Maritime Rod & Custom (Vol 1; Iss 1) - January 2020 by Rodger Evans

Maritime Canada’s Quarterly Rod & Custom Magazine - Vol #1: Issue #1 - Jan2020

$5.95 2

Vehicle Coverage from: - Fredericton, NB - Moncton, NB - Radical SpeedSpORT 2019 - Hantsport, NS - Sackville, NS - Waverly, NS - Summerside, PEI -

Nothing says “Maritime” more than Peggy’s Cove’s iconic Lighthouse as the backdrop for a ‘40 Chev Hotrod that Bob Borden built for his brother-inlaw Greg Vallis in a small, backyard Scotia Issue (1) Maritime Rod & Custom garage in Wellington, NovaVol(1)

Maritime Rod & Custom

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Publisher: HiDefRods Photography Editor: Rodger Evans Art & Design Guru: T-Mac Travel Assistant: Abe MacEvans Staff Photographer(s): Me, Myself & I Advertising: Rodger Evans ©2020 by HiDefRods Photography All Rights Reserved - Printed in Canada (902) 678-4772 rodger.c.evans@gmail.com Where it all began... My formative years were spent in the driveway and basement of my parent’s house watching my dad build, wrench, scrap, curse at, and flip cars and trucks. Dad refused to let me “get into cars” as he wanted me to get an education. I did just that, but ultimately lost touch with the hotrod world from the late 80’s to early 2010’s. It was a trip to Havana, Cuba in 2011 with my future wife, Tracy, that reignited my passion for classic cars. I came back from Havana with an idea to start a niche car photography business - I wanted to photograph hot rods. I believe the years spent in my parent’s driveway, and at car shows and swap meets, provide me an insight and understanding of what goes into the building, restoring, and customizing of cars, trucks and bikes; this is what I attempt to capture at every shoot.

Subscribe Now!!! www.maritime-rod-custom.com Quarterly Magazine (Jan, April, July, & October) Digital Version - $12.95/year

Print Version - $29.95 /year Therefore, my goals are to capture the vehicles of (incl. shipping) Canada’s Maritimes, the details that make them unique, and the stories behind them and their Single Copies ($5.95 + $3 shipping) builders/owners. Please join me in this next chapter for HiDefRods Photography!!! Vol(1) Issue (1) Maritime Rod & Custom 4

On the Cover: Greg Vallis ’ 1940 Chev Pickup built by his brother-in-law Bob Borden. Shot at Peggy ’s Cove in Nova Scotia (Article on page 18-25)

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In this Issue...

Brad Dawe’s 1931 Ford Pickup.................. 6 Radical Speed Sport 2019 Coverage ......... 10 Greg Vallis’ 1940 Chev Pickup ................ 18 Wayne’s Hot Rods & Customs.................. 26

Moncton “Twins”.................................. 30 page 54

Leigh Kelly’s Pro Street ‘55 Nomad......... 36 Jack Leslie’s ‘47 Chev Sedan Delivery...... 42 Norm Gallant’s ‘50 Chev Panel............... 48

page 6

Greg Blair’s Pro Street ‘71 Camaro........ 54

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Old Scho

Brad Dawe’s 1931 Model ‘A’ “gow job” is r Maritime Rod & Custom

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ool Cool

reminiscent of hot roddingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early roots... Vol(1) Issue (1)

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Brad has always had an affinity for trucks, hoping one day that he could find himself a late 1920’s-1930’s pickup. As luck would have it, approximately six years ago, he found a ’31 Ford Model ‘A’ pickup for sale in Shediac Ridge, about 30 minutes from his house. At the time money was tight, but the price was right. So he put his 1970 Chevrolet C20 on Kijiji thinking that if the C20 sells, then the stars must be aligned and owning the ’31 is meant to be. Although it hadn’t sold the year before, this time it sold in a day, and as they say “the rest is history.” Although the truck looked good, mechanically it was in pretty rough shape. So Brad set to tinkering away on the 80+ year old running gear, with the goal of trying to keep it as original as possible. Brad’s ultimate goal was to homage to early hot rodders in the ‘40s and 50’s, who like him, didn’t have big budgets, but wanted something that looked cool and went fast - 50HP at the rear wheels likely being a pretty decent outcome in the ‘40s. Everything in the drive train, except for the transmission and drive shaft, are “Henry Ford forged”, and although not original, are period correct for a pre-hot-rod era build, or “gow job” (Early (generally pre-World War II era) expression for what would later become known as a Hot Rod, namely a vehicle extensively modified in a “home-built” manner to provide improved performance; www.gowjob.com) as they were called in the ‘30s to early ‘40s. Over the years Brad has upgraded the water pump, head, and added a Stromberg 97 carburetor, again staying authentic to the era by only using parts that would have been available to early builders. The biggest change to the running gear is the addition of a T-5 transmission. Although not period authentic, Brad felt keeping the original 3-speed, with its straight gears and double clutching, reduced the drivability of the truck. Drivability is of up-most importance, as Brad drives the truck almost every day, putting as many miles on it as Mother Nature will allow in our Canadian climate. Aftermarket accessories include a lucky rabbit’s foot and 1940’s Boy Scout Flashlight

