Words: Tommy Parry
Tom stood there slack-jawed when his son, Tommy, brought home a bedfull of rusted panels that once belonged to a ‘30 Model A. Skeptical but familiar with the sort of deranged passion for cars which runs through the family, Tom bit his tongue and gave Tommy’s vision some time. Within a few minutes, he’d changed his mind about the whole thing and started making something out of those bits of tarnished metal which would give scrap a good name.
Once he formed those bits into a recognizable cab, he extended said cab before giving it a quick snip. That haircut took 4” off the top and streamlined the appearance of what was still a collection of rusted body panels – but now also a bunch of panels with a trimmed fringe. With the excess metal removed, Tom now had a window which measured 14 inches from corner to corner, and he raised the top windshield header frame support up an inch. That slim window and streamlined cab looked promising and provided the motivation for the duo to handle the rest of what would become a long, laborious build.
Tom and company turned their attentions to the frame, which would be zeed and widened by a friend with the right tools. At the rear, a two-link with a panhard bar would help put the power to the road efficiently. With boxing channels up front, reinforced motor mounts, all the edges chamfered for extra strength and hefty trailing arms, the undercarriage could handle anything the road would throw at it.
Next came the panhard bar and then, with a sturdy platform to build upon, Tom and Tommy picked up an SBC 350 with a four-bolt main which they pressure washed before bolting on a set of juicy, homemade headers. After rebuilding the motor and painting it red, they topped it with a crowning achievement: a pair of angry eyes painted onto the intake butterflies! It would hint at the powerplant being nasty and radically modified, but in fact, it was just punchy and nothing out of the ordinary. However, it’s said those glaring peepers gave the 350 an estimated 30 ponies over stock – but don’t quote me on that.
Next, the two Toms stuck a radiator and grille ahead of the motor and behind the cab.
His wife then trimmed the leather seats, and after laying the floor, she upped the cabin’s feng shui levels by placing a wooden steering wheel on the extended steering column. Next came a little trim around the windows, and a gorgeous sunroof for a little more exposure to the elements, a more intimate relation with that motor and the ability to stay cool on a southern afternoon. After 15 grueling months, this mud brown monster was done and rolling on the freeway, ready to win any Show ‘N Shine it attended and intimidate anybody looking in their rear views to glimpse those bloodshot eyeballs.
