I'm sure it wasn't an easy...
I'm sure it wasn't an easy job, but when the judges were done doing what judges do, the Don Ridler Memorial Award went to Doug Cooper and his Alan Johnson-built '32 Ford B400. When the crew at Johnson's Hot Rods was done with the Deucenberg, there wasn't a stock line that hadn't been reworked. If you want a good look at some of the body mods and a list of just what they did, check out issue #43 of The Rodder's Journal.
Generally when someone suggests a trip to Detroit, especially before Spring, there had better be a pretty good reason to book a ticket. I can't think of anything much better to get me out of SoCal during this time than the Detroit Autorama. For over 40 years the big prize at the Autorama has been the Don Ridler Memorial Award and over the last few decades, this award has grown to be one of the most coveted prizes a builder or owner can receive. In hopes of fame (and maybe fortune), some of the country's best bring their best to Detroit to compete against their peers to make their mark in hot rod and custom history.
Over the last few years, the promoters have realized that the hobby is bigger than just shiny show cars and they started opening up the basement and called it Autorama Extreme, thus providing a place for guys and gals with less showy and more gowy rides to feel comfortable showing off their own kind of handiwork. The fit and finish might not always be the same as the cars upstairs but some of the engineering can be.
As in years past, several pinstripers have gathered to show their talents and auction off pieces of their work with the benefits going to a worthy charity. I could go on and on, but I know if you're anything like me you really just want to see some cars.
It's not always easy picking...
It's not always easy picking just one car out of the crowd to give the Rod & Custom Award to, but when the dust settled and the ballot was in, it was John Favaloro's '36 Ford roadster that hauled the trophy home. It looks like a mild resto-rod, but under the hood is a 354ci Hemi backed with a Chrysler 727 trans. The chassis was brought up to par with an IFS and a 4-link rear suspension. Custom side glass has been fitted to maintain comfortable cruising when the weather turns chilly.
They don't call it the Motor...
They don't call it the Motor City for nothing, and John Denski's straight axle '63 Nova gasser would look right at home cruisin' Woodward Avenue. I dug the Moon tank, stance, and cast-finish five-spokes. The fuel-injected 427 big-block didn't hurt either.
Darryl Starbird was the featured...
Darryl Starbird was the featured builder at this year's Autorama and was on hand to sign autographs and shake hands.
Just in case some of those...
Just in case some of those in attendance weren't quite sure how much impact Starbird has had on the custom car scene over the last 50-plus years, he brought out some of his more famous customs including the recently restored Li'l Coffin (stay tuned we'll be bringing you a full feature on it soon).
Lobeck's V8 Shop built Chris...
Lobeck's V8 Shop built Chris and Anita Conly's '33 Ford Cabriolet which rides on a Lobeck chassis and is powered by a 354ci Hemi backed by a 700-R4. Their effort was rewarded with a Great 8 pick.
Certainly one of the strongest...
Certainly one of the strongest contenders for the Don Ridler Memorial Award was the PPG Rich Dark Brown '35 Ford coupe entered by Harold and Rhea Schrader. The all-steel three-window coupe was designed and built by Tucci Hot Rods and features a long list of body mods, most noticeably the chopped top, rounded door openings, and laid back custom grille.
This '49 Ford has lead quite...
This '49 Ford has lead quite an interesting life. It was originally built in Southern California in the late Fifties by Harold Killian while he was stationed there serving in the military. Harold installed a stroked OHV Cadillac and a '57 Ford trans and rearend and took it to Tijuana for a tuck `n' roll job. When he returned home to Michigan, he traded the coupe to Duke Emerson for a '57 Chevy wagon so he could bring his whole family back to sunny SoCal. Over the next couple of years, Duke raced the Ford and took it to the Alexander brothers a few times to have some custom work done. On one of those occasions the car got left out over night and the next morning the interior, intake and ignition, and a few other parts were gone along with Duke's enthusiasm. The car sat for several years and changed hands a few times until it was purchased and restored by Roddy and Sally Moore.
I'm not sure what direction...
I'm not sure what direction hot rods will take over the next several years but, by the look of this model and the rest of the designs displayed by the College for Creative Studies out of Detroit's Cultural Center, I'm sure they'll be just as cool and exciting as ever. I was amazed at what some of the young designers dreamt up. You can get more info on the school at www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu.
You can tell that this photo...
You can tell that this photo was taken after the doors to Cobo Hall had been locked because that was the only time this group of historic show rods didn't have a crowd around them. The group included the Orbitron, Milk Truck (restored by Dave Shuten), Car Craft Dream Rod (restored by Mark Moriarty), Outlaw clone (built by Fritz Schenck), and the Trojan T (restored by the Flying A Garage). We'll be bringing you features on a few of these soon.
Mike Stowe has owned and enjoyed...
Mike Stowe has owned and enjoyed this '35 Chevy coupe for decades. After he wore it out he decided to have it completely redone and turned it over to John McLeod and the boys at Great Lakes Motor Works. The all-steel (except for factory wood) coupe is now powered by a vintage Corvette mechanical fuel-injected 283 and rides on a Lobeck chassis. The painted Dayton wires give it a traditional yet up-to-date look.