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Tech Sheet Deets

Owner: Brad Dawe

Location: Moncton, New Brunswick Vehicle: 1931 Model ‘A’ Pickup Builder(s): Henry Ford’s Men and Brad Dawe Build Duration: Started 6 years ago, ongoing... Painter and Paint: Kris Bourque & Brad Dawe; tremclad gloss grey Body Mods: Filled roof and visor; Custom bed Engine: Original 200.5 CID; 50HP@rear wheels Engine Mods: Winfield Aluminum Head; Modern Distributor; Stromberg 97 Carb, Scalded Dog Intake; Touring Cam; leak-less water pump Transmission: T-5 Open Driveshaft Electrical: 6 volt; points; NU-REX extra high output alternator Exhaust: Cloth wrapped Original Henry Ford Rear End: Original w/ modern shocks Front End: Built by Ron arsenault w/ split wishbones; 4” Drop axle; modern shocks; steering stabilizer; dropped steering by Ron Arsenault of R&C head service; Cast Iron Brakes w/ floater kit Wheels/Tires: 1933 Ford 17” Wire wheels & Firestone Deluxo Champion Tires Interior: Original Henry Ford Upholstery: Seat Base unknown, but seat and door panels Upholstered by Collin’s Auto Upholstery (Moncton)

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Body mods are few, given that it’s a budget build, but significant. The truck originally came with a homemade box on the back, but once Brad removed the fenders it didn’t quite fit with his image for the finished truck. So the short term fix was to build the wooden stake bed that is on the truck now. Brad continued to look for a ’31 Ford box to put on the truck, but after finding one a year ago, decided that his custom box makes his truck unique, and so he’s decided to stick with what works. On the front end Brad added a 4” drop axle that he picked up in the USA, wanting to give the truck an aggressive rake that lets folks know that this isn’t a stock, farm truck. Once the mechanics were sound, Brad and fellow tattoo artist Kris Bourque, set out to do some body work on the cab. Kris does bodywork and paint on the side, and helped Brad straighten the body, fill the roof, and fill the front visor. Once the retooled body was shot with Tremclad Gloss Grey (in lieu of a lacquer paint), Brad added the 39B to the side, again reminiscent of early racing, such as one would see at today’s T.R.O.G. (The Race of Gentlemen). The number represents a numerical equivalent of the antique motorcycle/car club that Brad belongs to in Moncton, The Shitty Tigers. The subscript B represents the race class that Brad believes the truck would have been in if raced in the early ‘40s - Original Modified. Finally, Brad’s truck is also a rolling advertisement for his tattoo parlour “Hell or High Water.” Admittedly, until I shot the truck standing still, I didn’t realize that the back of each “Hell or High Water” sign said “Tattoo Parlour.” Just one more subtle, custom touch that not only suits the truck, but makes Brad’s build a little bit different from everyone else.

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What

Hubbub the H ub C ity â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s C oliseum April 12-14, 2019?

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was all the

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For almost a half century Radical Speed Sport (formerly Speed Sport East) has signaled the start of car show season in the Maritimes. Started in 1974 by Bruce Robertson and Greg Turner, the show used the Moncton Coliseum’s ice rink to show off the best hot rods and customs the Maritimes had to offer. Following the untimely death of Bruce in 2007, Greg Turner took over as chairman of the show until his retirement in 2016. By this time the show had grown to fill the entire Coliseum complex. Joe Savoie and his family took over the show in 2016, and while they embraced the bones of what Robertson and Turner had developed, they also wanted to put their own spin on what the show had to offer the 1000’s of patrons (evidenced by the opening spread photo of folks lied up to Killam Drive, waiting to get in the Coliseum) that come through the doors every year. Although the metallic and chrome classics, customs, restorations, and radicals are the stars, they wanted every show to be a family experience for young and old, gearhead and not. The line-up for 2019 definitely ticked all those boxes! There were 250+ registrants at Radical Speed Sport 2019, and in an attempt to showcase the newest and best builds that Eastern North America

