Rod & Custom Feature Car
Tiffany Collins
Camarillo, California
1927 Chevy Modified Roadster
Chassis
The handbuilt chassis is as impressive as the engine, body, and interior, and pulls the whole car together. Dan designed and built the frame from 2x4-inch tubing, tapered and pinched, then kicked up in the rear to match the contours of the body-and rolled in the front, where the frontend hangs from a suicide perch. A dropped I-beam, tube shocks, hairpins, '40 Ford drilled drums, and spindles, all treated to plenty of chrome, add to the impression. The rear also includes tube shocks and '40 front drums, along with modified ladder bars, and a Model T buggy spring. He hung a Model T steel gas tank over the '46 Ford banjo rearend (with a flipped housing) and stock Ford axles.
Drivetrain
The 283 Chevy small-block is the same one Don packed into his in Limelight '38 Ford pickup a few years ago. Now, it's running three Holley 94s with Stelling & Hellings bell air cleaners on a polished Offenhauser intake. Rewarder Headers in Camarillo ceramic-coated the homemade headers that blow the exhaust note past the driver and passenger. Burbank Radiators built the narrowed radiator. Details like the cove in the firewall and cowl to fit the PerTronix distributor, painted and polished finned valve covers, red plug wires, and copper fuel lines are low-key elements that make the engine stand out, even at the GNRS. Pop's Tranny Shop in Reseda built the B&M-shifted Turbo 350 transmission, spinning a chromed custom driveshaft from Wenco Driveshaft.
Wheels & TiresDan and Tiffany went with polished 15x7 American Racing TTO five-spokes in the rear, contrasted with 15x5 chrome steelies from Wheel Vintiques up front. The choice perfectly suits the car's overall brightness and evokes the early '60s show rod era. The skinny bias-plies from Firestone are period-appropriate and measure 8.20x15 and 5.60x15.
Body & PaintBelieve it or not, this body was a neglected shell when Tiffany saved it from near-disintegration. Dan changed every proportion of the '27 Chevy touring sheetmetal, shortening it from four-to two-door dimensions then subtracting an additional 5 inches. The body was narrowed 4 inches in back and 6 at the cowl. The dash rail area rear of the cowl was extended to fit the custom-built windshield. A vintage grille shell of unknown pedigree was filled with a modified '58 Thunderbird insert. Illumination comes from Lucas Flamethrower headlights and Model A taillights. When it was time for paint, Dan and Tiffany handed the project to Nick O'Teen in Sun Valley, California, who shot the pearl-white base and the well-blended panels in various shades of purple.
InteriorDowntown Willy in Carson, California, stitched the pleated pearl-white vinyl covering the custom seats. The purple carpeting was picked to go along with the exterior panels and the narrowed '20s-era Dodge dash. The steering box and column are also '20s Dodge parts, converted to cowl steering in the past and installed underneath the dash, controlled by a Mooneyes vinyl wheel. A glass knob tops the twisted shifter from a '39 Ford Top Loader.
Owner Web page: www.myspace.com/oldgoldgarage