PPG/Street Rodder Road Tour '33 Ford Roadster

This year the Road Tour ride choice is both a runner and a stunner. The past seven Road Tour cars have included coupes, sedans, roadsters, highboys, and several phantoms, but the 2003 PPG/STREET RODDER Road Tour ride is a '33 full-fendered Ford roadster that combines aspects of a resto and high-tech rod.

Sprayed in PPG Mercedes Silver, the Wescott's Auto Restyling 'glass body and fenders are striking in appearance and the aluminum hood tops off the roadster beautifully. Many rodders believe that the '33-34 is the best looking body style Ford ever produced, and with the Wescott's windshield chopped 2 inches and the Wheel Vintiques wheels providing "the stance," it just gets better.

This year Barry White of Barry White's Street Rod Repair Company in Placentia, California, was selected to build the Road Tour '33 based on a Pete & Jake's chassis utilizing boxed rails from American Stamping Company. The crossmembers and mounts were in place, starting with the Heidt's Hot Rod Shop front crossmember for their tubular independent front suspension. The Pete & Jake's round-tubing center X-member mounts the transmission with a drop-out section in the center for easy transmission removal. It also has mounts for both the Lokar brake pedal, Stainless Steel Brakes Corp. power booster, and dual-chamber master cylinder.

At the rear, the chassis has the forward mounts for the parallel four-bars that will locate the rearend and a tubular rear crossmember that provides mounting for the Viper coilover shocks. A Panhard rod assures that the chassis will stay centered over the rear axle for good handling.

Assembly of the chassis bits started with the Heidt's IFS. The polished stainless upper and lower control arms were mated with the Aldan billet coilover shocks and the stainless spindles. The power rack-and-pinion steering box from Borgeson Universal Company was bolted to the back of the crossmember and connected to the steering arms. The antiroll bar was then added for improved cornering power and stability.

Front and rear brakes are from SSBC, with their own front caliper-mounting discs made for the Heidt's front spindles and their new Elite Series billet street rod calipers. Keeping the brakes all in the family, SSBC also supplied the 7-inch-diameter power brake booster and the master cylinder.

Drive Train Specialists literally put together a 9-inch Ford rearend for the car, since the only Ford part is the pumpkin, which was fitted with 3.50:1 gears. The housing was made from all-new steel, new axle tubes were used, and the 9-inch-style axle ends were mated with high-strength, 31-spline axles. The Pete & Jake's four-bars were installed to locate the rear axle front to rear in the frame, connecting the frame mounts with the rear mounts DTS-welded to the rear axle tubes.

In order to keep up with, or out of the way of, the cross-country semis, reliable power from a Walker Radiator/Cooling Components 302 V-8 from Ford Racing Performance Parts was used. The block is fitted with a factory roller cam, 9:1 compression, iron heads, and the electronic fuel injection from a Cobra-model Mustang--providing good fuel economy and an induction system that's not allergic to altitude changes. Backing up the powerplant is a matching Ford AOD automatic that has been fully massaged by TCI Automotive. Dressing out the engine and trans is a full complement of Lokar products, such as dipsticks, cables, a shifter, and pedals.

Inside, the comfort and aesthetic value are topped off with a Rod Doors interior, which includes the charcoal gray faux leather-covered bench seat, pre-cut door and kick panels, and gray carpeting. The interior also features the American Autowire wiring system that brings to life the air conditioning and heating by Vintage Air, instrumentation by Dakota Digital, and the XM stereo from Custom Autosound. American Autowire also brings "juice" to the Bob Drake Reproductions headlights and taillights. A Borgeson steering column, its drop, and the steering wheel are all used along with a Lokar shifter. Other Drake items include the running boards, bumpers, and rubber trim.

If you are reading this month's issue while attending the NSRA Street Rod Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky, wander on over to the STREET RODDER booth and take a peak for yourself. If you missed it, make sure to catch up at one of the remaining NSRA regional events.

Power comes from the fuel-injected...        read full caption Power comes from the fuel-injected small-block Ford V-8 directly from the Ford Racing Performance Parts catalog. The AOD transmission is a TCI item.

The '34's taillights are a...        read full caption The '34's taillights are a nifty hot rod trick by using '37 Ford sedan lights from Bob Drake Reproductions. The '37 stands were cut down and angled by Barry White's Street Rod Repair crew. Wheel Vintiques supplied the billet five-spoke wheels, giving the roadster a "taste" of the past but with a most definitely contemporary look.

Rod Doors offers a bench seat,...        read full caption Rod Doors offers a bench seat, as well as the pre-made door and kick panels for the Wescott's '34 'glass roadster. This makes for professional-looking stitchwork at a fraction of the cost.

Borgeson supplied the steering...        read full caption Borgeson supplied the steering column, its drop, and the steering wheel for this year's Road Tour roadster.

The center console is another...        read full caption The center console is another Rod Doors item, which neatly corrals the Lokar shifter, the XM radio by Custom Autosound, and the heating and air conditioning control by Vintage Air. The dash insert comes by way of Lokar while the digital-round instruments are from Dakota Digital.

Again, Bob Drake Reproductions...        read full caption Again, Bob Drake Reproductions was called upon for the headlights, a pair of '34 commercials resting on modified stands--also by Barry White's shop.