has to offer, Joe has decided to set aside a number of 20x20 spots to showcase these vehicles. This not only allows owners and builders to up their game in terms of displaying their pride, joy, and sweat equity, it also allows the public to walk around the entire vehicle and get a complete understanding of what makes these builds worthy of Radical Speed Sport. The entertainment line-up for 2019 had something for everyone. Friday night saw the return of Jessie (Chad Lindberg) of Fast and Furious fame along with Dominic Dubreuil’s recreation of Paul Walker’s Mitsubishi Eclipse from the original Fast and Furious. Saturday continued the trend of first-class celebrities with the introduction of Aaron Kaufman from Shifting Gears (formerly of Gas Monkey Garage). Aaron not only signed autographs for what seems to be an endless line-up of fans, he also made sure he took time to walk around and meet the owners and builders of the vehicles being showcased. Saturday afternoon saw the entrance of a super-hero-clad Bubbles (Mike Smith) of Trailer Park Boys Fame. The line-up to see Bubbles started at the stage at the entrance end of the arena, and curled its way half way around the other side. The final entertainment piece Saturday was the Annual Vixen’s sponsored Pin-Up contest MC’ed by the lovely Krista Jay. After three rounds,

Folks line up to see Bubbles from the Trailer Park Boys

“Jessie” and Dom pose with Paul Walker’s Mitsubishi Eclipse

“Bubbles, please sign my baby!”

The lineup to see Aaron Kaufman stretched the length of Salon ‘C’!

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...some take ‘em as they are...

Some choose to restore ‘em...

Hillsborough’s Bob Cooke brought a beautiful “barn find ‘67 Corvette

The face of Castrol’s Atlantic Canada Drag Racing Team, Lynn Cormier, and her Pro-mod ‘63 Corvette Funny Car are always fan favourites!!!

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...and some truly make them a piece of automotive art!!!

Rejean Desjardin’s rare ‘67 Firebird with its original DHC 6 cylinder “Sprint” motor was a popular draw.

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One camaro, two camaros, three camaros, more... Clockwise from the top - Cook Performance Restorations brought three of their beautiful high performance Camaros including a ‘67 with Procharger supercharger, and an angry looking black on black on black ‘69 RS Pro Touring. Another popular Pro Touring Camaro was Jason Bayer’s yellow ‘69 (look for it and his Pro Touring C10 in April’s Issue of MR&C). Greg Blair brought a pair (yellow ‘71 (Hub City 6 Finalist) and black ‘73) of nasty Camaros, the yellow version looking ready to race right out of the blocks. Also present were a number of modified restoration Camaros included James Harrison’s Blue 1972 Z28, Mike MacDonald’s Black ‘69 (body and paint by Wayne Bishop of Wayne’s Hot Rods & Customs), and Mark Desjardin’s big block, Corvette Bronze ‘68 SS. Vol(1) Issue (1) Maritime Rod & Custom 14

this year’s winners were Kendall Ward (People’s Choice and 1st Runner Up), Jessica Guitard (2nd Runner Up), while Tara McIntyre was crowned Miss Radical Speed Sport 2019. Finally, there were also celebrities for the little gear heads in the crowd, and this year they were treated by a visit from Mario and Luigi from Nintendo. Sunday also provided an opportunity for visitors to see Jessie, Aaron, and the Luigi Brothers. As always, “radical” and “speed” were well represented by the registrants at the 2019 show. There is always something for everyone including the ever growing tuner/sport compact section, motor car racing in the form of bandits, stock cars and drag cars, impeccable restorations, survivors, resto mods, rat rods, hot rods, and customs. Because of the quality and variety of vehicles that are represented at Radical Speed Sport, ISCA Judge Ron Lucas and a team of professional judges spend many hours Friday and Saturday determining the best of the best in a large number of classes. After all the class awards are handed out, the show wraps out with the presentation of several major awards. The the best Canadian went to Dan Anderson for his restored/ modernized ’66 Bronco, while Chris Redmond’s and his 1996 GMC Sierra Pro Street pickup from New

