Stewart Warner dials, combined...
Stewart Warner dials, combined with a '46 Ford Super DeLuxe wheel set the tone for the interior. Plenty of attention from John Gagnon of Lyman, ME, brought every bit of style to life, thanks to just enough tan Naugahyde rolls and pleats to seal the deal.
To continue the history of running hopped-up Flatheads in all of his cars, Dick located a 276ci '46 Ford block and 4-inch Merc crank in a musty old local basement, which was rumored to have seen plenty of duty in the '40s at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine. He brought the base to Frank Lamb of Gorham, Maine, to assemble a stout powerhouse, incorporating period-perfect parts, including an Isky stick, Offy finned aluminum heads, and slugs from Egge. A Navarro two-pot intake breathes deep through a pair of Stromberg 97s capped by Edmunds air cleaners. Spark comes from a Mallory dual-point ignition while Red's headers dump the spent gases through Brockman mufflers as the gears are worked through a '46 Ford box.
In order to create a timeless masterpiece, the team at Back Bay Customs studied the design of the coupe in great detail before masterfully lowering the lid 3-1/2 inches, perfectly matching the newfound flowing lines and grace to the body. From there they continued on by then removing the spare tire, shaving the taillights, and finally adding '40 Chevrolet headlights to the mix. Once the body was massaged to perfection they gave it a lustrous coating of hot rod black vibe.
To add just enough elegance to the interior, a combination of stock and Stewart Warner dials tell tales while a '46 Ford Super DeLuxe steering wheel helps navigate the course. For comfort, the original stock seat was re-covered in rolled and pleated tan Naugahyde by John Gagnon of Lyman, Maine, who also completed the interior with matching panels, and just enough plush tan wool carpeting. The finished car encompasses Dick's boyhood dreams of owning a dramatic and noteworthy '35 Ford coupe that looks like it came fresh from the pages of his favorite "little book" from back in the day. Seeing the smile on Dick's face as he fired up the vintage Flathead for a blast down the road was priceless. And so are the smiles from rodders everywhere when they see this period-correct East Coast custom slide down the road.