Photos and Text By The Leal Bros.

Not long ago, I sent my first ever “Barn and Field Finds” to Hot Rod Hot Line and now; my first ever “Garage Shots” and I didn’t have to go any further than across the street. Although I’ve lived in my subdivision in Pearland, Texas for four years, my afternoon and/or night time and/or weekend work schedule doesn’t line up real well with fraternizing with the neighbors other than a wave as I drive by. For quite a while though I’ve been wanting to walk across the street and talk to my neighbor concerning what looked like an “in progress” hot rod build that I would spot on occasion as I was coming or going while he was tinkering in his garage. As you can see, I finally made it across the street, a couple of times obviously! On my first visit the engine was still on a stand and the blower was on a step stool but by my second visit the engine and trans were mounted and the rod was starting to take shape. In car owner Randy Stang’s mind though, the “completed” hot rod is a little more than just a vision. He built a small plaster replica of his “dream rod” while still in high school which you can see mounted on the engine in one of the images I submitted. The car itself is an all-steel 1931 Chevy five-window coupe that was found in a field outside of Weatherford, Texas (30 miles west of Ft. Worth). While Randy works on the major components of the rod, the fenders and hood are tucked away in his attic above the garage. The front half of the frame is original including the steering assembly while the back half mounts a narrowed 9” Ford rear end with a coil-over, four-link suspension. The frame will be boxed and smoothed while the rear tires of choice are evident. The impressive 331ci early Chrysler Hemi was pulled out of a wrecked 1954 Imperial by Randy’s dad back in the late ‘60s and was stored in boxes until Randy “talked” him out of it in the early 2000s. The engine itself was bored .030” over and treated to Ross custom forged pistons. A wrecked truck with a running Detroit Diesel engine gave up its 6:71 blower (which I’m very familiar with working 35 years for the transit company down here in Houston). The blower was shipped out to Don Hampton who milled, rebuilt and polished the 6:71 and sent it back with the necessary pulleys and belts. Many extra parts needed for the Hemi rebuild were supplied by PAW Early Hemi Parts. A trans adapter was used to mount a GM Turbo 350 transmission to the early Hemi. Incidentally, if you look real close at one of the images, you’ll notice a “spare” early Hemi up against the garage wall and what you won’t see is a spare body tucked away up the attic (“just in case!”). On my second visit “across the street”, I sat and talked to Randy for a while. I wanted to find out how he first got interested in hot rods and especially what motivates him to continue his dream; you know “personal” stuff. Like they say…..”The apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree”. The first clue should have been his father boxing an early Hemi engine and even now, Randy’s dad owns a show winning ’67 Corvette convertible that he converted into a replica L88 model. As a matter of fact, “Dad” still owns a Chevelle that he bought brand new in 1964! Well that explains where he got his interest, but as far as where he gets his motivation, it’s easy to see that it’s self-instilled. Two of Randy’s four children currently serve in the Navy, one is currently enrolled in college and his youngest (son) was diagnosed with Autism at an early age. That alone brings its own set of challenges aside from the problems Randy and his family face in everyday life, not to mention the time it takes to build his “dream car”. And even with his obvious busy life, Randy and his wife have found the time to create and run a non-profit organization called “Beyond Family” that offers respite care and information for families with special needs children (www.beyondfamily.org). Randy said it best on an information sheet that he gave me concerning his car and family; “God bless us, God bless the people that support us and God bless Hot Rodders”. There you go!