Bill Lalagos of West Chicago, Illinois, has been into cars since around the age of 12, which makes for some 40 years of involvement in our hobby. Way back when, one of his older brothers would sneak him into the US30 Drag Strip in the trunk of his '59 Olds to watch the races. Then, when he was 18, he and his brothers got into some serious drag racing themselves.
The Lalagos brothers started out with an AA/Blown Gas Altered in 1968, then stepped up to one of the new Blown Alcohol Funny Cars. By 1972 it was the last year of big noise and smoky burnouts, so they sold their Funny Car and hung up on the drag racing scene. By 1974, however, Bill felt the need to hear the rumble of a V-8 once again. Fortunately for him, his friend, Mike Lynch (the man who used to drive for him and his brothers), had become involved in street rodding and came across a '40 Ford Standard coupe in a neighboring town that was just what Bill was looking for. Bill was hooked and purchased the car. Moving forward in time some 25 years, and after a couple of redos, Bill took the coupe back to his longtime friend, Mike (who now was proprietor of Hilltop Customs in Vanzant, MO), for a total update.
The first thing Mike did was to strip the car down to bare metal, and for the first time we might add, to see what was needed in the sheetmetal rejuvenation department. What Bill found was that Mike really had his work laid out for him. The end results, however, after much metalwork, far exceeded Bill's expectations-it was perfect!
Mike laid on the paint, which Kevin Durhams then color-sanded and buffed to perfection. With this stage out of the way, the car was then handed off to Troy Trepanier at Rad Rides by Troy for suspension, wiring, wheels, and tires-you know, those little details that make or break a street rod. Then, for a finishing touch, Kip Kuiper was called on to stitch a beautiful interior. To say the least, Bill is now one happy fellow.
Facts & FiguresBill LalagosWest Chicago, Illinois1940 Ford Standard Coupe
| CHASSIS |
| Frame / manufacturer | '40 Ford / FoMoCo |
| Wheelbase | 112" |
| Modifications | boxed |
| Rearend / ratio | 8 Ford / 3.00:1 |
| Rear suspension | Air Ride Technologies |
| Rear brakes | Ford drum |
| Front suspension | Mustang II w/Air Ride, Heidt's spindles, and Monroe shocks |
| Front brakes | Mustang disc |
| Master cylinder | GM dual |
| Steering box | Mustang rack |
| Front wheel make, size | Billet Specialties SLX Series 18x7 |
| Real wheel make, size | Billet Specialties SLX Series 20x8 |
| Front tire make, size | BFGoodrich 225/40ZR18 |
| Rear tire make, size | BFGoodrich 245/40ZR20 |
| Gas tank | Tanks Inc. 14-gal poly |