Kobalt Tools/Street Rodder Road Tour 2001

After a couple roadsters, a coupe, and even a Tudor, STREET RODDER finally stepped up and built what many would call a "full-size" Road Tour car--a '36 Chevy two-door sedan. While this reduces the hazards of nature the open cars posed for Tour pilot Jerry Dixey, the "fat" rod for 2001--sponsored by Kobalt Tools--is a perfect example of what can transpire from a swap meet or classifieds bargain deal on a solid foundation car--two-door, four-door, sedan delivery, or what have you. (Since Jerry is traveling the country in such style this summer, we thought it only fair that we reverse our thinking for next year and stick him in a modern-style T-bucket, but he didn't buy into that too easily! And after spending a season in such comfort, who'd expect him to?!)

So, Dixey is touring the country this summer like a fat cat, and there are a number of folks to thank for that. As with all of the previous Road Tour vehicles, if it weren't for these fine individuals and companies, our series would not be the success it's been. This year's project started off with a tip from Bobby Alloway that Jerry Brown Chevrolet in Buford, Georgia, had in its showroom a cherry '36 sedan for a reasonable price. With a rough budget scenario in mind, we turned to Brent VanDervort at Fatman Fabrications in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the revamped foundation, which translated into a Mustang II-based IFS and a Chassis Engineering rear leaf kit, each outfitted with HAL shocks and ECI brake components. Next, it was off to Jim and Lisa Swan at CarFab, Inc. in nearby Concord, North Carolina, to wrap up the chassis and drivetrain installation (including fixing some mistakes made on our bad planning) of the Performance Automotive Warehouse Chevy 350 and Jet Performance 700-R4 overdrive automatic. Basically, CarFab built and pieced together the entire car from the chassis up, and also spent quite a bit of time working with the sedan's sheetmetal assemblage prior to it being painted--but not before Leon Brown's Upholstery (also in Concord) fashioned up a gorgeous Alante Naugahyde interior. Lastly, Wade Hughes' Hot Rod Flames in Cincinnati, Ohio, completed the project with its black 'n' flamed PPG paint job just in time for Dixey to hit the open road in style. (For a full listing of companies participating in Road Tour 2001, see page 39 or the three-part buildup beginning in the July '01 issue.)

This may seem like a huge undertaking--and it was, indeed. But when you factor in that the '36 was built in roughly six months, it's nothing short of incredible! To the credit of all involved, though, the only glitch to date was a burned-up rear axle bearing. Our hats are off to all involved, from the men and women who labored for hours on end to the companies who supplied everything from the nuts and bolts to the heavy equipment--without you, there'd be no Road Tour. Thank you all.