1929 Ford Model A roadster hot rod

While walking the paddock of the 2019 Classic Sports Racing Group (CSRG) Charity Challenge at the Sonoma Raceway, the author spied this fantastic 1929 Ford Model A roadster hot rod.

Photos by the author 

Kindigit Designs and AkzoNobel

at SEMA 2017

The AkzoNobel booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association)  show in Las Vegas featured the work of custom car designer/builder and reality television show star Dave Kindig and his shop Kindigit Designs. Two of these custom builds were later featured on the Velocity network program “Bitchin’ Rides.”

This year’s AkzoNobel SEMA display was designed to introduce the company’s “Modern Classikk” line of automotive paints available in January 2018, part of the collaboration between Kindig and AkzoNobel which will include 26 colors such Black Hole Black™, Teal Later™, Bubbly™, and Veruca Violet™.

This is the 1927 “Shadow Rod” built for customer Ron Meis. Kindigit started with a Shadow Rods LLC “XL 27” body mounted on 1932 Ford reproduction frame rails built in Saginaw Michigan with the hood and side panels built by Kindigit craftsmen and finished in “Modern Classikk Bubbly™.” The wheels are a one-off Dave Kindig design built by Billet Specialties and the terracotta colored leather interior was completed by JS Custom Interiors.  Not visible is the GM Performance LS3 Engine with Harrop Injection backed by a GM 4L65E transmission.

This is the 1958 Lincoln Mark III convertible built for customers Sue and Tad Leach known as “Maybelline.” A key part of Dave Kindig’s vision was to re-shape the rear wheel openings to match the contour of the front fenders before the car was finished in “Modern Classikk Teal Later™.”  

The highlight of the machine is the custom-built twin-supercharged 600-cubic inch V-12 created by Ryan Falconer Racing Engines of Chino Valley Arizona that reportedly produces over 900 horsepower and 1000 foot/pounds of torque.  The wheels are custom Billet Specialties from a Kindig design and the white interior was completed by JS Custom Interiors.

http://modernclassikk.com/

http://www.shadowrods.com/

https://www.falconerengines.com/

All photos by the author

Plymouth Air Radial truck at SEMA 2017

 

 

The Covercraft booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas featured the Plymouth Air Radial truck built as a promotional tool by Colorado Auto Parts, a U-Pick yard near Denver.

 

 

 

The Plymouth division of the Chrysler Corporation had a commercial division that built and sold commercial body cars as well as half-ton pickup trucks known as the PT105 from 1937 until production halted in 1941, as the trucks were never very high-volume sellers.

The owners of Colorado Auto Parts owned this particular pickup for over 30 years but it wasn’t until they also obtained a Cessna C195 airplane for scrap that this concept came together. The crew removed the cab and bed, chopped the top and built a custom tube frame chassis to cradle the 505-pound 575-cubic inch Jacobs Aircraft Engine Company R-755-A2 7-cylinder radial engine.  

 

 

The biggest problem for the build was how to transmit the steel cylinders with twin-plug aluminum-alloy cylinder head engine’s 300 horsepower. The crew attached a toothed 3-inch wide rubber drive belt to the engine’s propeller shaft and used the belt to turn a pulley attached to the V-drive (as used in boats) mounted ahead of the engine. The V-drive’s output shaft is connected to a GM Turbo 400 automatic transmission which transmits the power and torque to the Franklin quick change rear end.

Colorado Auto Parts intended to race the truck at the Bonneville Salt Flats but learned that the Southern California Timing Association did not have a class for radial engines and that the SCAT didn’t consider the truck’s roll cage as safe, but still allowed the crew to drive the truck to run it alongside the course. Unfortunately the radial engine smokes a lot and overheats after about ten minutes, so this truck is not for commuting, just for show and exhibitions, and has been featured in Hot Rod and Autoweek magazines and on Jay Leno’s Garage.

Shown alongside the Plymouth Air Radial truck was a hot-rodded version of a Clark CK20 aircraft tug from the same era as the truck and engine. The original tug was powered by a 122-cubic inch 4-cylinder Continental flathead engine which allowed the tug to pull up to 20,000 pounds.

Covercraft Industries in business since 1965 offers a full line of automotive covers – from car covers, seat covers, dash pads, sunscreens, front ends bras, and floor mats for cars trucks, boats. Covercraft says they provide “protection for whatever you drive.” You can reach them on the internet at https://www.covercraft.com/us/en

all photos by the author

 

 

  

The POR-15 1932 Ford at SEMA

 

P.O.R. (Paint Over Rust) Products  is well-known in the automotive hobby for their signature rust preventative coating product POR-15, but in fact the company offers a full line of products that include metal preparation products, engine paints, high-temperature paints, undercoatings and fuel system treatments.

 

 

 

To show off the wide range of their products for use in the hobby, the POR-15 booth at the 2017 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show displayed a 1932 Ford roadster traditional style hot rod.

 

 

 

POR-15 first displayed a rebuilt 1939 Ford flathead engine equipped with an Offenhauser intake manifold with two Stromberg 97 carburetors and Offenhauser cylinder heads at the 2015 SEMA show, then brought the engine mounted in a finished chassis finished with the POR-15 3-step System Treatment for the 2016 SEMA show fitted with a T-5 manual transmission and a 1941 Ford “banjo” style rear end.  

 

 

The car's Brookville reproduction roadster body was prepared and painted by Classy Chassis Restoration in Midland Park New Jersey.  Final assembly was completed by the crew at POR.  

 

For a step-by-step view of the build check out https://porproducts.com/32-ford-roadster-build/

All photos by the author except as noted

It’s SEMA week !

On November 2 & 3, the writer of this blog will travel to Las Vegas for the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show, the premier automotive specialty products trade event in the world. SEMA 2017 draws the industry’s brightest minds and hottest products to the massive Las Vegas Convention Center.  

The SEMA 2017 show covers thousands of square feet with exhibits halls that focus on twelve categories that include tires, wheels, powersports, off-road trucks, restoration, auto restyling, car care products collision repair and tools and equipment. More than 50,000 people attend the week-long show which features 1500 vehicles and 2400 exhibitors.  

As in years past, this blog will report on racing and performance, hot rods and the automobile manufacturer’s exhibits.  Look for feature stories from the SEMA 2017 show in the coming weeks.   

 

 

A pair of Willys Coupe hot rods

In 1937 Willys-Overland Motors (correctly pronounced "Will-is") introduced the model 440, an economy car powered by a 4-cylinder 148 cubic inch 65-horsepower "Red Devil" engine. Although sedan, pickup and very rare station wagon body styles were also produced, the 2-door coupe body style has always been a favorite choice of hot rodders, as they wedge V-8 engines under the hood in place of the original anemic 4-cylinder engine.

The author found a pair of beautiful Willys coupe hot rods at the Moraga (California) Community Faire car show held on May 13 at the Rheem Valley Shopping Center

This all-steel 1941 Willys ‘Americar’ coupe owned by Mick and Elaine Coyne was built in the drag racing gasser style, nose-high, with a huge supercharged big-block Chevrolet engine and fenderwell exhaust headers.

Wayne Baker’s 1940 Willys 440 coupe  hot rod was parked directly across the parking lot. Baker built  his Willys in a different style, low and smooth and in a unique fitted with the original style chrome bumpers.
 

All photographs by the author