Given her earlier penchant for and knowledge of Cadillac Motor Cars, it seemed a natural to drop in an engine of similar pedigree to which her hot rodding heritage was born. She found a 390ci engine from a '62 and turned it over to a knowledgeable engine builder she had met since her initial fiasco, Fernando Alonso, who raised the displacement to 401 cubes. An Isky cam was slipped in during the rebuild and the assembled short-block was then topped off with a 4x2 Edelbrock intake with four Stromberg 97 carbs. The original points distributor was converted by Davis Unified Ignition to electronic ignition and a set of custom lakes-style headers were, among other items, fabricated by Jimmy White at Circle City Hot Rods. The Cad was then mated via a Four C's-prepped B&M TH350 transmission and a '62 T-bird driveshaft to the Currie rear.
Working with the original sheetmetal at hand, Kendra opted to leave the doorskins welded to the body and further exaggerated the seamless lines by installing a vintage Chris Craft windshield that wrapped around the cowl and flowed into the doors. With minimal bodywork necessary, she then sprayed the body in Rustoleum Black and the contrasting components in PPG Baltic Blue. Inside the cockpit, the Auburn dash was also retained, filled with vintage Stewart-Warner Blue Line gauges. Kendra found that a Flat-Four VW banjo steering wheel closely mimicked the early Ford styling and fit a '42 Ford horn button to mate the VW wheel to her Ford.
While the popular perception when a girl is seen driving a hot rod is to assume that her husband, boyfriend, or father built the car, either for her or himself, make no mistake, this is a hot rod built by a girl who did all the homework and knows the history as well as, if not better than, most of the younger guys in the scene today. She's paid her dues in blood, sweat, and tears, just like the rest of us, even more so in some cases. So if you see a black and blue '29 roadster chewing up your tail in the rearview mirror, do us all a favor and ease over into the right lane, as Kendra not only has a determined mind but a lead foot. And we won't even mention the Hemi-powered '34 Ford five-window drag car she's building because you guys would just get jealous.
A Flat Four VW wheel was borrowed...
A Flat Four VW wheel was borrowed and mated to the Ford column, along with a horn button from a '42 Ford.
The interior of the '29 is...
The interior of the '29 is just as a hot rod need be: nice and simple.
The Auburn dash had been flipped...
The Auburn dash had been flipped around and installed before Kendra purchased the car, but those Blue Line Stewart-Warner gauges and accessory knobs were an addition all her own.
Taillights are '49-51 Ford...
Taillights are '49-51 Ford backup lights with red tinted lenses. The rear nerf bars are an influence brought over from dry lakes and drag cars, both of which Kendra has an affinity for.
Here's the car as Kendra found...
Here's the car as Kendra found it back in 2003. The doors had already been welded up and the skins removed. Check out the pushbar and number on the door, possibly hinting at the Ford's past life.002-009
Polished gennie E&J headlights...
Polished gennie E&J headlights and friction shocks maintain the traditional hot rod vibe while a dropped Super Bell axle adds a little bit of contemporary convenience that a new axle can provide.