We've all heard stories of barn finds, widow cars, and the guy who finds an old roadster or coupe that was shoved into the corner of a barn or garage, sitting like a museum piece only to be happened upon many moons later. These stories can sometimes be as unbelievable as the condition of the car. Fresh interior, fresh paint, a little gas in the carb, and a new battery and the car fires up as if it never sat immobile for so long. Bench racing can lead to some pretty amazing tales, and just as the stories passed down from ancient cultures of heroes and epic battles can grow as tall as Texas, so can these stories. Tales of guys finding old cars in suburban backyards and farms for $100 seemed believable 40 years ago, but these days it just seems downright impossible. But we still hear the stories, and we've actually happened upon one that seems to have some truth to it.
Steve Ralfs has made a bit of a name for himself with some of his past cars and when Mike Nix heard that his latest was for sale, he was immediately interested. Goodguys' Gary Meadors was familiar with Steve and when Mike told him that he was interested in Steve's newest '40 Ford, Gary made it clear that Mike should but it, sight unseen. That's the kind of reputation Steve and his cars have.
But there was more to the car than Mike had known. It turns out that this particular '40 was exactly what we were just talking about. Steve had found the car in a barn in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where it had sat, untouched, since 1969. Sounds unbelievable, but that's exactly what happened. It didn't take too long for Steve to decide to pick up the car (who wouldn't?), and soon it was in his hands, ready to be reborn.
The car was in good shape, thanks to the museum-like state it was kept in for so many years, but Steve decided to make a few upgrades to bring the car into the 20th century. He started by setting the stock chassis aside and, using a pair of Lobeck's Hot Rod Shop framerails, began to assemble a more modern frame. He installed a Total Cost Involved independent frontend with coilover shocks and disc brakes and out back he hung a Ford 8-inch rearend off POSIES springs. This provided a bulletproof driveline to back the Chevy LS1 350. To keep the motor from winding out on those long highway trips, he backed the tuned port engine with a 4L60E overdrive trans. With all the creature comforts like power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning provided by Hot Rod Air, Mike said it's the best car he's ever driven. With a combo like that, we can't say we'd argue!
Aside from updating the chassis and drivetrain, Steve wanted to keep the timeless style of the standard coupe intact. He refrained from modernizing the coupe by shaving any of the stainless trim, removing the bumpers, or installing flush-mounted headlights and kept all the old-timey parts on the car. When it came time for a fresh coat of paint, Steve also stayed in a traditional state of mind. He chose Ed Bock to lend his talent to spray the '40 in a custom PPG blend of Baron Red paint, staying away from any fancy pearls or metallic hues and treading a line closer to what Henry had originally envisioned. Combined with the stock appearance of the body with the use of painted steelies with caps wrapped in whitewalls, Steve ended up with a hot rod that had a very nostalgic vibe with all the modern-day conveyances one would expect in a contemporary build.
With the body reassembled, the '40 was beginning to look like a finished car. Steve's attention then turned to the inside of the coupe. Light taupe leather was used to cover the seats he borrowed from an '82 Olds as well as the door panels. The rest of the interior was covered in the same color using various materials. The dash was kept relatively intact, with the original gauge cluster being restored by United Speedometer and put back in place. A GM tilt column replaces the original, as does a slightly smaller, but otherwise identical '40 Ford steering wheel by Juliano's Hot Rod Parts.
There's something to be said for a builder's skills when someone with the reputation of Gary Meadors tells you to buy a car sight unseen. Mike knew this when he went to look at the '40 when Steve had completed it and, suffice it to say, Mike is 100-percent happy with the way the car turned out.