Wandering the grounds at this past season's NSRA show in Springfield, I happened to spy a really cool Deuce cruising through the front gate. Though it was probably 100 yards or so away, its steelies, wide whites, white firewall, and white roof insert immediately registered on my traditional hot rod radar. Without hesitation, I headed its way, winding through the sea of street rods already in place. The closer I got, the cooler the car looked. Yep, my initial impression was correct-it was indeed a hot rod built to my taste, and a Vicky to boot. Heck, seeing a Vicky built in the traditional hot rod style isn't a common occurrence, so I stepped up my pace, trying to get to it before the driver parked and took off.
The Deuce's owner/driver ended up being a young man named Nick Giacalone, and the was Vicky every bit as cool as I'd hoped it would be. After a few circuits around the car eyeballing some of the neat little details (like the panel truck-style cargo door in the rear body panel), I took a few minutes to get some background on the car from Nick. Come to find out, he had about five years or so into the Vicky, having started the project while in eighth grade-I figure around the ripe old age of 13 or so! Tackling a hot rod project at that age almost always means Pop's a hot rodder too, and it ended up being so in this case. And not only did he have encouragement from his dad, Nick Sr., but also dad's pals in the Southern Illinois Street Rod Association.
Nick's project started when he found and purchased the 'glass Vicky body-he squirreled away nearly every cent he could for the next few years while he put together his shopping list of parts needed for the project. Eventually, with a bit of a nest egg on hand, he began collecting components and started sewing 'em together. First was a set of American Stamping framerails, which he and dad boxed. To this, they added an A-front crossmember and home-fabricated center and rear crossmembers, a 4-inch dropped Magnum axle, a pair of '40 Ford spindles, a POSIES SuperSlide spring, and a four-bar setup. Out back, Nick used a 9-inch with a tri-link and coilovers. A quartet of 15-inch Vintiques steelies and BFG wide whites completed the roller. A '68 Mustang donated its 302 for motorvation, and Nick backed that up with a three-speed overdrive tranny from an '87 Ford pickup.
The Vicky body received quite a bit of work as well. Nick and his dad chopped it 4 inches and channeled it. They also moved the rear wheelwells up, reworked the indentations, and fabbed a rolled rear pan-but that was the easy stuff. Next, they decided to transform the rear body panel into a working rear cargo door similar to that used on a sedan delivery. Nick Sr. tackled the chore by first fabricating a wooden inner structure and then cutting out the door to match. That done, they got to work and fabricated a complete inner door structure that was then 'glassed to the outer skin, making the panel into a complete door. As if that wasn't enough, the pair then took a steel dash pirated from a '55 Chevy and narrowed it to fit the confines of the Vicky's cowl. With the bodywork handled, they then sprayed it with a coating of Blue Spies Hecker Spectra primer/surfacer for a hot rod suede finish, and filled the roof with a white insert and painted the firewall to match.
A blue metalflake steering wheel, a few Stewart Warner gauges, an It's-A-Snap wiring harness installed by Nick Sr. and pal Jerry Edwards, a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer tap shift knob, and a pair of boneyard imported car bucket seats were enough to ready the Vicky for its maiden voyage-and from what I understand, Nick's hot rod Vicky has barely stopped since. All in all, the Deuce is one cool little hot rod, and the start of a long love affair with rodding for Nick Jr., we're sure!
You've gotta admit, even though...
You've gotta admit, even though it's no Ridler contender, it's a cool little hot rod.
Here's a better look at the...
Here's a better look at the added cargo door. Nick and his dad did a fine job. Take a look at the door gaps.
It's nice to see a Ford in...
It's nice to see a Ford in a Ford once in a while. This one sports a '68 Ford 302 outfitted with late-model 5.0-cylinder heads, a COMP Cams camshaft, an Edelbrock intake and carb combo, and a pair of homemade lakes-style headers.
Nick's Vicky not only sits...
Nick's Vicky not only sits right, but the cargo door idea worked out great as well.
The Vicky's interior is going...
The Vicky's interior is going to be pretty cool too. The modified '55 Chevy dash looks good, and that beer tap shift knob reminds me of my high school days when using them as shift knobs was all the rage.