Winter Tour 2003
Discovery of the Miss DeSoto
by Jack Hines

Seems like every year we head north during the coldest time of the season. (I'm finding a subject in a warmer climate for 2004!) Our trek has different motivation; a new cast of players, and something more than words to return home with. January 24th was departure day, Butch Bailey, Jerry Lawrence and I headed out: destination McHenry, Illinois. Butch Bailey is the son of 50's and 60's racer Elmer Bailey. The elder Bailey fielded 225 hydros Ballyhoo and later Trailblazer. The Ballyhoo won the 1960 Calvert Cup with an 18 year old Gene Whipp driving. Jerry Lawrence fielded a 280 Blue Max in the late 60's and early 70's with Jerry Scheidt up. Forward progress was slow due to Butch's (ex-police officer) desire to stop at every donut shop we passed. The effort Butch has exerted in finding this old boat could be an article in itself. His interest in finding the boat started at a vintage gasser meet in Thompson, Ohio. A BS session brought out his history as a boat racer. Bill Tracey recalled that his brother-in-law had owned a hydro at one time. The search was on!! Ads were taken out in the local newspaper followed by a mailing to all local marinas. A deluge of calls came in from those wanting to sell raceboats that turned out to be just pleasure boats. He was prepared to drive up and post his search in all local auto parts houses when the call came in.     The owner of “Kief's Reef”; a local riverfront watering hole, knew of the boat and also the owner Tony Shivey, she was sitting just 1 mile away. Contact was made and negotiations began. Shivey was the second owner since she had been retired from racing. Her decline had begun prior to his ownership. Pancho Draheim traded a 1955 Century runabout for the Miss Dream Girl and ran her half a dozen times that season on the Fox River. Other interests and health problems beached the boat and soon major repairs were needed.  The Swede Stromstadt engine was sold to a nostalgia drag racer.     Tony Shivey is a motor head with varied interests and this project caught his eye. Without any previous woodworking experience he replaced the deck on his father's 1942 Chris Craft barrelback runabout. He thought there would be time for the hydro. Trying to minimize the deterioration, sponsons and mechanical components were removed and stored indoors. The remainder was tarped and left outside.     This was the scene upon our arrival…wind chill -15. The main hull was opened up and the large debris removed. The ravages of time and weather had taken their toll. If the bottom of the hull hadn't been sheeted in aluminum everything would have fallen thru to the ground.      The sponsons were loaded into the engine compartment and the whole boat was wrapped in many layers of shrink film. Duct tape was added and the whole unit bound to the trailer. Wheel, tires and lights were made ready for the return trip.   L to R: Jerry Lawrence, Butch Bailey, Pancho Draheim, Tony Shivey's father     L to R: Tony Shivey, Butch Bailey, Pancho Draheim We all warmed up in Tony's house and Butch presented both Tony and Pancho with photos and an engraved plaque documenting their ownership of the hydro. All were amazed when the Miss DeSoto's history was revealed. Both Tony and Pancho have a genuine attachment for this boat and are excited about the prospects of her restoration. Pancho is still searching for the 392 hemi engine. The whole crew went to dinner at Keif's Reef where Butch presented a photo to the owner as appreciation for making the call. It was long day; 6:00 AM Friday to 3:30 AM Saturday, but more than worth our small effort. Now the work begins! History: Miss DeSoto Miss DeSoto 1958-1963 Crazy Thing 1963-1964 Calabam 1964-1966 Calabam (Long Gone I) 1966 Miss Chicago 1966-1978 Miss Dream Girl 1978-1990 Miss Dream Girl 1990-2003 Buddy Byers Bill Sterrett Sr. Scott Cottrell Les Brown Pete Mistretta Pancho Draheim Tony Shivey   The Miss DeSoto was built by Henry Lauterbach. National Champion in 1957, 1958, and 1959.  World Straightaway Mile Speed Record of 151.271 MPH set by George "Buddy" Byers, Jr. on 09/27/58 at New Martinsville,WV.

 Restoration of Miss DeSoto

Jack Hines has started framing the rebuild.
 
 

His usual quality workmanship is back at hand.
 