It's real hard to improve...
It's real hard to improve on the basic shape of the '40 Ford coupe, and black just seems to fit no matter the build style. Unfortunately both of the coupes here were brought out as memorials to their owners who had passed away and weren't able to enjoy showing them off. Fred Dudek's traditional hoodless coupe is powered by a built three-carbed Flathead and was brought to the show by his wife Mary and the crew at Motor City Hot Rods.The nasty big-tired coupe was brought out by the guys at Juliano's Hot Rods. Jim Darby had bought the coupe in the mid-Seventies and after driving and enjoying it for several years, tore it apart and started collecting pieces. Jim passed away in 2001 before he could complete building his dream hot rod. Over the next 7 years his friends and family made it a point to make sure Jim's dream survived and finished the blown 392ci Hemi-powered coupe.
What do you do with a four-door...
What do you do with a four-door sedan when you don't have anyone to ride in the back seat? If you're Bill Towers you send it to the So What Speed Shop and have it shortened into a two-door and go have fun. With all that extra weight gone, a V-8 wasn't really needed any more, so a four-cylinder out of a Ford Ranger was dropped under the hood. Years ago when I worked at a body shop we repainted a mid-Seventies full-size Ford which had solid aluminum wheels with big center caps and I always thought the wheels looked a lot like the solid Halibrands. Apparently so did Bill, which is just what he used on his sedan with a little modification.
The unusual color of this...
The unusual color of this '32 Ford roadster, brought out by Ron Ward Jr., really caught my eye. It had a sticker on the headlight from the LA Roadster's Father's Day show, but I can't say whether Ron drove it out from Eastpoint, Michigan or not.
The Cavalcade of Customs had...
The Cavalcade of Customs had several customs lined up once again this year. Two of my favorites were Michael Shea's chopped Shoebox Ford and Jake and Tami Moomey's chopped and channeled '54 Chevy.
When I get bored of the turntables...
When I get bored of the turntables and velvet ropes I head down to the basement and get brought back to reality. There are always some top-notch traditional hot rods and customs down there and the people seem a little more down-to-earth as well. A couple of my favorites included the Shocker Model A coupe which featured a six-carbed early Hemi, stock top, and channeled body covered in '59 Pontiac Plum paint, and Charlie Bull's A-V8 roadster which he lengthened the doors 6 inches into the quarters and dropped the floor so he could get in easier and sit down in it better.
If there was one car talked...
If there was one car talked about more than the Ridler winner it had to be Nancy and Roger Ritzow's '56 Chrylser 300B fresh out of Rad Rides by Troy. The big Chrysler sits on a custom chrome-moly frame with Viper components and a twin-turbo RS Dodge engine. There was not a detail missed and, if it wasn't at the show as just an exhibition, it would have been in strong contention for the big prize.
Kirk Hanning brought out his...
Kirk Hanning brought out his '34 Ford pickup lowboy which is powered by an early dual carb 365ci Cadillac. The Cadillac theme was covered over to the tailgate where a Cad valve cover was sacrificed to replace the Ford logo.
I'm not sure if T.J. O'Grady...
I'm not sure if T.J. O'Grady is a pinstriper, but if he had to pay for all the lines pulled inside and outside of his '28 Ford roadster pickup it could have busted his budget. The 'stripes aren't the only thing interesting on this channeled, tri-carbed, six-cylinder hot rod.
Jennie and Darren Clor's '59...
Jennie and Darren Clor's '59 Edsel proves that with the right stance and wheel-and-tire combo you can build a cool cruiser out of just about anything. The Edsel's suede paint is complimented with a gloss 'flake on the roof.
Cory Taulbert's '34 Ford highboy...
Cory Taulbert's '34 Ford highboy pickup was right on the top of my list of ones I'd like to have taken home with me. Cory is still in college but that didn't stop him from building a lot of this pickup himself.
Here's a trend I noticed in...
Here's a trend I noticed in the basement on a few Fifties cruisers: slammed stance, fairly stock body with suede paint, and a painted and detailed engine compartment. In years past we'd see this as someone was in the process of painting their car and jambing it before finishing the body. It appeared to me that Jason Poirier's four-door Pontiac and its 3x2-equipped '67 Corvette 327 and Brandon Hibdon's '50 Ford Club Coupe and its 3x2-equipped 302 are finished and ready for a good time.
If you're a Barris fan and...
If you're a Barris fan and didn't make the show you may have missed a once-in-a-lifetime display. The Sam Barris' Merc was parked next to the Ala Kart along with recreations of the Hirohata Merc and the Kopper Kart. And George was there to sign autographs and tell stories.
At a quick first-glance these...
At a quick first-glance these two blue coupe might look very similar but, if you look beyond the noticeable difference in the suede paint on Mike Szuba's '32 Ford five-window (below) and the shiny finish on Mike Busateri's coupe, you'll notice that the latter is actually a '32 Chevy with a '32 Ford grille.