Frame Off Built 3 Window Coupe 350 V8 700R4 4 Speed Automatic Ford 9″ 3.89 A/C
What happens when you take a chopped ’32 Ford body, bolt it to a custom frame, drop in a modded Chevrolet V8 and pile on a list of mind blowing parts for good measure? You get one incredible street rod that instantly becomes the center of attention wherever it goes! Featuring a traditionally clean appearance, a custom Ultraleather interior and a level of detail that requires multiple looks to fully comprehend, this stunning 3-window coupe is a compilation of top-notch components from some of the biggest names in the business. And what’s better: it’s a fully sorted, professionally finished cruiser that was built, above all else, to be driven and enjoyed. If you’re the kind of enthusiast who wants an impressive classic that you can hop in, turn the key and go cruising with, your chariot has arrived!
Build completed in 2007
350 cubic inch Chevrolet V8 / Rochester tri-power carburetion
GearStar 700R4 4-speed automatic transmission / 3,000 RPM stall converter
Custom Ultraleather interior / Hot Rod Air heat and air conditioning / Modern audio system
Pro Street fiberglass body / DuPont Hot Hues Psycho Silver paint / Lil’ Daddy Roth metal flake
Currie 9-inch rear axle / Detroit Locker differential / 3.89 gears
Billet Specialties Chicayne wheels
Custom frame / Custom suspension
Front disc brakes
Power windows / Power door locks / Power trunk
BODYWORK/TRIM
When you set your sights on creating a top-notch hot rod, you have to start with a team of professionals who know the ins and outs of fabrication and assembly. Thankfully, the folks at Williams Street Rods of Humboldt, Illinois certainly know how to build an immaculate custom. The project began with a Pro Street fiberglass body that was engineered around familiar suicide doors. During a thorough, no excuses build, that fresh resin was carefully sanded, layered in unique 2-stage and trimmed with cool flames and retro pinstripes. Those flames were, like the top half of the car’s DuPont Hot Hues Psycho Silver basecoat, peppered with a heavy helping of Lil’ Daddy Roth metal flake. And today, wrapping killer SoCal aesthetics around fully sorted mechanicals, this coupe rolls with the kind of unique style and eye-popping appeal that’ll turn heads wherever it chooses to roam!
Thanks to trick trim and an acute attention to detail, this street rod puts the “class” in classic. At the front of the car’s body, a steel, red-detailed shell hangs a stainless, MQQN-branded grille between a polished spreader bar and 10-inch flaked and pinstriped headlamps. At the top of the car, a 3-inch chopped top hangs smoked glass behind a small mirror and traditional chrome frames. At the sides of the car, hinge-free doors create a simple, uncluttered profile that’s wholly appropriate for such fantastic paintwork. And at the back of the car, billet LED taillights ride between a pop up gas cap and a TRIC-TAG II electric tag bracket.
ENGINE
By now it’s probably pretty obvious this Ford was built to be seen. But, thanks to the 350 cubic inch Chevy behind the car’s steel grille, that might be easier said than done! The polished and color-keyed mill revs under a trio of Lokar-controlled Rochesters, which ride between a proven Edelbrock intake, small Offy adapters and Barry Brant Six Shooter air cleaners. At the perimeter of that intake, lightweight Pro Comp heads hang polished and finned valve covers over coated Sanderson Twisters. At the back of those covers, a Pertronix Flame-Thrower distributor sequences spark between a polished, MSD-branded coil and thick MSD Street Fire plug wires. Opposite that coil, a March Ultra Drive system, which is timed to a spry hydraulic roller cam, spins a polished alternator opposite a polished Sanderson AC compressor. At the front of those ancillaries, a polished aluminum radiator circulates clean coolant past a polished expansion tank and large SPAL puller fan. Speaking of ancillaries, details like MQQN breathers, Lokar dipsticks and a quality Russell pressure gauge join requisite dress up items like polished caps, stainless fluid lines and chrome cowl bracing. And, despite being a thoroughly modern piece, the hot small block looks right at home in this Ford’s clean engine compartment.
DRIVETRAIN/SUSPENSION
Under this impressive custom a GearStar 700R4 4-speed engages a 3,000 RPM stall converter to spin power through a lightweight aluminum driveshaft. That driveshaft jerks a polished Currie 9-inch that’s fitted with 3.89 gears and a proven Detroit Locker posi. That axle rides in a triangulated 4-bar suspension that’s dampered with Aldan Eagle coil-overs. Opposite that 4-bar, a chrome front-half strings a drilled Super Bell I-beam between polished shocks, trick drop spindles and two more Aldan Eagle coil-overs. A steady stream of fossils pressurizes braided lines thanks to an electric Holley pump, which drains a 16-gallon tank. Solid stops come courtesy of polished Wilwood calipers and finned and flaked drums, which front stainless steel lines and a small Wilwood proportioning valve. At the corners of the floor, pinstriped Billet Specialties Chicaynes spin 235/45ZR17 BF Goodrich g-Force Sports in front of 295/40ZR20 BF Goodrich g-Force T/As. And the car’s custom, completely road ready frame outlines acute details like a finned transmission cooler, a high performance Hitachi starter and finned Super Bell brake backing plates.
INTERIOR
Inside this clean coupe you’ll find a brilliant red interior that provides stylish contrast to the car’s monochromatic profile. Front and center, a sculpted, crocodile-themed seat feels firm and supportive. In front of that seat, a flowing dash centers ornate Classic Instruments telemetry on Hot Rod Air and a Lokar shifter. At the edges of that dash, LED lock indicators cap custom side panels, which frame subtle billet hardware for modern power windows, modern power door locks and manual door latches. Below those panels, Dynamat TacMat founds rich carpet under billet foot pedals and a chrome emergency brake handle. Opposite that carpet, a glossy roof hugs remote controlled Blaupunkt audio. That modern head unit utilizes It’s A Snap wiring to power a large Kicker subwoofer that, along with a chrome fire extinguisher, resides in the car’s power-actuated, custom-upholstered trunk. And the driver stays connected to the road through a polished and half-wrapped steering wheel, which laps a polished, tilting column.
Since so many enthusiasts are focused on building American Graffiti-style customs, this Ford isn’t exactly something you’ll see at every show. And its chrome suspension, unique wheels, heavily flaked paint and literal feet of flames are sure to get you noticed no matter where you go. After all, is there anything better than a 2-person crowd-gatherer that barks through a big V8 and stares through outrageous aesthetics.