David Dodds’ 1934 Standard Holden Roadster
Customer: David Dodds
Lives in: Australia
Vehicle:1934 Standard Holden Roadster
How long have you owned this vehicle?
11 yrs
Where did you get this vehicle?
Way back before home computers were very common and the internet was something of a rumor in Australia, I bought an Australian built (Holden) 1934 master roadster (or the remains of one) from Bundaberg in Queensland. After chasing down leads and scouring swap meets for years turning up practically nothing, I decided to sell it and build a standard roadster as parts seemed easier to come by. Following that I bought an original 1935 chassis from a friend back in 2003 to start work in earnest, however, when the chassis returned from sandblasting, the rust was worse than expected. After discussing this outcome with a chassis builder, it was decided to build a brand new one from scratch for additional strength and to save on the cost of repairing the rusty one. About this time, a local company started making fiberglass roadster bodies and components. After seeing one of the molded bodies for myself and how close they were to the original Australian body and the look I was after, I decided to purchase one. So the body on my car is all fiberglass.
What condition was the vehicle in when you got it?
Chassis was bad, real bad. But the body was good.
What work have you done on this vehicle?
Every element on this car has been changed in some way.
But to summarize, it runs a modified 440 Chrysler engine adapted to a manual shifted 2 speed powerglide automatic, 9″ differential and axle housing.
The firewall is recessed 4 inches to fit the engine and a full transmission tunnel runs through the floor.
4 Wheel disc brakes have been fitted to later model front end and rear suspension.
Steering, seating, fuel tank and other items have been sourced from later model vehicles.
Hood brace, headlights and headlight arms, tailights and mounts, windscreen posts, grill badge are either new reproduction or original items.
Is there any other work that you would like to do?
Maybe a roof one day to shade me from the Australian sun in summer.
What were the hardest parts to find?
Definitely the taillight mounts. I had sourced the taillight buckets, bezels and license plate bracket from The Filling Station first while searching for the mounts. It took quite some time before finding a pair.
What other vehicles do you own?
1959 General Motors Holden Station Sedan
What is your next project?
1976 Honda CB400F supersport
Do you have any advice for people thinking about doing a restoration project?
1. Add The Filling Station to your favorites folder or on your speed dial.
2. Treat each part of the project as a mini project. If you try and take it all in as a whole, it can be overwhelming to some.
3. And try and do something on the project on a regular basis no matter how small. It is so easy for a project to stall and get disheartened because it is not progressing.
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