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Donnie Mcgregor -- This is my Ford 1936 hot rod coupe I owned it in 1964 the car was channeled and real low, the front fenders were of a '46 Ford, rear fenders were '40 ford front trimmed to fit on the rear. See where the lights fitted covered with mesh. The car had a 50 Ford dash & Speedo. The car had a 24 stud flat motor, '39 Trans,'40 diff.
The car used to go to the Riverside Drag strip in Port Melbourne: a freeway now covers this old raceway. The car
always attracted a lot of interest where ever it went. It used to be good for picking up girls, their parents were
not happy with their daughters choice of the ride. The car frequently went to the drive in movies where we watched
Elvis & James Bond movies, we also went to Tracey's Speed Way at Maribynong where they raced hot rods, speedcars,
solo bikes & outfits, there was excellent racing by the drivers and riders on this 1/4 mile oval track. Sadly
this track is now a soccer ground, the old grand stand remains.
We had a good summer with the car, we went down the beach to give the surfer's a dust up. Those guys drove English
sport and pickadoor sedans. The surfer music was not bad but the Beatles music and all the pommie singers stuffed
all the good rock'n'roll.
The motor blew so I sold the car to a guy who fixed it then totaled the car sadly the rod no longer exist.
I now have a channeled '34 ford 5 window Hi Boy coupe (see below) for a while. I got married and went trucking
for the next 25 years. I also own a 1955 Mainline Utility (see below) which has been my daily driver for the past
15 years.
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About the Mainline (above), I have owned the Ute for 15 years the
Ute has a 302 Cleveland only available in Australia. A toploader 4 sp., 3.00 9", & 15" Kelsey steel
wheels, the car has traveled to every state in Australia including Tasmania, the island state. The car is low and
has bucket seats from a Falcon with no head rests, the gear shift is a Hurst with a F600 gear stick bolted on an
angled towards the driver and a custom steering wheel.
The Ute is a real Rat Custom and is a real dream to drive. I have used the Ute for rod runs and it is my daily
driver for the past 15 years. It gets looks all the time as it is getting rarer every day.
The tear drop is about 50 years old. I bought the trailer 11 years ago of a lady at Preston Victoria and it had
Ford Prefect wheels. I made a 6" drop axle and put 15" customline wheels on it. The trailer is of wood
shape, formed & curved with the exterior masonite clad. It has 2 doors with lift up vents, no windows and the
rear door lifts up for the kitchen. Inside is a 6ft 6" bed for 2 and a wardrobe on 1 side. On the other side
there are shelves and a door to shut down and bolt. It has a 10 1/2 foot body and is 4 ft wide and 4 ft high with
an overall height of 4 1/2 feet. The steel frame had to be redone 2 years ago. It was made from 1 mm steel tubing
and started to crack on the draw bar. I made an A bar back as far as the axle, but the same length as the original
tongue with a new hitch & jockey wheel clip as those were stuffed too. The trailer is registered as Mickey
Mouse trailer 1945 year and weighs 300kg.
The trailer has been to every state also with the Mainline & the '34 ford coupe. It has gone to 90 mph and pulls straight. A canvas annex fits on the right side and gives me an 8 foot X 6 foot covered space when we camp at runs.
Cheers, Donnie
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