Under the original four-piece...
Under the original four-piece hood, there's an owner-built small-block Chevy displacing 350 ci. Incoming air passes through a 780-cfm Demon carburetor, while the ceramic-coated block hugger headers send the spent gases into a pair of Flowmaster mufflers.
Walking the aisles of a swap meet is something only a car guy can enjoy. There's no comparison to the delight of finding a great deal on the parts you need, and exchanging funds with a fellow rodder. The ultimate parting gift at a swap meet is a complete car, but be prepared to lay down some serious cash, especially if you're looking for Henry Ford steel. Ray Hunter did just that at a swap meet in Indianapolis with this 1934 Ford coupe. It was a deal he couldn't pass up, so the car traveled south to his home in McDonough, Georgia.
Ray knows his way around a street rod, and he performs most of the work in his own shop. He called upon the help of his good friend, Jerry Bishop, when it came time to start on the three-window, and the duo tore into the project at full speed. According to Ray, the car was in pieces when it arrived from its road trip, but all of the parts were in great shape compared to his prior street rod buildups. It was in such good condition, he chose not to modify the body, aside from filling the top. And that's it-the rest of the body is bone stock.
The Ford's original tin was...
The Ford's original tin was in such good shape that Ray decided to leave it stock, aside from the filled roof panel. He took care of the flawless bodywork and paint, as well as the chassis work on the slick three-window.
Though its body was left in its original configuration, Ray wanted dependability first and foremost, so the drivetrain received a huge update. Replacing the old Flathead is a 350ci small-block Chevy, which is backed by a TH350 automatic transmission-it's your basic street rod combination, but it's nicely detailed and keeps the coupe on the road with plenty of power. As for the suspension and chassis, the goal was to lower the car's stance and provide a more enjoyable driving experience, so Ray outfitted the Total Cost Involved Engineering chassis with four-bar setups in the front and rear. Up front, the polished bars mount to a Super Bell axle, while the rear bars attach to the Ford 9-inch rearend.
Disc brakes roll on all four corners, behind the Wheel Vintiques wires, which are 14 and 15 inches in diameter, and wear BFGoodrich Silvertown rubber. The body-color wheels give the coupe a simple and clean appearance-another detail Ray handled on his own. He not only laid down the paint on the wheels, but also applied the '99 Nissan Red to the body after getting the panels perfectly straight and smooth. His efforts don't go unnoticed, as the body and paint is flawless on his full-fendered coupe.
Simple and clean, Ray Hunter's...
Simple and clean, Ray Hunter's coupe was a three-year project, with help coming from his good friend, Jerry Bishop. The Georgia-based Ford rolls on Wheel Vintiques wires and BFGoodrich Silvertown blackwall tires, which add to the utilitarian flavor.
Inside, you'll find more quality work, but it's the only portion of the build handled by someone other than Ray. Hailing from Macon, Georgia, Art Shadburn performed the fine stitchwork and used tan leather to wrap all of the interior panels, as well as the Glide Engineering seat. A medley of Lokar, Vintage Air, and ididit components make up the interior details, while a Rockford Fosgate stereo system provides the tunes. Bishop is responsible for installing the Ron Francis wiring harness to power all these goodies.
After three years of work, Ray gave the coupe its finishing touches and called it complete. We asked him about his license plate, which reads "JEFFH 3", to which he replied, "This car is a rolling tribute to my son, Jeff, who is no longer with us." Ray and his son shared the street rodding hobby, and Ray said each car he builds will have a JEFFH tag in his son's remembrance. The finished product is certainly something to be proud of, but Ray is very humble, even though he performed most of the work at home. The '34 coupe is simple and it's sanitary, and we can safely say that Ray's swap meet score has turned into quite an awesome machine.