Pete Limpert's 1936 Ford

From Kustomrama
Jump to: navigation, search
The sedan as it sat before Pete restyled it. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete next to an early version of the sedan. Notice the custom hubcap on the spare tire. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
An early under construction version of Pete's sedan featuring chromed and reversed wheels. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete's sedan after he fit it with Astro Supreme wheels. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
A closeup photo of one of the Astro Supremes. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
An Astro Enterprises business card from Pete's collection. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
The purple version of Pete's sedan featuring hydraulic lifts by Dennis "Red" Pierce up front. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete with the sedan at an indoor car show. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s Pete's Ford was shown at various Southern California car shows with a sponsorship by Mr. M's Custom Chrome Center in Lawndale. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
A Mr. M's Custom Chrome Center business card from Pete's collection. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble. Provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
A Custom Show Headquarters card from Pete's collection.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
The Purple cob web version of the car after Pete had installed hydraulic lifts in the rear and 1966 Ford Thunderbird wire wheels. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
The sedan as it appeared after it had received a Candy Red paint job by Larry Watson. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
A photo Howard Gribble took of Pete's Ford at an indoor car show in the 1960s. Photo courtesy of Howard Gribble
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete's sedan as it appeared after Joe Andersen had pinstriped it. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
A photo of Limpert's sedan dated June 1973. Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete's sedan as it appeared when it was featured in Rod Action June 1974. At the time, Pete had removed the lift and the pinstriping. Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Pete Limpert.
Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Pete Limpert.
Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Pete Limpert.
Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Rod Action Magazine.
Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Pete Limpert.
When the car was featured in Rod Action June 1974 it was powered by a 312 cu.in. engine from a Thunderbird. Photo by Jack Stewart, courtesy of Pete Limpert.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Pete's sedan as it sat in 2013. Photo by Pete Limpert.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.
Photo by Pete Limpert, provided by Howard Gribble.

1936 Ford tudor sedan owned and restyled by Peter Limpert of Gardena, California. Peter, also known as Pete, was a resident of the South Bay area of Los Angeles. In 1962, before he was old enough to drive, he acquired a 1936 Ford 2 door sedan. The car was solid but needed considerable work. Pete and his father worked together on the project, and by the time he was old enough to drive, the car was ready for the street. The mid 1960s were a time when the custom car was still declining in popularity but there was considerable interest in the lowrider and boulevard cruiser type of automobile. These were mostly late model American cars with simple modifications such as chrome wheels, custom paint jobs and a radically lowered stance. As to the lowering, a few brave souls were beginning to install surplus aircraft hydraulic components in their suspension that allowed the car to settle to the ground or be raised to a comfortable (and legal!) driving height -- all by toggling a switch. At least in theory, this modification made for an ideal situation. The idea appealed to Pete, perhaps all the more so because his '36 was older than most of the other cars that utilized hydraulic lifts. A mid 1930s car laying on the ground was almost unheard of at this point. So Pete teamed with an early hydraulic system innovator named Red Pierce to install hydraulic lifts in his Ford, first in the front but soon after in the rear as well. The lifts in the rear were installed around 1966-1967. The early Ford used leaf springs in the front and rear, which presented a challenge, but this hurdle was overcome and soon the sedan was sitting on the ground. This modification alone was unique enough to turn heads but Pete wanted to finish his custom. By this time he had acquired enough skill to tackle a custom paint job. The car was sprayed in a lavender pearl paint and a light cobweb effect was applied over the paint. To finish the exterior Pete installed genuine wire wheels, a rarity at the time, that had come off a Thunderbird. The interior was redone in a diamond pattern tuck and roll using black Naugahyde. The Ford's running boards were also upholstered to match the interior. A Ford Y block V8 engine with Thunderbird valve covers was installed in the engine bay, along with three two barrel carburetors. Pete's clean custom was now ready for the Southern California car show scene and he would enjoy considerable success, garnering a number of trophies over the next few years. Within a year or two Pete decided he would like a Candy Red paint job on his Ford. For this the car was delivered to one of the acknowledged masters of all time, Larry Watson at Watson's House of Style. The result was stunning and extremely well received on the car show circuit. He showed the car like this for a while, before he had Joe Andersen of Joe Andersen's Custom Shop pinstripe it. In the late 1960s and early 1970s Pete's Ford was shown at various Southern California car shows with a sponsorship by Mr. M's Custom Chrome Center in Lawndale. Mr. M's had provided chrome and accessories on the car.[1]


Moving into the 1970s Pete showed the car less but continued to drive and enjoy it. In the mid '70s the hydraulic lifts were removed in an effort to make the car more reliable and drivable and a long overdue article by Neal East and Jack Stewart featuring the car appeared in Rod Action June 1974. Pete only removed the cylinders, and the chassis mods were left untouched. When the car was featured in Rod Action, it was powered by a 312 cu.in. engine from a Thunderbird. The engine was hopped and dressed up featuring extra goodies such as an Edelbrock three-carb manifold, three Stromberg 97 carburetors and Hedman headers. The engine was hooked to a 1939 Ford transmission with Lincoln gears. The suspension and frame were all 1936 Ford, except for 1940 Ford brakes that Pete had installed. The rear had been lowered 3 inches, and the wheels were 1966 Ford Thunderbird wire wheels with Atlas 6.95x14 tires.[2]


Pete became a professional painter by trade, and in the 1970s he was working with Larry Watson, painting high end cars for wealthy customers. Pete worked for Watson in the early 1970s, before Larry moved from Downey to Hollywood. During his career, Pete did also work for Junior Conway. Through all of this he hung on to the Ford and in fact still owned it in 2014. Efforts were then underway to return it to the street, though in what exact configuration remains to be seen. After more than 50 years Pete Limpert's 1936 Ford has proved to be a real survivor.[1]


Magazine Features

Rod Action June 1974


References




 

Did you enjoy this article?

Kustomrama is an encyclopedia dedicated to preserve, share and protect traditional hot rod and custom car history from all over the world.




Can you help us make this article better?

Please get in touch with us at mail@kustomrama.com if you have additional information or photos to share about Pete Limpert's 1936 Ford.


This article was made possible by:

SunTec Auto Glass - Auto Glass Services on Vintage and Classic Cars
Finding a replacement windshield, back or side glass can be a difficult task when restoring your vintage or custom classic car. It doesn't have to be though now with auto glass specialist companies like www.suntecautoglass.com. They can source OEM or OEM-equivalent glass for older makes/models; which will ensure a proper fit every time. Check them out for more details!

Do you want to see your company here? Click here for more info about how you can advertise your business on Kustomrama.


Personal tools
Help us
facebook