Randy Vaught's Ex-Gasser '34 Chevy Master Coupe - Of Strip And Street

The story behind Randy and Wilma Vaught's '34 Chevy coupe reads like hot rod fiction. Randy's father, James, and a buddy bought the car-which was originally ran as a B/Gasser by a local Chevy dealer-to replace their previous drag car, a '49 Chevy. With Randy's uncle, Pete Vaught, the team swapped out the '49's 302ci Jimmy six-cylinder engine and T10 trans and dropped it in the five-window. After campaigning the coupe for a few years, including a trip to the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 1971 with a then-16-year-old Randy in tow, the Vaught brothers mothballed the coupe in Pete's barn. A few years later, Randy and James decided to convert the old Chevy over to street guise. Buying James' partner's half, Randy and his father were now sole heirs to the coupe, and the transformation began in earnest.

With the decision to convert the coupe over from race car to street rod, it would be necessary to not only replace the race motor with something a bit more mild, but all the original components would need to be replaced as well. Pete's engine that had served as the race motor was removed and a more streetable 230ci inline-six-cylinder was installed, along with a TH350 auto trans. Wanting to retain all the stock body lines and features of the Chevy, such as the door handles, vent windows, and taillights, Randy and his father began the search for original replacement parts, which proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the build. But by 1988, the father/son team had persevered and the newly converted street rod was finished.

In 2000, however, Randy decided it was time to update the Chevy and a complete teardown was started. A new 292ci six-cylinder Chevy was built and mated to the rebuilt TH350 transmission and dropped between the stock boxed framerails. A Mustang II IFS frontend was installed when the car was first converted back to the street and was retained for the second build, while a Ford 8-inch rearend was hooked up to a four-bar setup and hung off a pair of Pro Shocks coilovers.

Along with the suspension and drivetrain modifications, the five-window body also received a number of changes. While the majority of the stock features were retained the first time around, Randy opted to make a few changes to bring the Chevy into the new millennium. One-piece power windows were installed, the stock door handles and trunk lid were shaved, the cowl vent was filled, as was the grille shell, and the bumpers were deleted. But the most drastic modification was made when the top was chopped 2 inches. Randy also fabricated custom molded taillights to replace the stock units and smoothed the hood sides before sending the Chevy across town to Rod Arwood, who applied the PPG Satin Blue Pearl paint. Once the paint was dry, the coupe was delivered to L.A. Designs, where Don Thompson stretched and stitched the Ultraleather burgundy interior.

Fresh out of the shop and making the show with only a few hours to spare, we first caught Randy and Wilma with their '34 as they were cruising the grounds at last summer's Goodguys Nashville Nationals. A couple months later, the Vaughts had clocked a few more miles on the odometer when we caught them at the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. So, while they may have gotten a late start last year, this year they plan to drive the wheels off the coupe, adding yet another chapter to the Chevy's hot rod history.