Inside the Ford was no less of a carefully planned ordeal. Keith prepared highly detailed concept drawings for his selected craftsmen to follow. The Starlite crew made all the necessary metal modifications before tapping Downtown Willy (also located in Torrance) to stitch up the custom white vinyl with purple piping over the '65 Thunderbird seats and throughout the rest of the car, including the trunk. Creature comforts include a GM tilt column topped by a Mooneyes steering wheel, Old Air Products climate control, and an array of complementing audio equipment from Alpine, Custom Auto Sound, and Pioneer.
As the build drew to a close, the setup date of the '06 Grand National Roadster Show grew closer and closer. Keith and his Ford made it to the show with the Starlite crew bolting the final pieces in place as they rolled through the doors. The car made an excellent showing, took home a win in its class, and achieved the highest honor of a personal invite from Blackie Gejeian to be a part of his historic indoor show in Fresno. Keith plans on making the show rounds for a season or two and then will make his wildest dreams come true when he takes to the road in the car he designed to the tiniest detail. Let this be a lesson to rodders everywhere-"dream cars" do come true.
Keith KaucherSanta Monica, California1954 Ford Victoria
ChassisEven the chassis got the custom treatment when it was stretched 3 inches to compensate for the longer Mercury front sheetmetal. The lengthened chassis was reworked up front with the addition of a set of Fatman Fabrications 3-inch dropped spindles mated to a pair of Granada 11-inch disc brakes. The rack-and-pinion steering came from an '89 Chevy Cavalier and mounts via a Fatman Fabrications kit. Firestone airbags adjust the ride height on all four corners. Moving to the rear suspension, Starlite Rod & Kustom tossed out everything supplied by the factory and started over by hanging a narrowed 9-inch Ford on a four-link system from The Deuce Factory and also added extra strength to the chassis with a custom X-brace crossmember. Rear disc brakes (11-inch) were originally found on a '98 Ford Crown Victoria.
DrivetrainKeith couldn't "dream" of a custom without something special under the hood and for this car he started with a '74 Ford 390 block that was fully massaged and rebuilt by LA Crank in Los Angeles before finishing the job himself by assembling the complete top end. A rare '63 Ford 406 tri-power aluminum intake sends the fuel supplied by a trio of Holley 350-cfm carbs to a pair of '64 cast-iron heads that exhale out of a pair of shorty headers. Dress-up items include Mooneyes' finned valve covers, complete use of chromed acorn nuts, and accessory brackets and air cleaners designed and made by Keith himself. Behind the mighty Ford FE is a '67 top-loader manual trans with a Centerforce clutch package with a drilled shift handle from Mooneyes.
Wheels & TiresKeith had a very specific look in mind for his wheels that required the use of original Ford centers surrounded by original reversed Buick outers (15x7 front and 15x8 rear). The Buick hoops were used on so many early customs because of their gorgeous tapered shoulder. After a generous coating of chrome, the wheels were wrapped in 205/65R15 and 235/60R15 wide whites from the Whitewall Candy Store. The final custom touch is a set of bullet center caps from Mooneyes with matching bullet lug nuts from Radir.