Home-Brewed
January 27, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Beauty & POWER
January 2, 2025
Beyond the Lift: Navigating New Heights with Upgraded Steering
February 23, 2024
FABULOUS FALCON
When Jim Anderson builds a car, he really builds it. Other than paint and a few of the more intense aspects of the interior, he takes on the task of reconstructing the entire car into what he thinks it should be. And when asked what he thinks a vintage car should be, he responds that it should be fast and handle well.
Project ’47: Part Two
The Blueprint 383 provides the Advanced Design pickup with nearly 400 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty of power for cruising, especially the fair- grounds. During the engine build, Blueprint Engines took the time to photograph the machining process, as the company completely refurbished the Chevy four-bolt main block, machined and assembled it into a brand new horsepower monster.
BIG ON STYLE
Although there is no set list or solid criteria we look for when choosing a feature car, we typically know the instant we’ve found one. Sometimes it’s a flawless paint job and subtle body mods that draw us in; other times, it’s a fully built motor loping angrily. Other times, though, we come across a car that is just plain cool—not the fastest, or even highly modified, but the kind of car you just look at and say, “Wow, check out that…” So it was at Goodguys Charlotte this year: sitting proudly in the mist and drizzle was Doug Wayne’s ’66 Galaxie convertible. At Auto Builder, we have a soft spot for large vehicles, and, realistically, Ford is not known for making many great small cars. Even small Fords are big, and if you don’t believe us, stick an early Falcon next to a Scion. But few companies do big as well as Ford, and even from a distance, we knew this Galaxie was as cool as it is long.
Spotlighter
HIDING NOT FAR FROM HOME
The Hot Rod That Disappeared for 32 Years
Back in the days of hand-writing letters and lickin’ stamps, opening the mail at RODDER’S DIGEST was always interesting. In December of 1998 we received this letter and three photos of one very cool ’38 Ford Standard Coupe. While it is a great hot rod, the history of this coupe makes it even more compelling. Enjoy…
Author
Gerry Burger
Letter & Photos Marv Silverstein
12/17/98
Gerry,
Gerry, can I call you Gerry? Ok! You can call me Marv. Ask Lance about me, we go back a few years. (Marv is referring to our mutual friend Lance Sorchik).
Here goes, I am a 61-year-old hot rodder and I still have to work almost every weekend. I try to get to York and Macungie each year and a weekend event every so often, but somehow my car and I don’t get much press, Duh!
Anyway, it’s about this car of mine, not only is it a 1938 Ford Standard Coupe, but it was customized in 1951, it has to be one of the first chopped ’38 coupes in the country. I bought it in 1954 as a mess, after it had been abused by owner/builder Tommy Carr from West Virginia. It took until 1957, at the hands of Les Cove of Hillside, N.J. for the coupe to be almost refinished in primer with a few new ideas from me and Walla!! a First Place Trophy the first two times out!
To make a very long story shorter, I sold the coupe three times in a year, only to lose the car forever in 1958. “Forever” was until December 1989 when I advertised that I was looking for the coupe. FOUND! In Wilkes-Barre, PA. by a nice man, Sam Barbose. He called, seems the coupe was used only in 1958 and then garaged until my ad in STREET SCENE magazine. The coupe was out of sight for 32-years.
Sam brought the coupe to me in 1990 and I started to disassemble it in a garage down the street from my house. Once more the coupe was a mess. After three-years of chipping away at the project I heard of this great rod shop in Hummelstown, PA. No not Posies, but another great Hummelstown shop, Lang’s Custom Auto. Bill Lang and his wife Kay and their crew finished the coupe for the last time in 1997. What a beautiful job. It’s a 10! and very different and with my input and suggestions and their expertise I have a show winner, all I have to do is show up. Now, don’t get me wrong, I like trophies, but I think this car should have a feature article in at least one of the best magazines, RODDER’S DIGEST. Hint, Hint!
Thanks in advance,
Marv Silverstein
Lambertville, NJ
ARTICLE SOURCES
Gerry Burger
Gerry Burger has been immersed in hot rodding since the early 1960s, building his first hot rods as a teenager after being inspired by local racer Bob Zorn. A chance meeting with Tom Medley in 1972 launched a distinguished career as an automotive photojournalist, leading to freelance work for dozens of magazines, the founding of Rodder's Digest, and editorial leadership roles at Street Rod Builder and American Rodder. Today, Burger continues to write, photograph, and build hot rods, remaining one of the hobby's most respected voices.
