Bill Cole's 1929 Ford

A photo of Bill's 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, from The Richard "Nobey" Noble Photo Collection.

Bill's 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, from The Richard "Nobey" Noble Photo Collection.

The rear of the car was dressed up with a license plate light, and round taillights similar to the popular 1948 - 1951 Pontiac units. Photo courtesy of Bill Cole, from The Richard "Nobey" Noble Photo Collection.

Power came from 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, from The Richard "Nobey" Noble Photo Collection.

1929 Ford Model A roadster owned, built and raced by Bill Cole of Redlands, California. Bill was a member of the Strokers of Whittier, a car club that was very active in SCTA in the late 1940s and the early 1950s.

Deuce Rails and Cadillac Mill

Bill's roadster was built on a 1932 Ford frame, and it ran a 1941 Cadillac engine with dual carburetors and a hot dual point distributor. The distributor was not a Cadillac unit, and it looks like a Kong or a Zephyr cap. 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, an antenna on the driver side rear quarter panel, a rear license plate light, and round taillights similar to the popular 1948 - 1951 Pontiac units. After the war started, Bill worked at an Aircraft defense plant as a machinist and airframe fabricator, and he did all the work on the roadster himself. In 2019 Bill's buddy Richard "Nobey" Noble told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama that Bill was a man with many talents.

Hold That Tiger

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.

Family First

It was common for many WW2 vets to sell their hot rods when they started a family, and Bill was no exception. It is not known what happened to the car after Bill sold it.