InTheGarageMedia.com
Photography by Wes Allison
t was at the Grand National Roadster Show in 2022 where I first saw the Jimmy Summers ’36 Ford custom coupe. I had heard stories of this forerunner of outstanding early customs but had never seen it in person. Over the years I may have seen a few old-timey black and white snaps before being exposed to some pics of it at a recent Pebble Beach Concours. I remember thinking, “What a distinctive look.” But thanks to Jim Bobowski of New Jersey, the current owner and the one responsible for the impeccable restoration, I and many others were able to stand back and take in the amazing style.
Finally having a chance to stand there in front of the custom and take it in I thought to myself, “The stylized and flowing front-to-rear fenders truly give this custom a one-off look.”
As I’m standing there, who walks up but Alex Xydias. I figure Xydias has seen it all so I should ask him about this custom. Wow, the stories that followed.
The trip down memory lane didn’t end there. Next, Xydias tells me that, “… my sister dated the guy who owned it.” Turns out it was Bob Fairman, an employee of Summers, whose nickname was “Barbells,” being a weightlifter. Lastly, when the time came, Xydias had Summers do some custom work on his’ ’34 Ford cabriolet.
But, as they say, “For the rest of the story …” Xydias went on to tell me when assisting the current owner, he was able to assist Jim on what the original color of the car was … a Seafoam Green. That was an early sticking point and Jim wanted to make sure to get it right. Turns out no one was aware of any color photos of the car from back in the day.
As Jim tells us, “It was Fairman who drove it all over the Los Angeles area until around 1947 or so when it was put on a used car lot for sale. Around 1953, Joe Johnson was returning from Korea and purchased Fairman’s ’36 and drove it cross country to his home in Ohio. Johnson drove the car regularly and later painted it metallic maroon before selling it to John Eddington of Greenfield, Ohio.”
The car was originally built in late 1940 through the early 1941 time frame, making it a prewar effort. Because of this the history of all these early hot rods and customs is still a bit sketchy. In speaking with Jim, he tells us another story that makes one accept how significant of a custom this ’36 Ford truly is.
“It is thought by most historians to have many “firsts;” the earliest known chop on a ’36 Ford, earliest known use of door poppers on a custom, earliest known use of full fadeaway fenders on a custom, earliest known ’36 Ford custom, and so on. The full fadeaway fenders predate the first use of them on a factory American car, the ’42 Buick, by two years. The front fenders look like they were inspired by the Jaguar XK120, but the Jag did not come out until seven years later!”
During the restoration process it was paramount that the original modifications made by Summers be retained and brought back to life, not changed or altered. The original sheetmetal modifications performed in 1940-41 by Summers at his Hollywood, California, address were: The roof was chopped 2-1/2 inches, the roof was filled, then the body was channeled 3 inches over the frame, the body was sectioned 3 inches, and the body reveal smoothed out at the rear of car. The fenders also received extensive reworking as they were custom hand-shaped one-off front fenders with full fadeaway fenders and a recessed rear license plate with glass cover. The lighting was also modified with ’37-38 Ford headlights and ’39 Ford (teardrop) taillights. The hood was modified to feature custom sectioned solid hood sides, the door handles shaved and mechanically operated, and hidden door and trunk poppers were added.
After the extensive restoration it was then Schuchart Customs that handled the substantial bodywork. From here Schuchart painted the ’36 Ford in a custom-mixed Seafoam Green lacquer that matched the original body color.
Nestled between the factory framerails is a ’40 Ford Flathead (221 inches) with all the machining handled by Roger Nelson, including balancing the V-8. Other components include Jahns pistons, 24-stud aluminum heads, and an aluminum intake topped with a single Stromberg 97 carb. The 97 is covered with a factory air cleaner that was sectioned for hood clearance. Ignition is supplied by a stock distributor, generator, coil, and plug wires to run the original 6V system. The ground smooth aluminum water pumps are used with a factory mechanical fan and factory radiator. A departure from factory is the custom-made dual exhaust that runs back to a pair of Porter mufflers. Matched to the Ford Flathead is a ’39 Ford transmission that moves the power rearward through the factory torque tube to a ’36 Ford “banjo”-style rearend equipped with 4.11 gears.
Inside, the OE ’36 dash is dressed in chromed accessories retained from 1941. The factory instrumentation is preserved (but, of course, freshened) and wired into service with cloth-covered original-type wiring all by Schuchart. David’s Custom Interiors was selected for the stitchwork that includes tan-colored Naugahyde over the factory bench seat, door and kick panels, and headliner. The carpeting is in a deeper tan pile carpeting.
To truly appreciate customs, one must see where they came from and the Jimmy Summers ’36 Ford custom coupe is a great place to start. The custom looks as if it’s cruising down the road while standing still … truly a timeless design.
VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 34 • 2023