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Hampshire took home the Best American Award. The Hub City Six, chosen from all first time shown Canadian entrants, represented a wide selection of radical and speed including: Fred Gauvin’s Custom Motorcycle; Tim and Brennan Cook’s slick ’52 Chev pickup; Dan Anderson’s restored and modernized ’66 Bronco; Gil LeBlanc’s custom ’57 Porsche 356 Speedster; Greg Blair’s Pro Street ’73 Camaro; and Mike Gaudet’s custom ’55 Chev Belair. After the Hub City Six are chosen, they are then pitted against each other for the much coveted Robertson Award; the top award for the show and given in the memory of show founder Bruce Robertson. This decision is never an easy task for the judges, but in the end, Mike Gaudet’s custom ’55 Belair took home the giant trophy and bragging rights for 2019. If you’ve never attended Radical Speed Sport, you’re not only missing the annual kick-off to the car show season, but you’re missing a chance for a close-up view of some of the best representations of classic, restored and modified vehicle culture in Eastern North America. So if you’re reading this article, and you’ve never been to Radical Speed Sport, be sure to mark your calendars for April 17-19, 2020.

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This Page: This year’s winners of the coveted Hub City Six awards were (right to left): Tim and Brennan Cook with their 1952 Chev pickup; Dan Anderson and his resto-modern 1966 Bronco; Mike Gaudet and his custom 1955 Chevy Belair; Gil Leblanc and his custom 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster; Fred Gauvin and his custom bagger motorcycle; and Greg Blair with his Pro Street 1971 Camaro. Each Hub City Six winner also received a custom collage from HiDefRods Photography, a Mothers prize pack, and a custom shop jacket from Radical Speed Sport. Facing Page (clockwise from middle left): Of the 250+ vehicles registered Aaron Kaufman picked Kyle Murray’s 1994 Honda Civic as the recipient of his award;This year’s winners of the Vixens Boutique/Radical Speed Sport Pin-up Contest were (left to right) Kendall Ward (People’s Choice and 1st Runner Up), Tara McIntyre (Miss radical Speed Sport 2019), and Jessica Guitard (2nd Runner Up); Dan Anderson’s Bronco also took home the award for Best Canadian; Chris Redmond won Best American with his Pro Street 1996 GMC Sierra pickup; After much deliberation the judges chose Mike Gaudet’s beautiful, custom 1955 Chevy Belair as the 2019 recipient of the Robertson Award!!!

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Nailed It!!!

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Before building the ’40 Chev pickup for his brotherdifferent about this car?” in-law Greg Vallis, Bob Borden cut his teeth on a few builds of his own. The first was a full restoration Greg is also a bit of a classic vehicle collector of a 1938 Chevrolet Sedan. Next, he built himself himself. Greg has amassed 30+ vehicles of various a mildly customized 1939 Buick street rod. I say vintages, including a collection of untouched, “mildly customized” because although there are original, old dually trucks, Dodge Power wagons, a number of custom touches, they’re so subtle and a variety of older hot rods that need some TLC. it makes you scratch your head and ask “what’s Vol(1) Issue (1) Maritime Rod & Custom 20

Rather than try and pick something from the collection to work on, Greg and Bob decided that they would build a hot rod truck from scratch. As a starting point, Greg was able to purchase a ’40 Chev cab from a fellow truck collector in New Glasgow, NS. The cab originally came from western Canada, and although a VERY basic start for a full on hot rod build, was in fairly good condition. Next, they bought a set of American Stamping ’32 Ford frame rails. From there, Bob used his fabrication expertise to build a custom cross member system to join the rails together. In the rear they added a Ford 9” rear end attaching it to the frame with an adjustable, triangulated 4-link system. Up front they added a Super Bell straight axle with a transverse leaf spring, attached to the frame with old school hot rod hair pin axle brackets; all of which were chromed. Stopping power comes from 11” Vol(1) Issue (1)

Ford drums out back and GM disks up front. Before placing the body on the frame they took 4” out of the roof. Because the back window was already relatively small, they made sure that the chop went around, and not through, the window. Once on the frame, the body was channeled 4”. Since the cab required significant firewall modification, Bob decided to construct his own out of sheet metal. For design as well as structural integrity, Bob added bead-rolled grooves to the firewall. If you look closely the bead rolls continue on the interior side of the firewall, kick panels, door panels, and sheet metal that covers the back of the cab behind the seats. Although they used the original dash, Bob “frenched” a set of New Vintage gauges into the dash and added a pair of custom “eyebrows” over top the gauges. Although it appears that they deleted the radio, it is cleverly hidden

