We all find inspiration from many different sources; sometimes it comes from what we see, and other times it's simply dropped in our hands as if an act from the car gods watching over us all. This was the case for Jim Fountain of Greenwood, Indiana, when he was awarded Street Rodder's coveted Street Rod of the Year award back in 2001. The prize for Jim's beautiful '29 Model A Vicky wasn't just a cover shot and feature in our February issue of that year, no, he was also awarded a tasty GM ZZ4 crate engine. This was all the inspiration Jim needed to start a project he had been dreaming about for some time.
This beautiful '33 coupe you see here has exactly "the look" Jim wanted thanks to the inspiration of Tom Prufer's Cop Shop coupe and Bill Vinther's orange '34 coupe (see The Rodder's Journal No. 8). With flashes of a red '34 highboy having all the right hot rod fixin's floating around in Jim's imagination for so long, and with his new GM Performance Parts ZZ4 crate engine sitting there in his garage staring at him every day, what's a guy to do? Start collecting parts, that's what. And that's exactly what happened. Jim started it all off perfectly with a new B&C Fiberglass '33 three-window body featuring a 3 5/8-inch chopped top. For a touch of originality and flavor, Jim chose to install a pair of original door handles and an original windshield frame, both not normally found on a 'glass car.
Next, Jim found himself at the Magnum Axle Co. for a specially designed chassis that was narrowed and tapered to give it sort of a "Deuce" look and to fit the lines of the fenderless '33 very nicely. At the front of the chassis you'll find Magnum Axle Co. shocks, hubs, spindles, and a 4-inch dropped axle with a set of Posies springs. Oh, and let's not forget the pair of old-school '40 Ford brakes and backing plates with finned Buick drums. All of these parts were appropriately treated to a full polish job. Moving rearward on the chassis and past the beautifully-plated hairpins, we find a custom-built suspension handmade by Steve "The Greek" Panarites. It's complete with ladder bars, Panhard bar, and a set of Carrera coilovers connected to the Ford 8-inch rearend built for Jim by Keith Santo.
With the show-winning chassis coming together better than ever imagined, Jim knew he had his work cut out for him when it came time to finish the body. In Jim's mind, the body would need serious attention to some special details that only a car builder like David Rippy of Jamestown, Indiana (See David's personal run-around rod also featured in this issue) could pull off. David's eye for angles and proportions is second to none, as this coupe's beauty attests. Jim wanted a sleek look to the '33's front end, so David went about custom shaping a new aluminum hood and a set of steel hood sides louvered by Jerry Weeks. Mission accomplished. After some block-sanding and paint prep, David went to town applying the brilliant DuPont Viper Red to everything that wasn't polished or plated.
As much as this car is a truly classic hot rod in every sense of the term, Jim knew he would be putting some serious miles on the coupe and wanted to make sure they would be as comfortable as they were reliable. This is where Bryan Barlow and Ed Thralls of Interior By Ed (Mitchell, IN) come into the spotlight. Bryan and Ed started by modifying a late-model Chevy S-10 bench seat into a far more attractive and comfortable throne for Jim and his companions. Once everything was covered with tan vinyl, the coupe's interior was treated to a set of Classic Instruments gauges with one of Lobeck's famous inserts, a beautifully-polished V8 Shop steering wheel, and Flaming River column. You will notice there is no high-tech, or low-tech for that matter, sound system in Jim's fine ride. It's not because he forgot it, he just prefers the heavenly sound of that GM Performance Parts ZZ4 powerplant to any other type of noise imaginable. We would have to agree completely.