One of our favorites was Dennis Bleile's traditional A-coupe. This black, flamed, 5-inch-chopped beauty is the epitome of hot rodding - all the right parts in all the right places. Radir's and wide-whites were just the icing on the cake for this little gem.

Darrel Potter's fresh new '50 Shoebox turned heads all weekend. This Bradford, Pennsylvania-based Ford ain't just a good looker either - 406-cubes, dual quads, a 700R4, and a 9-inch provide a powerful punch to a show-car-quality ride. Great looks and lots of muscle - what else could ya ask for?

We found Rick Maxwell and his way-cool '36 three-window way out in the back forty well away from all the profilers. Rick's '36 has been his hot rod driver for well on 36 years now and its Flame Red finish and 302/C4 combo are as fresh and reliable as ever, This Wooster, Ohio hot rod would have been just as at home in the Pro's Pick area as it was out back in the last row, and we're awful happy we spotted it!

Speaking of Hemi's, Jim and Nancy Sievenpiper took time off from the ranch to motor over to Columbus in their oh-so-classy '46 Plymouth coupe. When not raising a slew of beef cattle the Upstate New York couple build and enjoy a herd of cool hot rods, as well. This one, the couple's latest, features a 354-cube Hemi backed by a 700R4 trans, Fatman Fabrications IFS, and a custom-fabricated stainless exhaust system.

Holy Hilborn's Batman! Wally Abela's no-nonsense closed-cab '32 pickup has gotta be one heck of an E-ticket ride. This 392-Hemi powered Deuce not only packs a pot full of power but some nifty hot rod touches like a 3-inch chop and a 5-inch channel.

Awesome is the best way to describe Al Miller's Romulus, Michigan-based '33 Ford coupe. This homebuilt heartthrob of a three-window rolls on a set of Halibrand's and is motorvated by a healthy stroker small-block Chevy.

Though somewhat far and few between, '58 Chevy's are cool street rod fodder, and Bob Roger's Delray is a perfect example of just how cool these one-year-wonder's can be. Bob's two-door-post is powered by a 350/700 combo for great performance and reliability, and its flawless black paint and 18 and 20-inch Coys wheels and air ride suspension give it just the right attitude.

There's nothin' that'll grab a rodder's attention like a gasser, and Al "Stretch" Morgan's '51 Henry J is about the coolest we've seen yet. This "Non" record holder looks like its ready to launch at all times, and its un-corked 327 barks like a junkyard dog - we didn't have a bone, so we tossed it a Top-100 pick instead!

Newark, Ohio's Bob Johnson snagged a Top-100 pick with his beautiful Deuce Vicky. Bob's '32 is powered by a stout 383-cube small-block Chevy backed by a 700R4 trans and a 9-inch Ford rear. A Super Bell dropped axle, a racy Moon tank, and a quartet of Americans wrapped in black walls round out one heck of a ride

As is the case with all his hot rods, Jeff Eischen's '23 T will knock your socks off. Jeff's roadster sports a '34 Ford Model-B OHV banger backed by a '48 Ford tranny and a '40 Ford-based homebuilt quick change rear. Add that to a slew of cool components like '39 Lincoln brakes, a '31 front axle, '37 Ford wire wheels, and a slew of trick engineering and fabrication details and you've got a real winner - a STREET RODDER/Turtle Wax Top-100 Winner, that is.

Most of us who build and enjoy hot rods do so because we're lifelong gearheads. We cut our teeth on car magazines and drooled over hot jalopies and show cars as kids; as we grew older, most of us graduated to building and owning, and our motivation became the pure love of the automobile. In the case of Lori Fujii's way-cool '37 Chevy coupe, love was yet again the motivator-not for the vehicle itself, but the love of a daughter for her dad.

Lori's story began years ago while her father, Tad Fujii, a consummate hot rodder, spent his time wrenching on and driving a '40 Ford. Though he enjoyed the Ford, he'd had his eye on a stock '37 Chevy Business coupe belonging to an old family friend. The Chevy had been stored in a barn over in Compton, California, since 1953, and Tad had tried for years to get the owner to sell it though to no avail.

Years later, just before Tad's 60th birthday, Lori decided she'd try to buy the old coupe herself as a surprise birthday present for Dad. Hoping for the best, but steeled for the worst, Lori contacted the owner, who, much to her delight, not only agreed to give up the Chevy, but after hearing the reason she wanted it so badly, actually gave it to her for free. Needless to say, her dad was both surprised and thrilled with his gift.

After 41 years in storage, Tad and his daughter towed the coupe home, and, Lori noted, it was one of the happiest days of her father's life. With his birthday present ensconced in the safety of the family garage, Tad set about planning his long-awaited build. He intended on taking his time and working slowly-a little bit here, a little bit there-as this was to be his retirement project.

Tragically, just 11 months after his birthday, Lori's dad was killed in a car accident. As one would imagine, the family was devastated; they barely knew what to do about anything, let alone the fate of the Chevy. All Lori knew was it was really important and special to her father, so she could never part with it. The unfinished coupe went back into storage.

Ten years passed before Lori made the decision to finally finish the project her father started. She knew her dad would have built it to drive and enjoy, so she planned on doing the same. Her goal was to build a totally reliable daily driver that kept the Chevy looking exactly as it had, both inside and out, when her father began his rodstoration. So, with much help and guidance from friend and co-worker Bruce Gray, the pair meticulously planned every step of the build using the skills of a group of professional-including, but not limited to, Garrett Wilson of Burbank-based Hollywood Hot Rods, Mark Lopez of Upland, and Butch Lynch and Dennis Ricklefs of Uncle Bitchin's in Temecula-to bring their plan to fruition.

As you can see, and as you might imagine, Lori's coupe ended up just as she had wished-a patina'd, stock-looking car with all the comforts, performance, and reliability anyone could wish for. Plus, a multitude of cool custom tweaks were added that she'll enjoy while driving her new hot rod daily-just as her father would have done.

Facts & Figures
Lori Fujii
West Lake Village, California
1937 Chevy Business coupe
CHASSIS
Frame / Manufacturer	modified stock / Chevrolet
Wheelbase	112.3"
Modifications	custom crossmember, Total Cost Involved (Ontario, CA)
Chassis plumbing	steel
Rearend / Ratio	9" Ford / 3.50:1
Rear suspension	Chassis Engineering Inc. (Riviera Beach, FL) leaf
Rear brakes	11" Ford drum
Front suspension	IFS, Total Cost Involved
Front brakes	disc
Master cylinder	Master Power Brakes (Mooresville, NC)
Steering	r&p
Front wheel make, size	The Wheelsmith (Santa Ana, CA), 15x6
Rear wheel make, size	The Wheelsmith, 15x8
Front tire make, size	Dayton, 205/75-15
Rear tire make, size	Dayton, 235/75-15
Gas tank	Rock Valley, stainless 20-gal
Engine
Make	Chevrolet
Displacement	350ci
Camshaft	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA), #2102
Water pump	FlowKooler
Cooling fan	16" electric
Radiator	Walker Radiator Works (Memphis, TN)
Alternator	160-amp
Heads	GM, iron
Valve covers	Corvette
Manifold / Induction	Edelbrock
Ignition / Wires	HEI / 8.5mm
Headers	iron manifolds
Exhaust / Mufflers	21/2" mandrel-bent / Mustang
Other engine facts	dress-up items custom knurled by Nimmo Machine (Costa Mesa, CA)
Transmission
Make	200-4R
Converter	2,400-rpm stall, Art Carr, Art Carr Performance Products (Abilene, TX)
Shifter	Lokar (Knoxville, TN)
Trans mods	Art Carr
Driveshaft	custom, Inland Empire Driveline (Ontario, CA)
Body
Body style / Material	Business coupe / steel
Body manufacturer	Chevrolet
Hood	stock steel
Bodywork	Butch Lynch, Uncle Bitchin's (Temecula, CA)
Paint type / Color	original lacquer / black
Painter	touch-up by Butch Lynch, Uncle Bitchin's
Striping	Dennis Ricklefs, Uncle Bitchin's
Headlights / Taillights	halogen / stock
Outside mirror	SO-CAL Speed Shop (Pomona, CA)
Other body items	chrome by Sihilling Metal Polishing (Santa Ana, CA)
Interior
Dashboard	modified stock-appearing
Insert / Gauges	stock / Redline Gauge Works (Santa Clarita, CA)
Stereo / Speakers	Custom Autosound (Fullerton, CA)
Air conditioning	Vintage Air (San Antonio, TX)
Insulation	Dynamat, LizardSkin, Tru-Max & Acoustishield
Wiring	American Autowire (Bellmawr, NJ) harness installed by Bruce Gray (Newport Beach, CA)
Steering wheel	Juliano's Hot Rod Parts & Interior Products (Ellington, CT), banjo
Steering column	Flaming River (Berea, OH)
Seats	modified stock
Upholsterer	Mark Lopez, Elegance Auto Interiors (Upland, CA)
Material / Color	mohair / olive
Carpet	beige
Seatbelts	Juliano's three-point

Traditional-style hot rods are all the rage, and it's not a fad, mind you, but a popular build style that has developed as the supply of real barn-fresh hot rods has diminished over the years. Jeff Ayeroff's neat '39 Ford coupe may not be one of those true barn-fresh hot rods, but it's sure close enough for us.