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inside the very small glove compartment on the passenger side of the dash. Once all the metal work was done they had Dave Roach make seat pads for the custom seats, and use the same leather to produce a pair of custom floor mats; the floor mats are sewn to flexible magnet material that allows them to stick to the metal floor of the cab. Other than all the custom touches to the inside of the cab, the most striking details are the walnut wood pieces found throughout. These include all the knobs and crank handles, the handle on the 1938 Chev parking brake, the knob on top of the Lokar shifter, as well as the ’39 Buick steering wheel. The steering wheel is completely custom as it is a mash up of a 60’s sport wheel, that originally sported a wood covering, that was cut from its spokes and welded to the central core of a ’39 Buick steering wheel. From there Bob cut out two walnut rings that were routed and smoothed before being attached to the custom steering wheel assembly with pins and screws. Once installed the holes were then filled with walnut plugs and sanded smooth.

To make it a truck, they needed to add a bed. They searched high and low, but couldn’t find either a ’40 Chev bed, or something suitable that matched the style of the build. Although they discussed the possibility of buying a pre-fab aftermarket bed, they wanted something that looked authentic. As luck would have it, about two miles from Greg’s house, was a horse farm/track that was looking to get rid of a selection of antique sheet metal pieces. Amongst the items for sale Bob eyed an old trailer made from a Chevrolet truck box that he thought would be perfect for the truck bed. Using the trailer as a template, they made box sides and a headboard, and shortened it 2.5-3’ to fit on the frame. Bob cut the “Chevrolet” out of the original tail gate, straightened it, and then made a custom tailgate that fit the dimensions of the newly formed box. They finished the box floor with walnut boards that coordinate nicely with the wood accents used in the interior. All of this custom work is motivated down the road by a ’63 Buick 401 CID “nailhead” with an Offenhauser high rise sporting dual quad intakes. Fuel from the polished aluminum fuel cell, tucked

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between the frame rails, is fed into a pair of 500 CFM Edelbrock carbs topped with K&N stack air cleaners. Wanting to keep a period correct hot rod look, the engine is adorned with polished 63-65 Buick ribbed valve covers, and exhaust is sent out through a set of ceramic coated Gear Drive lake style headers. Everything is cooled by a Griffin radiator tucked inside a ’32 Ford grill steel and stainless insert. As the build approached completion, discussion turned to paint colour. Given the aggressive hot rod look and stance of the truck, Greg insisted that the truck be painted black. This combined with the silver of the motor and trans, chrome front end, and endless polished aluminum on the motor would have made for a very striking hot rod. Unfortunately, during the final stages, Bob’s family was devastated by the sudden and untimely passing of his oldest daughter, and Greg’s niece, Jessica. In honour of Jessica, the two decided that the truck body, box, frame and rear end be painted House of Kolor Pavo Purple, Jessica’s favourite colour. Since its completion, and although the truck is in

Greg’s name, Bob and his daughter Taylor put the majority of miles on the odometer. Greg loves the truck, but knows that Bob and Taylor love to show it, and they show it often. Unfortunately, during one of the family’s annual trips to this year’s Atlantic Nationals in Moncton the unthinkable happened. While unloading the truck there was a miscommunication resulting in the truck hitting the back of the trailer quite hard. Once the smoke and tears cleared, and seeing that the frame wasn’t bent, Bob realized the truck had to be rebuilt. So rather than work on his next project (a custom ‘60 Buick), Bob spent the remainder of the summer rebuilding and repainting the truck’s front end. Thankfully, the truck was done in time for our shoot, and although Taylor wanted to be there, it was Greg that helped Bob at 5:00AM on a chilly Sunday morning. So you may never see Greg driving the truck around town, but I’ll guarantee you that Bob and Taylor, when not taking the ‘39 Buick to local cruise nights (Bedford’s Chicken Burger or Dartmouth’s Woodside A&W),they’ll be found hanging around the House of Kolor Pavo Purple hot rod pickup. A hot rod that is not only a family (re-)build, but also serves as a reminder of numerous family connections.

