One of the coolest hot rod trends lately is the blending of vintage aviation themes into the car. It makes perfect sense.
After WWII, there was a virtual smorgasbord of surplus parts and accessories that enthusiasts could throw at their cars. Lightweight and cool-looking aircraft parts were also functional additions. I applied this theme to one of my favorite cars: a '27 T coupe. I started with your basic not-so-good T body (you know the type) scrounged from a river bank, or a field, or five minutes before the swap meet closes for the day.
Once unceremoniously thrown out of the back of the truck into the shop, a serious whacking must occur; you want to end up with a chopped top that gives you 6-inch windows. Next up is to construct a network of inner bracing-think of spars or ribbing like the fuselage of an aircraft-then weld up the body solid, doors and everything.
Now, a mechanism of sorts needs to be built to allow the top part of the body, like the louvered roof, the door post, windows, the whole unit, to articulate (open) like the canopy of an airplane cockpit. This is how you get into the car-open the lid and crawl in. Don't forget latches to keep it closed.
Inside, it is appointed with various visual flight cues. Seats, gauges, and controls are all aircraft-influenced. The windows are green-tinted Lexan, and the body finish is natural metal with a few rivets for effect. Don't forget to have your local art dude paint some retro imagery on the sides!
The rest is straightforward hot rod stuff, including a custom-built frame that is cheese-holed, 'cause it looks cool, and built ever so low to the ground. A quick-change rearend and a drilled front axle make for a perfect place to mount steel wheels with a set of vintage Firestone rollers.
I see many guys opting for alternative powerplants to stand out from the crowd. In this case, a jazzed-up Chevy inline-six does the duty with a set of triple gas mixers on a custom manifold and aircraft exhaust-style twice pipes! All this is transferred to the drive wheels via a manual gearbox.
There you have it-a fairly simple and affordable build plan that is as trendy as it is timeless, with a capital T. Don't forget, BYOB! Build your own bomb!