Jack Fuller has been at this hot rod game for a long time, and while he builds hot rods for a living, make no mistake—this is a man who loves his work. As a matter of fact, the mantra of the garage is, “When the fun stops, the doors close for good.” It’s pretty simple stuff, and oddly enough, that seems to be the specialty of the house—basic hot rods that look cool and work well. Jump in a Jack Fuller hot rod, and you’ll know it was designed to be driven. Jack’s own ’32 cabriolet has seen untold miles over the years, as have most of the other hot rods he has built.
On our recent whirlwind tour of Portsmouth, Virginia, we stopped by for a quick visit with Jack. It’s the kind of place you’d like to just hang out and spin some wrenches, but time didn’t permit any of that. However, we did get a chance to check out some of the various projects going on inside the shop. It was an impressive lineup to say the least, and we love the approach to these cars.Now, just because these all look like early-’50s cars doesn’t mean the craftsmanship isn’t up to date. The first thing we noticed was the chassis jig, telling us these cars are precisely built but in a no-frills way.
Of course, every shop has to have a little vintage tin sprinkled around. This well-rusted ’40 pickup was recently hauled in and might still be savable, but it sure is rough around the edges.
That’s not to say Jack Fuller can’t build a highly finished hot rod; it just seems that the people who come to him are looking for a hot rod with an attitude and some character. If that involves black primer or mile-deep gloss black paint, you can get it at Fuller’s Frame & Axle.
After our quick tour, we were lucky enough to score a cool old-style T-shirt, and we couldn’t help but notice the motto on the shirt that read, “Hot Rods Dirt Cheap” (we also realized that Jack knows the way to an editor’s heart…give him free stuff!). It turns out that phrase has been in the family for many years. When the Fullers ran a local hotel and restaurant, they prided themselves in feeding folks “dirt cheap.” Jack now has a sign from the old hotel mounted outside his hot rod shop and simply adopted the slogan for his shop. Of course, “dirt cheap” is a relative term.
After an hour or two, we were off and running again to visit another shop in the area. We left with promises to visit again, and we surely will because this is a fun shop that cranks out real hot rods on a daily basis.
The coolest things on the old truck have to be the doors. This truck saw service with the local power company, and the “City of Suffolk Electrical Dept.” marking can still be seen under that perfect patina. That fist is holding a bolt of electricity.
Tom Cole of Newport News, Virginia, owns this very cool ’34 Ford truck. The top has been chopped a healthy 5 inches, and the cab is channeled 6 inches. Jack is just about finished with his part of the truck, and Cole will finish the truck from here. Plans call for a trip to the Jalopy Showdown in May of 2008.
Looking from the rear, we can see some of Jack Fuller’s handiwork. With a very nice top chop, the chassis is based on new framerails and fine craftsmanship. Note the big and bad quick-change under the truck.
Power for Tom Cole’s pickup comes in the form of a ’61 Buick Nailhead with a trio of carbs on top. A Turbo 400 passes the power back to the quick-change rear.
It seemed that behind every door was another old Ford, waiting for some traditional hot rod modifications. This Deuce Tudor was a fine example of the breed.
Wow, what a cool sedan! Curtis Edwards of Virginia Beach is the owner of this hot rod sedan. Six inches were removed from the roofline, and the ’28 body now rests on a Deuce frame. Plans call for a louvered panel on the back of the body.
From the front, Edwards’ sedan is equally as sinister. A small-block Chevy lives under the stock-style hood, and a dropped axle gives the car the proper stance. By the time you read this, the car will have been blown apart and finish-painted.
The front suspension on the sedan is basic hot rod stuff. A dropped axle, mono-leaf spring and a set of Armstrong hydraulic lever-action shocks keep it simple. Those shocks were standard equipment on cars like MG.
An original frame is now in the fixture, but note that there are a couple of sets of brand-new framerails under the table. Fuller’s Frame & Axle will build your frame any way you want it.
Chris Hall hails from nearby Hampton, Virginia, and his ASC-bodied roadster is going to be full-fendered and pure hot rod when it’s completed. All the right stuff is being used in the build of this roadster.
Few things say hot rod louder than a pair of bomber seats in an old roadster. The interior will be spartan and period-perfect, of course.
Jack Fuller has done an admirable job of installing the ’40 Ford dashboard in the Model A body. Once again, it seems to be all about traditional stuff at Fuller’s Frame & Axle.
A Lokar shifter protrudes through the Fuller-built console while an Auburn-style dash insert continues the timeless hot rod theme.
Okay, the future fold-down armrest is cool, but we really like the source that is being used for inspiration!
The fender brackets are in place, and that is only the beginning of the special work it will take to put a set of Deuce fenders on the ASC body. The effort will be worthwhile in the end.
Under the hood of the Hall roadster, we find a fast-burn small block fed by a pair of four-barrel carbs. That A/C compressor reminds us that ASC “roadsters” have windows.
Let’s see…the car is parked in a corner, and the hood and frame are covered with surface rust and dirt—yeah, you guessed it—this roadster belongs to the boss, Frances Fuller.
On the outside of Fuller’s Frame & Axle, you’ll find a sign that stood for many years in the family restaurant and hotel, which opened in 1901 and closed its doors for good around 1995. While the Fuller business may be different today, the approach is the same—quality service with just a little bit of laughing going on, too.
By 
Jack Fuller has been at this hot rod game for a long time, and while he builds hot rods for a living, make no mistake—this is a man who loves his work. As a matter of fact, the mantra of the garage is, “When the fun stops, the doors close for good.” It’s pretty simple stuff, and oddly enough, that seems to be the specialty of the house—basic hot rods that look cool and work well. Jump in a Jack Fuller hot rod, and you’ll know it was designed to be driven. Jack’s own ’32 cabriolet has seen untold miles over the years, as have most of the other hot rods he has built.
