My rescued project

Wow- something left in the dirt for that long here would be pretty much gone.  We don't call it the Great Wet Coast for nothin'...

That would have rejoined Mother Earth long ago here in the swamplands of coastal South Carolina.  It's hard for me to believe that after decades of exposure to the elements it's still solid.  You have found a unicorn, my friend.

Split case ( non syncro trans)  usually indicates 1950's chassis.  I would remove the axle beam checking for a solid frame head cups as they do rot over time.  Then flip the chassis to put a hammer to the underside of the frame head, the forward Nepoleon hat, tunnel and the bottom of the rear frame horns to make sure it is solid as they tend to collect debris over the years.  A running 1200cc engine is way underpowered, you'll want at a  bare minimum a 1600 cc.

Wide five and slicks!  What a find.

1200cc 36hp? Somebody may want that motor.

For moving a Speedster down the road? Probably not much fun. The same with the non-synchro transmission. And the pan.

It's all worth something to somebody.

Personally, I'd start with a 1969 or newer IRS pan. That would make a much better start to a project.

Thanks for all the great comments. The previous owner had dreams, but no motivation. Wish I could have snagged the body too but oh well. For now I’m going to clean up the pan, get the engine running again (turns over freely and has compression) and then assess. While it might not have IRS, a powerful fire-breathing 1600 engine or synchro trans, it’s got the 1950’s provenance. I also like the idea of completing a project someone else started and had dreams of  now I’ve got to find a beat-up old body somewhere. Anyone got anything in a junk pile somewhere

No access for me to a junk body but if you want a new body try reaching out to Greg Leach at Vintage Motorcars LLC. (Click on the blue text) He's in Hawaiian Gardens near to where you're at. He could probably set you up with a body and a lot of the bits you'll need to complete the project.

Good luck with it. I like build threads.

@Robert M posted:

No access for me to a junk body but if you want a new body try reaching out to Greg Leach at Vintage Motorcars LLC. (Click on the blue text) He's in Hawaiian Gardens near to where you're at. He could probably set you up with a body and a lot of the bits you'll need to complete the project.

I think I’d go with the guy in MX. (Sorry I don’t remember his name) Seems like lead time might be a little shorter.

Kitman might be worth a call, too.

Wow.

@dlearl476 posted:

I think I’d go with the guy in MX. (Sorry I don’t remember his name) Seems like lead time might be a little shorter.

Kitman might be worth a call, too.

Rafael Albiter in Mexico. I believe he has a dealer in Texas.

Customs Fiberglass Mexico.

Check their Facebook page. Rafael "Rafa" Albiter.

Thanks @Panhandle Bob! I don’t have Social media so I’ll have to have someone send me a copy! Thanks for the tip though!

Home | Customs Fiberglass Texas (customsfiberglass.wixsite.com)

@Nine14Nut Here’s your body:

https://www.speedsterowners.co...-356-porsche-replica

Thanks @dlearl476 !