Street Rod Build - The B2 Design Group

One of the great things about being involved in the street rodding hobby is you get to see many styles of cars as well as hear about how they went together-from those who have taken a decade to finish their pride and joy to others who called various parts houses with an easier 1-800 approach.

Though no single magazine article could express the feelings of those in the hobby, one could bet that the individuality expressed in the design of these street rods is one of the key elements as to why someone would like to own one.

But the problem is not everyone can (or may even want to) spin a wrench. It's great for those guys who have the tools they need plus have all the time and money to finish a project on their own schedule, but there are others who love the hobby and the look of the cars who didn't grow up with buddies who were into rodding since they could walk.

They'd like to participate, but how do they get started? One answer is the newly formed B2 Design Group, out of Westlake Village, California (about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles). The company didn't get its name from the stealthy aircraft used by the U.S. Air Force, but rather from having two gents, Billy Blair and Bill Springer, with the same first name heading up the firm. Two Bs, B2, get it?

What the guys behind B2 have done is come up with a formula of hot rod building that allows them to assemble a basic steel '32 Ford roadster, but balance it with enough input from their customers to make it something of a custom build. It's a balance that some companies can't perfect: What items do you offer as a base and which items do you let the customer have total freedom of choice over? What's more, B2 offers their basic, painted, upholstered, driving '32 roadster for $59,500, out the door.

Blair and Springer figured their basic Deuce roadster-a RodBods steel '32 body set up as a fenderless highboy-was a good starting pointing to work from since most people prefer steel to 'glass when asked, so they've done their homework there. The body is set up as a smoothie (no door hinges, cowl vent, or firewall bead), but as an option, you can order the cowl bead or exposed door hinges. The dash is a standard '32 flat dash, and the steel floor has been made with an automatic transmission in mind.

To get the look they're going for (nothing over the top, just a nice '32 roadster), some of the basics they offer on their '32 chassis (with the fender reveal at the right spot) include a 350/350 crate engine (with a "lopey" cam for profiling while idling through a parking lot), a 9-inch rear, and stainless brake lines already installed (Wilwood discs are up front, drums in the rear) with a dual master cylinder.

The customer gets to choose whether they want round- or rectangular-tube X-members (an aesthetic thing, as both are strong enough), an I-beam or round-tube front axle, triangulated or parallel four-bar for the rear (hairpins are used up front on all applications), plus a wide choice of wheels and tires to roll around on.

With the body and chassis options dialed in, a B2 customer then picks a color for the exterior from either the PPG or DuPont line of paints, and it's expertly applied by Tim Burks, who not only knows how to lay down the paint, but cuts and finishes the job to show-quality standards (B2 invests roughly 100 hours in prep and paintwork on each roadster).

B2 also employs an in-house interior team headed up by Randy Eisenbeiss that offers either an "old-school" or "wicked show" interior to cater to the direction the customer wants to go. Clients also get to choose the color combinations used in the rod's interior, but it is all done with Italian Tuscan leather-even the seatbelts are dyed to match the leather! Leather is also incorporated in the kick panels and the custom center console, and the seating is custom-fit to each customer.

Wings-style gauges are set into the dash panel, which itself is either billet aluminum, pearlized, or color-coded to the interior. A LeCarra banjo-type steering wheel is standard on the B2 roadster, as are all the knobs and hidden switches to operate the vehicle.

One of the most striking features of the B2 roadster is the windshield frame. Though another "stock" item, it's anything but. Stanley Wanlass designed this unique item (with its custom-curved windshield and posts that are leaned back 37 degrees) and it's normally sold through Dick Rodwell's Rodware company, but B2 worked out a deal with Rodware to have them on their roadsters. The result of this sweptback look is that the car appears like it's going fast even when standing still!

As you might expect, most of the phone calls B2 fields when talking to potential customers involve further "tuning" of what the phrase "custom-built car" really means. B2 knows that not everyone will want exactly the same thing, even though their option list is actually quite varied. Though there is an added cost, some of the special-order items for the B2 roadster include: a hi-po ZZ383 engine with a 700-R4 trans (for roughly $6,000), custom pinstriping (about $350), a stretched body option ($1,500 more), and canvas tops that come with their own storage case (a $2,750 option).

The end result is any B2 customer can get a personalized vehicle but with production line value-a perfect balance of custom touches and fundamental requirements. But the personalized touches don't end with the completion of a roadster, as the customer also gets a post-production package that is unparalleled in rodding.

Once a client gets the call that his roadster is finished, he gets to visit a fullsize photo studio where a personalized photo shoot starring the car takes place. What's more, he can bring the family, too, and have everyone photographed alongside the roadster. A framed, wall-sized portrait is then given to the new owner, and he has an option of whether he'd like to see the image converted to a fullsize oil painting! Now where else are you going to get something like that from your local rod shop?

The guys behind B2 realize it's the personal touches they offer that will separate them from any other rod building shop, and they believe you can't get their level of commitment to customer satisfaction anywhere else for even twice the price. Their Web site explains all the options they offer, along with a look at some of the cars they've built and sold as well as some cars they currently have in stock. It's obvious that after seeing what the B2 Design Group can do, 1-800 street rods will never be the same again!