Rod & Custom Feature Car
Roger & Marie O'Dell
Canyon Lake, California
1936 Ford Cabriolet
Chassis
Roger reports that the first order of business was stretching the wheelbase 10 inches, boxing the framerails, and adding crossmembers. The frame was eventually taken to Precision Powder Coating in Temecula, California, for a silver finish. A 4-inch dropped front axle is suspended by a Durant monoleaf spring. The brakes were built at ABS Brakes in Orange, California; the pedal assembly is from Lokar Products. The steering is handled using a GM 605 box with a long sector shaft. At the other end, Roger used Chevy truck arms and Firestone airbags to suspend the Ford 9 inch. The Panhard bar is from Hot Rods to Hell. The 40-gallon fuel tank is from Rock Valley.
Drivetrain
Consistent with the Cadillac flavor found all over the rest of the car, the powerplant was taken from the same marque. Roger decided on power from a brand-new '07 Cadillac Northstar VVT engine. Ron Zimmer, Dale Armstrong, and Ben Strader participated in the engine buildup, which is currently a work in progress. Howard's Muffler in Victorville, California, contributed to the custom exhaust system, which includes glasspacks to please the ears and chrome tips to please the eyes. Bowtie Overdrives in Hesperia, California, put together the 4L60E automatic transmission. Bob Williams at Bob's Driveline provided the custom driveshaft, which runs to a Ford 9-inch limited-slip rearend with 3.73:1 gears.
Wheels & Tires
The selection of rollers revolved around the Cadillac sombrero caps. The WheelSmith in Santa Ana, California, built five (four corners plus one spare) 15-inch rims that would accept the caps-which feature 15-inch hoops and 14-inch centers. The radial tires are Vogue goldline whitewalls, a popular pick among classic Cadillac owners, so the natural choice for this car. These measure P215/70R15 all around.
Body & Paint
Stretching the wheelbase required stretching the body as well, which was accomplished in part by cutting the body in half at the rear doorjamb, adding 6 inches to the floor in the cockpit, and reattaching the cowl with new doors by Marcel's Custom Metal extended 6 inches at the front. Much of the rest of the body fabrication work was accomplished by Roger and his friend Don Gauronski. The body was modified in the rear as well, where the spare tire area was lowered approximately 10 inches. The hood is a '41 Lincoln piece from Lincoln Zephyr parts supplier Merv Adkins in Rancho Cucamonga, California, fabricated to curve around the distinctive grille. That grille (Roger's favorite part of the whole car) was sketched (on a napkin) by One Arm Bob Coughlin, and built by Don Gauronski using 1-inch aluminum plating purchased at a scrap yard, shaped into the perfect dimensions with a router, and filled with the insert from a '39 LaSalle.
Marcel De Ley and his sons Marc and Luc at Marcel's Custom Metal made the new front fenders, using Roger's hood as a buck. The molded-in headlights were created from '37 Cadillac and '38 Buick lights, with parking lights built from the top portion of the LaSalle grille.
The deck was modified to flow with the '38 Zephyr rear fenders, skirts, and taillights, and a '34 Plymouth spare tire cover (modified for the Cadillac wheel and tire assembly) was added as one of several finishing touches, which include the '37 DeSoto bumpers with a '57 Caddy license plate surround in the rear, and the front and rear homemade roll pans. Other brightwork includes the '36 roadster door handles, '41 Buick skirt emblems, and swan neck mirrors from So-Cal. The '39 Ford trim was repaired by Sam Foose. The chopped rag top was built off of a new Jaguar convertible top and covered at Bob's Upholstery in Redlands. Roger also thanks Billy for his lead work on the car, and Jason Wagner for his contributions.
When it was time for paint, Bobco Auto in Lake Elsinore, California, shot a PPG basecoat/clearcoat version of Larry Watson's lacquer lightbulb. Pinstriper extraordinaire Dennis Ricklefs broke out the brushes to pull a subtle double 'stripe just above the beltline trim and above the skirt emblem.
Interior
The "Opalescent" color continues in the interior, contrasted by the brown Mercedes carpet and a '37 Lincoln Zephyr dash with a woodgrain finish provided by Bob Kennedy, and filled with elegant '37 Zephyr gauges. The vintage-looking dash is contrasted in style and color by the contemporary bench seat from Wise Guys, covered by James Mendoza at A&C Upholstery in Nuevo. A&C also created the custom door panels, which are based on Steve Stanford's concept illustrations, and incorporate armrests from a '57 Oldsmobile. Dennis Crooks at Quality Restorations finished the banjo steering wheeling, mounted to a tilt column. Hidden out of sight is the Pioneer stereo system, installed by Roger. Joe Ellis handled the wiring duties, made easier with a Ron Francis kit. Stephen Meyer added his expertise with computer wiring issues.