1931 Ford Highboy Five Window - Fade To Black

For decades, Richie Whalen of Medford, Massachusetts, was involved with building and owning some of the most bad-ass Harleys on the local scene, that is up until recently when his creative side was taken over by vintage Ford tin. While reading an early copy of Mag-Neto magazine he found the perfect example of what he was searching to build-a Ford Model A coupe with a Flathead V-8.

The simplicity of the early Ford engine combined with the body lines of the coupe gave him plenty of ideas of what his hot rod would bring to the table while encompassing plenty of post-war styling. After much searching for a suitable body and chassis, Richie contacted accomplished hot rod builder Dale Johnson of St. James, Minnesota, who just happened to have a nice, clean '31 Ford coupe body mounted to one of his signature Deuce chassis. Dale didn't have the time to complete the build for Richie, but a deal was made and the body and chassis were shipped East for Richie and his team to complete.

Upon receiving the combo, Richie marveled over many of the unique touches that Dale infused in the build. Starting with a fresh pair of framerails from American Stamping, Dale masterfully matched the body to the chassis by first bobbing the rear of the 'rails and moving them inboard to tuck them under the body. He continued by adding a flattened '40 Ford rear crossmember combined with a matching '40 Ford rearend and modified '41 Ford 'bones. Dale then added a custom-fabricated '40 Ford center crossmember which he sectioned. Up front he pinched the 'rails, added a Model A crossmember, and fit a Deuce grille shell and hood, which was louvered by Roy Idman, of West Bridgewater, Massachusetts.

To maintain proper proportions, Dale paid close attention to the wheelbase and aligning the rear wheels to the body. In getting the car's rake just right, he added a Magnum 5-inch dropped and drilled axle combined with '40 Ford spindles, '32 Ford split 'bones, a POSIES reversed-eye spring, and chromed tube shocks. Making sure that the car would have plenty of stopping power, a '40 Ford master cylinder matched to '40 Ford binders at the corners was put into service and installed by Howard Towne of Dorchester, New Hampshire. For the ultimate rolling stock, Richie then decided on a combination of vintage Ford '32 wires (16-inch front and 18-inch rear) shod with vintage-look rubber to complete the stance.

Knowing the car would have to be Flathead-powered, Richie contacted Joe Smith of Marietta, Georgia, to assemble a vintage V-8 that would match the cars post-war styled roots. A '48 Ford 59AB block was machined to 276 cubic inches, then fitted with a 4-inch Merc crank, stock rods, and Ross racing pistons. To ensure a hot rod idle, a Winfield cam was used while Offenhauser heads (and matching two-pot intake), a pair of Holley 94s, and Mallory ignition gives the engine life. To transfer the gusto to the pavement a '39 Ford box was rebuilt and installed (along with the engine) by Howard Towne to round out the powertrain aspect of the project.

While studying the body, Richie knew that it would need to have its lid lowered, and he reviewed quite a few options before turning to Rick Gunter of Wilmington, Massachusetts, to perform the 5-inch slice. With plenty of attitude oozing from the coupe, it was time to turn the reins over to Howard and his assistant, Geno Proux, to massage the vintage steel to perfection in preparation for the spray booth. When it came time to locate paint for the car, Howard checked out a local auction of an old body shop where he uncovered just enough vintage DuPont Duco black nitrocellulose lacquer with a production date of 1956. Talk about a find! With only one color for the car ever contemplated, Richie's coupe would now get treated to the finest vintage black lacquer. Howard laid down the gloss, hand rubbing each of the 20 coats that grace the body and chassis.

Once assembly time hit, Richie tells us he could actually feel the soul within the car as it rounded the final days of the build. Individual touches such as '36 Ford headlights, '50 Pontiac taillights, cowl lights, and a stock gas tank work to give the car its signature look. Inside, Richie opted for Stewart Warner gauges and a '51 Merc steering wheel while relaxing on a brown leather bench seat by Kustom Kreations of North Reading, Massachusetts. Not one to let anything he owns gather dust, Richie has already put down thousands of miles on the coupe, rain or shine, and that's just plain bitchin' in our book.