uilding a hot rod involves decisions, lots of decisions. They range from wheels and tires to the myriad of possible body mods, paint colors, and then there is the whole group of decisions that define how your hot rod performs. If all of these decisions are made thoughtfully you end up with the perfect hot rod harmony.

The first decision for most of us is stock frame or aftermarket frame. That turned out to be a non-issue for Bill Sather as he began this build with just a steel ’34 Ford five-window coupe body. Since there was no original chassis aftermarket would supply the frame and since one very early decision was to have a BDS 6-71 blown, LS-family 427 between the rails the chassis would have to be stout. Understanding all these requirements the team at BBT Fabrications placed a call to Walden Speed Shop and had them build an all-new ’34 chassis with tubular crossmembers. Like the rest of this build the chassis is a blend of traditional hot rodding with the finest modern construction methods.

Continuing in the traditional vein, the front suspension consists of a buggy spring and dropped I-beam located with a set of hairpin radius rods. Shock brackets and shocks are from SO-CAL Speed Shop and every bit of the front suspension is either polished stainless or chrome plated so there is plenty of sparkle up front. Front brakes are yet another melding of traditional looks and modern safety. Inside the Walden Speed Shop Kinmont-inspired brakes you’ll find a set of Wilwood calipers bringing things to a halt.

Out back the tradition continues with a chrome-plated transverse spring mounted to a polished quick-change rear with a set of tube shocks putting a damper on things. Long rear radius rods locate the housing.

Power for the coupe comes in the form of an ’18, 427ci Chevrolet engine built by Texas Speed to accept the aforementioned fully polished BDS 6-71 Blower and Hilborn/Holley fuel injection. The engine is dressed with Billet Specialties–adapted, traditional-style, small-block valve covers, so at first glance you could be forgiven if you thought this was an early small-block motor. A Gearstar-modified 4L75E transmission passes the power to the rear wheels with a Lokar shifter selecting the gears. All this rolls around on a set of genuine magnesium Halibrand wheels. When it comes to traditional rolling stock you just can’t top a set of real Halibrands wrapped in Coker Tire Firestones.

So that’s a quick overview of the chassis and driveline that will reside under the Sather coupe. All of it is assembled and formed with the usual outrageous attention to detail team BBT puts into every build. This story is not particularly about how to build a great chassis, rather it is an illustration of making good decisions and assembling all the right pieces to provide the looks and performance desired. So, take a closer look at the photos and you are sure to find details that may help you when it comes time for you to make your own hot rod choices. In the end it’s up to you, hot rod harmony or maybe a song only you can sing.

3. It is also important to check the body fit to frame before painting anything. The body was placed on the chassis one last time to ensure no complications later in the build. Note this was done prior to final bodywork.

6. A view from the rear shows the Walden Speed Shop chassis is definitely up to the challenge of mega horsepower with a tubular centersection that is very stout. Long rear radius rods locate the quick-change rear.

9. Once again the bracketry is outstanding on the car. A bushing isolates any vibration transfer to the chassis and by mounting the bracket parallel to the tubing the pipes cannot rotate.

11. This overhead view illustrates the perfect placement of all components on the chassis. The Borla Pro XS stainless mufflers provide good flow and a proper performance sound.

13. Looking more like a piece of jewelry than a powerplant approaching 800 hp, the LS-based 427 is topped with a Hilborn/Holley fuel injection unit squirting into a BDS 6-71 Blower while spent gases exit through Ultimate Headers. Billet Specialties adapters mount the early valve covers while a Powermaster starter combines with an Optima battery to spin the mill into action.

15. The chassis is painted, powerplant in position along with the Gearstar modified 4L75E transmission. The exhaust has been assembled; next comes front and rear suspension.

17. Looking from the rear, the stainless exhaust has been polished and the welds were not ground for a mechanical feel. The chrome buggy spring keeps the traditional theme while the black tube shocks become nearly invisible.

19. We couldn’t resist ending this story with a comparison photo from the rear. With everything in finished bare metal, the Walden Speed Shop chassis looks like it is all business. Routing of brake and fuel lines was well thought out as was the exhaust system.