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Riddell’s 2-Year Renovation!
According to long time race car builder Richard Riddell’s log he states, “Sometime in 1955 Wally sold his roadster to Bill Scott. Bill again called on Duane Taylor to turn the car into a bonified street rod. With the additional of windshield, head lights, tail lights, and fenders he was finally able to jump into his little Hot Rod and go crusin’. The pin stripping was done by none other than Dean Jefferies with the familiar cobweb and spider on the turtle deck.” He reports that the car’s first win was “…a five foot trophy at the Sacramento AutoRama in 1957 for ‘Best Roadster’. Yes, Bill’s car was having the time of its life being one of the best looking early California street roadsters of all time.” Richard states, “Bill Scott died around 1987...for several years the car languished…getting worse and worse…as is so often the case for old Hot Rods.”
The garage find in 2005 notes, “At a glance the roadster didn’t look that bad.” But the Naugahyde and carpet were shot, fenders, original wheels and hub caps to name a few problems for the yet to begin restoration. Riddell notes, “Under a somewhat decent body and paint job lurked a mess that went beyond your worst nightmare.” He adds, “I began wondering how I could salvage this little beauty in the rough. Not that many people have restored an old Hot Rod but, those who have know what I’m talking about. It’s much harder than building a rod from scratch. But the roadster was begging to be restored and I’m glad that I was chosen to do it.”─Richard died shortly after finishing the project but happily he was able to see “The Black Widow” win the ‘Grand Nats’ and have a feature center-spread article in Hot Rod Deluxe.
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