Drivetrain
The block and heads on the early Chevy 350 got painted to match the white on the body and frame, but dressed up with polished '60s Corvette valve covers, a polished Pro 1 intake, and chromed accessories. The carb is a 4-barrel Edelbrock topped with a fiberglass dragster-style scoop from the Total Performance catalog, modified by Craig. The owner-built lake pipes feature 2-inch tubes and a 4-inch cone, with VW-application Stinger mufflers for the perfect tone. Reliable Manufacturing in Ontario, Canada, assembled the engine, and Fred Suominen in Scottsdale, Arizona, built the 700-R4 automatic, which runs a 2,500-stall heavy duty converter. Dave's Driveshafts provided the shortened '80s GM driveshaft.
Body & Paint
The fiberglass Deuce roadster body from Rod 'n Race has been channeled six inches over the frame. Craig smoothed the doors shut and frenched '59 Cadillac taillights into the upper rear quarters. He also frenched the license plate into the decklid, and frenched the rear bumper (built from a '56 Chevy front bumper). The fiberglass nose is completely custom and houses a pair of motorcycle spotlights as headlights.
Wayne at Bell Glass in Phoenix provided the windshield and Vintique supplied the side mirror. Craig said it took him a month to paint his most elaborate paint job to date, using Kustom Shop white, Diamond Crystal pearl, and purple metalflake candy. He traded Ron Hernandez a custom neon sign (Craig's a professional glass blower) for the extensive pinstriping.
Wheels & Tires
Craig struck gold when he scored a full set of original, beautiful-condition, Sixties-era Superior rims, never mounted and still in the box. Seller Smokey Fegley, via the HAMB website, reaffirmed Craig's hope for mankind by letting them go for $60 apiece. The rear 15x7s roll on a pair Hurst whitewall slicks, with 15x6s on Coker bias-plies in front.
Interior
The custom-built seats look pretty comfortable, especially the purple tuck 'n' roll inserts in the white pearl vinyl, stitched by Glenn Kramer at Hot Rod Interiors in Glendale, Arizona. The seatbelts are from Juliano's. The dash is custom-formed fiberglass; Craig is still trying to identify the frenched dash insert, but the 160mph speedometer is from Stewart Warner and the quad gauge below the dash on the left is from Classic Instruments. A '56 Chevy Bel Air steering wheel mounted on a $10 homebuilt column, 24-inch Lokar shifter, and Mooneyes complete the interior.
Craig did much of the work on the roadster himself, but appreciates the help of everybody who contributed to the car, including Eric Symons and Chip Quinn who encouraged and advised him along the way.