Theres no practical reason to chop a 40 coupe. But theres a good reason: its bad. Josh Bailey knows it, and hes only 20 years old. A previous owner knew it, and he began the whacking back in the late 70s, long before suede and retro were en vogue. Of course, the 40 has seen plenty of styles come and go.
Josh told us, This car has been in our area since the 50s, and its been raced and rodded many different times. Its been gold, red, yellow, and black. One fellow owned the car 17 years and had the top chopped in 1978 but never finished the job. It passed through several hands and ended up stored in our barn when Tom Clark owned it. It took three years before we were able to buy and build the car.
And build it he did, along with his dad, Joe. They took the car right back to basics, taking advantage of the look initiated by the 5-½-inch section thatd been chopped out back in the disco era. Josh, who lists his occupation as street rod builder, rebuilt the chassis himself, and with help from Bobby Alloway finished the driver for around $20,000 in two years. Since completion, its scored a Boyds Pick at Goodguys Columbus and was part of Street Rodders Top 10. Now its in R&C, because a basic rod like this just never gets old.