1930 Ford Coupe - Champagne Taste

Without wasting any time, Mike got busy laying out the groundwork for the spine, beginning with a set of Henry’s original A framerails acting as a base. In order to achieve the desired wheelbase (and retain the stock firewall) the ’rails were first stretched 4 inches and then boxed for additional strength. Custom center crossmembers were then fabbed, accented by a striking 14-inch kick in back, adding a taste of evil to the mix. A ’48 Ford rearend packed with 3.78:1 cogs converted to open drive was suspended in place by a pair of modified split Ford ’bones, complemented by a ’40 Ford spring and a pair of NAPA tube shocks. For a period-perfect look, a Super Bell 4-inch dropped and drilled I-beam axle with early Ford spindles was suspended in place by split Ford wishbones combined with a stock A spring and NAPA tube shocks. To bring the beast to a halt when needed, a Tilton master pushes fluid through steel lines to corner-mounted ’40 Ford brakes, each capped with Buick finned aluminum drums. Adding plenty of ’60s-era dazzle to the equation, a set of ’40 Ford steelies were treated to Gold Candy Cosmichrome by Jason Essex at Essex Customz in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The 16x4 front and 16x4.5 rear wheels were then capped with a set of big ’n’ little Coker/BFGoodrich bias-ply wide whites to seal the deal.

Wanting to give the car plenty in the go-fast department, Dorr came up with a ’60 Corvette 283ci bent-eight and had Mike work his special voodoo on it till it hit 292 ci. Filled with Sealed Power slugs complemented by a COMP Cams stick, it was topped with a pair of massaged heads. The small-block breathes deep through a classic Edelbrock intake topped with a Vintage Speed adapter crowned by a pair of Holley 94-series carbs. It sparks to life thanks to Mallory and dumps its spent gases through a pair of Rams Horn to custom 2-1/2-inch pipes. Linked to a Pontiac five-speed tranny massaged by Dave Olin at Weller Auto Parts, power gets transferred through a custom driveshaft by D&R Driveline of Jenison, Michigan.

In order to add plenty of sex appeal to the body, Mike nailed the look with a graduated chop of 5 inches front to 4-1/2 inches rear to give the coupe the right proportions. He followed with a killer 6-inch channel to firmly establish an in-the-weeds stance. When it came to getting the body razor sharp, Dorr rolled up his sleeves and didn’t stop till it was blocked to perfection. To give the car copious amounts of ’60s show car effervescence, countless color charts were studied till Dorr came up with a winner, thanks to PPG’s Vibrance collection. He had Joe Boerema, at Heavy Metal Custom Paint in Wyoming, Michigan, lay down a lustrous coating of Candy Gold and Gold Pearl vibe, bringing the car to life accented by the fine lines of Mike Contras. Complemented by neat bits, including vintage Guide headlights, ’61 Olds taillights, and an A grille, it’s easy to see that Dorr’s flashback was coming together perfectly.