Sometimes it's an unlikely object that creates a world of creativity in a car guy's mind. Spotting a color or a design theme isn't always about cruising the aisles at a rod run or flipping through magazines for inspiration. For Dave Reinhold, of McCordsville, Indiana, a coaster in a restaurant is the object that grabbed his interest. It wasn't a plain coaster-it was in the shape of a shark fin, and it was a unique form of advertisement for Land Shark Lager. Dave filed away the idea, and decided it would be the theme of his next street rod.
Eric Brockmeyer penned the...
Eric Brockmeyer penned the original drawing and from here Dave Reinhold took over and built a hot rod very true to the initial theme.
Dave isn't new to cars, having grown up in Dearborn, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. He grew up attending the Autorama with his father, building model cars, and eventually cruising Telegraph Road when he got his driver's license. He was on the right track.
Fast forward a decade or two, and you have a car guy with a hankering for something of the deep sea nature. He wanted to build a Model A roadster and give it a shark theme without going too crazy with body modifications. He calls it a Bonneville racer with European influence-it's certainly a nice blend of styling.
Starting fresh with a Brookville '31 Model A body and Deuce chassis, he sent his new hot rod to Gary Brown, of Brown's Metal Mods, for the shark treatment. Brown is responsible for molding the taillight buckets to the body, developing the unique dash, and fabricating body reveals fit with custom trim. These reveals are located in the decklid and hood and flow nicely into the windshield frame, which is a custom creation by Jerry "Porkchop" Walker of Sinister Hot Rods. Walker also leaned and peaked the Deuce grille shell, giving the roadster a sleek appearance. Then it was onto the Deuce 'rails, where he drilled and sleeved large holes for the custom side-exit exhaust, clipped the framehorns, and tucked the Deuce fuel tank close to the rear pan.
Brown's Metal Mods is responsible...
Brown's Metal Mods is responsible for the outstanding metalwork on the Brookville body. Brown created the killer dash, as well as the custom body reveals in the hood and decklid. The seats are from Speedway Motors, and feature black leather upholstery by Matt Baldwin at Woody's Hot Rodz.
The efforts from Brown and Walker resulted in a streamlined look, especially when you combine it with a nicely equipped chassis. The framerails are boxed and they're notched at the rear to provide ample suspension travel yet low ride height. A triangulated four-link setup locates the Ford 9-inch rearend housing, while QA1 coilovers soak up the bumps and offer vast adjustability. All four corners are equipped with Wilwood discs fitted with 11-inch rotors and four-piston calipers, while rolling stock sports glossy black Dayton wires and Coker Classic tires. Front suspension is the standard street rod setup consisting of a dropped I-beam axle with a pair of hairpin radius rods. All suspension components are black, keeping with the stealthy theme.
Under the steel hood is a 302ci Ford Racing crate motor. The lightweight roadster moves easily as a result of the Ford V-8 but the Tremec five-speed does add measurably to the driving pleasure. The Blue Oval is close to stock but does sport an Edelbrock dual-quad intake manifold topped with matching Edelbrock four-barrel carburetors. A modified Technostalgia Olds breater covers the carburetors, while finned Ford Racing valve covers offer a nice finishing touch. The front of the engine is barren of accessories and the "almost" always present alternator was moved rearward and is driven off the rearend by a custom pulley setup.