Mikael Blomberg's 1932 Ford

The roadster as it appeared when Indian Mike bought it at the LA Roadsters Show.

The roadster as it sat when Indian Mike advertised it for sale. Photo courtesy of Davids Classic Cars.

Mike is a well known 1932 Ford collector living in La Canada Flintridge, California, and he believed the roadster probably ran in the A/Roadster class. Photo courtesy of Davids Classic Cars.

The engine was set back 25%, something, that according to Mike, is typical for the roadster class. Photo courtesy of Davids Classic Cars.

Photo courtesy of Davids Classic Cars.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

A photo of Blomberg and Indian Mike taken the day Mikael came to pick the car up. "I went straight from the airport to Indian Mike to pay and pick up the car," Blomberg told Kustomrama. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

And so the journey begins. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Petter Dahlström, a buddy of Blomberg that runs a business in Nipomo, California, tagged along and helped Blomberg drag the car over to his garage. It stayed there until Blomberg found a shop where he was able to work on it. Luckily, the guys at Hot Rod Ranch in Lompoc loaned Blomberg a little corner of heir shop and some tools so he could work on the car. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

While working on the car, it was important for Blomberg to preserve the patina. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Final preparations before they hit the road included installing a couple of pleated bucket chairs. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Headlights and a pair of 1950 Buick taillights were also installed before Blomberg hit the road with the roadster. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

TROG DRAGS or burst. The roadster is finally ready for its first long trip in decades. Photo by Henrik Forss.

After completing the build, Blomberg called his buddy Henrik Forss to hear if he would be interested in tagging along with Blomberg's 1949 Mercury. Forss accepted the kind offer, and a few hours later they were on their way south. Photo by Henrik Forss.

Stopping for gas somewhere along the road. Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

Blomberg arrived safely in Santa Barbara, and he was able to race a handful of times on the strip with his roadster. Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

A photo of the roadster taken in the pit area at the Santa Barbara DRAGS. Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

Photo by Sondre Kvipt - Kustomrama.

Blomberg gone wild! Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

Photo by Henrik Forss.

A photo of the roadser taken in Blomberg's shop back in Sweden. A few days after the race, the roadster and the Merc were loaded onto a container and shipped across the sea to Sweden. Blomberg arrived in Sweden a few days later, wondering why he even left California, and why the heck he didn't just leave the roadster in California. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

The roadster next to Mikael's 1959 Chevrolet El Camino. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

A detail shot of the drilled front cross member. Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Photo courtesy of Mikael Blomberg.

Lost and Found

1932 Ford Roadster owned by Mikael Blomberg of Motala, Sweden. Mikael bought the roadster from a fellow known as "Indian Mike" early in 2019. "I believe he had owned it for 3 or 4 years," Mikael told Sondre Kvipt of Kustomrama in 2020, adding that Mike told him that he had bought it at the LA Roadsters Show.

Sleeping beast

Mikael came across the ad for the car on davidsclassiccars.com, where it was listed as an authentic drag car from the late 1950s or the early 1960s. Mike is a well known 1932 Ford collector living in La Cañada Flintridge, California, and he believed the roadster probably ran in the A/Roadster class. The engine was set back 25%, something, that according to Mike, is typical for the roadster class. When Mike bought the car, it was powered by a 1958 Chrysler 392 Hemi engine. The motor was hooked to a Torqueflite transmission and a Mopar rear end. Up front, it ran a drilled 1934 Ford axle and spring, early Ford spindles and brakes, hairpins, and early Ford shocks. The rear crossmember was from a Model A, indicating that it might have run a qucikchange rear end. The front cross member had lightening holes. The body is genuine Ford, but it was channeled and it had the doors welded shut. It also had circular holes on each side of the lower cowl where the drag car exhaust tubes exited. It ran 10 x 16 M&H Racemasters piecrust slicks.

Sold to Blomberg

Mr. Blomberg bought the roadster early in 2019. He and his buddy Mattias Wigert were going to the US for a two-month vacation, and Blomberg bought the roadster prior to his arrival. His plan was to get the old drag car back in shape, drive it to Santa Barbara and attend the first Santa Barbara DRAGS. Prior to arriving in the US, Blomberg had made arrangements to buy a nice 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertible that he could cruise around with while getting the roadster ready for the street and strip. That didn't work out, and he ended up buying a mild 1949 Mercury custom instead.

The race is on

As soon as Mikael got off the airport, he headed over to Mike to pay and pick up the car. Petter Dahlström, a buddy of Mikael that runs a business in Nipomo, California, tagged along and helped drag the car over to his garage. It stayed there until Mikael found a shop where he was able to work on it. Luckily, the guys at Hot Rod Ranch in Lompoc loaned out a little corner and some tools to Blomberg so he could work on the car. Afer that, it didn't take long before the old Hemi had been wakened up from its long sleep. It ran nice, and as luck would have it, the push-button Torqueflite transmission was working fine as well. The drivetrain, suspension, and steering needed some work, so the two friends worked around the clock for a few days. Before they hit the road with the Mercury to get some well-deserved rest and hit up some swap meets hunting for missing parts. While working on the car, it was important for Blomberg to preserve the patina. Final preparations before they hit the road included installing a couple of pleated bucket chairs, replacing the headlights and the radiator, and installing 1950 Buick taillights.

TROG DRAGS or burst

The first test run was done two days prior to the Santa Barbara DRAGS. It worked well, so Blomberg called his buddy Henrik Forss to hear if he would be interested in tagging along with the 1949 Mercury. Forss accepted the kind offer, and a few hours later they were on their way south. Blomberg arrived safely in Santa Barbara, and he was able to successfully race a handful of times on the strip with the old roadster.

Shipped to Sweden

A few days after the race, the roadster and the Merc were loaded onto a container and shipped across the sea to Sweden. Blomberg arrived in Sweden a few days later, wondering why he even left California, and why the heck he didn't just leave the roadster in California.

Do you recognize Blomberg's roadster?

Blomberg is currently researching the history of the roadster, trying to piece together the history before Indian Mike bought it at the LA Roadsters Show. Please get in touch with Kustomrama at mail@kustomrama.com if you recognize the old drag car and can help us reveal its bloodline.

Magazine Features and Appearances

Gasoline Magazine 4/2019