Jeff found this clean, stock survivor at a local car show. It was a completely stock driver that was luckily for sale. The coupe was just what Jeff was looking for as a foundation for a traditional-style hot rod. Jeff snatched it up before someone else did, and then proceeded to update the Ford with a plethora of aftermarket hardware-all the while leaving the '39 visually in stock form. The nearly pristine sheetmetal was removed from the stock chassis and set aside for installation on a completely new Roadster Shop '35-40 chassis assembly.

The new Roadster Shop frame is equipped with independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and disc brakes. Out back, a Ford 9-inch rearend assembly is held in place by a triangulated four-bar setup and a pair of coilover shocks. Jeff decided on front and rear disc brakes, as well.

Motorvation is supplied by a warmed-over, dual-quad, 327-cube small-block backed by a 700-R4 overdrive trans, a combination that offers the coupe plenty of pop-enough to tattoo a smile on any true hot rodder's face, that's for sure.

When the mechanicals were complete, Jeff bolted on a set of 16-inch steel wheels and stock hubcaps, and then lowered the body onto its new foundation. The body needed no work, but Jeff did opt to give the coupe a fresh coat of paint. He had his painter, Scott Burowski, finish off the job with a few coats of semigloss clear, just for that weathered look.

The interior was kept pretty darn stock, as well. The only modern additions were a good stereo system and a dose of air conditioning for comfy cruising. The balance of Jeff's interior upgrades include a new set of seat covers and door panels, a new OEM-style rubber floor mat, and the addition of seatbelts; the headliner and original factory woodgraining remain.

As is plain to see, Jeff's '39 project ended up just as cool-lookin' as any barn-find, just without the patience and detective work required in situations such as those. So, although it's not a true barn-find hot rod, it sure is one beautiful survivor that's destined to live out the rest of its life as a way-cool ride.

Facts & Figures
Jeff Ayeroff
Pacific Palisades, California
1939 Ford coupe
CHASSIS
Frame / Manufacturer	'39 Ford / Roadster Shop (Mundelein, IL)
Wheelbase	112"
Chassis plumbing	stainless steel
Rearend / Ratio	9" Ford / 3.00:1
Rear suspension	coilover shocks & triangulated four-bar
Rear brakes	Wilwood (Camarillo, CA)
Front suspension	IFS, Heidt's Hot Rod Shop (Wauconda, IL)
Front brakes	Wilwood
Master cylinder	GM dual-res
Steering box	r&p
Wheel covers	Ford
Front wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques (Fresno, CA), 16x7
Rear wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques, 16x7
Front tire make, size	Coker (Chattanooga, TN), 300/16
Rear tire make, size	Coker, 300/16
Gas tank	stock, 16-gal
Other chassis items	fully boxed, custom crossmembers
Engine
Make	Chevrolet
Displacement	327ci
Machining / Assembly	Dan Brewer (Torrance, CA)
Crankshaft	GM
Camshaft	GM Performance
Water pump	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA)
Cooling fan	16" electric
Radiator	Copper/brass, Mattson's Radiator (Stanton, CA)
Alternator	160-amp
Heads	Chevrolet
Valve covers	Corvette
Manifold / Induction	Chevrolet dual-quad / Rochester (2)
Ignition / Wires	electronic / 8mm
Headers	Chevrolet iron manifolds
Exhaust / Mufflers	aluminized steel / Turbo
Transmission
Make	Chevrolet 700-R4
Converter	GM
Shifter	Gennie Shifter (Denver, CO)
Trans mods	Torrance Transmission (Torrance, CA)
Driveshaft	custom
Body
Body style / Material	coupe / steel
Body manufacturer	FoMoCo
Hood	stock steel
Bodywork	original
Paint type / Color	PPG / Gray-Green
Painter	Scott Burowski
Interior
Stereo	Sony
Air conditioning	Vintage Air (San Antonio, TX)
Wiring	Painless Performance (Fort Worth, TX)
Seats	stock re-covered
Upholsterer	Fast Ed's (Torrance, CA)
Material / Color	leather / vintage brown
Carpet	rubber matting
Seatbelts	three-point

Obsession. Simply stated, it's an idea that can be compared to a total mental domination regarding a certain subject. Some people go through their entire lifetimes without experiencing anything that closely resembles it. For others, though, it becomes a way of life.

For Lou Querusio of Mendon, Massachusetts, his overwhelming obsession with customs started early on at a time when names like Barris, Starbird, and the Alexander Brothers were dominant forces in everything to do with automotive restyling. The staggering creativity that was flowing through the design studios in Detroit in the 1950s gave the daring visionaries with a hammer and dolly amazing bases to work with and build upon. Frequenting the local hobby shop in his area as a youth, Lou was awestruck by the scale models available to be built right at home on the kitchen table. It's a story to which many of us can relate, one where a youngster fueled his desires with a kit rendition of an original creation, thanks to the cash he made on his paper route.

Never losing his fascination with custom cars, Lou managed a few sweet rides as the years passed, but it wasn't until recently, when he became acquainted with Todd Lewis of Xtreme Restorations in Slatersville, Rhode Island, that he fully realized the potential of bringing his many obsessions to life. Starting with the purchase of a '66 Pontiac LeMans, he had the team at Xtreme breathe new life into it with countless mild custom touches, while a fire-breathing Pontiac mill let the neighborhood know when he was ready to hit the streets. Having always admired the body lines of the '58 Chevy Impala-especially for the fact that the car looked like a custom right from the factory-Lou set a course to locate a suitable base to start with for his next project.

While driving thorough a bordering town near his home, Lou spied a bone-stock '58 sitting in a driveway with a "For Sale" sign taped to the window-talk about fate! After checking out the car, it was determined this clean original would be the next project, and Lou soon went over his ideas for the car with the Xtreme team. He wanted it to be a very subtle car with just enough change to the exterior to make it look period-perfect.

One of the many facets of designing a true custom starts with the car's stance. Miss this and you may as well throw in the towel, because the car will never look right. The crew made a call to Air Ride Technologies for one of its ShockWave systems, and it was combined with tubular upper control arms and an antiroll bar from Hotchkis Performance to make sure the car's newfound personality would be just what the doctor ordered. As the team worked their way through the chassis, a new steering box was added from an '88 Jeep Wagoneer, while plenty of stopping power is ensured by a combination of MP discs and calipers up front, and rear drums and the stock rearend out back.

Choosing Wheel Vintiques billet smoothies topped with chrome bullet caps rolling on Diamond Back Classics wide whitewall radials added just enough dazzle to the mix. A decision was also made to have the team rebuild the original 348ci mill with a twist; after punching out the block, it was filled with TRW slugs, a Crane stick, and Manley valves prior to being deburred and doused with vivid red gloss. To bring it all home, an Offy six-pot intake was bolted on top and teamed up with a squadron of Rochesters capped with traditional air cleaners.

Finally, the team cast their spell on the body, first by shaving the hood, then by making sure it was razor-sharp before masking it up and dousing it with PPG Cashmere Blue. Once it was rolled out of the booth, it was treated to a full continental kit, custom front fender side moldings, and its signature bullet-tooth grille. From there, it was time to give it some new threads, so the team at Xtreme installed a tri-color motif interior they further accented with an engine-turned dash and steering wheel inserts, a customized flip-down tissue dispenser containing hideaway gauges, and an updated sound system.

Lou told us he's been burning up the miles on the Impala on a daily basis. We can hardly wait to see the pair of early Caddy customs emerge from Xtreme Restorations that he is having Todd and his team design and build right now.

