How do you duplicate something you did when you were a kid? Time travel is a well-discussed subject that many of us are engaged in when we build a car that reminds us of a former time. To replicate what we did back then is an interesting task. Some have photos, others rely on a fuzzy memory that may have been embellished over the years. Arden Enger has a little of both. The idea of building another roadster like the one back in '48 started forming in the '80s, and became reality in the late '90s.
Arden bought a stock frame and proceeded as time would allow with the help of his sons, Jim and Jeff, and the Jim Meyer Rod Shop in Lincoln City, Oregon, and eventually the car became a reality. The frame was boxed and the crossmember modified to slide in all the goodies they had in mind. Arden had an old 5-inch dropped axle that with a '32 six leaf spring and a stock '34 wishbone made up the frontend, coupled with '40 Ford spindles, '55 Ford pickup brakes, and Armstrong shocks. A '48 Ford master cylinder juices the brakes while a '73 Ford pickup column is connected to the Vega cross steering. Out back, the 1965 Mustang rearend with 3.80 gears is riding on POSIES' semi elliptic springs with Pete & Jake's shocks surrounded by homemade traction bars. The roadster is shod with steelies and Michelins.
The fenderless roadster is powered by a very nice 1953 Ford Flathead. The specs read like a page out of Booneville history: The 239ci Flatty is punched out to 276ci with the machining done by Central Cylinder Head of Portland, Oregon. It has a 4-inch Mercury crank and '53 Merc rods topped with Egge pistons wrapped in Grant cast-iron rings. The cam is the venerable Isky 88 while Edelbrock heads (9:1) compression and intake are topped off with two Ford Holley 94s with original Edmonds oil bath air cleaners. Ignition comes from a Mallory 40,000 volt dual point. Spent gases are handled by exhaust fabbed by Jeff Enger running Belond headers and Smithy mufflers.
Paddling is done with a 1966 Ford top loader three speed, a '53 Ford bellhousing hiding an 11-inch Ford clutch. A CJ Jeep gave up its shifter to select the gears, and Driveline Service made the tube that transfers the power to the rear. Keeping the Flathead cool is the job of a Walker radiator with an electric fan.
By this time Dee Wescott, out in Boring, Oregon, had finished up a roadster body for Arden to complete the time machine. Added to this was an original grille and hood with extra louvers and a 2-inch chopped Mr. Roadster windshield. The Regency red paint was laid on by Gary Stiefbolt of Portland, and the roll bar welded up by Marty Strode. "Wow, time travel is possible," Arden thought as he added King Bee headlights and '39 Ford taillights with SAC nerf bars. After his son Jeff wired the roadster for fire and sound, it was time for Arden's other son, well-known stitcher Jim Enger of Guy's Interiors in Portland, to lay in the finishing touches. Jim covered the dash with the same Naugahyde that covered his own custom seat-a very nice maroon with matching carpets. The last touches were Stewart Warner gauges and a matching Banjo wheel by Roger Adams of the Wheel Shoppe of Portland.
Did Arden construct his time machine correctly, transporting you to another time and place? It worked for him; taking him down to California, and the Oldies But Goodies drags in Woodburn, Oregon, among many other places.
People often ask if we are lost in the past. I say no! We just have a place to go when the travails of life get a little too heavy and we can once again lay a patch of rubber on the tarmac and blast off into time.