how the bead just vanishes and how low to the tank it is?”
Note the vanishing body line, which shows how the back of the bucket was trimmed down.
This led us to point out that there was another roadster from approximately the same period with the same modification: The Ed Iskenderian roadster, begun by the famous cam grinder in 1939, has a trimmed-down bucket topped with a stainless strip.
Ed has indicated in interviews that he purchased his ’24 Ford from friend and later employee, Jon Athan. The car was then four-cylinder powered and period photographs indicate it was a Three Springer with a Model T engine topped by a Rajo head.
Strangely coincidental with the car Mr. Schultheis photographed in Boyle Heights, isn’t it? Maybe we’re just witnessing what was trendy in Los Angeles in the late 1930s, or maybe there’s a connection between the decrepit gow on Estrada Street and the historic hop up now ensconced in the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California.
What do you know, dear readers?
More gadget review in www.mamaktalk.com
