As a teenager in 1962 in Hamden, Connecticut, it was easy to become inspired by your surroundings thanks to the simplicity of things, like movies at the local theater that stretched your imagination, cruise nights at local drive-ins, and car magazines chock-full of incredible creations. With a dad who was always involved with cars, it wasn't difficult for a then-young Scot Cave to get into a groove that stuck with him well into adulthood. While a junior in high school, Scot recalls first being bitten by the hot rod bug when he saw Mal Thompson's older brother's Deuce three-window sitting in the driveway up for sale. It was chopped and channeled with a Buick Nailhead sitting between the 'rails, but at $300, it was way too expensive a project to get involved in at the time.
As the years passed into the '70s, Scot spent many days cruising in a '50 Merc more-door as his daily driver until one day he got a call letting him know that a local estate had a mint '40 Ford Deluxe coupe for sale. Scot checked out the ultra-clean car and bought it immediately, and once he got it home, he started tearing down the car to build it into his first true hot rod. After 21 years with the coupe, he still flashed back to his days growing up always being enamored by the Orange Crate with its flip-top body, immense power, and show 'n' go persona. Scot sold the coupe and set out to locate a Deuce sedan to begin his latest project. Scot came across a gennie barn find in New York State that was a mint original begging to be cut up. Once the body was pulled off the 'rails, Scot addressed the chassis needs first by custom-fabricating new crossmembers, C'ing the back, boxing the 'rails, and smoothing everything out like glass. He then treated the frontend to a 4-inch dropped axle linked to hairpins by SAC and shocks from Pete & Jake's that were merged with vintage finned Buick brake drums for stopping power while the road would be navigated through an F-1 steering box and smoothed out thanks to a POSIES spring. The back of the chassis was then set up with a 9-inch Ford rearend loaded with 3:20 gears along with drum brakes and suspended by a custom-made triangulated four-bar setup (by Scot) linked to coilover shocks.
For power, Scot located a '50 Merc 8BA block to serve as a base and delivered it to E&G Machine of Wallingford, Connecticut, who machined it open to 276 cubes and balanced it. With the help of good friend Ron San-Giovanni, they added a 4-inch Merc crank, Ross-forged 7:1 pistons, Johnson lifters, a re-profiled cam, Isky double springs, Vertex mag, and Offy heads. For induction, he teamed up with Ron to fabricate a one-off intake manifold to mount a Danekas 6-71 blower and twin Holley 650 series carbs. Linked to a T5 five-speed tranny with a '51 Ford bellhousing making everyone get along, there's no way any of the 280 hp can escape Scot's right foot.
Scot enlisted veteran rodder Rich Chaco of Shelton, Con-necticut, to take a 3-inch slice from the roof and to prep the body for paint. Scot decided on '72 Ford Sky Blue gloss and assisted Rich with the application. Adding plenty of character to the exterior, Scot included Guide headlights, '50 Pontiac taillights, and a bitchin' rear nerf bar that was dipped in the dazzle tank. Looking to the interior, Dave Waterman of Custom Craft Upholstery in nearby Niantic stitched up a sweet ivory Naugahyde-rolled interior utilizing MG front seats while deep blue carpet, Stewart Warner gauges, and a Bell-style steering wheel round everything out. The end result is a Deuce sedan that will leave its mark on your memory bank once you see it, and Scot drives the car close to 5,000 miles a year, so chances are that if you are cruising up the Right Coast, you'll get a glimpse of it. As with any project, it takes many hands to make it all come together, and Scot would like to thank pal Gil Cutler for his exhaustive efforts in helping locate countless parts for the undertaking.