1933 Ford three-window coupe - Right Coast Custom

Pirates and buried treasure. The mere combination of these two words easily conjures up memories of being a youngster and watching your favorite Saturday afternoon movies on the big screen at the local theater with the scent of freshly popped corn hanging heavy in the air. It was a time when swashbuckling pirates ruled the oceans, carving a path of wild mayhem that always wound up with them hiding their treasures away from prying eyes who just might fancy taking it away from them as soon as they turned their backs. Scottt Porges of Wayland, Massachusetts, grew up in the heyday of Saturday matinees, but he also spent countless years growing up surrounded by local streets set ablaze by numerous old-school hot rods as they spewed plenty of vicious sounds from their lakes pipes. Scottt was influenced by the mid-'60s show rods that often invaded the local Autorama shows with their wild body modifications, and names like Roth, Starbird, and the Alexander Brothers setting the pace.

As the years passed from youth to adulthood, Scottt had already owned a '26 Ford tall T, and a '30 Ford roadster hot rod; he also established one of the East Coast's premier custom motorcycle shops, American Motorcycle Service. Even though he was always surrounded by some of the wildest choppers and bobbers on a daily basis, something was still missing. Scottt had always yearned for an old-time show rod, and one afternoon he received a call from old friend Greg White who informed him that some local buried treasure had just been unearthed from storage in an old garage not far from his shop. Upon arrival, Scottt saw before him a vintage '60s hot rod that embodied everything he could ever recall from that era, except for the fact that an accident and deterioration had brought it to its final resting place some 28 years prior. Wanting to revive the car back to its original glory, a deal was struck and the car was hauled out to begin its rebirth under Scottt's watchful eye

After a full disassembly, the restoration of the coupe began with its truly unique custom-built chassis. Constructed from 2x2-inch square steel, it has a graceful V-progression from the front to the rear that is the base for plenty of vintage suspension components. Up front, a 4-inch dropped Super Bell tube axle is perfectly matched with a custom four-link, while a transverse leaf spring and chrome tube shocks soak up all the bumps, and Volkswagen disc brakes provide stopping power. Navigation is compliments of a '46 Ford truck steering box, while plenty of horsepower gets transferred through a vintage mid-'60s Jaguar rearend supported by four coilover shocks and inboard disc brakes. A set of genuine Fenton mag wheels shod with ultra-cool BFG wide white radials helps keep the coupe on the right path. The original 283 Corvette V-8 was freshened up and brought back to life by Scottt, maintaining its original stoke attitude with a few updates to add even more dazzle. Fed by a Fenton three-pot intake topped by a squadron of Rochester deuces, an Isky stick helps sort it all out while chrome Sanderson lakes pipes get the spent gasses out to the ozone with a warmed-over TH350 handling all of the gear changes.

We held off on the real fun stuff until last, though, with the final signature of the coupe being its wild body mods that let you know just what era it came from! Its original steel body underwent the knife with Charlie Kaborious whacking 5 inches from the top, complementing it with a 4-inch section, and a 6-inch channel. The unique molding to the body was done with steel rod welded to the body and sheetmetal cut and welded to form the rest. Add in a pair of Model T steel rear fenders and signature rocker covers, and you get a truly distinctive look while leaving onlookers in awe. Dennis Natalie delivered the final bodywork and icing, laying down the decadent custom-blended PPG light green Tang pearl vibe, which was complemented by vivid red pinstriping by the master, J. Warren Alessi, who added the finishing touch.

No show rod is complete without a wicked interior, starting with a sectioned '55 Chevy dash filled with original and Auto Meter gauges and a mile-high Gennie shifter topped with a chrome skull. Joe Gulla of All-Nu Upholstery stitched up a business office filled with vibrant white rolls 'n' pleats with red accents to make the car complete. Knowing that Scottt is driving the hides off the car on a daily basis, including runs at the local dragstrip, sure brings a smile to our faces.Bitchin'!