Facts & Figures
Lou Querusio
Mendon, Massachusetts
’58 Chevrolet Impala
Chassis
Frame / Manufacturer	stock / Chevrolet
Modifications	suspension by Xtreme Restorations Inc. (Slatersville, RI)
Chassis plumbing	steel
Rearend / Ratio	stock / 3.23:1
Rear suspension	Air Ride Technologies (Jasper, IN) ShockWave
Rear brakes	stock drum
Front suspension	Air Ride Technologies ShockWave w/ Hotchkis (Santa Fe Springs, CA) tubular upper control arms & antiroll bar
Front brakes	Master Power Brakes (Mooresville, NC) disc
Master cylinder	SSBC (Clarence, NY) dual w/ power booster
Steering box	’88 Jeep Wagoneer
Wheel covers	Wheel Vintiques (Fresno, CA) bullet caps
Front wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques Billet Smoothie, 15x8
Rear wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques Billet Smoothie, 15x8
Front tire make, size	Diamond Back Classics (Conway, SC), P235/75R15
Rear tire make, size	Diamond Back Classics, P235/75R15
Engine
Make	Chevrolet
Displacement	348 (.030” overbore)
Machining / Assembly	Richard Desautels of Xtreme Restorations
Crankshaft	steel
Rods	stock, shot peened
Pistons	TRW 10:1
Camshaft	Crane Cams (Daytona Beach, FL), 480-lift, 225-duration
Water pump	Xtreme Restorations custom reverse-flow
Cooling fan	electric
Radiator	Be Cool (Essexville, MI) aluminum
Alternator	Powermaster (Knoxville, TN) 160-amp, chrome
Heads	stock, ported
Valves / Springs	Manley (Lakewood, NJ)
Rockers	steel
Valve covers	Offenhauser (Los Angeles, CA)
Manifold / Induction	Offenhauser six-pot / Rochester 2GC
Ignition / Wires	MSD (El Paso, TX)
Headers	Sanderson (S. San Francisco, CA)
Exhaust / Mufflers	2” aluminized / DynoMax (Monroe, MI)
Other engine facts	engine pulleys, brackets, custom electric exhaust cutouts by Xtreme Restoration
Transmission
Make	TCI Automotive (Ashland, MS) 700-R4
Converter	B&M Racing & Performance Products (Chatsworth, CA)
Trans mods	TCI Automotive
Driveshaft	custom one-piece, Cockroft Inc. (Providence, RI)
Body
Body style / Material	coupe / steel
Body manufacturer	Chevrolet
Body mods	custom front fender moldings by Xtreme Restorations
Hood	nosed
Grille	custom bullet grille by Xtreme Restorations
Bodywork	Xtreme Restorations
Paint type / Color	PPG / Cashmere Blue
Painter	Ken LaFlemme of Xtreme Restorations
Headlights	stock w/ half-moon chrome covers
Other body items	continental kit & custom third brake light by Xtreme Restorations
Interior
Insert	custom engine turned by Xtreme Restorations
Stereo	stock AM converted to accept FM & 180 watts
Air conditioning	custom by Xtreme Restorations
Wiring	Painless Performance (Fort Worth, TX)
Steering wheel	stock w/ custom paint & engine-turned insert
Upholsterer	Rick Trebino of Xtreme Restorations
Material / Color	vinyl / blue w/ tri-color blue inserts
Carpet	blue loop pile
Other interior items	custom gauge panel hidden in tissue dispenser by Xtreme Restorations

There are a lot of guys out there who believe they can build a great-looking, great-driving hot rod. But, in reality, many of these guys only think they can build a good hot rod. Not only does it take a certain amount of expertise in metalworking or paint and body, but it also takes a great eye to make a car sit just right and look great, even when it's standing still.

Bob Oney, based in Lebanon, Ohio, has a great eye for building hot rods. Not only has he done just that on dozens of occasions in the past 25-plus years, but a handful of his creations have also been featured on the pages of this magazine over the years.

Bob built his first hot rod, a Deuce roadster, right after he graduated high school in 1971. Since then, Bob estimates he's built more than 45 cars, and probably two dozen of them from scratch. The scratch-built cars are done with parts he's collected over time, while others have come about by purchasing a fairly complete car and redoing it to his liking. Either way, the finished result is usually something that makes you want to sell your own ride and buy his, 'cuz that's the way they're supposed to look.

When most folks from across the country see a hot rod woodie, they often think of California-the sun, sand, and surf-and that's where this ride was first modified. A Cincinnati, Ohio, couple bought it in 1973, bringing the Washington Blue Ford home with the intentions of finishing it themselves.

But, that work was never completed, so the woodie sat in storage for more than 28 years. Bob, being the good hot rodder he is, knew of the car while growing up in that part of Ohio, and would occasionally ask if it was for sale, but the answer was always the same. Trouble was, every hot rodder in Ohio knew about the vehicle, and everyone would ask if it was for sale, usually offering a low-ball figure.

Bob believes he was in the right time and place when he recently made his respectable offer known to the couple. They decided to take him up on his offer and sold it to him, since they knew he wouldn't ruin the car.

When he got the car home and began to take it apart, only then did he fully realize how nice a car this woodie had been. The Washington Blue that was on the exterior was the original paint. One owner had started trying to make a hot rod out of it, painting the firewall a candy apple red, but the paintjob never progressed past that. There had also been an installation of a Mustang II frontend, but keep in mind that was done when that frontend was only a year or so old!

After getting everything blown apart, Bob checked the work on the IFS and found it was done right, so he decided to keep it in and start the build from there, adding a set of new Heidt's dropped spindles for the proper rake. The 8-inch 3.00:1 Maverick rear stayed in, too, to which Bob added a Chassis Engineering leaf spring setup. All four corners received Baer disc brakes, 12-1/2-inch up front, 13 1/2 in the rear, as well as 18x7 and 20x8 American Racing wheels.

Nothing says reliability like a Chevy crate engine, which is what Bob installed, though he did add a few new upgrades, such as an Edelbrock manifold and carb, Hooker headers, Taylor wires, a Crane camshaft, and a Walker radiator. Backed to a TH350 trans, Bob knows he'll be able to drive down the highway with no worries.

Another surprising find was how good the original wood was on the car. Even though it had been in storage for almost three decades, it was still a 20-year-old car when it went into hibernation, but Bob says 60 percent of the birch and maple was good enough to leave alone. One thing that was done by Mike Nickles, the wood expert from Traverse City, Michigan, Bob hired to help with the wood, was to replace all of the dark wood with a lighter shade, which gives the ride its overall blond appearance.

Little body and trim mods were done to the '47, too, including pie-cutting the hood and narrowing the front bumper 5 inches so it would fit against the body better. The rear bumper was left at stock width, though a '49 Chevy license plate surround was added to break up the long line of the bumper. Bob also manufactured the taillight setup for his ride, using '37 Ford housings and custom chrome stands. When all was said and done, Bob painted the car himself, using PPG Black acrylic enamel.

Another pleasant surprise for Bob was how nice all of the car's stainless steel was, including the dash trim pieces, so he left that alone, too. A pair of Haneline 3n1-series gauges was fitted into the dash, and vents for the Vintage Air A/C system were added at the dash's outer edge. A Juliano's steering wheel was color-matched to the rod's exterior, and bolted to a column out of a '70 Chevy van.

If you look up and past the wood slats that make up the roof structure, you'll see black suede material was used to create a headliner-kind of a rarity in a woodie, as they're usually vinyl. Black Haartz cloth was used on the exterior of the vehicle, but black leather was used inside, which was stitched up by Pro Auto's Steve Holcomb. Steve also covered the Wise Guys split bench front seat in the same cowhide, as well as the rear seat, which is actually a front bench seat out of an early '30s Ford. A charcoal German square-weave carpet also went in, which complements the otherwise black and blond interior.

Once together and driving, Bob says his woodie rides and drives like a late-model vehicle, and it's one of the most comfortable cars he's ever had-and that's saying something. Since he started out in 1971, Bob has certainly seen the hobby through all of its phases and, with a laugh, says the hobby is now full of old people! But, at 54 years old, he recently took his company's offer of early retirement and decided to expand his working on cars to include more customer vehicles-wiring, column installation, and so on. After seeing what he can do with his own cars, we can bet his customers are going to be happy with the way Bob will see their ride, too.

