e’ve been following along as Colin and Sue Radford’s ’57 Ford Del Rio Ranch Wagon has been undergoing the transformation from a Leave It To Beaver–era grocery-getter to a contemporary hot rod. With the capable, helping hands of grandsons Tate and Caden, the original front suspension was tossed out and replaced with an Art Morrison Enterprises (AME) Bikini Clip. The Y-block was set aside to make room for a Ford Performance Coyote V-8, which brings us to where we are now: making a little bit more room for the replacement powerplant with a new firewall and installing the Flaming River steering components.

By Barry Kluczyk Photography by THE AUTHOR

flat, deep, mirror-like finish in a fresh paintjob draws respect like few other attributes in a build, but it doesn’t come from the spray gun. Color sanding and polishing are the key.

The surface must be cut and polished to flatten the inevitable “orange peel” texture on the painted surface. Several factors, from the ambient temperature, air pressure for the gun, the paint materials, even the number of coats, will affect the degree of orange peel, but the bottom line is color sanding and polishing are mandatory for a truly flat finish.

Speaking of the bottom line, it’s also true the process is very time-consuming, requiring perhaps days of work to get it right. The paint shop or resto shop will do the work, but it could add dozens of labor hours to the tab. At least.

uilding a hot rod with a traditional flare usually means the seating will be comprised of a pair of formfitting aluminum buckets; something from the vintage-era bomber seat. For the aficionado it would be the seats characteristically found in a World War II–era Fairchild PT-19 trainer. That’s great, but today it would be a lot easier, quicker, and more cost effective to begin with a Speedway Motors (SM) Lightened Aluminum Hot Rod Bomber Seat DIY Kit (PN 91070199). It comes disassembled but well within the capabilities of the average hot rodder to construct. (This kit also comes without the “lightening holes,” if so desired.)

There are well over a 100 rivets used in the SM single-bomber seat. As you can imagine, there is a military spec on how rivets are to be used. In the SM application, authentic aviation rivets are placed to replicate the bomber seat appearance. In their use, SM opted for the “Lightened Aluminum” seats, which means there are 2-inch dimple die holes added to the seat bottom, back, and side brackets. There is also a pair of slots (3-7/8 inch) provided to allow the use of what should be mandatory: seatbelts. This is a DIY kit and is intended that you assemble the provided panels. Anytime “DIY” is used this means tools will be required. The implements needed are common and most rodders should have most, if not all. Check your toolbox to see what you have and if you don’t, or are missing something, you can check in with SM. Their catalog offers the following: an air hammer (PN 72819750) with control pressure regulator, a 3/16-inch rivet set (PN 91010012), a bucking bar (PN 9101500), 3/16-inch Clecos and Cleco tool kit (PN 9108575), which contains 10 fasteners, and 3/16-inch rivets included with the seat kit. (A note on a bucking bar: They’re made from heat-treated cast iron, any sharp edges are removed, and working surfaces are polished.) Should you find a “gap” in your toolbox SM will come to the rescue. You can order the required tools directly from SM.

hen Art Fortin decided he had “one last build” he knew he wanted something traditional yet different, so he settled on a Model A DeLuxe phaeton. The DeLuxe phaeton is the Tudor model, while the standard phaetons are all Fordor models. Now, we all know deciding on the body you want and locating that body can be challenging. The ’30-31 DeLuxe phaeton is relatively rare by Ford standards, so much so Fortin had resigned himself to using an old Gibbons glass body he bought at a swap meet with plans to possibly use it as a template for new steel panels. When a steel body presented itself the fiberglass body was sold.

It was during a bench racing session at the 2010 Goodguys Pleasanton event that a fellow rodder mentioned he knew of a genuine steel body, but it was located in New York. Phone calls were made and there was an agreed price, but now the challenge was how to get the body home from the East Coast. The owner said the body could be brought to the huge Hershey Swap Meet for delivery. As fate would have it, Fortin is friends with Bill Perry, owner of All Ford Parts and they go to Hershey every year hunting for great vintage parts. They rent a huge van and several people rent space on the van to get their parts home. Bill was looking for a driver, and Fortin and his pal Ben Barnhart jumped at the opportunity to drive coast to coast, take in a great swap meet, and pick up the ’31 Model A tub in the process.

ne of the highest honors in the indoor car show circuit is being named America’s Most Beautiful Roadster at the Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona. In the show’s 72-year history this is only the second time this prestigious award has been given to a Chevy (non-Ford), but once you see the details of this spectacular car you’ll understand why it is very deserving of the honor.

Jeff Breault commissioned Devlin Rod and Customs to build his ’34 Chevy roadster “Lucille,” which was a multi-year project. While the allover appearance is of understated elegance, Tim Devlin and his dedicated crew put an inordinate amount of time into refining every detail and bringing them together into a tightly orchestrated final product. Designer Eric Black was brought on early in the process, and his drawings set the tone for the entire build.

Chevrolet made very few roadsters in 1934, so finding a good car to start with was the first obstacle. With patient dedication, Breault found a donor car in decent condition. One of the first major decisions was to have Roadster Shop custom build a chassis; they did a spectacular job. Knowing the car would be fenderless and channeled, they built framerails to match the curvature of the body while kicking up enough in the rear to accommodate full suspension travel at the desired ride height.

hough the Detroit Autorama (sponsored by Meguiar’s and presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts) started in 1954, it wasn’t until 1963 that it was held inside Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit, a location it would continue to use for the next six decades. So, it makes sense that history and tradition are two major facets in the success of the Detroit show, which bills itself as “America’s Greatest Hot Rod Show.”

The three-day show is split into two parts: The downstairs (called the Autorama Extreme) and the upstairs, and each has their own schedule of celebrity autograph sessions, special car displays, and entertainment. Most of the downstairs vehicles are more “hot rod” than show car, with an emphasis on vintage engines and old-school chopped profiles. Upstairs are the glossy high-end cars with everything expertly put in the right place.

The upstairs is also home to the BASF Great 8—the qualifying group of vehicles that compete for one of hot rodding’s highest awards: the Don Ridler Memorial Award.