There is probably a little bit of detective in most hot rodders, exemplified when they are looking for that elusive part to finish their car or the phone number of “that guy” who told you where a barn find might be residing. But it’s a little more evident with Bart Malpass of Littleton, Colorado, as his full-time profession is being a 19-year veteran detective with the Denver Police Department.
A Chevy 400 was punched 0.030...
A Chevy 400 was punched 0.030 over by Automotive Innovations (Englewood, CO) to 406 cubes and topped with a set of Brodix heads and an Edelbrock RPM manifold and a Performer 750 carb. Inside the block flat-top pistons and a Crane cam were used, and bolt-on goodies include a Ron Davis polished aluminum radiator, Sanderson headers, Flowmaster mufflers, and lots of chrome and polished pieces. The engine backs up to a TH350 trans outfitted with a B&M Shift Improving Kit, and connects to a Lincoln Versailles 9-inch with a ’shaft from Front Range Drive Line (Englewood, CO).
The Malpass family already had a ’33 Ford coupe in the garage but, when Bart and his wife, Jodi, were expecting an addition to the family, a son, the two-seater had to go in favor of a car with a back seat. Jodi took it a little further and expressed how she’d like a convertible so, being the good detective he is, Bart started searching. After about a year, he located a good candidate at a car show—a ’54 Chevy 210 convertible that was owned by a fireman.
The car was pretty close to what Bart was looking for, and a lot of the base work had already been done (including the body and paint), which was a plus in Bart’s book. But the fireman was reluctant to sell it as he’d become attached to it, but he called Bart the next day and said he’d let it go.
Bart brought the black beauty home and tucked it into the corner of the garage while he started gathering parts to make the car his own. Black and chrome would be the theme, and Bart started with a set of Baer 13-inch polished disc brakes for the front (12-inchers for the rear) and a set of 17- and 18-inch Billet Specialties wheels. The front end is a Heidt’s IFS with 2-inch dropped spindles while the rear uses lowering blocks to bring the profile down. The chassis is powdercoated and the 9-inch rear came out of a Lincoln Versailles.
The stock split-bench front...
The stock split-bench front seat was covered in a dark and light gray with a leather and Ultra Suede combination by Denver Auto Upholstery. Dakota Digital gauges were used up on the dash, and a Billet Specialties steering wheel provides the only amount of shiny stuff found inside the cockpit.
Bart then had a new 406 built using a pair of Brodix heads, an Edelbrock 750 carb and manifold, and a set of Sanderson Quiet Performer headers that exit into ceramic-coated tubing (from A&A Performance Exhaust) and out a pair of Flowmaster 40s. Bart also added a pair of electronically controlled cut-outs to the rear-exiting system, which keeps the dirt level down on the trunk lid. Once finished off with ball-milled, polished aluminum valve covers and air cleaner, the engine was installed in the bay up against a smoothed and black firewall, which reflects the engine so clearly Bart is often asked if he is somehow using a mirror. Malpass also changed the seating in his car to include some Ultraleather rather than being all-leather because, for one, the contrast in color but also because the all-leather layout was too hot in the direct sun, and the Ultra Leather is cooler to the touch. The interior was also brightened up with a Billet Specialties steering wheel, though the carpet went darker when changed from gray loop to black.
Bart says future plans for the car might include a power rack, a chrome column, 210-style rear stainless steel gravel guards, Hilborn injection, smoothed bumpers, and maybe some Bel Air trim. About the only thing he hasn’t changed is the 16-year-old paintjob that was laid down by the car’s initial builder, Ken Frasier, who Bart says did 80 percent of the work on the car, including a nose and deck job. Bart has since been able to cruise with family (his son, Carson, is now 7 years old) and friends on a trip to Deadwood, South Dakota, and the engine ran at 177 degrees while it was 100 degrees outside, a testament to both Fraiser’s build and Bart’s updates that, when combined, make for a truly awesome ride.
The stock split-bench front...
The stock split-bench front seat was covered in a dark and light gray with a leather and Ultra Suede combination by Denver Auto Upholstery. Dakota Digital gauges were used up on the dash, and a Billet Specialties steering wheel provides the only amount of shiny stuff found inside the cockpit.
Hard to believe, but the paint...
Hard to believe, but the paint on Bart’s Chevy is 16 years old! That’s a tribute to the painter, Ken Frasier, who used a single-stage PPG Deltron when he first sprayed the car. Billet Specialty wheels, 18x7 and 18x9.5, are wrapped in Nitto ZR NT450 and NT500 rubber, 225/45 for the front and 275/40 on the rear.