From Kustomrama
A photo of Richard's dad,
Dick Noble, with his
1932 Ford Roadster. Dick bought the roadster in
1938. "
It started life as a three-window coupe that dad paid $115.00 dollars + 2.00 transfer fee for." Dick was working for
Adel Aircraft in
Burbank, and a fellow employee had a 32 Ford roadster. "
He wanted a 32 coupe. Dad wanted a roadster, so a deal was struck." The two men would trade bodies, so after four hours of work, they each had the bodies they wanted. Photo courtesy of
Dick Noble, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
This
Ford Model T Roadster on 32 rails belonged to
Jim Woods of
Burbank,
California. Woods ran the car at the lakes quite a bit before the war. It looks great with
1933 Chevrolet headlights and
flipper hubcaps, and Nobey told us that the guys all around
Burbank,
Pasadena, and
Glendale ran
flipper hubcaps with ripples on their hot rods before the war. "
You don't see them much in photos, because pre-war photos are so rare. Dad said they used to go alongside rival clubs' cars, going down the street, bang into them, and try to flip their hub caps off. Kind of like Gladiators of Rome, with their Chariots. This was a game they played on the streets, that was pretty common." Photo courtesy of
Dick Noble, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
After being hit by a young lady in a
Packard,
Dick Nlble redid the metalwork on his
1932 Ford and painted the roadster black. "
The top was already finished by an old Swedish gentleman who was a top-notch upholsterer in Burbank. The top was padded and had side curtains. The price was $225.00 in 1941, but dad was very happy with his work." Photo courtesy of
Dick Noble, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
A photo of
Bill Cole's 1929 Ford Model A roadster taken circa
1952. Bill was a
Navy Photographer when in the service, and some of his photos were taken with his good camera. He told his buddy
Richard "Nobey" Noble that the lakes photos were taken with a less expensive camera, as there was too much dust out at the lakes to shoot with good equipment. Photo courtesy of
Bill Cole, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
Bill Cole's 1929 Ford Model A roadster was built on a
1932 Ford frame, and body modifications included a
chopped and leaned windshield, a molded
1932 Ford grille shell, a louvered hood, custom made and louvered hood sides, and bobbed and molded rear fenders. The door handles were also shaved, and Bill ran it without front fenders. It was dressed up with a V-ed front bumper, aftermarket headlight-stands, a light top, whitewall tires, and an antenna on the driver side rear quarter panel. Photo courtesy of
Bill Cole, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
Bill Cole's 1929 Ford Model A roadster was powered by a
1941 Cadillac engine with dual carburetors, and Bill told "
Nobey" that the car turned 124 M.P.H at
El Mirage. He also had fond memories about a brand new
Tucker 48 that once challenged him to a race out on the highway on the way to one of those
El Mirage races. Bill won the race, and the owner of the
Tucker followed him till he stopped, just to see what kind of engine Bill had in the car. Photo courtesy of
Bill Cole, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
Another photo of Dick's Jalopy. "
You can see it has a 21 stud flathead with aluminum heads. Most likely a 1934 engine because it has an aluminum manifold. They were the best for flow back in the day. I remember the car really ran well," Nobey told
Kustomrama. "
You can see it has a flex pipe on the exhaust and modified steering. Uncle Stan and Dad found a Pharmacist Gram scale, and they balanced the pistons with it on the kitchen table in Compton, California," Nobey recalled. Photo courtesy of
Dick Noble, provided by
Richard "Nobey" Noble.
Richard "Nobey" Noble of Springville, California. Richard was born in 1946. In 1957 he saw Norm Grabowski's Kookie T on the 77 Sunset Strip TV show. In 1959 Norm brought the car to Blackie’s Autorama Show in Fresno, where he lived. "I couldn’t believe how nice this Hot Rod was," Nobey told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2018. The Kookie T was the car that started it all for Nobey; "You had to see it in person to appreciate how beautiful it was. A real hot rod. Dad and I were building a WW-2 Ford GPW- Jeep at the time, something for me to drive when I turned 16. I fell in love with this car and decided to build one just like it. I bought a set of A rails, a 1923 Ford body front half of a touring, a T shell and a 1957 Chevrolet rear end to start. I was $115. dollars into the project, and out of money. I did the metal work on the body and shell, and I figured out this project was way past my talent, and wallet. I did the smart thing and faced reality, I sold it."[1]
Nobey has been involved with cars and hot rods his entire life. He has been the caretaker of the historic Mac Schutt's 1932 Ford roadster since 1988, and over the years he has collected some nice photos that he has shared with Kustomrama. Some of the photos in Nobey's collection were taken by his dad, while others were given to him by his good friend Bill Cole.[1]
References
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