This event happened during this era.
I not exactly sure what year he had, but I had a neighbor who had a similar model. He told me that he was hot-rodding it out in the country and he had a connecting rod go out on it. He pulled it over, dropped the oil pan, loosened up the connecting rod and made a "bearing" for it out of a piece of leather that he cut from his boot. It got him back into town and had the repairs done later. Try that with a modern car.