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Wowabunga

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Everything posted by Wowabunga

  1. I asked on a popular metal fabrication forum what kind of person builds a cabinet ( see yellow arrow ) that has 5 leading edges...? The answer back was a cognoscenti does that. Definition: "A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste; a connoisseur." With most of the haulers the tail cabinets are square and any extra space is wasted space, but not on this truck. All the former fabricators at Baker are now gone. The Ford and Mopar factory haulers showed up around 1966. The imitators began making haulers in 1967 for example Junie Donlavey made his hauler in 1967 and drove it to Daytona in 1968. I've included a photo of his hauler that has never been posted online until this month. Junie Donlavey's day job was helping build the Truxmore commercial trash compactor trucks. Per the marker lights on the doors... I didn't know about that tidbit. Thanks for the education..!
  2. After exhausting every online forum on racing and no answers I adjusted my sails and started asking who were the men who fabricated the much loved open car haulers from the 1960's. I ended up with a short list of builders who had the skill set and resources to do such, and by deduction eliminated those that didn't fit like a glove. For example Holman Moody gets all the credit for building the Ford NASACAR team haulers, but all they did was call Baker Body of Charlote and subcontract the job to them ( Baker did line trucks for Duke Power and knew how to build a bed and cabinets ). I"ll be putting all my research into a small little historical video around Christmas time called a Short History of Open Haulers. I've got visual proof that Baker Body also made the Mopar haulers of the same era including the Richard Petty Dodge Crewcab hauler. Did you know Petty's hauler was/is the yellow Hotwheels hauler....? Here's a taste of my research per the Hotwheels pair: Yellow Cuda Hauler - Richard Petty 2 Years ( Petty sold back to Mopar Dealership Briefly ) - Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Hotwheels - Private Ownership - Don Prudhomme and restoration. Red Plymouth Duster Hauler - Sox & Martin Drag Team - Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen and Hotwheels - Don Lowery - Private Ownership - Don Prudhomme and restoration Mopar had an engineering department that only worked on race cars and they had a plain ( no graphics ) white Dodge Crewcab hauler. A family member of one of the engineers tells me this white hauler pictured was given to one of the Mopar teams and might have went to the Petty team. The tire deck on the Mopar truck and on the Ford hauler pictured are identical and both beds were made by Baker Body out of Charlotte NC. A characteristic of Baker Body was the chrome cabinet latches were all etched with the BAKER logo. The latches on my hauler are plain generic latches, and my tire deck is more aerodynamic. More to say on style and beauty in our coming video to hit around Christmas.
  3. This story just keeps getting better. Add Red Farmer to the list of drivers who used this hauler. Hauler is in this photo, tools and equipment laying everywhere on the tail of the bed. In 1971 at the Martinsville Cardinal 500 driver Red Farmer ( member of the Alabama Gang ) came in 4th place, driving the #11 car for owner Bob Adams out of Richmond VA.
  4. Thanks for the laugh I needed one...!!!!!!! Been surrounded by bozos in every direction all week. Sandy used to belong to me... she has a new forever home now. Pictured below was Sandy on the deck of the car hauler at the Winchester AACA Swap Meet in about 2005. Hershey field captain Bill Miller complimented me saying "You always bring interesting things... We like that..!"
  5. Frozen clutch after 15 years sitting. Learn from my mistakes my friends. Metal and rubber clutch hose rusted out also and Ford hasn't had one on their shelves for decades. The rolls of 1/4 inch metal line are such a great solution... except this truck "tilts" forward a good 50 degrees thus the reason these trucks are called "tilt-cabs". I paid $118 for the local hose fabricator to craft a hose with the correct 1/4" tips. To bend by hand ( and find a rubber hose for the cab ) I was thinking would take forever: So I installed a clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder and the new hose in 1.5 hours. Used a vacume bleeder and did it myself another 30 minutes. I now have a clutch again... giving free rides tomorrow if you can make it. I still don't have any brakes... bring a helmet.
  6. Five years ago I had zero photos of the truck being used as a hauler... now I have a dozen. I'm going to make one more big push at finding out who fabricated the truck and then trade it for a farm tractor. Here's a page I made with the historical timeline and lots of photos: https://wowabunga.com/fun/bigred/
  7. I WAS SO EXCITED five years ago when I finally found the first photo of my truck in service hauling a car. I've been told "back in the day" no one ever took pics of the haulers... it was always about the cars. Defying the odds I found 2 photos of Bobby Allison's #22 car on my truck. The lower photo is Charlotte in 1984 and Allison won the race that day..!
  8. Haven't updated this page in 17 years. Truck sat quiet for 16 years.... my bad. Did I mention I've traced ownership back to 1969 and the truck has hauled race cars for legends Bobby Allsion, Geoff Bodine, and Ray Hendrick. It's still a mystery who made the truck when it was showroom new...!?!?! I'm very thanksful the engine still runs great. This weeks challange / headache is redoing the entire clutch hydraulic line it all froze up as well as the clutch plate is stuck to the flywheel. I just made a heart pounding walk around video, so if you love good welding and fabrication you are in for a treat. Music by the 1972 US Marine Band. . Video... https://rumble.com/v3xyvad-1966-nascar-hauler-inspection-walk-around-big-red.html
  9. Have used SOLAR since 1999 and it's wonderful. As long as the sun is shinning. After a day of clouds can't run the freezer or fridge. All things in moderation.