Facts & Figures
Bob Oney
Lebanon, Ohio
1947 Ford Deluxe woodie
Chassis
Frame / Manufacturer	original ’47 Ford
Rearend / Ratio	8” Maverick narrowed 2” / 3:00:1
Rear suspension	Chassis Engineering (Riviera Beach, FL) dual leaf w/sway bar
Rear brakes	Baer Brake Systems (Phoenix, AZ) 12-1/2” disc, cross-drilled & vented rotors w/ e-brake
Front suspension	Mustang II w/ Heidt’s Hot Rod Shop (Wauconda, IL) 2” dropped spindles
Steering rack	Flaming River (Berea, OH) power rack
Front brakes	Baer 13-1/2” discs w/ cross-drilled & vented rotors
Master cylinder	Corvette
Front wheel make, size	American Racing (Rancho Dominguez, CA), 18x7
Rear wheel make, size	American Racing w/ reversed hoops, 20x8
Gas tank	Tanks Inc. (Clearwater, MN)
Engine
Make	Chevrolet
Displacement	350 ci
Camshaft	Crane Cams (Daytona Beach, FL) RV
Water pump	Tuff Stuff Performance Accessories (Cleveland, OH) chrome
Cooling fan	SPAL
Radiator	Walker Radiator Works (Memphis, TN)
Alternator	100-amp chrome Tuff Stuff
Valve covers	Advanced Plating chrome LT-1
Manifold / Induction	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA) carb w/ owner-built air cleaner
Ignition / Wires	HEI / Taylor
Headers	Hooker Headers
Exhaust / Mufflers	2 ¼” by owner & coated by Aesthetic Finishers / Flowmaster (Santa Rosa, CA)
Transmission	TH350 by Tri-City Auto Service (Hamilton, OH)
BODY
Style / Material	station wagon / birch & maple
Manufacturer	Ford
Body mods	vent windows removed in front doors, power windows in front doors, new rear tailgate & lengthened rear window, no center divider, all dark plywood was replaced w/ lighter wood, all wood was bleached & refinished by Mike Nickles (Traverse City, MI)
Hood	pie-cut & 7/8” removed
Grille	top bar removed & filled
Bodywork	by owner
Paint type / Color	PPG / Black acrylic enamel w/ urethane hardener
Painter	owner
Graphics	flames on radiator shroud by Bill Roell (Latonia, KY)
Headlights / Taillights	stock / ’37 Ford on owner-built chrome stands
Front bumper	narrowed 5”
Rear bumper	stock wagon bumper w/ ’49 Chevy license surround
Other body items	all stainless on the car plus 60% of the wood is factory original
Interior
Dashboard	stock w/modified glovebox for A/C ducts
Insert / Gauges	Haneline Products Co. (Morongo Valley, CA) 3n1 series
Stereo	Panasonic w/ 2 TVs
Subs / Speakers	by Jared Martin & owner
Air conditioning	Vintage Air (San Antonio, TX)
Wiring	American Autowire (Bellmawr, NJ) by owner
Steering wheel	Juliano's Hot Rod Parts & Interior Products (Ellington, CT)
Steering column	'70s Chevy van
Seats	front, Wise Guys Seats & Accessories (Elkhart, IN) split-back bench; rear, '28-34 coupe
Upholsterer	Steve Holcomb, Pro Auto (Knoxville, TN)
Material / Color	leather / black
Carpet	German square-weave
Other interior items	headliner is black suede under black Haartz canvas top

Ken Smith, of Portland, Oregon, doesn't do anything without thinking it through. He spent 10 years building this '32 Ford, using most of Henry Ford's parts, and a big one, the powerplant, from Ransom Eli Oldsmobile, of whom Ken is a direct descendant.

On top of that, he didn't add any more holes in Henry's frame than were put there in 1932. That takes some concerned thought; the reason being that, should the need arise, this car could be restored to original that much easier. Ken already has a restored '34 Ford in his garage, but he had enough pieces to build a second Deuce roadster tucked away for a future project. It took some foresight to amass that pile of tin, and Ken used his organizational skills to build this classic example of an early Ford hot rod. You could attend the Father's Day gig, hosted by the L.A. Roadsters, and see what appears to be dozens of cars that look strikingly like Ken's. But, you will see the difference if you scratch the surface, or check out the frame shots taken before the meticulously finished body was dropped.

The only mods to the frame were 1-inch C-notches in the rear, and bolt-in cast-aluminum reinforcement plates installed in the front section of the framerails. Ken also replaced the front crossmember with a '30 Model A piece to give a lower stance to the finished rod. Attached to that member is a '32 Ford reverse arc spring, an original '32 axle dropped 4 inches, and it's held in check with full-length split '32 wishbones. Bounce is held to a minimum with Monroe shocks, while stopping power comes from '46 Ford brakes with 12-inch '59 Buick drums and a '61 Chevrolet pickup master cylinder. When dropping an axle, other things also have to be changed, and Ken was very careful about this when he installed the '56 Ford pickup steering box, using the lower half of the pickup steering shaft and the upper half of a '38 Lincoln. He also installed the '32 steering arm on the left spindle after dropping it. Going down the driveshaft, we find a complete '34 Ford rear axle with 3.78 gears and a heavy-duty BorgWarner four-gear R-11 overdrive installed in the driveline with safety hubs. The rear spring is a '34 Ford de-arched unit attached alongside a pair of Monroe shocks.

What started this whole project in the first place was the aforementioned engine of Ransom E. Olds (1864-1950). Olds was the original builder of the Oldsmobile car, and he received his first patent for a gasoline-powered car in 1886, and put it up for sale for $1,000. He also established the first auto manufacturing plant in Detroit, outselling all other makes, and delivering more than 1,000 cars during the early 1900s.

With this in mind, Ken thought it would be great to honor his heritage with this project. He found a '57 Olds engine, and a '37 Cadillac LaSalle transmission, which had just been removed from a '32 Ford five-window coupe. The old powerplant had seen the engine bays of numerous hot rods since it was nearly new. It was at this point Ken decided to build the roadster from parts he had collected over the years, and from stuff other people no longer wanted. Imagine, there are people out there who didn't want '32 Ford parts. Ken then heard, through a friend, of a tired '32 Ford roadster just waiting to be rescued, and he was off and running on his 10-year quest for the perfect hot rod.

With the door handles and side-curtain snaps removed, and the body massaged by Mike McKennett, it was Mike Dietz's turn to spray the PPG Black on the Ford body. By this time, the car was looking good and ready for the final assembly, so Ken took all the pieces home and painstakingly made the transition from a pile of parts to a running car.

He added an original '32 Auburn dash panel with early convex-lens Stewart Warner gauges, and a mid-'30s radio, along with a vintage hot-water heater. He then had Jeff Martin install a stock LeBaron Bonney interior, and topped it off with a '36 Ford steering wheel. The crowning end to the build is the top; with the original irons modified by the owner, it was one of the last jobs done by Kenny Jones, the master of convertible lids in the Northwest. His signature tops are legendary for their fit and overall perfect appearance.

There it is-a very good example of how to construct a period hot rod, with mostly original parts, and make it driveable and eye-catching. Ken Smith has realized a 10-year dream of driving his own Deuce roadster, and we think Ransom Olds would be proud.

Facts & Figures
Ken Smith
West Linn, Oregon
1932 Ford roadster
Chassis
Frame / Manufacturer	FoMoCo
Modifications	’30 Ford front crossmember & 1” C-notch rear
Rearend / Ratio	’34 Ford 3.78
Rear suspension	’34 Ford de-arched spring
Rear brakes	’46 Ford ’59 Buick drums
Front suspension	stock ’32 Ford de-arched spring
Front brakes	’46 Ford ’59 Buick drums
Master cylinder	’61 Chev pickup
Power brakes	Midland booster
Steering box	’56 Ford pickup
Wheel covers	stock Ford
Front wheel make, size	early Ford, 15x5
Rear wheel make, size	early Ford, 15x6
Front tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 590x15
Rear tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 820x15
Engine
Make	Oldsmobile
Displacement	371ci
Machining / Assembly	Damascus Auto Service (Damascus, OR)
Pistons	Ohio
Camshaft	Engle Racing Cams (Santa Monica, CA)
Water pump	shortened ’57 Oldsmobile
Cooling fan	15” six-blade
Radiator	stock ’32 Ford
Generator	’57 Corvette tach drive generator
Valves / Springs	Ferrea Racing Components (Fort Lauderdale, FL) / Crower Cams & Equipment (San Diego, CA)
Rockers	McGerk
Valve covers	Moon (Santa Fe Springs, CA)
Manifold / Induction	Offenhauser Tri-power
Carburetors	Holley 2100 (3)
Ignition / Wires	Mallory 7mm
Exhaust / Mufflers	stainless / DynoMax (Monroe, MI)
Other engine facts	Stelling & Hellings air cleaners
Transmission
Make	Cadillac
Clutch	disc, stock ’57 Olds
Pressure plate	stock ’57 Olds
Shifter	stock ’37 Cadillac
Overdrive	BorgWarner four-gear R-11
Driveshaft	closed
Body
Body style / Material	roadster / steel
Body manufacturer	FoMoCo
Body mods	door handles removed
Hood	stock, louvered & blistered
Grille	stock ’32
Bodywork	Mike McKinnett (Portland, OR)
Paint type / Color	PPG / Black
Painter	Mike Dietz (Canby, OR)
Headlights / Taillights	Arrow 775 H / ’39 Ford
Interior
Dashboard	stock '32
Radio	Stewart Warner/Firestone early '30s tube radio
Wiring	stock, early Ford
Steering wheel	'36 Ford
Seats	stock LeBaron Bonney
Upholsterer	Jeff Martin (Portland, OR)
Material / Color	stock leather / tan

Surfin' and hot rods have gone hand in hand since the days of the Beach Boys, but today's version of a surfin' safari more often requires a computer and the Internet than it does a longboard and a woodie wagon.