All frames were temporarily clamped to the stringers and chine battens laid out.
We marked the bevels on each frame, removed frames and cut bevels. 
This step eliminated most of the cross grain cutting involved in fairing the sides of the hull. 
Frames were them bonded in, followed by chines. 
Started attaching keel and battens from stern forward, letting everything run wild over the bow.
 

Only about one-third of the bow was found with the boat. I had to project a curve based on the remaining piece and the width of #1 frame. None of the stock we bought was wider than 7 inches, to eliminate any cross grain weakness the nose was made up of short sections keyed together with plywood tenons. This photo shows the two curves as they were cut from the rough piece. The curves were joined with a plywood spacer and additional wood at the sides to make up the correct thickness. The total amount of lift in the hull was an unknown since the nose had not retained its shape. The rise in this hull is more of a curve rather than a straight line from the afterplane break. Anyways; after a bunch of measuring, try fitting, some hand-ringing and a few cocktails, 10.75 inches was the number.
 

Once the lift was resolved; pockets were located and pre-cut for all battens and keel, 
and the nose was assembled to the frame.

This view shows the framed bottom ready to be turned over.
 

All deck beams & battens are installed. 
Adjustments to the height of the deck beams was required to come up to a fair curve fore and aft.
 

Since the bow shelf was made up in several layers, I decided to install the side plywood starting at the centerline of the bow and work aft.
This will hide the tenons in the bow. Here the second piece is installed.
 
 

There's a whole bunch of lumber in the back of Lauterbach boats!!! 
This "H" shaped structure is a strut mount that ties into both stringers. 
Pieces are 2-1/4 x 2-5/8.  I added the mortise and tenons to provide more bonding surface.
 

Second turn over. 
Had to really modify our jig to get the boat to fit due to all the deck battens in the way.
 
 

Finished with exterior plywood and aluminum on the transom.

Chines from frame 4 aft required fairing before fitting plywood. 
This job was made more difficult by the fact that there was not a shear batten to help guide the line. 
The plywood makes quite a twist as it heads aft! Once the plywood was close, hot damp towels helped to relax it a bit.

After completing the afterplane extension and fairing the bottom, the first piece of bottom plywood is installed.
 
 

The hull is finally ready to mock up the engine and fabricate the front mounts. The rear ones are original as raced, but the front ones were missing.
 
 
 

Chrysler Hemi's massive size and weight. Almost 4 foot long and weighting nearly 1,000 pounds with gear box.
 
 

410 cu in  Hemi. The engine will be de-tuned from the way 'Buddy' ran her. Should be between 600-700 hp on alcohol.
 

The boat is currently at Steve Balcers' shop for sponson and deck work and all the other things that need to be done.

Miss DeSoto is at Steve Balcers shop.
Bottom aluminum is 1/2 finished and sponsons are getting there.

 The bottom being finished
 

Finally glued and screwed.
 

The metal shavings were flying. 
Many thanks to Steve & Jean for your hospitality & excellent work.
 

My willys buddy, Don Shadenwald and Steve Balcer flipping the Miss Desoto.
 
 

Fitting the original dash. I still have the original Stewart Warner gauges in mint condition.
 
 

On the hoist & ready to set up and drill stringers.
 
 

Nice shot of original wood around cockpit.
 
 

Engine installed - only to be pulled for another 2 coats of varnish! Balcer is such a slave driver!
 
 

Sponsons finally taking shape.
 
 

A different view of the engine.
 
 

Some of the Jack Hines milling magic.
 
 

As much as possible of the original wood will be retained.
 

Miss Desoto on the original Mr. Byers trailer that hauled the Desoto and Chrysler Queen.
 
 

At Steve's hydro farm. 
I can't thank Steve Balcer and Jack Hines enough. They have done a beautiful, first class restoration.
They were able to keep as much of the original wood and hardware as possible.
 

 The deck is in ribbon stripe Mahogany, just as it was in 1956.
 

Almost all of the original steering was able to be retained as is or was rebuilt.
 

The rear transom area came out very nice.
 

The dash is all original including the original gauges and air pump.

Butch Bailey