When Jim was a junior in high school in Portland Oregon, he purchased the car for $170. While in school, he pulled the 53 Desoto hemi that was in the car and replaced it with a 56 Buick nail head, added 3-2’s and rebuilt the transmission. As time went on, Jim got the body in shape, did the interior in white roll & pleat and painted the car a light metallic green. Jim was able to drive the car occasionally between college classes and dental school.
When he finished school in 1971, he moved to the Bay Area. With no place to store his car, it was sold in Portland. After the car was shown at the Portland Roadster Show in 1973 and 74, Jim lost track of it. In 2004, a kid that lived next door to Jim in Portland recognized the car by the taillights, dash and swing pedals and bought it. Although he recognized it, the car had been trashed. Being more than the now grown up kid, Paul, could handle, he called Jim and asked if he would like to buy the car. So in 2005, 45 years after Jim first bought the 37, it was his again.
Jim brought the car to Roy’s knowing exactly how he wanted the car to be re-done. If he had the time and money back in 1960, look at the pictures and you will see how he would have built it.