Case in point: Big Al Liebmann and his latest hot rod coupe. Not long ago, Al, a longtime rodder and drag racer, sold his '39 GMC pickup and began a search for a new hot rod. Though he travels extensively to street rod shows around the country, he didn't have much luck finding a vehicle that really piqued his interest-until he expanded his search to his home desktop.

One evening while surfing the Web, Al came across an offering for a Deuce coupe that really caught his eye. The '32 had been originally built in Wisconsin back in the 1980s but had since been sold and ended up in New York State. Its foundation was a modified '32 frame topped by a "real" steel Deuce five-window body; the fact that it was built in the traditional style and was powered by an early 348 Chevy was icing on the cake. A deal was struck after the usual back-and-forth between buyer and seller, and Al had a new set of wheels.

Once Al had the car in his mitts, he realized it was really solid and would need nothing but a few personal taste-type mods to transform it into his vision of the perfect hot rod.

The first changes made were to swap out the wheels and tires that came with the car for a set of Radir Tri-Rib wheels and a quartet of wide whites, and to add a selection of cool traditional-style accessories from O'Brien Truckers, the Charlton, Massachusetts-based manufacturer of cast-aluminum hot rod accessories. Al also had the old interior stripped out and new upholstery and carpeting installed to finish off the transition of the coupe from a great Internet find to his own Deuce Bigalow.

Facts & Figures
Al Liebmann
Kinnelon, New Jersey
1932 Ford coupe
Chassis
Frame / Manufacturer	modified stock / Ford
Wheelbase	106”
Modifications	boxed, custom crossmembers & bracketry
Chassis plumbing	steel
Rearend / Ratio	8” Ford / 3.25:1
Rear suspension	four-bar w/ coilovers
Rear brakes	Bendix drum
Front suspension	tube axle & transverse spring
Front brakes	Monte Carlo disc
Master cylinder	T-bird
Steering box	Vega
Front wheel make, size	Radir (Montville NJ) Tri-Rib, 15x5
Rear wheel make, size	Radir Tri-Rib, 15x8
Front tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 165/75-R15
Rear tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 235/75-R15
Gas tank	custom, 18-gal
Other chassis items	chassis mods by Lee Osborn (Pennyan, NY)
Engine
Make	’58 Chevrolet
Displacement	348ci
Crankshaft	iron
Pistons	forged
Water pump	Chevrolet
Cooling fan	SPAL (Ankeny, IA)
Radiator	Walker Radiator Works (Memphis, TN)
Alternator	Powermaster (Knoxville, TN)
Valve covers	Offy
Manifold / Induction	Chevrolet / Rochester 2GC (3), O’Brien Truckers (Charlton, MA) air cleaners
Ignition / Wires	PerTronix (San Dimas, CA) Flame-Thrower / PerTonix
Headers	coated iron manifolds
Exhaust / Mufflers	aluminized steel / Cherry Bomb
Transmission
Make	Chevrolet TH350
Converter	ProTorque (Bohemia, NY)
Shifter	Gennie Shifter (Denver, CO)
Trans mods	All Star Transmission (N. Halden, NJ)
Driveshaft	custom
Body
Body style / Material	five-window coupe / steel
Body manufacturer	Ford
Body mods	chopped 2 ½”, channeled 1 ½”
Hood	Rootlieb (Turlock, CA)
Grille	stainless
Bodywork	unknown
Paint type / Color	PPG / black, purple
Painter	Alan Johnson Graphix (Blairstown, NJ)
Outside mirror	Mac’s Antique Auto Parts (Lockport, NY)
INTERIOR
Insert / Gauges	custom / VDO
Wiring	previous owner
Steering wheel	Grant Products (Glendale, CA)
Steering column	Chevrolet
Interior mirror	Mac's Antique Auto Parts
Seatbelts	Juliano's Hot Rod Parts & Interior Products (Ellington, CT)

As kids, you may remember trading baseball cards (trade that Frank Howard Washington Senator card for a Frank Robinson Baltimore Orioles card? You bet!). It's a habit that's hard to break, despite the fact the gum that came with the cards usually tasted much like the cardboard the players' stats were printed on.

But, the fine art of trading like items doesn't rest solely in baseball cards. Hot rodders have been doing it for years, and some of the best deals are made when no money ever changes hands.

Bruce Vath from Cincinnati, Ohio, knows how this process works. Back in 1998, he had started working on a '36 three-window, painted with DP-90 and rolling on a set of wide whites. The car had a smooth appearance, with no bumpers or door handles, and with the top and cowl vent filled. Bruce's vision for his ride was to add all the bumps back to it, including the bumpers and all the trim.

However, when he ran into a friend who was also working on a '36, this one a five-window, who wanted to shave everything off his stocker, the pair realized what they really wanted was each other's cars, so they decided to trade.

His new ride had been hot-rodded back in the 1960s but had spent the previous 20 years in storage in a garage in Dayton. After driving the car as-is, with its 30-year-old yellow paint and velour interior, Bruce rightfully thought he needed to redo his ride.

Wanting a vintage look, he first started looking at paint chips and found a split pea green shade he liked. He painted one of the fenders while it was still on the car and saw it was exactly the tone that would typify the look he was going for.

Not a quickie paintjob, Bruce went to the extent of blowing the body off the chassis and having it media-blasted before going after some needed improvements, chief among them being a new firewall. Though the body was fairly solid, there were many small areas that needed some attention, so work on the quarters, front floor section, and lower trunk began, and other parts were welded in place. After painting the frame, which had been updated by the previous owner, Bruce popped the body back on the chassis, and the car was prepped for paint.

All of this work, except for the paint and upholstery, was done in Bruce's home garage in what had started out as a one-winter project that turned into a four-year-total rebuild. But, after driving the car now for the past four years (Bruce said "it's always driven, never trailered"), he couldn't be happier with the way the project turned out.

It's probably like finding that pristine '54 Topps #128 baseball card in your stack of old baseball cards-you know the one: Henry Aaron's rookie card. But, what's the fun in that? At least Bruce gets to use what he's got.

Facts & Figures
Bruce Vath
Cincinnati, Ohio
1936 Ford five-window
Chassis
Frame / Manufacturer	stock / Ford
Rearend	’76 Ford 8”
Rear suspension	Chassis Engineering (Riviera Beach, FL) parallel leaf
Rear brakes	11” Ford drum
Front suspension	Chassis Engineering crossmember, Mustang II tubular control arms
Front brakes	11” Granada rotors
Master cylinder	Corvette dual w/ power booster from ECI
Steering box	Mustang II manual rack
Front wheel make, size	American Racing (Rancho Dominguez, CA) Torq-Thrust II, 14x6
Rear wheel make, size	American Racing Torq-Thrust II, 15x8
Front tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 195/70-14
Rear tire make, size	BFGoodrich, 235/70-15
Gas tank	Tanks Inc. (Clearwater, MN)
Other chassis items	front & rear antisway bars by Chassis Engineering
Engine
Make	Chevrolet ’87 IROC Z28
Displacement	350
Radiator	Walker Radiator Works (Memphis, TN)
Valve covers	painted aluminum
Manifold / Induction	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA) / Edelbrock 600 carb
Ignition	HEI
Headers	block-huggers
Mufflers	Flowmaster (Santa Rosa, CA)
Other engine facts	March Performance serpentine pulleys
Transmission
Transmission	TH350
Shifter	Lokar (Knoxville, TN)
Body
Body style	five-window
Material	all steel except fiberglass rear fenders
Body manufacturer	Ford
Bodywork	by owner & Jerome Brown
Paint type / color	BASF-Glasurit / Green
Painter	Jerome Brown
Pinstriping	by Bill Roell
Headlights / Taillights	stock ’36 w/ halogen bulbs
Outside mirror	swan neck
Bumpers	’36 stainless w/ shortened brackets on the rear
Other body items	third brake light below rear window, front turn signals behind horn grilles, working cowl vent, windshield cranks out & cloth roof insert
Interior
Dashboard	’36 Ford w/ original waterfall & ashtray
Gauges	stock, restored by United Speedometer
Stereo	Alpine AM/FM w/ CD & speakers
Air conditioning	Southern Air
Wiring	Ron Francis Wire Works (Chester, PA) kit by owner
Steering wheel	leather-wrapped LeCarra (Oneida, TN) banjo
Steering column	Flaming River (Berea, OH) tilt column
Seats	stock ’38 Ford
Upholsterer	Bob & Mike Lyons
Material / Color	leather / pebble
Carpet	brown
Seatbelts	equipped w/ shoulder harnesses

What type of car would you have in your driveway if price were not an issue? An original steel '32 Ford three-window? Maybe with a blown Flattie? What about a custom '57 Cadillac two-seat roadster, stylized to look like it came out of Valley Custom Shop in 1958?

