It’s certainly not every day that you get to see a 1930 Nash, and it is even rarer to find one curbside. But that’s exactly where I found this brick red two door as I walked along Monument Circle in the heart of Indianapolis.
If those wheels and tires aren’t enough of a clue that this isn’t a period-correct restoration, know that there’s a tiny sport steering wheel in there, and Nash grilles were all chrome in 1930. It makes me wonder what’s under the hood. Probably a Chevy crate engine. No judgment: if the owner is happy, I’m happy. But Nash was known for its sixes and eights, some of which featured two spark plugs per cylinder, which Nash called “twin ignition.” As best I can tell, this is a 400-series car, which would have come with one of the sixes.
Hard telling whether this originally had the single-ignition or the twin-ignition six. But the twin-ignition cars came with better features and appointments than the single-ignition cars. They were more luxurious and probably rode better.
This car was no show queen; it showed a fair amount of road dirt. Props to the owner for driving his old car. But this rear corner of the car was clean enough to reflect the buildings of Monument Circle.
Monument Circle is a roundabout in the heart of downtown Indianapolis. It dates to the city’s founding in 1825, so Indy had a roundabout well before roundabouts were cool. With the exception of a very old church, all of the buildings on the Circle have curved facades.
In the center of Monument Circle stands the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, which is currently undergoing restoration. It was completed in 1901. The Circle is a real destination in Indianapolis and on any sunny day you’ll find it full of people.
But enough about the Circle; back to this Nash. I took a selfie of sorts in the Nash’s chrome headlight nacelle. Its curvature was enough to flatten the façade of the building behind me.
I lingered a moment, kind of hoping that this Nash’s owner would see me photographing his car and come tell me its story. Alas.
I know right where you snapped those pictures. I worked off of Monument Circle a couple of days a week for several years. During nice weather it was it was a good place to walk around and enjoy the sun on your lunch hour. It also seemed that guys with sharp cars just happened to be driving through and around the Circle at that time. They also have blocked off the Circle to traffic at times to display cars related to local events like the Brickyard, 500 and National Drags. Several times when I was eating lunch at my desk I would have coworkers come by and tell me to go outside and see what was on display. Being a small town boy I wasn’t crazy about the traffic but it was an interesting place to work.
I like the Nash too.
A nice little Hot Rod there .
-Nate
I know that area very well, too. Hit the Friday night parties the weekend of the Indy MotoGP races. And its about a block from here where I changed a snapped clutch cable on my Bonneville in front of an incredulous crowd.
As to the Nash: I suppose nicely done, but any feeling I’ve got towards it are smothered by the realization that this car will probably be the only 1930 Nash a whole lotta people are ever going to see. And, as a result, they’ll have no idea what a 1930 Nash looked like. Or how it sounded (hint: nothing at all like a SBC).
I hate it when uncommon cars are hot rodded. Feeling made more intense, because that’s considered “normal” today.
No issue with hod rodding in general but, like you, it leaves me cold with that independent front suspension and the (alleged, but it’s a fair bet) 350/350 combo under the hood. I would have remained with the solid front axle and used the last of the AMC sixes – you’d be surprised what the Cherokee guys get out of those, and there is a historical connection with the Nash engines, of course.
Beat me to it, Turtle. The 4.0 can crank out some serious performance, and would be a different approach…AND it keeps the DNA intact.
This Car is My fathers which Him and I Built Between 1996 and 1999 The Original Engine Was Jusn So I talked him into building a Street Rod out of it, When we first got it done it had a 454 Chevy in it, Then he went to a 1994 Corvette Lt1, then alittle over a year ago we built a 383 SBC Stroker Engine Which Sounds Really wicked and By all Means Does Run Quite Well, My Father is 86 years old and Drives this Car everywhere, it has over 200,000 Miles on it Since it was first Done, He Goes to Pigeon Forge Tenn, Rod Run Every Year With three of us and has a Blast in it, The Car will Never Be Sold as it will Be Mine one of these days in which I hope I never have to see that day. if you are ever in Indianapolis on a Weekend You can bet it Will be park at Monument Circle. Stop and Check it out, The Car is a 100 Percent Rust Free and Still features the Oringinal Wood Floor and Rear Seat.
Hi, As much as I hat to say it but To all My Father Passed Way Feb 21 2021 He Will be missed by Many downtown Indy at The Circle, I own the car and will continue to drive it Occasional Down there,My Father Loved that Car, it Now has the 1994 Corvette Lt1 Fuel Injected engine back in it and was Looking Forward To taking to The Rod Run again this year, Which My Buddy will Be Driving it There in his Place He was Like a Son To My Father,
I’m reserving judgement not knowing how much of a 1930 Nash the builder started with. For all we know the engine and most of the driveline were all long gone and all that was left was the body and fenders.
Hi, again this is my fathers car which is 89 years old now and still drives the wheels off of it, it now features the Corvette Lt1 engine back in it, the original engine and driveline were still in it but the engine was junk, he can drive this now on the freeways without getting blowed off them and run right with traffic with ease. I know a lot of you are against rodding it but hey it is safer to drive now and is very fast
Yes, and I am, respectfully, on the other side of this argument. I hope that Nash runs 100,000 miles just like it is.
Sure I’ll appreciate one fully restored but to me it’s even better to see one modernized, driven and cared for.
That’s exactly the kind of hot rod I’d build: Start with a sedan body, not a coupe, so the family can come along. Not chopped so we can actually fit in it comfortably. The 5-spoke wheels look good on it, and I see the owner has the blackwalls facing out, because white letter tires don’t look right on this kind of car. I even like the colour. It’s just about perfect!
