GOING PRO
March 6, 2024
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Drop ‘N’ Stop
Getting a ’55 Chevy to sit at the right ride height is as easy as installing a set of 2-inch drop spindles, such as those from Superior Spindles and others. Getting the big ol’ car to slow down offers many more choices as well, and as long as you’re swapping spindles it is an excellent time to install those long-overdue disc brakes. When you think about it, it doesn’t make good sense to put a newly rebuilt tri-5 Chevy on the same road with stock OE cars with ABS four-wheel disc brakes. If ever you came upon a situation where a car ahead of you had to stop in an emergency situation, the performance of even a stock set of disc brakes will far “outdistance” your drum setup, meaning you would not be able to stop in time and could well end up in the trunk of the car ahead of you. Not good.
MAXIMUM DETAIL
With its immaculate details throughout, this ’06 Mustang GT never fails to grab attention, but we’re sure Frank DeFeo isn’t finished modifying his Ford. An aggressive lower valance, smoked headlights and a billet grille lead the way, and the Torch Red finish is complemented by black stripes, painted by McClure Collision of Charlotte.
Masterclass in Metal: The Battle for the Al Slonaker Memorial Award
The 75th annual O’Reilly Auto Parts Grand National Roadster Show, presented by Meguiar’s, went full throttle this year, bringing out some of the most insane custom cars the hot rod world has ever seen. Sure, the AMBR award gets all the press, but the real hardcore builders know that the Al Slonaker Memorial Award is where true engineering battles happen. This isn’t just about looking pretty—this is about pushing the limits of fabrication, design, and flat-out mechanical genius.
Spotlighter
SUBTLE AND SMOOTH
A ’34 Ford With Tons of Style, Tons of Class and a Killer Blue Oval Powerplant
The path old hot rods travel is often an amazing one; some hot rods saw a world of change in their many years of service, while others remained hidden from the saws and torches, thus saving them from mutilation and lackluster workmanship. The ’34 Ford on these pages is one such example of a car that maintained its integrity through nearly three quarters of a century. Finding this jewel was a dream come true for John Cox, when he bought the coupe as a driver and realized it had lived an easier life than most, even though its original chassis had been modified.
Author
Tommy Lee Byrd
Photography: Josh Mishler
John Cox’s Rebuild Journey Begins
Cox bought the ’34 with the intention of rebuilding it, so he started by disassembling the completed coupe. He then bought a fully equipped Pete & Jake’s ’34 Ford frame and had the body blasted before placing it over the new rails. From there, Cox talked with Jason Slover at Pete & Jake’s, where he was directed to Bob Schumacher and his shop, Vintage Fabrication. Located in Independence, Missouri, Vintage Fabrication is less than an hour away from Cox’s hometown of Raymore, Missouri, and builds some of the finest street rods in the Midwest. Every aspect of the build, aside from paint, was handled at the Vintage Fabrication shop, and Cox was certainly pleased with his choice of builder.
The Perfect Chassis and Suspension Setup
The Pete & Jake’s chassis is a perfect fit for the genuine ’34 Ford tin and is adorned with a nice selection of components to lower the stance and improve the handling of Cox’s five-window coupe. A pair of boxed framerails adds strength, while tubular crossmembers and braces keep the perimeter sturdy without adding excess weight. Chrome four-bars connect to a Super Bell dropped axle, which places the front fenders 4 inches closer to the ground without sacrificing ride quality. The rear also uses a four-bar setup to locate the Ford 9-inch rearend, but it uses adjustable coilover shocks rather than chrome shocks and a transverse spring pack, which reside up front. A Vega box controls steering, while braking consists of Wilwood discs on all four corners. Polished aluminum calipers are visible through the Foose Nitrous II wheels, measuring 17×6 inches up front and 18×8 inches in back. Goodyear Eagle tires hug the road and provide much-needed traction, while a healthy small-block Ford engine rides on custom mounts and makes life hard on the sticky rubber.
Power Under the Hood: The Heart of the Build
A four-piece hood covers the killer Ford engine, and a slick firewall also surrounds the fire-breathing mill. Displacing 392 ci, the small block came out of a Ford Motorsports crate and packs plenty of power, while still providing a moderate 10:1 compression ratio, so pump gas can be the primary fuel. Inside the Windsor-based Sportsman block is a forged-steel crankshaft that slings a set of forged connecting rods and pistons and increases the stroke to 3.85 inches. Atop the bulletproof short block is a pair of Z304A cylinder heads that provide much-increased airflow and put this powerful small block on a diet with their aluminum construction. A set of 2.02-inch intake valves and 1.60-inch exhaust valves is motivated by a Crane hydraulic camshaft, which keeps valvetrain operation effective and reliable. Air is drawn through an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake manifold, while the Edelbrock carburetor supplies fuel to create a potent vapor before entering the combustion chambers. From there, it’s a smooth path through a set of Ford Motorsports headers, and Cox has the option to run his stroked small block through open headers or through Flowmaster mufflers thanks to a pair of electric cutouts. Polished aluminum and chrome-plated components decorate the small-block Ford, keeping the engine bay clean and uncomplicated.
The Transmission and Drivetrain
Behind the well-dressed powerplant, an AOD automatic transmission sends power to the differential, and features a Gennie shifter and tubular aluminum cooler. Without question, 475 hp is plenty for this ’34 Ford, and the 392ci mill has a warranty, to keep Cox’s mind at ease, whether he’s cruising the coupe around town or embarking on a long trip to a rod run.