But, why limit yourself to old hot rods? What about a collection of vintage and current Indy or Sprint Cars? And, don't forget about European exotics: Ferraris, Masers, Bugattis, Lambos, and the like. Want to toss in some elegance? Nothing says it's a Duesey like a Duesenberg.

For John O'Quinn, a nationally known trial lawyer based in Houston, Texas, it isn't about the money but rather having a great collection of cars. And, he should know-he owns more than 900 vehicles of all shapes and sizes, many of them being mentioned in the previous paragraphs.

But, two questions arise when you have nearly 1,000 cars at your disposal: One, what are you going to do with them, and, two, why keep buying them? As for the first query, it's been widely reported John has the idea to open an automotive museum in his hometown sometime in 2009, with some saying it should put to shame any other auto museum known to exist.

However, cars of John's caliber, if not driven, should at least be seen, so a museum is a great way for folks to possibly view something they'll probably never come in contact with any other way. As for continuing to purchase vehicles well after, say, the 500-car mark, we can only refer to the statement made in the first paragraph: If money were no object, wouldn't you?

That's the reaction this car has received from most folks when they see it. Rick has since taken it to Rick Perry's San Francisco show at the beginning of this year and two weeks later to the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona. It's not an over-the-top wild custom; it's a subtle exercise in style and grace. And, though he may have close to 1,000 cars at his disposal, John can be assured that there is only one car like this one. Case closed.

One of the best ways to ensure you've collected only the best is to attend the car auctions that cater to that elite clientele: RM, Christie's, Gooding & Company, and even Barrett-Jackson. At the annual RM auction in Pebble Beach a few years ago, John's buyer (someone who typically has been instructed to bid on particular cars by an off-site collector) purchased both a customized '53 Cadillac and the custom green '34 roadster found on the May '05 cover of STREET RODDER.

Both cars, coincidently, had been built by Arizona stylist Rick Dore and, unbeknownst to Rick, John already had a few of Rick's cars in his collection. Rick, upon receiving an invitation from John to visit his collection, took the lawyer up on his offer and flew down to see what he was all about. Commenting that John is "down to earth" and a "really nice guy," Rick was impressed with his car's new owner. But, the feeling was mutual, and John decided to have Rick build a few more cars for him. (Rick says John currently owns 11 of his past efforts, plus a couple of motorcycles he'd done).

Not long after, when Rick showed John some drawings he'd had automotive illustrator Jimmy Smith create-a stylish '36 Ford roadster with Duesenberg accents-John gave the go-ahead to have the car built, and Rick was off to build another custom.

To complicate matters, Rick had been going in for treatments to battle cancer, and was in Los Angeles Monday through Friday receiving radiation, having weekends "off." Rick had heard about a good '36 body in Baltimore, Maryland, and decided to go see it for himself.

So, on Super Bowl Sunday, he jumped on a plane at LAX, flew to Baltimore, gave the taxi driver $100 to take him to a barn and keep the motor running, saw what he liked, counted out the money, and then jumped back in the cab for a ride to the airport and a flight home the same day. This was done all in time to start radiation the following morning.

By March, Rick had finished his treatments and jumped right into the production of John's '36, wanting to finish it by its projected debut in November at the SEMA Show in Vegas-only seven months away. The chassis was up first, which came from Total Cost Involved Engineering but was stretched in the right places by Rick. Air Ride Technologies airbags were also installed, and the body was mounted and then stripped of its paint.

Rick created the rear side skirts and the one-off Dore/Du Vall-type windshield for the car, and then shipped the car off to John Aiello in California for more custom bodywork. Aiello created the aluminum Carson-type chopped top for the ride, as well as the hood top and sides, while Flynn Millard made the trim pieces the old-fashioned way: bangin' brass strips over a tree stump. Flynn also created the pieces that give the car its '29 Duesenberg feel-the hood side spears and fender accents, the latter doubling as housings for the custom taillights.

The front fenders were stretched well beyond stock, which necessitated adding a portion of the fender onto the door for an even longer appearance. The rear pan was reshaped and lengthened, too, and the hood was made to fit the new Packard grille.

From Aiello's, the car travelled a short distance to Art Himsl's shop in Concord, California, for its new hue. Mixing up a batch of custom candy red PPG paint, Art expertly laid down several coats for a depth you can almost swim in.

Adding the new chrome pieces, all dipped at Sherm's Plating in NorCal, to the exterior really made the car look both elegant and stylish, but the addition of the chrome Tru-Spoke wires wrapped in Coker wide whites really gave the old Ford the rich, Duesenberg look Rick was looking for.

Haywire was tapped to do the wiring for the custom, which included the twin Classic Instruments gauges-a 140-mph speedo and a four-in-one second gauge-as well as the rest of the car's electrical needs (there is no stereo or other bells and whistles other than the airbag system).

Contra Costa Vinyl, also based in Concord, used a pearl-white leather and black Mercedes-type carpet to cover the interior of the roadster. The stock '36 bench seat was refinished with a pleated dual horseshoe design, with the pleats running vertically onto the door panels. The Carson-type top was covered in the same material, both inside and out.

You might reasonably expect a build time of at least a year for this car, but Rick was able to pull it all together in the required seven months, as it made its debut at the '07 SEMA Show in grand style. Rick was asked to pull the car into the Ford booth on its first day there, where it sat and was admired by thousands all week long.

Not all cloned hot rods are created equal. Take this orange Deuce, for example. Despite Tony Nancy's name and number emblazoned upon its flanks, it'd be a pretty inaccurate one.

To understand why is to know the legend of Tony and 22jr. A trimmer by trade and pioneer drag racer by night, Tony was pretty much in a league of his own in an era when precedence in drag racing hadn't fully been established. For example, whereas most of his peers were still building their own chassis out of boxed Ford frames, an up-and-coming fabricator named Kent Fuller built Nancy's. Tony's attention to detail that made him famous in Tinseltown carried over to the cars, and regardless if they were competitors, no drag racer conscious of a 'rail's appearances considered a car done until Tony pleated it in his hallmark diamond pattern. His fans dubbed him "The Loner" for his ability to field a successful race car by himself, and he dubbed every one of those race cars with the number he acquired as a roadster racer: 22jr.

There's something consistent among all of Tony's four comp roadsters that would make this orange, Chevy-powered Deuce a poor clone: His were red Model As, powered by either Flatheads or Nailheads. Differences aside, there's something eerily familiar about this orange car, if only aesthetically. It's because Steve Dennish didn't copy one of Tony's cars so much as copy his particular style. Rather than a clone of Tony's cars, it's a tribute to the man.

If only the story were that simple. In fact, it wasn't until one of the last pieces fell in place that Steve and the LimeWorks Speed Shop crew realized what the car had in fact become. "Once we got the rollbar bent up, and once we got the seats in it, with the diamond upholstery that was on 'em, it looked like something that Tony Nancy would've done," Steve recalled.

Though incidental, the direction the car suddenly took wasn't entirely coincidental. According to Steve, "I wanted to do a '60s-style drag-and-show car," which is, depending on how you see things, a look that Tony popularized if not perfected. With its alloy wheels, recapped slicks, gently radiused rollbar, and aggressive stance, it certainly fulfills the checklist as far as parts are concerned. But, it's the way those parts are put together that makes the car look as if it were created decades ago rather than just made. It's because, just like Tony did in the day, Steve built the car out of a combination of original parts, a few speed parts, and made the rest by hand.

As ironic as it sounds for a guy who manufactures his own line of parts, "The one thing we didn't do was use any LimeWorks parts," Steve noted. "It was to show what we can do, not what we make. I think the only LimeWorks parts are the Moon tank brackets; everything else is original work."

The chassis, for instance, is standard fare: a pair of stock-style Deuce 'rails that have been boxed and paired with a combination of Model A and tubular crossmembers. It's what's right in front of your face that you can't see that's so different about them. If you're savvy, you've picked up on the car's relatively low stance in spite of the nearly flat V-8/60 axle. To get the car as low as it would've been with a dropped axle, Steve pie-cut the framerails at the body's firewall so they kick up a few inches higher at the crossmember. "They're also pinched just a wee bit," he noted.

That axle also presented another problem, this time with the '32 wishbone destined for the car. To marry the two, Steve severed the wishbone's 2-inch front bosses and replaced them with 2-1/4-inch bosses from a Model A wishbone. Though wishbone-splitting bungs exist in the aftermarket, Steve made his own to use oversize rod ends. He then commissioned a local shop to make a spring to fit the perch boss width unique to a '37-41 axle when used with '34-and-earlier perches.

