In a hobby that can sometimes seem as though it's collapsing under the weight of '32 and '34 Fords-not that there's anything wrong with either-one way to immediately get yourself noticed is to build an off-brand, and the more "off" the better. Gary Pettigrew, owner of the Hupmobile you see here, has built nine cars over the past three decades. Apart from a '46 Studebaker pickup, most were Fords or Chevys, ranging from a '29 Model A through a '56 Nomad to a '65 Galaxie convertible. And, yes, there was even a '32, in this case a pickup that was used to transport Gary, wife Nancy, and their daughter, Jessica, when she was born back in '76.
So what made him go for the Hupmobile? "I found it in the local Sacramento Bee newspaper, and really liked the body lines and styling and thought it would make an interesting hot rod with some modifications," was Gary's answer, adding, "With the way I chose to build it, it was by far the most challenging of the cars I've built." The Hupp Motor Car Company was founded in 1908, with production ending with the '39-40 Skylark, and Gary's is one of approximately 9,000 fetchingly named 518D models sold in 1935. Or at least it was, as he's altered the proportions by removing 6 inches from behind the B-pillar, ending up with proportions and a style that remind this author of smaller French cars from the same era.
I'll hand it over to Gary to explain the reasoning behind this major body mod. "It was a four-door sedan and I was trying to figure out how to get rid of the really ugly door hinges, as both front and rear doors swung from the B-pillar, and decided I would need to eliminate the rear doors to hide the front door hinges," he said. "I usually have a picture in my mind of how I want a car to look, so for the Hupmobile I photocopied a side view and modified it. I thought the short version was better looking than the original, so I shortened the frame 6 inches and cut the body in half. I remember thinking how difficult I had just made this build!"
With the two halves of the body placed back on the shortened frame, Gary started to tack the pieces back together and shorten the rear doors. "It became clear that there were a lot of oddly shaped pieces to be made, so I bought a shrinker/stretcher and learned how to use them, but I also realized that the Hupp was going to take a long time to complete and I began to look at other projects." With the Hupmobile on the back burner, Gary completed a '75 El Camino and '48 Stude, though he occasionally went back to it, first fitting a '50 Stude roof section, followed by a Rambler roof, but neither had the correct crown. It was only when he bought a '51 Ford woodie project and used the roof from a '49 Ford parts car that he found a panel with the correct crown, and with renewed enthusiasm he finished the Hupp. Now that it's done, he can tackle the woodie!
It should be pretty obvious by now that Gary's a prolific builder who appreciates cars from all eras and manufacturers. As he told us, "With an almost 30-year career in state government, building cars was a way to find a feeling of accomplishment not always available in my day job, and in retirement it's even more fun." We'd say his "Hupster," as the license tag reads, is an accomplishment to be proud of, and then some.
Rod & Custom Feature Car
Gary Pettigrew
Carmichael, California
1935 HUPMOBILE
Chassis
Starting with the stock Hupp Motor Car Company frame, Gary shortened the wheelbase from 118 inches to 112 by removing 6 inches in the area behind the K-member, then tapered the front framehorns, boxed the frame front and rear, and narrowed the front by 4 inches. He added Mustang II-style independent front suspension using parts from Fatman Fabrications, Heidt's, and Air Ride Technologies, along with 11-inch disc brakes and a Corvette master cylinder from ECI and swing pedals from Southern Rods. All brake lines are steel and stainless flex lines, with aluminum fuel lines fed from the refurbished stock tank. Airbags are fitted at all four corners, with an Air Ride Technologies triangulated four-bar locating the rearend.
Drivetrain
Working forward from the rear, that rearend is the ubiquitous 9-inch Ford, connected to a driveshaft from Carmichael Machine Shop, itself plugged into the rear of a GM 4L60E that has been tuned via computer programming by Mark Roman. Fooling most onlookers at first glance is a '99 Pontiac LS1 disguised as a '54 Dodge Red Ram Hemi, complete with a Carter four-barrel and an oil bath air cleaner mounted above the intake manifold for an old-timey look. Street & Performance headers and a 2 1/2-inch system fabricated by Tim's Hot Rods in Rio Linda take care of spent gases. Gary bought a pair of Terminator mufflers, now ceramic coated, at a Super Shops going-out-of-business sale to complete the system.
Body & Paint
There's a ton of work in this ex-four-door sedan apart from the three-times-filled roof section and the 6-inch body shortening. Gary hid the door hinges, radiused the top corners of the doors, molded the front fenders and nose section together, and filled where the parallel leaf springs originally came through the fenders before molding the spare tire cover to the body, recessing the license plate, shaving the door handles, and recessing the brake booster into the firewall. Not finished yet, he then fabricated custom running boards, floors, and a new driveline tunnel, and prepped the body for paint. The '05 VW Aquarius Blue was chosen by Gary's wife, Nancy, and applied by Marvin Roy in Rio Linda. Non-Hupp parts are few but include '38 Chrysler Royale rear lights converted to LED operation, and a '40 Ford rear bumper cut in two and modified.
Wheels & Tires
The original Hupmobile hubcaps are the centerpiece of the steel wheels, thanks to work by The Wheelsmith (800-854-8937) to get 'em to fit. BFGoodrich Silvertown radial wide whites leave their tire tracks at each corner-225s wrapped around deep-dish (3-inch backspacing) 15x8 rims on the rear and 185s on skinny 15x5 wheels at the sharp end.
Interior
One of the coolest aspects of this car is the interior, thanks in no small part to the gorgeous white-with-black-piping vinyl tuck 'n' roll seats and panels by Dave Putnam in Sacramento (916-804-1115) over Acura front and Mitsubishi rear seats and custom panels. Gary fabbed a neat package tray and seat divider that was originally to be upholstered, but looks great painted and 'striped. There's a much-modified '47 Mercury dash filled with Dolphin gauges and a Chevy van tilt column and LeCarra Mark 40 wheel in there, too, as well as Vintage Air A/C and Kenwood stereo with iPod interface unit.