That’s exactly the kind of restomod I like to see. It still looks like the original car, all the original trim, everything that makes the car what it is, but with more modern safety features and something to improve the driveability of the car. 🙂
+1
Hi this is the son I just traded for a 1929 Nash Four Door all original been in the family since the 30’s and has been setting in a barn since 1953, not sure what I will do with it, Probably Rod it, interior is pretty much gone but body is solid.
Nash was a brand that I spent a lot of back seat miles in. Not this old – about 1950. Never owned one and like it that this is still on the road and probably more roadworthy with the alterations. YMMV and that’s the beauty of CC. Something for everyone.
Definitely not common. It is certainly nice to see an old Nash getting some love, but I would like it better if it were closer to the way it was built. I understand the trade-off, because something with modern brakes, handling and power is much more pleasant (let alone safe) if you plan to drive it a lot. But on the other hand, the reason I am into old cars in the first place is for the unique sounds, smells, and the feel of obsolete machinery that is so like anything made today.
Yep, kind of on the fence about this one. I love that it’s been upgraded to where it’s driveable whenever desired, and I love that it’s a rare car that actually gets driven. But I’d also like to see a little less “generic hot rod” treatment and a little closer to original, or at least different. But to see it at all is better than the alternative!
We have a Soldiers and Sailors monument here in Richmond, too, but it’s nowhere near that large! It’s also dedicated to the confederate veterans, much like the lineup on our Monument Avenue that honor confederate generals and leaders. Plus one of Arthur Ashe installed in the 90’s, which provides some balance to the rebel parade up to that point!
I remember the fight over that one. To this day, nobody’s explained to me what division Arthur Ashe commanded. Or what rank he held.
(To the non-Richmonder, there was a good 4-5 year fight over this monument. The local black leaders had decided that the only place in Richmond good enough for Arthur Ashe was on a street that had been dedicated in the 1870’s to leaders of the Confederacy.)
The first picture of this Nash should be shown every time some old fogey cries “cars these days all look the same — they’re all jelly beans!”. The Nash is indistinguishable from other cars of it’s era.
That being said, the Nash looks great!
Not a big hot rod fan but at least it’s not ruined by ridiculous roof chopping and lowering the body over the chassis.
This rod is done right, IMHO. You want a radical chop, and crazy mods…use repro parts of a Ford model. This car is clean and functional…and you can identify what kind of car it is.
AND, he picked the right wheels. Overall, I think the execution will hold up over time, rather than jumping on goofy fads that would quickly date the build. How many late 80s/early 90s teal with pink splatter paint rods look preposterous right now? Rods on ‘dubs’ never looked good either.
I wish it hadn’t been all hot rodded up but rather was restored as when it came from the factory. Still, at least it hasn’t been chopped and the body work still shows the lovely original lines. The red paint is nice.
Charles Nash presenting a similar-ish, fancier Nash to Admiral Byrd (1931 license plate):
I am a rodder at heart so this doesn’t bother me.
It takes a real man to cut one up and make it into his own. Its restomodded so its still pretty much stock looking but you can get most of the parts, fluids, and tires close by instead of having to go thru Hemmings to tune it up.
I love hot rods, they and racing are the ultimate forms of automotive enjoyment for me.
It’s the Gremlin’s great-grandfather! I actually kind of like that it has been retromodded to be driven in traffic. And didn’t latter-day AMC designs (Matador coupe) incorporate parts outsourced from the Big Three?
An old Kenosha boy here! We did build some nice cars back when.
We also made Snap-On tools to fix em with.
Lots of cool stories about Charley Nash, who knows if they are true.
One of my childhood joys was to ride my bike past the Nash Mansion.
Built, I think, during the Depression for well over a million.
This was a nice find, thanks for sharing.
That’s my Papaw’s car!!
I came across this Artical April 7, 2017 while my Father and I were setting in his Car in Pigeon Forge Tenn. for the Pigeon Forge Rod Run and was looking for 1930 Nash Cars on my phone and told my father hey here is your Nash setting down Town Indianapolis Ind. My Father Bought this car in 1996 at the Good Guys Swap Meet at IRP and Him and I Spent three hard years making it into a Street Rod Which I have Painted this car twice, it Features a very strong 383 SBC Stroker Engine, He has been Driving it to the Rod Run for the past few years, the car has way over 180,000 miles since it was completed and has had three different engine in it, if you are ever in Indianapolis on a weekend you can fine this 100% rust free 1930 Nash setting on a Friday or Saturday Night at Monument Circle.
Hello all, I too stumbled upon this article after doing a web search for identification purposes and parts info for my Nash. I have a 1931 flathead six, 2 door, 5 passenger Sedan identical to this one posted above and the engine has a September 1930 date stamped on it. To make things even more complicated when looking for visual comparisons… evidently Nash was offering package options like wire wheels instead of the factory artillery style wheels, dual spare tires on the fenders rather than the single spare over the fuel tank, etc, which makes finding an exact match in appearance for a car which is already rare in the first place nearly impossible. The car in these photos in the beginning of this article is the closest in appearance I’ve seen to my Nash after countless hours upon hours of searching. Can anyone here tell us what the tag stamped on the firewall reads in the car shown here? I’ll answer any questions I can in terms of my Nash but clearly there are those of you here with much more knowledge than I have and any info is greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
-J