If the square-tube rear ladder bars look suspiciously handmade, it's because they're old-stock pieces made by Roy Fjastad after he decided to stop building dragster chassis under the SPE brand. "It's a Deuce Factory kit that they used to do in the 1980s," Steve indicated, "but I put Heim joints in the ends because they had solid bushings in the ends of the bars." It looks as if the suspension uses coilovers, but the springs are actually old Corvair coils with separate Pete & Jake's dampers.

Though Steve admits there's nothing really exceptional about the 400 Chevy other than a lumpy cam, dual quads, and a set of weed-burner pipes, its location is emblematic of '60s drag racing. To improve weight transfer, drag racers pushed the engine rearward-Tony, for one, pushed his so far back he practically straddled it. To give this car the look without totally sacrificing cockpit space, Steve pushed this one's back a few inches. He modified the body to fit by dissecting an already cut-up stock firewall surround, set it back a few inches, and bonded it to the fiberglass in the cowl.

If you've picked up on the louvered decklid, you're probably scratching your head after reading the fiberglass reference. While the body is indeed one of the Australian pieces LimeWorks used to import before the dollar went bust, the decklid is in fact a Brookville piece Eric Vaughn louvered and the LimeWorks crew stretched and shrank to fit the opening.

Every part within the cockpit is 1960s-appropriate, and despite the inclusion of a few old-stock parts, every single part to replicate it is still available in the aftermarket. The fiberglass seats that inspired the 22jr personality are available at LimeWorks. Established vendors like Speedway Motors still sell the Stewart Warner Deluxe mechanical gauges. Last we checked, Vern Tardel had a copy of the Ansen swing pedals. Though Superior Industries dropped the line, Mooneyes sells metalflake-vinyl steering wheels.

Upon having the car shot by Bob's Autobody and trim work done by-ironically enough-Tony's Auto Upholstery, the car started to really take shape as a Tony Nancy/22jr tribute. "I was just going to put stickers on it-22jr stickers on it-when Dennis Jones came into the shop," Steve said. "He saw it and immediately fell in love with it, but when I told him what I was going to do with it, I saw the hair stand up on the back of his neck," he added, chuckling. While Steve knew he'd get a charge out of a pinstriper by mentioning vinyl graphics, he had no idea Dennis and Tony had a history. "He actually lettered up the last two or three of Tony's cars," Steve added. "'No, you can't put stickers on this,' he told me, 'I'll letter it for you ... let's put his name on it.' That's where it came from, really. It didn't start off that way, but the more we got into it, the more we had to do it that way. It wasn't the plan from the start-that's the truth, really."

While the car that emerged from the LimeWorks stable isn't a nuts-and-bolts replica of a Tony Nancy car, it's all the better for it. Unlike Tony's cars, which were race cars exclusively, this one's a street car that can make a blast down the 1320 whenever the opportunity presents itself. "You drive it on the freeway as fast as you like, and it doesn't go anywhere but straight," Steve revealed. "I was blown away because I was expecting it to be a nightmare with those ribbed tires," he admitted, "but they're brilliant; it handles beautifully." And, don't take his word for it, either; the car's current stewards, a couple named Mike and Sharon Reid, flog the car regularly. "He drives the piss out of it. He loves it," Steve related. "They brought it up to the Irwindale Reunion. They drove it to Bakersfield from Temecula. I mean, just ballsy-great bloke; great wife, too. Really nice people."

For a clone, LimeWorks' 22jr car isn't accurate. For an original hot rod design that honors our past and the legend of a pioneer, though, it couldn't be any better.

FACTS & FIGURES
Mike and Sharon Reid
Carlsbad, California
1932 Ford highboy roadster
CHASSIS
Frame / Manufacturer	’32 Ford / LimeWorks Speed Shop (Whittier, CA)
Wheelbase	106”
Modifications	pinched at grille shell & raised at rear axle
Chassis plumbing	stainless steel
Rearend / Ratio	Ford 9” / 4.11:1 w/ Ford Traction-Lok limited-slip differential
Rear suspension	boxed-section ladder bars, Panhard rod & Pete & Jake’s (Peculiar, MO) coilover dampers
Rear brakes	Ford 11” drum
Front suspension	’32 Ford wishbone, split w/ handmade bungs & Model A bosses; ’37-40 V-8/60 tube axle; ’37-41 spindles; Girling lever dampers
Front brakes	Magnum Axle Co. (Oakhurst, CA) non-vented disc
Master cylinder	’40 Ford
Steering box	ZF, ’55-67 VW Transporter
Front wheel make, size	E-T Wheels (Team III Wheels, San Leandro, CA) Classic 5, 15x4
Rear wheel make, size	E-T Wheels Classic 5, 16x11
Front tire make, size	Firestone (Coker Tire, Chattanooga, TN) rib, 5.00-15
Rear tire make, size	pie-crust recapped slick (radial carcass) by Adams Hot Rod Rubber/Hurst Racing Tires (Oregon City, OR), 30x10R-16
Gas tank	’32 Ford reproduction, Vintique Inc. (Orange, CA)
ENGINE
Make	Chevrolet
Displacement	400ci
Camshaft	appropriately lumpy but mild
Water pump	Chevrolet long-style iron
Cooling fan	flex-type
Radiator	aluminum, Mattson’s Radiator (Stanton, CA)
Alternator	Quality Power (Yucaipa, CA), one-wire
Valve covers	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA) curved script
Manifold / Induction	Edelbrock 2x4 / Edelbrock 500-cfm, old-stock Cal Custom air filter housings
Ignition / Wires	magneto-style distributor by Taylor Cable Products (Grandview, MO) / Taylor Cable Products
Headers / Mufflers	LimeWorks weed-burner style / motorcycle baffles
TRANSMISSION
Make	GM TH350
Shifter	Gennie Shifter (Denver, CO) base & old-stock Hurst shift lever for manual transmission
Driveshaft	steel, Drive Line Service of Whittier (Whittier, CA)
BODY
Body style / Material	roadster / fiberglass
Body manufacturer	LimeWorks
Body mods	shaved door handles & stainless steel–faced recessed firewall w/ chrome-plated stock-type legs
Grille	Brookville Roadster (Brookville, OH) grille shell & Vintique insert
Bodywork	Bob’s Autobody (Whittier, CA)
Color	Omaha Orange, pearl overlay
Painter	Bob’s Autobody
Graphics	Dennis Jones (Whittier, CA)
Headlights / Taillights	Guide / ’50 Pontiac by Vintique
Outside mirror	LimeWorks
Other body items	sheet-steel decklid louvered by Eric Vaughn (Monrovia, CA), windshield by Pete’s Auto Glass (Whittier, CA) & plating by L&G Polishing (Whittier, CA)
INTERIOR
Dashboard	stock-type, flat
Gauges	Stewart Warner (Lancaster, PA) Deluxe-series 3 3/16 and 2 5/8
Steering wheel	N.O.S. Superior Industries gold 'flake
Steering column	'55-67 VW Transporter column & LimeWorks column drop
Seats	fiberglass buckets by LimeWorks
Upholsterer	Tony's Auto Upholstery (Whittier, CA)
Material / Color	top-stitched vinyl / black
Carpet	black loop nylon
Seatbelts	Crow Enterprizes (Anaheim, CA)

Truth be told, there is nothing easy about building a street rod. Typically, the hardest part is deciding what you really want-not just the general type of car, but all the little details that go into making the car reveal your individual expression of personal automotive taste. When you roam through the car shows, you will see many vintages and models; all too often, these versions are not quite executed the way we would do them ourselves, as it is rare to hear an enthusiast say, "That's perfect-just the way I would have done it." Car guys are universally expert in their opinions, if not in their ability to perform.

Jim Schablein, of West Harrison, Indiana, is a lifelong hot rod enthusiast and all-around car guy. Jim's dad was a motorhead and did a lot of drag racing in the 1960s, while Jim grew up to be the NSRA Indiana state rep these past 20 years. After his retirement, Jim found the idle life was not for him, and he now works for SoffSeal managing the street rod department-he's in charge of keeping the inside of your ride dry and quiet.

Jim has owned a number of cars, ranging from Vettes to roadsters, but he was in the market for a '33-34 three-window after selling his last Deuce. He viewed the prospect of starting a build project with mixed emotions, and he happened upon the black three-window pictured here during the course of making the decision about how to proceed. With the idea of a long project looming over his head, Jim opted for the easy way-buy one that was already done, personalize it a little, and drive the thing.

Jim and his wife, Cindy, most certainly fell in love with this bad black Ford the moment they laid eyes on it. "The first thought I had when I saw it was, that is a bitchin' hot rod," Jim said. With a paltry 400 miles on the odometer at purchase time, Jim and Cindy set out to have some serious and instantaneous fun, promptly putting 2,500 miles on the coupe. The second most fun thing they did was to employ a large inventory of SoffSeal products to ensure dry and quiet cruising.