Body and Paint: Craftsmanship at Vintage Fabrication
Though Jason Slover and the guys at Pete & Jake’s handled the chassis work, and Ford Motorsports provided the crate engine in complete form, Cox enlisted the help of Bob Schumacher at Vintage Fabrication to complete the other aspects of the build. The body arrived in bare steel and was soon massaged to the sculpture seen here. Vintage Fabrication filled the roof insert, converted the rumble seat to a conventional decklid and flush-mounted the windshield, but the list of body modifications ends there. Cox wanted his coupe to bear a simple exterior appearance, but he also wanted a more reliable hot rod. The repairs and modifications aren’t obvious, thanks to countless hours of blocking, priming and more blocking. Aaron Carrander handled final paint preparations and applied the DuPont materials. A custom mix of hues resulted in the elegant Papyrus color seen here, and Carrander followed that with several coats of clear, so the finish could be sanded and buffed to perfection.
Interior: A Classy and Comfortable Cabin
Vintage Fabrication is a multifaceted shop with a strong crew of professionals, and nearly every aspect of a high-end build can be addressed in the Independence, Missouri-based facility. Twisting the stock exterior door handles actuates bear-claw latches and reveals a tasteful interior, stitched at Vintage Fabrication. A pair of ISS buckets is wrapped tightly in Papyrus Ultraleather, as are the custom interior panels in the coupe’s tight confines. The stock dash holds Ford Motorsports gauges, and Cox keeps the coupe straight with a Carriage Works steering wheel. Hot Rod Air retains a comfortable temperature inside the cabin, while a Pioneer CD player distributes tunes through an assortment of Pioneer speakers.
Final Thoughts: A Show-Winning Result
There’s no doubt about it—this coupe is classy and attractive, and Cox has a ’34 Ford to enjoy with his wife, Barbara. A comfortable and stylish car is all Cox could ask for, and that’s exactly what he got when all was said and done. Chad Davis, Bruce Schumacher, Aaron Huhs, and John Man contributed their efforts at Vintage Fabrication and produced a show-winning piece after only a year of work. One look at Cox’s coupe shows the effort put forth, and one look shows the subtle modifications and smooth lines throughout. Subtle and smooth sums it up.
Cox is obviously a Ford man at heart, as he placed a stroked 392ci Ford Motorsports crate engine between the boxed rails of his ’34 Ford and dressed it with polished aluminum and chromeplated components. The Ford Motorsports headers lead into electric cutouts, which allow this engine to exhale through open headers or Flowmaster mufflers with the touch of a button.
Inside, the comfortable ISS seats invite anyone to take a seat behind the wheel of this elegant five-window coupe, and feature a smooth covering of Papyrus Ultraleather, stitched by Vintage Fabrication. The armrests with built-in interior handles come from a ’68 Mustang, but the remainder of the door panel was fabricated in-house.
Six Ford Motorsports gauges ride in the stock dash, which is painted to match the exterior color. The white-faced gauges make it easy for Cox to keep a close watch on his small-block Ford powerplant, and they mesh nicely with the classy interior styling.
Six Ford Motorsports gauges ride in the stock dash, which is painted to match the exterior color. The white-faced gauges make it easy for Cox to keep a close watch on his small-block Ford powerplant, and they mesh nicely with the classy interior styling.
1) When the body first arrived at Vintage Fabrication in Independence, Missouri, its paint had been blasted away and it was in need of some repair. New lower quarter panels and one door skin replaced the rusted metal, and the crew flipped the coupe to make repairs easier.
2) Before the floor pans could be welded into place, Vintage Fabrication installed new inner wheelhouses to replace the rusted original tin. Check out the framework formed with rectangular tubing that will eventually support the floor pans.
3) The chassis was constructed and assembled at Pete & Jake’s and features four-bar suspension with coilovers out back. Big Wilwood brakes scrub off speed and look great, especially after the Foose Nitrous II wheels were installed.
4) Vintage Fabrication performed the initial bodywork on the chassis, but Aaron Carrander handled the final preparations and paintwork. The small-block Ford rests on custom mounts and provides Cox’s coupe with 475 reliable horsepower.
5) Another view of the finished chassis displays the tidy installation of the finned tubular transmission cooler, the brake boost/master cylinder assembly and exhaust system. DuPont materials cover the frame and match the exterior hue.
6) Before being shipped to Aaron Carrander’s shop in Buckner, Missouri, the ’34 coupe saw its share of massaging from the crew at Vintage Fabrication. Shown here in bare metal, the Ford is ready for bodywork, primer and paint.
7) Once at Carrander’s shop, the Ford received several coats of primer and more blocking to ensure a super-straight body. The firewall has been recessed so the small-block Ford engine doesn’t rub elbows with its surroundings.
8) After a fresh coat of primer, Carrander applied a guide coat, which would reveal any low spots when the blocking process begins. This is an important step, even if it’s the initial coat of primer, but it’s extremely important on the final preparations before paint.
9) The mix of DuPont materials resulted in the custom Papyrus color and provided this coupe with additional elegance. After applying the clear, Carrander could sand, buff and polish the finish to perfection, and Dale Brown could then install the custom gray-smoked glass.