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Owner: Greg Vallis

Tech Sheet Deets

Ignition: MSD Billet ignition

Location: Sackville, Nova Scotia

Chassis: 32 ford American Stamping;Lengthened

Builder: robert Borden

5”; Custom fabrication & Cross member

Vehicle: 1940 Chev Pickup

rear Suspension: Adjustable triangulated 4

Body Mods: 40 Chev Truck cab; Chopped 4” &

link;9” Ford rear end c/w 4:11 gearing; 11” Ford

Channeled 4”; Fabricated Fire wall; Vintique

Drums; QA1 coil overs

32 Ford Grille & insert; Guide Headlights; 37

Front suspension: Super Bell straight Axle

Ford Tail lights; 50 Chev Box c/w walnut bed

with hair pins; GM Disk brakes; Vega steering

completely reconstructed.

box

Paint and Painter: Paint and Body work by Bob

Wheels & Tires: American Racing Wheel Torque

Borden;House of kolor Pavo Purple

Thrust D - Front 15x6;Rear 15x10; Mickey

Engine: 63 Buick 401 Nailhead; Offenhauser High

Thompson Sportsman - Front 26x8; Rear 30x12

Rise Dual Quad Intake; Dual 500 cfm Edelbrock

Interior: Customized Dash with Nu Vintage

Carburetors; K&N stack air cleaners; 63-65

Gauges; Fabricated steel interior and seats;

Buick Aluminum Ribbed valve Covers; Schneider

; 39 Buick steering column (shortened); 39

Racing Cam; Gear Drive Lake Headers; Griffin

Buick Steering wheel w/ reduced diameter and

Radiator

covered in walnut; 38 Chev floor mounted

Transmission: GM TH350 Transmission (Assembled

emergency brake

by Rick Roods Transmission); Lokar Shifter;

Upholstery: Leather seat pads by Dave Roach

Bendsten Transmission adapter

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In a re-purposed warehouse in Waverly, Nova Scotia resides one of the best kept secrets in Nova Scotian hot rods and customs. Wayne Bishop and his crew have not so quietly been taking the car show world by storm. Churning out beautiful builds with mirror-like paint finishes, laid over metal that is smoother than when it left the factory. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their story... Vol(1) Issue (1)

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Like many folks I talk to about their vehicles and passion for the hotrod hobby, Wayne Bishop started at the ripe young age of 10 helping his heavy-duty mechanic father in their small, backyard garage. Wayne learned the tools of the trade by helping his father with various bodywork projects he undertook for friends and family in Corner Brook Newfoundland. Although Wayne raced bikes for many of his early years, he also had an interest in hot rods and muscle cars. At the age of 17, Wayne painted a friend’s 1970 340 Wedge Duster “Sassy Grass Green”, and gave it the prototypical flat black hood. The car was painted in his Dad’s backyard shop, and in two weekends was back together. The friend took it to a local show and received a first place award for best paint - this was all the motivation Wayne needed to decide bodywork/paint were his calling. Wayne left Corner Brook at the age of 18, and went to Ontario to work in a local body shop. After a few months the owner took Wayne aside and said he likely wouldn’t last in the body shop business. Wayne returned to work in his Dad’s shop, but two years later went to Montreal with his girlfriend (now wife) that had just finished her first year at McGill University. Although his primary goal was to follow his heart, Wayne hoped he might land a job in a body shop in Montreal, or at the very worst, go back to Toronto. As it was, he landed a job in a custom car shop in Montreal. The shop built customs, hot rods, and muscles cars. Wayne worked there for two years while his girlfriend

Three of the crew - TJ, Wayne & Tony completed her degree, but then they both moved to Nova Scotia and Wayne got a job with Coachworks Ltd. in Halifax. Fast forward 20 years, and Wayne decides to give up motorcycle racing, a life long passion, because he and his wife had built a new house, and the insurance company wasn’t keen to give him life insurance unless he gave up bike racing. Never having owned a muscle car or hot rod himself, Wayne sold his bike racing gear and bought himself the ’31 Model ‘A’ hotrod pictured in the opening spread of this article. The hotrod has been picked away at for the last eight years, but like most professional builders, is always at the bottom of Wayne’s “to do” list.

Wayne’s shop did the body work and applied the perfect purple paint and ghost stripes to Dan Gagnon’s 1967 Mustang.

