In order to get the parts, Wade would connect with a friend he had known since grammar school. Wade had known Ed for a long time but had not seen him since junior high school. Ed’s father owned two service stations, and his uncle owned a junk yard. It seemed Ed might have access to parts Wade would need at good prices. After getting reacquainted and making a few small transactions, Wade and Ed renewed their childhood friendship, and Ed became Wade’s new supplier for parts.
Wade invited Ed over to meet Jesse and Jesse’s uncle. Ed started coming over to hang out, and he helped Wade around the garage. Wade told him about his '33 Chevy, and they discussed its restoration as a hot rod. Ed and Wade went to see the car several times before Wade purchased it. Wade used Ed’s dad’s truck and trailer to hall the '33 back to the garage.
The '33 remained covered, behind the garage, while Wade started to assemble parts he would need. He finally had his first race car, but he had to figure out how he was going to build it for the drag racing track. He talked to a lot of people at nearby garages and also at the track to get ideas about how he might construct his racing machine.
Ed assured Wade that he could get most of the parts he needed from his uncle’s junk yard. Wade and Ed were together much of the time as early work had begun on the '33. They really enjoyed each others’ company and would often go out to grab something to eat or to a sporting event after working together at the garage.
Ed Langer was about two years older than Wade. He worked at his father’s service stations on weekends, and in the afternoons when he wasn’t at Wade’s garage. Wade, in turn, would sometimes go over to Ed’s father’s stations and work for a while. Ed’s mother prepared delicious, hearty meals for all of them when they came home from work.
A few times, Ed brought over parts that Jesse or his uncle had been looking for to complete a customer job. Jesse and his uncle always offered to pay Ed for the parts, but Ed would never accept money from them. Ed would always say it was nothing and they should consider it a gift. He would explain that he just found the part in his uncle’s large junk yard.
Ed was also well liked by both Jesse and his uncle. As Wade collected the parts he would need to complete his rod, he sometimes asked Ed for ideas on the building process. In the evening, Wade would review a copy of the NHRA classification descriptions to determine which racing class he wanted to be in. Wade would compare the NHRA engine and drive-train requirements for each classification.
At one point Jesse made the suggestion, “Why don’t you put a Cadillac engine in her?”
“That would be different,” Wade considered. Instead of the 283 or 350 cubic inch Chevy block engine which everyone else was using, Jesse’s idea was that it should be a different engine. The idea of a Cadillac engine appealed to Wade. Certain year Cadillac engines used the same basic parts as Chevys, and with slight modification, the less expensive Chevy parts could be used to save money. Wade said, “It would sure stand out at the track. It’s also unlikely that anyone else would be running a similar body and drive train, and that would separate us from the pack.”
Wade drifted from the conversation and started to consider technical questions he had to answer. He got lost thinking about finding or making motor mounts that fit, and wondering what four speed transmission would connect to the Cadillac flywheel and engine assembly. What multi-carburetor intake manifold would work on a Cadillac? What off-the-shelf headers would work on the Cadillac — and could they be modified? Finally Wade commented, “I think using a Cadillac engine is just going to be too expensive.”
At this point, Ed jumped into the conversation with, “Let me work on that angle. I may be able to come up with something at the right price”.
Wade’s advanced NHRA research on car classification produced results. He found a category that he liked very much called, Modified Stock M/S Category. In those days, the criteria for getting into the M/S category was the outer shell of the car had to be street legal and look like a conventional street driver — but there were no restrictions on engine drive-train or interior. The classification at the time for modified stock was fairly straightforward. Wade paraphrased the classification for Ed, “As long as the car looks stock and is technically drivable as a street vehicle on the outside, anything on the engine, drive train, chassis and interior of the car is fair game.”
For Wade, that description was a perfect fit with what he wanted to do with the '33, so that the outer body of the car would be put back to its near original configuration, including fenders, radiator, hood, head and taillights. The few rust spots on the body would be filled and primed. Wade’s vision was that the car would look vintage and rough on the outside, with a really mean, fast engine on the inside.
Wade never got around to painting the '33 other than in black primer. He liked its unfinished, sleeper, rat rod appearance. The chassis was modified on the front end with Ford spindles, which replaced the original spindles and supported struts with a welded brace to the existing and front end. The spindles were fitted with drum brakes all around. Tires on the rear were large truck tires on rims modified with an adapter plate welded to cover the brake drums. The front wheels were thinner economy truck threads, compliments of Ed’s father. The engine was Cadillac, supplied by Ed initially with two four-barrel carburetors, and later modified to six two-barrel carbs. The headers were modified Chevy with an adapter place on the exhaust manifold. The transmission was a Corvette four speed Synchromesh coupled to a Pontiac Posi-traction 4:10 rear end to ensure that both rear wheels spun at the same gear ratio, ideal for the quarter mile track. The interior had a roll bar, small fire extinguisher and seat belt as required by NHRA, with a single bucket seat for the driver. From the outside, the car’s low-slung, unfinished body gave the impression it was not going to make it out of the pit area, much less down the track. When the massive engine started, the concern shifted to whether the old body could possibly remain intact to the end of the race.
Wade and his '33 achieved instant success at the track in the Modified Stock category, winning almost every race except when there was a mechanical problem. He received winning trophies in his class every week they raced and Wade’s ‘33 became known as the car to beat in the M/S classification. His winning streak received enough word of mouth publicity that it attracted cars outside the state to compete in the class. The attention brought more fans and business to the track, which was greatly appreciated by the track owners. The track announcer would frequently introduce Wade by name and refer to him “as our Modified Stock Track Champion.”
Wade’s popularity among fans at the track spread, and he also became well known in the pit area among other racing teams.
Wade’s crew consisted of Wade, his cousin, and his cousin’s younger friend, who wanted to learn about racing mechanics. Many weeks, his crew also included Ed, who was considered an important member of the team. Ed was always there when they were getting ready for a race. Between races and when there was little to do, Ed would be off talking and joking with members of other pit crews.
Noticing Ed’s friendship with so many other pit crews Wade wondered, “How does he know all these people?” Wade didn’t think much about Ed’s popularity and attributed it to his outgoing personality. Wade always knew that when it was time to get ready for a race, Ed would be there helping and directing the younger members of the pit crew on what to do. He never let Wade down at the track. Wade became very proficient as a driver, rarely missing his tachometer points for shifting or spinning out at the start line.