This is the 1937 Oldsmobile Sloper (Coupe) that I built in 1975,76,77 and drove to the 77 Nationals.

The Olds had a 396 big-block Chev engine and a TH400 trans, A/C, power steering, front discs and Drag-a-Way mags (14 x 6 and 14 x 7) The colour was 76 Statesman bronze with brown interior. The 60 Chev rear sat on the coils from the same donor car (wrecked a perfectly good car just for the diff !!)

In April 1978 we travelled as a family with 2 little boys Tim and Shane (born Aug 75 and 77) on a trip along the East Coast. First stop was Adelaide, then across central NSW to Brisbane, and up the coast where we stopped for 6 weeks in Mackay. My parents joined us and we then travelled as far north as Cape Tribulation (and drove onto the beach). The trip south was as far south as Coffs Harbour, then inland and home via Narrandera, arriving home November.

I then hooked on a trailer and went back to Charters towers with Ian Eliason and picked up the one-owner 32 Ford DeLuxe Roadster that I later sold to Rod Hadfield.

Total mileage 18,000 in 9 months at 11 to 13 mpg... Petrol was about 15c a litre...

I found the car again in 2012 still in the hands of the bloke I sold it to.

Photos below are of the car in 77, and also as it is now, and if you you scroll right down there are some pics of it under construction.

It looks better in Colour... Note the rear coil brackets painted red were all bolted in, not welded. RH front you can see where the chassis was trimmed a lot to fit in the pwoer stg box. The fuel pump would not fit so I had to use electric, the only ones available were 12V pommie items and they would not keep up to the big block, ran out of fuel at about 70 mph under full throttle. Probably saved my life !!

Front suspension is original with HQ discs. Engine had new rings and bearings and a new cam and lifters.