The Last Roadster

Whether you’re a newcomer to street rodding or a long timer, the name Andy Brizio is almost certainly familiar, and for good reason. He has, in one way or another, been closely involved with this hobby since he was a youngster growing up in San Francisco. Yet after more years and cars than he cares to remember, this street-rodding legend has decided to build one last roadster.

This may not seem like a big deal to most people. Then again, most people haven’t led the life of this big-hearted, well-liked enthusiast.

Andy Brizio’s Road to Becoming the Rodfather

Way back when, he was a member of the Pacer’s Car Club of San Francisco along with another legend, his lifelong friend Jim McLennan. Those were simpler times, when the emphasis was on having fun at places like Half Moon Bay Drag Strip, where Brizio served the honored position as starter from the late ’50s into the early ’60s.

Always quick to recognize a good opportunity, Brizio started selling decals and T-shirts with his wife, Sue, at the track in 1963, and this eventually led to the business they own today: Andy’s T’s in Concord, California. A couple of years later, they began selling Dragmaster T-buckets, which were produced in Los Angeles. As things went along, they turned their attention to a T-bucket of their own, and by 1967, the Andy’s Instant T street rod kits had become a reality.

These cars were quite a hit from the outset, and before long, the Brizios had their own shop in South San Francisco, where they turned out numerous products while working on customer cars from time to time. This eventually grew into a good business, and while Andy’s T kits eventually faded from the scene, people were still waiting in line to have the Brizios work on their cars.

From that reputation came the name Rodfather. This was also about the time that Brizio teamed up with his old friend Cub Barnett in purchasing the Champion Speed Shop, and for the next five years they also supplied the locals with the latest in racing and rodding components.

Carrying on the Brizio Hot Rod Tradition

As it turned out, his son Roy Brizio was often in the middle of these projects, so when Andy decided to move on to other challenges in 1977, it was Roy who carried on the tradition, building literally hundreds of rods in the years since.

The senior Brizio went on to shape one of the largest T-shirt businesses around, supplying just about every major racing team, rock band and department store chain at one time or another. With this success came more time to enjoy the “finer things,” including several ’32 Ford roadsters that covered more of this country than just about any other rods we can think of.

Back and forth they went, attending just about every major rod run between the coasts, and eventually all of that mileage took its toll on each roadster that came along.

Pearl-Orange Paint and Art Himsl’s Blue Flames

This brings us to Brizio’s latest, and last Deuce, which was built upon what had worked before, albeit with a new visual approach that tells people, “this is an entirely new car,” and yes, it’s a beauty.

While the brilliant pearl-orange paint applied by Darryl Hollenbeck would have been beautiful on its own, the addition of Art Himsl’s silver nose and wild flip-flopped blue flames really pushes this roadster to new heights.

The body itself is a steel reproduction from Rod Bods, and thanks to the considerable talents of Mickey Galloway, it has reached its full potential, while fooling just about everyone as to its true nature.

Sid Chavers’ Custom Leather Interior

The same can be said of the interior, which was laid out by a regular around the Brizio shop, Sid Chavers. As always, this easygoing craftsman made the most of the interior and trunk, this time joining deep-blue leather and wool carpeting in a simple, yet becoming style that makes for an enjoyable ride.

The seat was custom-made for this application and it incorporates seat belts for safety’s sake, while a sleek center console adds a modern touch to the compartment.

The swirled dash bezel has been fitted with nostalgic gauges from Ford Racing, while one of Chet Thomas’ Banjo steering wheels tops off an ididit tilt steering column.

As is often the case, longtime Brizio staff member Jim Vickery handled the wiring chores with help from Enos Components, which brought components like the Vintage Air climate controls to life.

A Roy Brizio Stage III Chassis Built for the Highway

Beneath all of this finery is one of Roy Brizio’s Stage III chassis, incorporating conventional rectangular frame members, which have been boxed and joined together with ladder-type tubular crossmembers from The Deuce Factory.

In front, early Ford spindles join a Super Bell dropped tube axle and brake kit incorporating Wilwood 11-inch discs and billet calipers fed by polished stainless steel lines.

The entire axle assembly is supported by a Durant mono-leaf spring working in combination with a pair of hairpins, tube shocks and a Mullins polished aluminum steering box.

This is also the place where you find the cool little polished Moon tank right there between the King Bee headlamps, adding a look that Andy’s cars have been known for through the years.

The rear suspension consists of a conventional, yet effective Ford rearend with 3.50 gears, riding on Afco coilover tube shocks, with a pair of Pete & Jakes ladder bars and a Panhard rod to keep it all centered.

At each end are Billet Specialties 15×9-inch Legacy rims carrying BFGoodrich T/A Radials that offset the much smaller 195/60-15 fronts on 15×6-inch rims.

While the chassis was certainly created with function as its prime consideration, a great amount of detailing in the form of paint, polish and chrome has it looking as if it was built for the show circuit, although nothing could be further from the truth.

After all, if Andy Brizio owns it, it’s going to be driven, and driven a lot! Over the last few years, he and Sue have managed to log in excess of 30,000 miles per year on each of their roadsters, as they traveled with Gary and Marilyn Meadors to Goodguys events, and many others all across the nation.

Ford Racing 351 Power and a 700R4 Transmission

To ensure absolute reliability from this particular Ford, Brizio decided to fit the chassis with one of Ford Racing’s stout 351 V-8s, part number M-6007-C351.

It sports a heavy-duty Sportsman race block, GT-40 aluminum cylinder heads and a 9.0:1 compression ratio that nets around 380 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque.

Other top-notch performance components include Holley’s 780-cfm carburetor, an Edelbrock Performer RPM dual-plane intake manifold, Sanderson headers, Ford Racing’s high-performance hydraulic camshaft and valvetrain, and a wide variety of other components that make the most of this high-quality crate motor.

From there, the ponies pass through a GM 700R4 automatic that was reworked by Phoenix Transmissions with a new torque converter, shift kit and a B&M cooler, and a driveshaft supplied by Common’s Auto Parts takes it from there.

The Rodfather’s Roadster Belongs on the Road

While some people are content to just sit and enjoy their new rides stored in the garage, Andy goes about it somewhat differently. For him, the best way to appreciate his roadsters has always been to put them on the highway and keep them there, and that’s exactly what he’s going to do with this one.

So if you’re at a rod run or just heading down the highway and you spot the Rodfather, be sure to stop and say hello. While you’re at it, be sure to ask him if this is, really, his last roadster.