The cruising did the double-duty of working out the few new car bugs that needed attention and providing the fine enjoyment that comes from driving a street rod. Jim said his toughest challenge was getting the car ready to pass the stringent safety inspection at the '05 Nats in Louisville after only having it in his possession for a month prior to the event.

The Schableins are quite happy with their decision to buy a finished car instead of building one from scratch, as they have done in the past. "Some say buying a finished car is taking the easy way out," Jim mused. "Well, I'm 60 years old, and, at that age, the easy way is the better way!" Well said, Jim, and there are probably builders of all ages who would not hesitate to agree with you.

FACTS & FIGURES
Jim Schablein
West Harrison, Indiana
1933 Ford three-window
CHASSIS
Frame / Manufacturer	Just-A-Hobby / Lobeck’s V8 Shop (Cleveland, OH)
Modifications	Model A Ford front crossmember
Chassis plumbing	steel tubing by Gary Maney (Dalton, GA)
Rearend	Currie Ent. (Anaheim, CA) 9” Ford w/ 3.70:1 gears, limited-slip, 31-spline axles
Rear suspension	Pete & Jake’s (Peculiar, MO) triangulated four-link w/ AFCO coilovers & Chassis Engineering (Riviera Beach, FL) panhard bar
Rear brakes	11” Ford drum
Front suspension	Chassis Eng. I-beam axle, ’48 Ford spindles, POSIES Rods and Customs (Hummelstown, PA) spring, P&J’s tubular shocks & Chassis Eng. panhard bar
Front brakes	Wilwood (Camarillo, CA) two-piston Super Stopper
Master cylinder	Corvette, power-assist booster, Chassis Eng. pedal assembly & Wilwood proportioning valve
Steering box	Flaming River (Berea, OH)
Front wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques (Fresno, CA), 15x6
Rear wheel make, size	Wheel Vintiques, 17x10
Wheel paint type / Color	House of Kolor (Picayune, MS) / Flame Red
Front tire make, size	Cooper, 165R/15
Rear tire make, size	Cooper, 305/60x17
Gas tank	Tanks Inc. (Clearwater, MN) steel 11-gal
Other chassis items	rolling chassis handbuilt by Gary Maney
ENGINE
Make	’90 Chevrolet 350ci, 350hp crate
Displacement	350 ci
Machining / Assembly	GM
Water pump	Edelbrock (Torrance, CA) aluminum
Cooling fan	SPAL electric
Radiator	Walker Radiator Works (Memphis, TN)
Alternator	GM
Heads	GM aluminum
Valve covers	327 Chevy 350hp w/ adapters
Manifold / Induction	Chevy Bow Tie / 680 Holley Street Avenger carburetor
Ignition / Wires	GM HEI / Taylor
Headers	DynoMax (Monroe, MI), coated
Exhaust / Mufflers	DynoMax / coated two-chamber
Other engine facts	painted & ’striped Olds-Cad–style air cleaner & engine trimmed to look like a 327, totally billet-free
TRANSMISSION
Make	GM 700-R4
Converter	Phoenix 2,200 stall speed
Clutch	disc
Shifter	Gennie Shifter (Denver, CO)
Trans mods	shift-kit trans built by Phoenix Performance Transmission (Weatherford, TX)
Driveshaft	Inland Empire Driveline (Ontario, CA), aluminum
BODY
Body style	’33 Ford three-window
Body manufacturer	Windsor Fabrication exclusively for Eddie’s Rod Shop (Kingsport, TN)
Body mods	11/2-inch top chop
Hood	Hercules steel
Grille / Insert	Valley
Bodywork	Jeff Hibbs (Dalton, GA) WS frame, hinges & door handles retained as stock
Paint type / Color	Spies Hecker / deep gloss black
Painter	Jeff Hibbs
Headlights / Taillights	’34 Ford commercial / ’41 Chevy blue dots
Outside mirrors	Valley
Other body items	final assembly by Eddie’s Rod Shop
INTERIOR
Insert / Gauges	custom-built / Auto Meter (Sycamore, IL) w/ beige face
Stereo / Speakers	Sony AM/FM CD / Sony, 5x7 front & 6x9 rear
Air conditioning	Vintage Air (San Antonio, TX)
Wiring	Ron Francis Wire Works (Chester, PA), installed by Eddie's Rod Shop
Steering wheel	LeCarra (Oneida, TN) banjo
Steering column	ididit inc. (Tecumseh, MI)
Interior mirror	stock-style by Vintique
Seats	Wise Guys Seats & Accessories (Elkhart, IN) '33 Ford
Upholsterer	Wesley Mitchel, Mitchel's Trim Shop (Cleveland, TN)
Material / Color	Ultraleather / no-sheen black
Carpet	cut wool, black
Seatbelts	Wise Guys
Other interior items	stock '33 handles & door pulls

In life, there are roots, and hot rodding has roots of its own. Dean Batchelor, in his book, The All American Hot Rod, says, "First, there was George Wight, then Lee Chapel, then Karl Orr, and then everyone got into the act." In 1923, George Wight established an auto wrecking yard, at 3633 East Gage Ave. in the city of Bell near southeast Los Angeles, called Bell Auto Parts. George died in 1943, and his widow kept the doors open throughout the war. Next up was Roy Richter and his involvement with Bell Auto Parts. Roy took over, and his accomplishments and those of Bell Auto Parts are legendary.

We spoke with Don Small, owner of the Bell Auto Parts (http://bellautoparts.com) trademark and an early racing history aficionado who has his hands on a piece of history-even if it is a recreation to something that never was but could have been.

Shown here is the Bell Auto Parts '33 Ford roadster, sans fenders, representing the type of car that was built to race in the '34 Mines Field Gilmore Gold Cup road race, sponsored by Gilmore Oil. The series began in 1933, where they raced in Elgin, Illinois, and Mines Field (LAX), Legion Ascot (Alhambra), and Oakland in 1934. According to history, none of the original roadsters exist today. Interestingly, most of the cars were supplied by local Ford dealers and were then resold as "low mileage demos" after the races. After qualifying, the 28 stockers were taken to hangers and the complete drivetrain-engine, transmission, and rearend-was disassembled for inspection by the AAA, the sanctioning body. These cars were totally stock, but the headlights, windshields, bumpers, and fenders could be removed. Of the 28 entries, three were '32 Fords, five were '33 Fords, and 13 were '34 Fords.

Those of you old enough, or well-versed in your early hot rod history, should remember the Gilmore Gold Cup race. The event was covered in the Mar. and Apr. '51 issues of Hot Rod (note: seventeen years after the event occurred!). The now-famous photo of the roadsters parading down Broadway to publicize the event appeared on the Mar. '51 Hot Rod cover.

According to Don, "There was no number 11 in the race and no Bell Auto Parts entry. This is simply what might have been, and it is a tribute to Roy Richter and Bell Auto Parts." We agree.

Unlike many of the cars that appear on the pages of Street Rodder, there generally is a list with a lot of modifications, but that isn't the case here. The cars had to be stock to compete, but in keeping with the hot rod flavor of today's climate and coverage on the pages of SRM, we just couldn't resist bringing you this roadster. While immensely stock, there are still enough mods to make it a modern-day hot rod, and we might add a significant piece of our historic past.

Don told us how the roadster came about, and, true to hot rodding lore, this story is as good as any. He had a '33 five-window coupe and sold the body and fenders to a friend in need. In turn, he took the chassis and to it he fit a Wescott's Auto Restyling (Boring, Oregon) fiberglass '33 Ford roadster body.

The chassis is an original '33 Ford, including the front and rear suspension, Houdaille shocks, and mechanical brakes-remember, Ford didn't go hydraulic until 1939. The wires are 17-inch Ford wrapped with 6.50 vintage knobbies. The motor, while a vintage 24-stud Flathead, is a 221-inch '41 Ford with a Stromberg 94. In the day, it would have been outfitted with a 21-stud Flathead and a Detroit Lubricator one-barrel carb. The engine does feature Red's headers with 12-inch glasspack mufflers. The tranny is a 26-tooth Zephyr assembly by Jim Gordon of Antique Ford Parts in Rosemead, California.

The Wescott's 'glass body is outfitted with a shortened windshield, leather safety straps for the hood, a safety pin to prevent the "suicide" doors from popping open during competition, and the piece de resistance-a glovebox door safety pin. You gotta love this part!

According to Don, the most difficult part of the project was getting the graphics just right. No decals here, all the graphic components were brushed on by Lil' Louie, out of San Bernardino, California. The bodywork was handled by Cal Tanaka, of Cal's Vintage Hammer and Kolor in Covina, California, while Brett Klaeser in Pasadena, California, sprayed the Sikkens Black single-stage paint over the skin. The plating was applied by Angel's Metal Polishing in Sun Valley, California.