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Cliff Coombs ‘49 Chevy Build Teaser - Painted, cleared and polished hood. For the next five years, while working for a local body shop, Wayne worked on muscle cars and various builds for friends in a small back yard shop. Then about three years ago he decided he was going to take the leap and build a full-fledged hotrod, custom and muscle car shop of his own. His goal was to do complete, ground up, builds, minus the interior, particularly the finished bodywork and paint. His new body shop started out as ~40,000 square feet with space to work on a few builds with a fully functional paint booth. Soon after opening, Wayne invited Jim Downey of Dustless Blasting Atlantic and Jim Mackey of CNC Motor Sports Fabrication to join him. This required expanding the shop footprint a further 20,000 square feet into the neighbouring part of the building. Since opening, Wayne’s shop has taken home best paint awards at Radical Speed Sport and best paint and best detailed at Halifax’s Driven Show. At the time of this interview, Wayne’s crew had six or seven vehicles in his shop at various stages of completion. A few weeks later Wayne had an open house/ car show at the shop on a Saturday, and people came from as far away as New Brunswick to check him out. Since then Wayne’s Hot Rod & Customs’ waiting list has ballooned, and given the array of vehicles that will have Wayne’s input at Radical Speed Sport 2020 in Moncton, his trophy case will likely be busting at the seams. Wayne’s handy work will include: 1) wet sanding, buffing and polishing Gil Leblanc’s Custom 1956 F100 “Frostbite”; 2) paint and body work on the custom ‘49 Chevrolet truck that Cliff Coombs of Moncton is building; and 3) the GT500 Eleanor clone that you see in primer. Vol(1) Issue (1)

Another highlight for Wayne in 2020 will be to put a few of his best builds in a trailer and take them across on the ferry to St. John’s Newfoundland. That’s where an annual car show has invited Wayne to come this summer and show off what he’s been doing since leaving the island. I’ll bet they’ll no doubt be right floored by what Wayne has become considering the modest start in his father’s backyard garage 30+ years ago.

GT500 Eleanor set to debut at Radical Speed Sport 2020 Big Block ‘67 Chevelle awaits some of Wayne’s paint magic...

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The first time I met the “Twins” was at the 2018 Radical Speed Sport in Moncton, NB. At first glance I thought at the most they were fraternal twins, but after a closer inspection I realized they may have come from “different” donors, but they definitely shared the same street rod DNA. The “Twins” didn’t start their road to resurrection as a “planned birth.” In fact, Mike Gaudet, former owner of Canadian Classic Cars (now AJM Classics), started with building the ’62 Impala SS as a show piece for his restoration, customizing, and resale business. When the shop received the Impala from northern New Brunswick, it was an original 1962 SS car with a 327. The build started by replacing the original suspension with Global West components and Wilwood brakes on all four corners. The tired 327 was replaced with a crate 427 that produces 480HP paired with a 700R automatic transmission.

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Not wanting to update just the suspension and drivetrain, the shop decided to do a number of subtle customizations to the body. The body was removed from the frame, media blasted to bare metal, and the customizing began. All the body trim was shaved, except the door handles. Custom exhaust ports were cut in the rear quarter panels, and the fuel filler was removed from the side of the driver’s rear quarter and placed in the top, using a flush mount polished aluminum filler cap. To the front they added a custom grill and custom LMC cowl induction hood. Metal work wasn’t restricted to the exterior as they also built a custom centre console and painted it to match the car’s exterior. Except for the console, the interior is mostly stock. They did replace the gauges with Dakota Digital units, and although the radio looks original, it is in fact from Retrosound Radio. The steering wheel, which upon closer inspection plays off of the Ridler rims they chose, was machined from a single block of Billet aluminum before being covered with a paint matching injection molded cover. The final touches to the interior include a beautiful tuck and roll leather interior and custom, matching leather door panels, all courtesy of Collins Auto Upholstery in Moncton. During the final stages of the build, Alfred MacArthur (owner of AJM Classics) came to Canadian Classic Cars to look at a 1973 Camaro that he was interested in purchasing from Mike. Eager to show off the shop’s newest build, Mike showed Alfred the custom ’62 Impala. Suddenly the Camaro became a distant thought and Alfred went home with the ’62 Impala instead. Cue the idea of “The Twins”… Vol(1) Issue (1)

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Several years previous to purchasing the Impala from Mike, Alfred had purchased a ’71 Chev C10 step-side with the idea of making it into a street rod. Not really knowing what he wanted to do, he had his company’s logo (MacArthur’s Paving & Construction Co Inc) put on the doors, but rarely drove the truck. However, Alfred was so impressed by the quality of the Impala build he decided he would like to take his “work” truck and have Mike’s guys do a comparable build to the ’62 Impala. They started by removing the body from the truck and media blasting it to bare metal. Although the body was in fairly good shape, they did need to replace pieces known to typically rust in C10’s (rocker panels, floor, and cab corners). Next came a number of subtle, but significant, custom changes to the truck that helped solidify the “twins” concept. Like the ’62, they replaced the hood with a comparable LMC cowl induction hood. They also cut out a portion of the step on the side of the box for the exhaust, so as to mirror the exhaust ports in the ’62. More significant changes included removing the tailgate and hinging it on one side so that it opened like a door, and putting ’62 Impala taillights, turned 90 degrees, in the back fenders. Once all the custom touches were complete, they smoothed out the body before laying down a matching paint scheme of Matrix Candy Cognac over a silver base, including matching rally stripes on the front quarter panels.

