Finally an update! Bluegill has been busy.

 It's been moths and months since my broworker Bluegill has updated me on his progress on the 40 Ford; so imagine my excitement when I opened this email today.  I was interested in seeing what BG was going to do with that rear-end, and seeing the top pic says it all.  He performed a butt-ectomy. 

Cars well into the 1940's had regular maintenance issues that the driver's had to attend to on the fly.   This pic shows a little of the tool tray that Ford built into the trunk for the storage of these tools, and if you look at the before pictures you can see that Bluegill had to completely re-fabricate this tool tray.  BG is crazy talented. 







Bluegill says that he still has some final tweeking to do on the sheet metal, but all in all he's making great progress.

An so it begins. Bluegill buys a 1940 Ford Coupe

If I didn't know my buddy Koy (AKA: "Bluegill") better, I would say he'd lost his mind. Over the weekend he purchased the 1940 Ford Coupe shown in the photo at right. Sure, it looks OK for a 70 year old car, but this thing had been kept in a chicken coop with the rear end exposed to the elements since 1961!

Like I said, "If I didn't know Bluegill better..." but I do know Bluegill. He's the same man who added his own second story to his single story home, providing most of the labor himself. He's the same man who restored a 1954 Ford to 1950's street-racing ready condition; and he's the man who has bought and sold more 60's Mustangs than most people have owned toothbrushes!

So watch along with me as this car goes from basket case to gem, and perhaps we'll even learn why his Bride, Lisa puts up with him.

Click pics to Biggie-Size

Bluegill's "new" '40 Ford Rear End Damage

As I said in my first post, the rear end of Bluegill's Ford was sticking out of the chicken coop where it was stored for the past 35+ years. Bluegill says this is all repairable, and I can't wait to see how.

Click pics to Biggie-Size

Another shot of the rear end damage to the '40 Ford

It looks like a previous owner removed the stock rear light and filled in in with another. I'll have to get Bluegill to fill us in on this, as I KNOW he'll know what's going on here.

What does she have under the hood?

Everything looks great here, but what was surprising was what Bluegill found on the bottom of the hood itself.

Notice the decals?

Click pics to Biggie-Size

NASCAR Grand National Champions Wynn's Friction Proofing decal

This decal is my favorite, and it's a bit messed-up. It's another Wynn's Friction Proofing decal, but this one is commemorating NASCAR National Chanmions, and features caricatures of Lee Peaty, Ned Jerrett and Rex White.

"Big Daddy" Don Garlits decal on the firewall

On the firewall of Bluegill's '40 is a neat decal of "Big Daddy" Don Garlits. This was one of the first, if not the first decal from Wynn's Friction Proofing to feature Don's Swamp Rat III.

The relationship between Don Garlits and Wynn's began in 1960 when a Wynn’s decal first appeared on Swamp Rat III. “Wynn’s was the first company to sponsor me,” said Big Daddy. “Before that, the only help I got was free parts.”

The name “Wynn’s Jammer” appeared on Swamp Rat VII a few years later. The current name, “Wynn’s Charger,” was on Swamp Rat X and was last seen on Swamp Rat XXIII in 1977.

Big Bad John and Wynn's Friction Proofing

Some of the real gems on Bluegill's '40 weren't visible from the outside. Once BG popped the hood he found evidence that the previous owner was a kindred spirit.
The photo at right shows a view of the bottom of the hood, where you can see several decals for Wynn's Friction Proofing.

In the 1950's Wynn's was being used by racers and street drivers alike to reduce friction and to increase engine life. Wynn went so far as to stage media events where they would drain a car's crankcase of all its oil and then drive the car 25 miles around a track to prove that their product would offer long lasting protection.

Another Wynn's Friction Proofing decal

Here's another decal from the firewall. This one for Wynn's Friction Proofing says "Championship Hot Rod Wynners". I can't quite make the car out, and Wynn had several decals with similar car motifs, but the most common one is of the Johnnie Parsons #1, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 in 1950.