|
Posted:
Wednesday, February 14, 2007 (4:47 PM HST)
|
Click
on photos for a bigger view.
|
|
|
|
The coupe sat unfinished in a garage for twenty plus years before Dale found it. Then spent a solid year
building it into what you see here.
|
|
BIG
SHOT
GIT-R-DONE
Dale's
1939 Chevy Coupe
By
Elmo
Kekaa
Honolulu
Streets Magazine.
• Honolulu Streets Magazine
features Island content only. Because Dale Davidhizar has a deep
interest in Honolulu Streets Magazine and an unconditional love for
the State of Hawaii, Honolulu Streets made an exception.
REFUGIO TEXAS
— GIT-R-DONE is the name Dale Davidhizar from Refugio, Texas
fondly gave to his 1939 Chevy. So where did BIG SHOT come from? Well
to begin with, Dale is the biggest supporter of Honolulu Streets
Magazine. Combine that with an intuitive and notable intellect and
you come up with, BIG SHOT. With that out of the way it’s time to
find out about Dale and what makes his `39 Stovebolt tick.
|
|
|
Dale's direct inspiration came from a `39 that had been featured in a 1990 American Rodder Magazine.
|
|
Being
a retired Pennzoil Production Forman, Dale’s automotive background
runs pretty deep. How many guys can say they were involved one way
or another with the makings of the substance used to propel and
lubricate the entire hotrod world?
Call
it a coincidence or just fate, but Dale confesses he was always a
car nut. "Growing up in Oregon in the 50’s, I always wanted a
hotrod." Said Dale.
Reasonably
if anyone can admit to a hotrod desire at such a young age, then
there is no question that "such desire" can be traced as
far back as early childhood.
Fast-forward
a few years later and Dale will tell you after getting out of the
Navy in `59, he began to acquire a whole bunch of interesting stuff.
From owning a 1956 Ford to getting involved with dirt bikes and
Off-Road VW racing. But as any hardcore rodder can relate to,
nothin’ beats owning a street rod.
|
|
|
While Dale has displayed GET-R-DONE in many shows, he maintains a humble attitude admitting the only important thing is to just have fun.
|
|
It
was after Dale sold a 1982 Camaro Indy Pace Car that he thought it
was time for a street rod. At this point his `39 Chevy (GET-R-DONE)
hadn’t come in to the picture just yet. And now married to Sandra,
his unequivocally, understanding wife, he decided to purchase a `33
Ford five-window coupe. By this time, you’d think he’d stop at
the coupe? Uh-uh.
It
appears that Dale and Sandra have a mutual knack for naming their
cars. First there was "Honey" that was Dale’s `33.
Then there was "Booger," a pretty neat little 1929 A bone
pickup. Dale claims selling Booger was "another dumb
deal." It couldn’t have been that dumb because the sale
indirectly led up to buying his `39.
|
|
|
From the A/C to power windows, Dale managed to install all the comforts
of a hi-dollar luxury car while
never loosing that definitive hot rod appeal.
|
|
Time
has a funny way of making you see things clearer. Now a seasoned
rodder, Dale modestly says, " I knew I wanted a car at least as
old as I was." So not long after the search he ran across a guy
at a car show who had a `39 Chevy for sale.
The
coupe hadn’t seen the light of day in over twenty years. Dale
explains, "you know that story," referring to the ultimate
loss of interest that some guys fall into.
Incidentally,
his affection for the `39 came earlier from the most natural place.
"I had seen a picture in a 1990 American Rodder Magazine"
said Dale. "That’s where my ideas came from."
Subsequently meaning that the Chevy already had a home with him way
before he actually bought it.
Once
the Chevy made its permanent transition to Dale, he began installing
a 481cid big block Chevy engine equipped with a 750-cfm Edelbrock
carburetor. Then to keep a powerful current circulating from the
coil to all eight sparkplugs with lightning speed he added a
PerTronix Ignition system.
Regarding
each hi-performance modification made to the engine, Dale eloquently
noted, its "nothing really trick, just big."
From
power steering to its disc brakes and AC, the coupe sports
everything that makes for a smooth ride. But no early fat-fendered
Chevy would be complete without a CD player that reverberates with
lots of oldies and Dale’s coupe does just that without missing a
single beat.
More
hot rod additions to GET-R-DONE include; an Art Carr 700R4
transmission and a narrowed Ford 9 inch rear-end with street-a-ble
373 gears. Torque is then sent to a neatly installed 4-link
pro-street rear clip held up by a set of coilovers. Big M/T SR
Radial fatback tires in the rear, size 29X18.5 leave a wide
footprint on asphalt while Centerlines all around twinkle in the
bright Texan sunlight.
Paint
is chrome yellow that can be seen a mile away but you gotta get up
close to really appreciate the clean pinstriping and red licks
tastefully laid out by Mike Harmon.
"Today
it is my pride and joy and I drive the heck out of it" said
Dale.
Dale
Davidhizar might live in Refugio Texas but if you look real hard
down a deserted road someplace in Hawaii, it would be easy to
imagine him and Get-R-Done cruising in and out of Honolulu
Streets.
 |
 |
|
Pictured above
is "Honey" Dale's former `33 Ford Five Window
coupe. |
Above Right: "Booger" the predecessor to Get-R-Done. |
|
©2007
Honolulu Streets Magazine: All rights reserved.
This article may not be copied, published or reprinted
without the express written permission of
Honolulu
Streets Magazine. |
TOP
|
