Early Ford V-8 Club of America
Southern California Regional Group 11


Roster and Gallery


Owners: Pete and Mary Lou DePaola -- Anaheim, CA

1935 Ford Deluxe Roadster

According to the owner, Pete DePaola, he always liked the looks of the early thirties Fords, particularly the '36 Fords. He recently disclosed that he had a picture of a '36 Roadster on his wall because he thought it was such a good looking car. One day, while hosting a Ford Thunderbird party at his house (he's a member of the Early Birds too) the guys, as usual, wound up in the garage talking about cars. A friend, Carl Kniza, asked about the picture on the wall and later told Pete about a '35 Roadster for sale in Burlington, Wisconsin. So, on May 21, 1989, He and his wife, Mary Lou, traveled to Wisconsin and became the proud owners of the Roadster. He purchased the car from Dennis Boyle, a long time friend of Carl's. "Dennis recommended that I buy another car, a '35 Coupe. He explained that the Roadster had many problems including a shorted electrical system, a brake system that did not function quite right, and an engine that had water in the oil. Additionally, the doors would not close as the seat was too wide and the gas tank and fuel lines needed repair." Pete was not deterred. Mary Lou had loved the car when she first saw it.

The trip home with with the Roadster safely tucked in an enclosed trailer was uneventful. It took several months to fix most of the car's problems. Dennis had confided that he was not much of a mechanic and those who had worked on the car had tended to take advantage of him by not doing first-class work. Fortunately, most of the car's problems were fairly easy fixes. The engine, which had been rebuilt earlier was pulled and the cracks in the block were repaired by Pete's friend, Carl. The Roadster runs great and the DePaola's love it. Pete says that he intends to keep the car as a driver and not worry about displaying it at car shows. "A scratch here there only adds to it's mystique."