October 2012 Early Iron

Back in the ’80s, Louis Smith had a string of rods, including a Model A sedan, a ’31 Tudor, a five-window Deuce, and a ’34 five-window. But the one car he had always wanted was a ’31 Ford Victoria. One day his grandson asked if they could “build a car that was cool”, and the search was on. Louis found this ’31 in Virginia and brought it back to his home in Canton, CT. From replacing the wood to welding in a new floor, the Model A was gone through from top to bottom. It now sports a Heidts IFS and a 350/350 engine and trans combo.

Ed Clarke, from Gastonia, NC, is 73 years old and still hammering away on hot rods. Though STREET RODDER has commented in the past about “not seeing too many tall T coupes out there” Ed has a different view and only has to walk to his garage to find one. His ’27 Ford used to be a truck; it’s powered by a 2.0L four-cylinder Ford motor. The ’54 Harley Pepper Red coupe uses 11-inch Torino discs up front and engine-turned aluminum trim pieces for the interior.

Built 10 years ago, George Uberbacher’s ’31 five-window Ford has all the elements of a classic hot rod design. Based in Wappingers Falls, NY, George’s Model A is chopped 3 inches, and features a filled roof, a boxed frame, and a ’32 shell from Brookville. A ’32 dash was also used, and filled with Stewart-Warner gauges. Power comes from a 500-inch Caddy motor, backed to a TH400 trans.

Mike and Bonnie Raschein’s ’35 Chevy is about as black and slippery as they come, but it’s a long way from where the project started back in 1999. Mike, from Reeseville, WI, did the work on his car himself, which includes boxing the original frame and adding custom crossmembers. A 350 engine, backed to a four-speed, makes for a fun drive and disc brake on each corner and a Mustang II IFS provides safety and performance.

Another 10-year project, this A/V-8 roadster, is owned by Christopher Crowe of Holden, MA. Built on a ’32 chassis, the body came as a repop from Brookville Roadsters. A 59A block was used, fitted with a ’49 Merc crank, a Thickstun intake, and dual 97 carbs. The wire wheels are from 1935, and the steering wheel is a ’39 banjo unit. Christopher also used motorcycle fenders both front and rear, though the rears have been clipped. To finish off the interior, red leather from LeBaron Bonney was used throughout. Crowe also owns a ’36 Tudor, powered by a souped-up Flattie.

Based in Leavittsburg, OH, Garen Jackson has been working on his ’32 DeLuxe roadster for the past few years. The body is ’glass, as are the fenders, which include a passenger side wheelwell mount that Garen made himself. The engine is out of a Chevy Blazer, and gauges on the dash are by MotoMeter. The paint is ’40 Ford Mandarin Maroon, and all five wheels are topped with ring ’n’ caps.

Robert Duncan, from Montrose, CO, is going on 80 years old, and he’s been in the process of building this ’27 sedan for some time. He started with three bodies in order to have enough good metal to make one, and he built his own frame, too. He used a frontend from Total Cost Involved Engineering, and installed a ’53 Buick straight-eight engine for something different. He also chose to make side curtains instead of having glass, since the doors were in such bad shape.

“Black Jack” is what Charles Kello, of Norfolk, VA, calls his black Deuce highboy roadster. A couple of years ago Charles gave Flatlanders a few sketches of what he wanted in a roadster and they built it for him. Charles says the engine, a blown 355 built by Butch Kernoodle, has so much power it will “give you a free facelift!” Charles is 68 years old but, when he drives his hot rod, he says he feels 18 again.