Captured in the late afternoon...
Captured in the late afternoon California sun, what hits you first is the prominence of the original grille-no changes, no billet, as David wanted there to be no mistake as to the coupe's birth year.
Atascadero, California, real estate developer David Graves is a die-hard street rodder, so much so that he often embarks on runs, or trips, by himself...more on this later. David located the stock, original coupe in Chico, California, purchasing it in 2002 from the widow who had the car for 40 years; it had been stored in a garage and was completely rust free.
David has built several rods over the years and now with time at a premium turned the project over to Hot Rod Alley, in Lompoc, California, where owners Bill and Diane Anderson completed the transformation. However, before stepping aside David and his son-in-law, Kevin Dougherty, chopped and filled the top, utilizing a section of a '57 Ford roof.
A Total Cost Involved chassis featuring an air bag suspension and Wilwood disc brakes mounted on drilled and vented rotors. David chose to go with a new Chevrolet 350 Ram Jet engine, backed by a dependable 700-R4 overdrive; the rearend gear choice is a 3.73, which has proven to be ideal for both performance and fuel economy. The wild engine cover was done by Hot Rod Alley, utilizing a vintage piece of sheetmetal from David's ample supply of early parts.
When Bill was finished with the body, fabricating the many one-off pieces such as the bumper guards, the fronts should appear as rears, with LED turn signals installed, the headlight stands, and the custom taillights. He sprayed the two-tone PPG Cool Vanilla over a custom mixed green, for a rich, eye appealing look. Hidden hinges, power windows, as well as remote door and trunk locks were included by Bill in the building of the coupe. The Boyd Coddington rollers are 17-inch fronts, 20-inch rears.
Once the chassis/body combination was declared 'done,' the low slung coupe was delivered to Skip Dumont of Skip's Custom Auto Upholstery, located in Atascadero, California. He set about trimming the cockpit in a coordinating cream and beige leather and alligator, covering the 2006 T-bird six-way power seats. The custom console features the hidden air bag switches, as well as Hot Rod Air A/C, Haneline gauges are mounted in the custom dash, while a Budnik steering wheel tops the ididit column. All of the custom aluminum inserts in the interior were fabricated by Skip.
After four years in the build, David couldn't be happier, giving all of the credit to Bill, Diane, and Skip for making the car what it is, a dream that he had for years. Although it seems that someone else saw it as their dream also, as not long after the photo session, it went down the road to a happy new owner!
Engine of choice is a Chevrolet...
Engine of choice is a Chevrolet Ram Jet 350, backed by the dependable 700-R4 automatic, connected to a 3.73 rearend, a perfect highway setup; check out the wild engine cover, which was found in David's extensive collection of early parts, of course, Bill massaged it heavily before it was installed.
The headlights are from H...
The headlights are from Headwinds.
In the rear, you can see the...
In the rear, you can see the extent of the custom work required with the hand fabricated taillights, the hideaway license plate and the trick, fitted horizontal bumperettes-a look that is matched in the front.
Skip's Custom Auto Upholstery,...
Skip's Custom Auto Upholstery, Atascadero, worked his magic on this plush interior, combining cream and beige leather....
....and alligator, fabricating...
....and alligator, fabricating the aluminum panels, and covering the T-bird six-way power seat as well the custom console;....
.....hidden air bag switches...
.....hidden air bag switches are incorporated, as well as Hot Rod Air gauges by Haneline. The ididit column is topped with a Budnik wheel.
The travel provided by the...
The travel provided by the air bag suspension is more than adequate for the roughest of roads; as we can see by the lift in the front, the 17-inch and 20-inch rollers are courtesy of Boyd Coddington look right at home on the luxury coupe.