That’s Mike Corbit at 15 years old in a Model A tub that he admits to not building. “I swapped and traded to get it,” he says. “I didn’t even have a license yet!” The photo was taken in 1955, and Mike’s wondering today at 66 where all the years and cars have gone. The heavily channeled tub ran a Flathead, and of course Mike wishes he still had it. That’s a common sentiment we can all relate to!
Joe Fears writes that this roadster started life as a ’37 Ford coupe, and was built by Mark Miller and Willie Sievert in 1949. Joe’s father bought it in 1951 and that’s a 14-year-old Joe behind the wheel. “Driving without a license in those days was not as big a deal as it is today,” he says! “The Black Hornet”, as the roadster was dubbed, was channeled and sectioned, with doors, hood, and nose formed from aluminum. It had a ’39 Pontiac dash, Model A rear fenders, and Harley-Davidson fronts, with fully chromed suspension and the popular-back-in-the-day Cadillac hubcaps. A ’48 Merc Flathead and three-speed pushed it down the road, as well as to First Place in the roadster division of the NHRA show in Indianapolis in 1950.
Joe’s father sold the roadster in 1953, and he wonders what happened to it. Still involved with hot rods, he drives a homebuilt ’46 Hudson coupe with a 305/350 combo and Nova subframe on a daily basis.
Jim and Sandy Bosman built this ’42 Buick in their home shop, discovering later that only 2,500 Special two-door sedans were manufactured. However, there’s only one like theirs, as every panel has been modified! It’s chopped 2 inches, channeled 4 inches, the windshield has been laid back 2 inches, the roof was stretched by an inch, the rear fenders widened 2 inches, fadeaway fenders added, the hood pie-cut 3 inches, and the front bumper molded to the body. There are also frenched headlights, and the entire floor is new, as are the inner fenders.
The Buick sits on a later Electra frame that was shortened 6 inches and pinched 2 inches to fit the earlier body, with a ’68 430 Buick engine that uses 455 heads, a Holley carb, and a COMP cam and lifters, backed by a 200-4R trans with B&M Shift Kit. RideTech suspension and a Flowmaster exhaust system complete the undercarriage.
The Bosmans did everything in their backyard shop except stitch the interior, which was done by A-1 Upholstery to their patterns, while Sandy’s brother, Steve, laid on the topcoats. Completed now for two years, the Buick has 7,000 miles on the odometer, which shows what you can do with a the right tools and know-how, huh?
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