Don't think for a minute that...
Don't think for a minute that Bobbay Alloway isn't a hands-on guy when it comes to building these hot rods. Running the business is a big part of his day, but so is building hot rods.
In this case, finding an original Deuce coupe body for $7,000 is out of the question, and steel reproduction bodies are well above our budget, so the fiberglass body and reproduction frame become the perfect solution for fulfilling that dream of owning a Deuce. Since the Pete & Jakes Stage III chassis will cost approximately $8,000 and a crate motor and new transmission will cost approximately $6,000. So, with a new body, chassis, engine, and transmission rolling around the floor the cost is around $22,000, once again, hardly low-buck, but not big buck either. Plus every piece from the Currie rearend to the Ford motor is new, ensuring maximum pleasure on trips long and short. There is still money to be spent finishing the body and interior and selecting things like radiators, steering column and wheel, wiring, A/C, gauges, seats, and upholstery, and costs can and will vary dramatically based on where you live, the quality of workmanship desired, and how much of the job you can perform yourself. If you do the body prep and painting yourself you are a long way toward saving money. As a homebuilt car with some of the work contracted out and much of it done at home, the car should be able to be completed for under $50,000, and you should have one very nice hot rod when it is over. Needless to say if you are having all work performed by skilled professionals the figure can go much higher. On the other hand, rather than buy a crate motor find a good used engine or build your own, ditto the tranny and if primer and an Indian blanket define your tastes you could build a Deuce for around $35,000 or less. Not bad, it pays to scrounge around a bit.
So back to Alloway's Hot Rod Shop where the Rat's Glass five-window coupe body has been delivered and a very nice Stage III Pete & Jakes chassis has been rolled into the shop. Bobby Alloway has long been a fan of Ford Racing motors and so a Blue Oval crate motor is sitting on a motor stand with a Tremec five-speed manual gearbox still in the crate. For the most part this car becomes a study in detailing and assembly and anyone who has ever tried to assemble a flawless car will tell you, this is much more difficult than it looks. The assembly is fairly straightforward, doing it with perfect panel fit, a flawless finish, and no chips, runs, or errors is the real challenge.
Of course for team Alloway this is just another day at the office, this is what they do on a daily basis, and actually this is the most uncomplicated project in the entire shop. Because fabrication is kept to a minimum, time is channeled into detailing every piece prior to assembly. Then to personalize the car, brackets and subtle modifications are added along the way and special attention is spent on color selection and interior design.
We made several stops at Alloway's as he assembled this brilliant blue (PPG basecoat/clearcoat in a Toyota Tundra blue) hot rod (and you thought it would be black right?). While Bobby Alloway has built his reputation by creating many one-off creations, they build basic hot rods like this too. Other than the one-off wheels Alloway commissioned Team III/ET Wheels to create, all of these pieces are available to you right now. Let's take a look at how a professional team tackles the job; hopefully it will help you to assemble your own great street rod at home.
This is one of those pivotal...
This is one of those pivotal moments in street rod building. The Ford motor is in, the chassis is detailed, and you're looking at a genuine hot rod chassis.
Simple by design, perfect...
Simple by design, perfect assembly and the mixing of all the right stuff make this repro-rod frame an excellent platform for years of fun driving. That Tremec tranny leaves plenty of room for exhaust pipes thanks to the toploader design.
That brand-new Boss 302 Ford...
That brand-new Boss 302 Ford motor actually displaces 347 ci and produces 450 hp with 400 lb-ft of torque; we can almost smell the BFGoodrich smoke from here.
This style wheel has long...
This style wheel has long been associated with front wheels only, so when Bobby Alloway presented the idea of making matching design wheels for the back of the car the good folks at Team III wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich rubber made it happen.
Few people understand the...
Few people understand the concept of a rubber rake better than Bobby Alloway. Mixing BFGoodrich big 'n' littles has been a trademark of all Alloway built cars and this one is no exception.
It doesn't take a lot of imagination...
It doesn't take a lot of imagination to know what comes next. The Rat's Glass body is prepped, painted, and buffed, now it is time for the final assembly to be completed. That color may look like a custom PPG color, but actually it is a factory color from a Toyota Tundra.
One of, if not the earliest,...
One of, if not the earliest, fiberglass '32 Ford roadster bodies is the Jerry Cogswell Deuce he made for drag racing back in 1959.