To put that speed in perspective, consider that Dallas Martinsen ran 176.21 MPH in a blown Chrysler dragster to beat Gary Cagle’s similar car around the same time. Even though it competed against lighter Fiat Topolino-bodied altereds, the 1,825-pound Hart’s Automotive coupe remained very competitive. Ultimately, and despite a radical body setback to help improve its weight distribution, the advent of even more lightweight and radical Fiat and Crosley-bodied altered coupes relegated the bigger, bluff Hart’s Automotive ’32 to retirement. It dropped out of sight for about 40 years. Busby believes Hart later established its business in Orange, California. Fast forward some 40 years. Busby was visiting Will Moore at Moore’s Hot Rod shop in Huntington Beach, and Moore proudly showed Buzz his latest acquisition: a battered, old and altered deuce coupe with its body moved rearward for better traction. Busby looked long and hard at the old 5-window as if he were seeing a ghost. Paul Gommi, a former dragster pilot and Busby’s friend, described the moment well: “Jim stared at the car and realized it was the same Hart’s Automotive coupe that had branded his memory in junior high school. ‘That’s still the greatest chop I’ve ever seen,’ he said. ‘I’ve got to restore this car to look the way it did in 1956.’” Busby quickly bought the coupe from Moore, and as the body had suffered a good deal of abuse over the years, Busby and his talented crew began a full in-house restoration. At the same time, Busby began searching for a proper Cadillac V-8 engine. He didn’t have to go very far. Jack Underwood, a Do-Nut Shop regular and SCTA historian, told Busby he had a Cadillac engine that he thought had come out of the famed “Bustle Bomb” dragster. Old-timers will remember the “Bustle Bomb.” It ran a Cadillac engine in front, an Olds in the rear and it was the first dragster to top 150 MPH in the quarter-mile. Underwood said he’d purchased the six-carburetor engine from “a guy in Pasadena.” After he appropriated the Cadillac’s sturdy LaSalle transmission, Underwood tucked the old mill under the potting bench in his backyard, and there it sat until he sold it to Busby. Busby’s talented crew completed 99% of this car in-house. His son David—who used to assemble engines for Kenny Bernstein—handled the engine rebuild. The 331 CI 1955 Cadillac V-8 was rebored .030 over and a Chet Herbert full-race cam was installed, along with Herbert solid lifters and McGurk adjustable rocker arms. The valve covers were modified in- house by Busby and his crew. There are 16 individually made blisters to clear the high-lift rockers. The finishing touch was triple chrome plating. The heads were ported and polished as well. Inside, the crankshaft was micro-polished and reground to standard size. The old Weiand six-carburetor manifold was retained, of course, and the six rebuilt 97s were fitted with Scott flared racing-style tops. A stunning set of Belond three- into-one headers were chromed and fitted to the engine. The mufflers are Smithy glasspacks, and the rear pipes exit along the frame rails. The Cadillac block was painted a bright shade of red in contrast to the jet black interior and exterior. Turns out, the ex-Jack Underwood Cadillac engine wasn’t out of the Bustle Bomb, but the way it’s been modified now, it would have been incredible back in the day. The wicked black tuck-and-roll, double-stitched Naugahyde interior, with its cool red piping, was the fine work of Van Butler. The extensive bodywork, which includes a neatly filled roof, filled door handles and decklid, molded door hinges and more, was done by Steve Hurst (who also did the wiring) and Hank Westmoreland. That killer black paint is modern Mercedes- Benz acrylic enamel. Remember, they had to bring this coupe back to “street appearance” after the body had been gutted, altered, moved rearward, lightened and otherwise much-abused. When restoration commenced, there were no wheel wells and the decklid was welded shut. It was a challenging task, but when you look at this stick-straight 5-window today, it’s hard to believe it was ever any different.
