Rod & Custom Feature Car
Tom & Cindy Christian
Carson City, Nevada
1933 Ford three-window Coupe
Owner contact info: beachin99@aol.com
Chassis
The stock '33 frame was boxed and the wheelbase was stretched 1 1/2 inches with a drilled Dago axle located with drilled split front wishbones, a Posies front spring, and an owner-built Panhard bar. A Schroeder Sprint Car steering box keeps it heading in the right direction. A Model A rear crossmember and spring along with '36 wishbones hangs a Hot Rod Works Halibrand V-8 quick-change with 4.11 gears and limited slip. Pete & Jake's shocks and 1941 Lincoln brakes with drilled backing plates are used at all four corners.
Drivetrain
The 270ci Dodge Super Red Ram Hemi was machined and assembled by Mike Hughes. An Offenhauser intake with three Stromberg 97s with chrome air cleaners provides fuel while a Joe Hunt magneto lights it. Sanderson headers and an owner-built exhaust with Summit glass-pack mufflers give the burnt gas an escape route. A T5 transmission built by Jim Folbeck connects through a Hot Heads flywheel and Centerforce clutch and pressure plate.
Wheels & Tires
16-inch painted Ford steel wheels (16x4.5s and 16x5s) with trim rings are wrapped in Firestone blackwall bias-plies measuring 4.50/4.75-16 and 7.50-16.
Body & Paint
Earl Cook chopped the coupe's top 5 inches, lengthening it 11/4 inches, leaned the A-pillars back 2 inches, and filled the top with a Bobby Walden steel insert. Tom and his buddy Ray Forbes punched the louvers in the original hood tops. The bodywork and Sims Hot Rod Black paint were done by Eric Collins in Sparks, Nevada. Dale Weber at Weber Graphics, Sparks, Nevada, did the lettering. Lighting is handled by Guide headlights and '50 Pontiac taillights.
Interior
The minimalist interior features a custom-built bomber-style bench by Frank Wallac covered with silver canvas, vintage aircraft belts, Stewart-Warner dash insert and gauges, and a Kugel steering column with a So-Cal Sprint Car wheel. Tom built the pedals and updated the South Wind heater.
The goal when building this '33 hauler was to turn it into a safe, up-to-date driver that maintained a from-the-past look. It may look raw, but everything works-windows, locks, gauges, lights, blinkers, everything. The truck was already chopped 7 inches and channeled 3 1/2 over the '33 frame when work began. The 'rails have been notched front and rear and strengthened with a Model A rear crossmember in addition to the raised front crossmember.
Three deuces feed the Seventies-era Chevy 350, machined and assembled by Hughes Automotive Machine. Ciarra shifts the Chevy T5 transmission with a Model A truck shifter mounted to the stock base.
Our favorite external touches are Dale Weber's old-timey graphics, Joe the Chromer's nickel plating, and those 17-inch '33 Nash wheels. When she's driving, which is often, Ciarra rides on bomber seats finished in leather she stitched herself.
This year marked the third pilgrimage to the salt for this '33 hauler and its 22-year-old owner. Ciarra has owned a variety of cool cars since she turned 16, so it's pretty obvious that she inherited the family passion for hot rods. Her father is Tom Christian, owner of the 57C coupe, and this pickup was a genuine collaboration between father and daughter.