Ethan Conyers' first project...
Ethan Conyers' first project out of his newly christened "Night Life Speed Shop" backyard garage was this neat little '29 roadster pickup. The truck was built highboy style and its open hood sides, wide white shod steelies, and Deuce grille shell go a long way in its hot rod looks.
When most folks hear the phrase "nightlife," they think "party time." You know, dining, dancing, music, and cocktails. Well, for car guys, the night life's a bit different. Dining is more like a quick bite. Dancing is reserved for when a hot wad of welding slag makes its way into a shoe. Music is the sound of open headers. And the aforementioned cocktail is more often than not a frosty one, sans the stemware and paper umbrella. Ethan Conyers, the owner/builder of these two fine hot rod pickups, surely enjoys the latter version of the nightlife, as he's spent the better part of the last few years enjoying the recreation provided by the cozy confines of his backyard garage.
Over that time (aside from that spent campaigning a friend's dragster, that is), he's progressed from a casual hot rod hobbyist to a full-on wrench-swingin' rodder. Ethan's casual entry into rodding came by the way of a partially completed '29 A coupe purchased on a whim. After completing the coupe project, he realized that he'd been bitten by the hot rod bug, and soon turned the '29 to finance his next build. Wanting a bit more of a traditional hot rod this time around, he picked up a steel Model-A roadster pickup cab and a custom frame as a starting point for hot rod number two and got to work.
Ethan mounted a Magnum dropped tube axle to the front framerails via a Pete & Jake's spring, tube shocks, hairpins, and disc brakes. Out back, a disc-brake Lincoln 9-inch and a four-bar/coilover/panhard bar setup was used. A ZZ4 crate small block backed by a T-5 five-speed and a custom driveshaft rounded out the drivetrain.
A Spartan cockpit is the hallmark...
A Spartan cockpit is the hallmark of most hot rods, and Ethan's is no exception. A finned dash insert from Speedway Motors is filled with a full compliment of Autometer gauges, and a Lecarra '40-style wheel tops a Flaming River Industries hot rod column.
When it came to the coachwork, the roadster pickup cab was massaged back into shape and a smooth custom cargo bed fabricated. The cab and bed were treated to a glass-smooth coating of PPG Dove Gray, and the interior outfitted with a full compliment of red upholstery and carpeting.
Ethan's next backyard shop project was a '46 Chevy pickup, this one a bit more of a hardcore rod than the roadster. The Chevy's foundation was another custom-built frame, this time Z'd both front and rear. Like the Model A, a dropped Magnum axle was installed, this time utilizing a Posies spring, '42 Ford wishbones, Pete & Jake's spindles, and GM disc brakes. Like his previous pickup, Ethan used a 9-inch Ford rearend, a four-bar setup with coilovers, and a panhard bar for the rear suspension. Motorvation this time around was again a small-block Chevy, but a 383 stroker version backed by an M-21 four speed.
The '46 Chevy cab was treated to a 3-1/2-inch chop and was channeled over the framerails, and like the Model A, a custom bed was fabricated to mount behind it. Upon completion of the requisite bodywork, this one was coated with a custom-mixed copper color with cream accents. The interior was finished in a combination of rust and off-white leather for a cool, traditional look.
As you can see, Ethan's taking his new hobby seriously, and his backyard garage has become a focal point of his free time. In fact, the Night Life Speed Shop has become quite a busy place these days, and we're quite sure we'll be seeing many more cool hot rods roll out its doors in the future.
What's a hot rod without a...
What's a hot rod without a bit of brightwork under the hood? The '29's ZZ4 small-block is adorned with a pair of Edelbrock finned aluminum valve covers and a King finned air cleaner from Speedway Motors-both enhanced with a bit of red paint to match the trucks upholstery, striping, and tonneau covers.
The pickup's smooth custom-fabricated...
The pickup's smooth custom-fabricated bed sports a removable soft bed cover and a pair of frenched '59 Caddy taillights.
Ethan's '46 is a bit more...
Ethan's '46 is a bit more hardcore-the chopped and channeled cab, Guide headlights, and Hudson grille shell look great, and the combination of wide-white front bias plys and cheater slicks wrapped around Radir Tri-Ribs are right on the money.
The interior is every bit...
The interior is every bit as impressive as the exterior. A smoothed dash is filled with a set of Dolphin gauges, and a '57 Bel Air wheel tops a Flaming River Industries stainless column. The stretched and reversed shift lever is cool, as well.
The Z'd chassis makes for...
The Z'd chassis makes for a bit of a cargo capacity shortage, but at least the raised and beautifully wooded floor covers both the custom framerails and the truck's fuel tank.
Its Weiand-supercharged, Dart-headed...
Its Weiand-supercharged, Dart-headed 383 stroker has gotta be quite a handful, and with a muscular M-21 behind it, a real rubber burner as well.
A bit of old-school striping...
A bit of old-school striping and a nerf-style rear bumper are nice touches, as is the removable soft tonneau and good-sized wide-whites.
A Deuce grille shell, painted...
A Deuce grille shell, painted insert, King Bees, and chromed tube axle fit the hot rod theme, as does the skull and crossbones design stenciled on the Walker radiator core.
The pickup's rear view is...
The pickup's rear view is as impressive as the front view, giving it a pretty cool aggressive look. The bobbed custom bed and Chevy script on the tailgate look great, too.
As you may have noticed, both...
As you may have noticed, both pickups sport Ethan's semi-tongue-in-cheek "Night Life Speed Shop" logo that he's assigned to his backyard garage, but we've got a strong feeling we'll be seeing many more high-quality hot rods roll out of those digs in the future, and we're sure they'll be every bit as nice as this pair.