It's always a good thing when you can realize a lifelong dream. Such is the case for Stewart Milby of Glenmills, Pennsylvania, as boyhood dreams took shape in this Zipper Lakes Modified. With a lifetime of ideas, the training as a machinist, the help of his son, Dan, and the unflinching support of his wife, Rosemary, Stew has himself a bona fide hot rod. It didn't take long to realize the best way to tell the story of this '27 Zipper Lakes Modified was to, well, let Stewart tell it. So, in his words, here is how this roadster came about and what goes into making it come to life.
"As a young boy growing up in a small town in Delaware in the '50s, I spent a lot of time building model cars and reading the 'little books.' Now and then I would see a hot rod pass by, and I would watch until it was out of sight. Boy, was I hooked.
Starting with a Zipper Lakes...
Starting with a Zipper Lakes Modified body and frame, Stew Milby took it from there and fabricated many of the parts and pieces you see on the car. Coker tires and wheels all lend to the early hot rod look.
"In today's world of high-tech, high-dollar hot rods, it's hard for the everyday guy to have a car that's different. Most of us have a budget to go by, and I have always been fascinated with the lakes modifieds. These are pretty much a Southern California hot rod. Because they are rare on the East Coast, I decided this would be a perfect hot rod to build. They just have a look all their own. I own a small machine shop, so I knew I would be able to fabricate most of the parts needed. This would also help keep the cost down but would involve a lot of time.
"I started by ordering a '27 Ford Lakes Modified body and frame from Zipper Motors. A good friend of mine was building a '41 Ford coupe and he decided to change running gear midway into his project. We worked out a deal, and I bought the motor, trans, and rearend. The tires, wheels, and '46 Ford caps came by way of Coker Tire.
"The front axle is a Super Bell 4-inch dropped I-beam and '37 Ford spindles. I fabricated a set of C-shaped framehorns to get the headlights down as low as I could. I also fabricated taillight stanchions from aluminum to mount the '37 lights. Keeping with the old-style look, I mounted quarter-elliptical springs and friction shocks on all four corners. Using 5/8-inch o.d. 304 stainless steel rod, I fabricated 40-inch-long Curtis-style hairpins.
A GM 10-bolt rearend with...
A GM 10-bolt rearend with drum brakes and a Street & Performance quickie cover finish off the backside of this budget beater.
"The rear got a lot of grinding and sanding to give it a smooth, clean look. The rear and front axles were painted with Rust-Oleum Safety Red out of spray cans. Hairpin, spring, and shackle brackets were made from 1/2-inch flat steel and TIG-welded in place. A 10-bolt quick-change rearend cover from Street & Performance was then installed. I fabricated a stainless steel pushbar using 1/2-inch rod. The motor has stock bore and stroke; I ported and polished the heads, and added a Crane Cam-got to have that lumpy idle. Lakes-style headers fit the look while the stainless steel exhaust was fabricated from some 90-degree bends and a pair of used turbo mufflers from a friend.
"I fabricated valve cover breathers with the PCV mounted inside the driver-side breather. I then fabricated a distributor cover with fins to match the air cleaner. I machine-turned a sheet of stainless steel and cut it to fit over the entire dash. Stewart Warner white-face gauges were then installed.
"I made the steering column using 1 1/4-inch stainless steel tubing and press in bronze bushings for the 3/4-inch shaft. A Bell-style steering wheel was connected to a Corvair steering box. The steering arm was extended 3 inches to clear the header.