The centerpiece to the car, as far as Bob was concerned, is the '66 425 Buick Nailhead that was machined 0.030 at O'Reilly's in Springfield, Missouri, before being assembled by Bob at home. Most of the engine components are stock, save for the SPAL cooling fan, the Schneider cam, and the Offenhauser intake manifold topped with twin Edelbrock carbs. The exhaust was fabbed at D&D, as were the distinctive headers. Sliding up to a TH400 trans, the Buick runs as good as it looks.
To get the right stance, the...
To get the right stance, the body was channeled. D&D Specialty Cars also did their own body and paintwork, using a PPG black hue in the final stage.
The steel '32 received many custom touches, including a filled roof, radiused wheel arches, and the body channeled. Hidden hinges were also added, as was a custom roll pan and perhaps one of the most unique additions: a dash taken out of a '55 Oldsmobile (Bob comments, "The dash is about as long as the car! So Dale had a heck of a time getting it to fit inside that car").
D&D also fabbed up the hood and painted the car using PPG materials before the rolled over into the shop's upholstery area (D&D is a full-service shop-from design and fabrication to paint and upholstery). Denny had thought of using a metal panels, and wasn't sure if Bob was going to like the concept but, when Bob saw what Denny wanted to do, told the builder he didn't need to look for anything else-he liked it. Oil-rubbed hinges were added to access doors in the floor section (between the rear wheel tubs) and custom door pulls were made just for this car. Bob's Speedometer (Howell, MI) refurbished the Olds gauges, and a tachometer was mounted on top of the dash and left of the Impala steering wheel. Custom seats, covered in dark brown leather, went in, as did a Vintage Air A/C system.
The car was only completed a couple of days before the 2010 NSRA Nationals, so the first time Bob got to see his finished hot rod was on the floor of the convention center in the Builder's Showcase area, and he was "stunned." Though he kept track of what D&D was doing, the last time he'd seen the car is when the interior was getting started. To see it all together was a bit overwhelming, but now that the car is back home in Oklahoma, he's getting used to seeing it in his garage. Now Bob has asked D&D to freshen up and repaint a '34 coupe he owns, and he's looking at a possible redo of the coupe he bought from Pilkington a few decades back. So even after decades of involvement in the street rodding hobby, Bob and Deanna Reed show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Bob bought the 425 Buick Nailhead...
Bob bought the 425 Buick Nailhead first (having always wanted one) and then found the proper car to wrap around it. He assembled the motor after having it bored 0.030, and then added a Schneider cam and a pair of Edelbrock carbs to the Offenhauser manifold. Headers and exhaust are custom from D&D Specialty Cars.
The recessed license plate...
The recessed license plate is a little custom touch to a vehicle that is mostly traditional in its appearance. The simple tubular bumper bar is a nice touch, too.
Oil-rubbed custom hinges were...
Oil-rubbed custom hinges were used to contrast the brown interior, and D&D used metal sheet for the door panels, highlighting them with button-head Allen bolts and Phipps door handles.