1950 Oldsmobile Rocket 88
Customizing four doors isn’t a new thing, as evidenced by Gordon Myers’ Rocket 88 from back in the day. With dual glasspacks added to the stock V-8, it would top out at 110 mph, apparently. Once the hood and deck had been shaved, and the rocker panels leaded in, two coats of metallic blue enamel covered the body and fender skirts. The sedan was lowered in back by the scientific method of Gordon standing on the bumper while the springs were heated. It wore custom hubcaps with six flipper bars.
Inside, blue and white door panels were added, but the seats never did get finished, as Gordon sold it for a ’53 Chevy hardtop. He mentions that that’s him on the right in the picture of the car before he made the modifications, along with his buddy, Bob.
It’s a fairly safe bet to assume Bill Garland’s T-bucket scoots fairly rapidly, as it runs a 383 stroker small-block Chevy with Brodix aluminum heads, and a pair of 450 Holleys on a tunnel ram. A TH350 transfers the power to a Ford 8-inch rearend, which we’ll bet struggles to keep the Diamond Back whitewalls from spinning. Torq-Thrust wheels are used all round, including a matching pair on the tagalong trailer it often pulls.
Four-wheel disc brakes were Bill’s sensible option when it came to stopping the little rollerskate, though as he puts it, “When I first bought it in 2006 I thought it was a ride-on mower. I ran it around the back yard for two hours and not a blade of grass was cut. Duh. Well now I drive it to car shows and cruises around Tampa Bay. I took the blade off first, of course!”
Paul Dunne writes that he has a collection of R&C magazines going back to the little pages, which serves as inspiration and education, thanks to our tech articles. That makes all our efforts worthwhile, to be sure. His latest project is this ’28 Ford woodie, powered by a 302, with an AOD trans and 8-inch rearend. He says, “A Ford in a Ford seems to make people happy.”
Truly a homebuilt car, everything from woodwork, welding, paint, and bodywork to the engine, trans, suspension steering, and wiring were handled by Paul in his garage. That’s pretty much the only way you’ll get the opportunity to take a picture like that “blown-apart” image above! You’ll also notice from that pic that Paul has two hood tops, one louvered and one solid!
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