  10. Working on the air brakes this week. Here's a few new photos from this month. Much more to come...
  11. Found a baseball cap and a beer pull tab in my NASCAR hauler truck. There's a website where you can identify old pull tabs... they are very serious about their hobby. https://pulltabarchaeology.com/
  12. T R I G G E R - P U L L E D Great JOY to see both axles are free and rolling ( one less headache right ) Sold the Weaver Towing Crane and used funds to buy a set of 6 rims with tires out of Indiana ( six less migraine headaches ) Shipping 775 pounds from Elkhardt IN to Hagerstown MD via Fastenal was $195 bucks. It would have cost me $200 in gas to make the trip...!
  13. UPDATE: A buddy just told me he has a old crane he wants to part with… photos to come Sunday night. My Weaver crane listed in this ad just SOLD to a fellow who is jumping for joy happy with his new toy. Do you need a reproduction crank for your Weaver Auto Crane..? Long time Hershey vendor ( 19 spaces of prewar parts ) Mr. Vin Cassisdy of Massachusetts has just contracted the mold and manufacture of the handles. Send Vin a email Vincentcassidy1 @ gmail.com ( remove the empty spaces ) today to pre-order a handle and he will fill you in on prices. I’m helping Vin get the word out and this will be the only post I will be making… I will not be returning to answer replies… I have projects of my own that need my full attention LOL. At this time the price will depend on how many pre-orders show up. Happy motoring…! - Ramblin Randy
  14. I'm near Hagerstown Maryland. Listening to offers. I just posted it for sale here in the forum classifieds with 9 photos.
  15. ( SOLD ) Located near Hagerstown Maryland. This Weaver crane came with the truck I bought last week and maybe you can make use of it as I have no need. I do very much need to buy some replacement rims for my new ride ASAP and would like to sell this crane promptly and gladly will listen to offers. Here's the good and the bad... Good: Comes with the original Weaver snatch block and Weaver crank handle. My research shows multiple collectors are searching right now for the very hard to find snatch block. I was really surprised when I opened the truck door and there lay the snatch block, crank handle and even the hook... wow..! Both the original round metal adjust/support rods are included ( one is straight and the other has a slight bend ). Has both Weaver 2 Ton name plates. I've looked it over and I don't see any cracks in the gears nor missing teeth. Comes with the original A-Arm Boom, for many units I've seen are missing the boom. Not so Good: This crane should only be used for display due to weathering. The photos show the weathering up close, but from a distance it appears as a normal antique tow truck. One of the Weaver name plates is cracked/damaged. I have not attempted to move the gearing as they seem to be frozen, I'm told the bearings are basic if one had to replace them, again this is untested and may just need Pb Blaster. The top main pulley on the boom has a small chuck of metal the size of a quarter missing on the axis housing, very hard to see. As a bonus this old boom / truck combo was the official tow truck for the Greater Johnstown Raceway back in the day. The truck pictured is not for sale. In my research I'm hearing you'll grow old searching for all these rare parts separately so make a offer... someone's going to own this come the end of the day Sunday. Not sure what to ask so I'll go with $1200. Easy to put on a pallet and drop off at the local Fastenel shipping service.
  16. Looks like these "Budd" style wheels are rather common from the 1930's thru the mid 1950s. I've found a set and am waiting to see how much Fastenal will charge to ship from Chicago to Maryland.
  17. I bought this 1937 Dodge Truck this week and probably saved it from the crusher. Looked it over top to bottom all week and only today noticed this epic spider web effort. I'm leaving the truck as found and building a "tiny house" on the back bed. Wish I could preserve the spider art...
  18. I sent you a email last night... I'll need 6 rims. The truck will never see road use, I plan to make a tiny house cabin out of the thing, and from time to time haul it to a new scenic overlook with a tractor. Total newbie... are the dully wheels the same as the front axle wheels..??
  19. One more thing... How do I tell the tonnage on this truck...? Is it a 1 ton, 1.5 or a 2 ton truck. Thanks.
  20. Just bought a rusty 1937 Dodge truck on sheer emotion and it could be too far gone due to 20 inch rims that are TOAST. Is there a reference somewhere that will shed light on my options to find wheels. My 1940's Hollander Interchange does not cover commercial trucks. The old tires are 7.00 x 20 and these are 5 lug rims. I messed up on the bolt measurements and measured from hole to hole center at 7.5 inches, and have since learned I measured wrong. No access tonight to re-measure. The holes in the rims are about 1 and 3/8 inches round. Please someone comfort me and tell me I can find rims. I have two options it seems.... source some decent rims, or bite the bullet and crush the thing and maybe break even. The Weaver Auto Crane is complete and I may already have a home for it. Best case scenario is sell the crane and buy some wheels. Right now I'm licking my wounds thinking I've really made a bad decision in this truck's purchase. I've messed up before and will rebound like I always do. ( sorta really like my new truck so fingers are crossed here tonight ) PS: Do the double threaded wheel studs have a name... and where might I find them. Thanks for any productive directions.
  21. Still looking for a Weaver Auto Crane...? Just bought a 37 Dodge and I don't need the crane. Comes with original hand crank and snatch block.
  22. I'd like to rent it out one day like a bnb... includes the incredible scenic overlook of a secluded creek view. But first we have to get this rudderless country back on course.
  23. You give words of comfort c49er... because these rims on the truck are toast. I usually do a ton of research before I buy something, but this time emotion was driving. Several rims are rusted straight thru so I'm going to need 4 to 6 replacement rims. My 1940's Hollander interchange does not give commercial interchange info... wondering where I could find interchange info on big trucks. I'm heading to the military website G503 and ask the Dodge Power Wagon owners. I've been away from the web over Christmas and my big worry nagging at me was I'd have to crush the truck, sell the Weaver Tow Boom and call it a lesson learned.
  24. Interchange Question: Are there any newer rims that will fit this truck..? Just something I can use until I can fix the older tires. Good news is I have someone offering to give me his old tires when he changes out to new tires on his 1937 Dodge...! But he lives 600 miles away.
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