Rod & Custom Feature Car
Phil Blodgett
Woodway, Washington
'36 Ford cabriolet
Chassis
The original Ford 'rails were kept in place, upgraded with new engine mounts built for the Chevy small-block by Doug Leibrant of Doug's Classic Coach Works. The car rides on transverse leaf springs front and rear (with two rear leaves removed) along with lever rear shocks and tubes in the front. A period 4-inch dropped axle and '37 Ford steering were added to the front. Front and rear juice brakes come from a '40 Ford.
Drivetrain
Ordinarily, you'd figure a Flathead would be a more interesting choice than a Chevy small-block, but there's nothing ordinary about an all-original Corvette 283 fuelie motor. An old Toledo fuel pump from the '40s feeds the Rochester mechanical fuel injection. The 0.020-over engine was machined at Action Machine in Seattle and assembled by Doug. Phil traced the mill back to its August 20, 1958, build date, and said it dropped right into the '36 without bothering the firewall. A Wilcap adapter connects the Chevy to a '39 Ford three-speed with Zephyr gears. Farther back is a two-speed Columbia rearend.
Wheels & Tires
It was the mid-century-style Streamlite wheels that first drew our attention to the cabriolet. The 16x4.5 and 16x5.5 cast aluminum rims are dressed up with early Sprint Car knock-offs and roll on Dunlop racing tires measuring 5.50-16 and 7.00-16.
Body & Paint
The original steel body was kept stock, including all the brightwork, with the exception of the '36 sedan delivery rear bumper and the '40s-vintage Night Owl aftermarket taillight lenses. Doug did the complete sheetmetal restoration, assisted by Scott Norrie, and painted the car with DuPont Duco nitro-cellulose lacquer, hand-rubbed to a mirror finish. The olive drab canvas top was built from a supply of N.O.S. cotton latex material dating from 1936. It took 30 yards to build the top, because so much of the 70-year-old fabric was mildewed.
Interior
The cabriolet was delivered to Steve Sheff in Seattle for an interior redo consistent with the rest of the car. The stock seats were upholstered in butterscotch-colored leather, but that's just the beginning. Doug installed the two-tone '40 Ford dash and loaded it with restored original '40 instruments, an underdash Stewart Warner gear-driven tach from that period, and a functioning wind-up clock. No detail was overlooked, from the '42 Chevy banjo wheel, original Moon gas pedal, and '37 parking brake, to the early aftermarket gas pedal. We secretly hope those rubber floor mats start a trend. Only the seatbelts let on that Phil's '36 is a 21st century car-and one that gets driven.