The truck frame was in incredible condition, so the only changes were adjustable Hotchkis suspension front and rear to lower the truck’s stance and make the ride more enjoyable, as well as Wilwood disk brakes on all four corners. They also removed the anemic 350 and replaced it with a modern LS3 that produces almost 500HP. They used the same exhaust as was used in the ’62, and once the drivetrain was complete, added the same Ridler rims and BF Goodrich rubber. The truck came with a modestly customized interior and stereo system, but in order to replicate the interior of the ’62 they gutted it and started from scratch. This included building a custom console similar to the one they put in the Impala, as well as having Collins Auto Upholstery add similar tuck and roll white leather interior and door panels. The truck also received a matching custom Billet Specialties steering wheel, Dakota Digital gauges, and Kenwood radio. In the end, I believe they successfully took two of Chevy’s favourite vehicles to modify, and through subtle customization and thoughtful replacement of original materials, produced two vehicles that by themselves are spectacular street rods. However, when viewed side by side, or nose to nose, the ’62 Impala and ’71 C10 share enough DNA that you can definitely see their striking family resemblance.

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Tech Sheet Deets

Owners: Alfred and Janice Macarthur Location: Dieppe, New Brunswick Vehicle: 1962 Chevrolet Impala Build year: 2017 (4 months) Builder: Canadian Classic Cars Body Mods: remove body trim; cut rockers for exhaust; positioned gas filler in rear quarter panel; custom grill; custom cowl hood Paint: Matrix Candy Cognac over Silver Base Engine: GM Performance 427; 480HP; FiTech EFI Transmission: 700r4 Electrical: complete painless harness Exhaust: 2.5” stainless; magnaflow mufflers Rear End: global west 3 link suspension; wilwood brakes Front End: global west front suspension; wilwood brakes Wheels: Ridler wheels - 18” front, 20” rear Interior mods: custom centre console; dakota digital dash; retrosound radio; billet specialties steering wheel Upholstery: collins upholstery

Vehicle: 1971 Chevrolet c10 Build year: 2018 (3.5 months) Body Mods: impala taillights; custom swing out tailgate; side exit exhaust; shaved antenna and fuel filler Paint: Matrix Candy Cognac over Silver Base Engine: GM performance ls3; 495HP; Holley EFI Transmission: 700r4 Electrical: complete painless harness Exhaust: 2.5” stainless; magnaflow mufflers rear end: Hotchkis lowering springs; stock brakes Front End: Hotchkis tubular a arms & lowering springs; stock brakes Wheels: Ridler wheels - 18” front, 20” rear Interior mods: custom centre console; autometer gauges;Ididit steering column; billet specialties steering wheel Upholstery: Procar seats w/ custom white door panels (collin’s upholstery)

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Maritime Rod & Custom

Go When Leigh Kelly bought the ‘55 Nomad at a swap meet in New York state, his friend’s first reaction was “You’ve gone mad!!!” Maritime Rod & Custom 36

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Maritime Rod & Custom

Prior to purchasing the ‘55 Nomad in 2004, Leigh owned a ’32 Ford Vicky that he built, and had driven the previous five to six years. Like all good itches, the most satisfying scratch was to sell the Vicky and look for his next project. On the way home from the Street Rod Nationals in York Pennsylvania, Leigh and a friend decided to stop at the Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, NY to attend the Annual Nostalgia Drag Racing series. While there, they walked through the swap meet area and came upon a large gentleman in bib overalls, with a large beard, and a larger belly, selling a ’55 Nomad on the back of a one ton truck; you get the picture… Leigh looked at his friend and said “there’s my next project.” To which his friend replied “Have you gone mad?” Leigh then replied “Well there’s a good name for the car!” After getting the car home, Leigh took it to a friend’s shop with the goal of building a drag car. Shop owner Richard Drummond (builder, fabricator and

painter) and Leigh then started the task of taking what appeared to be a pile of scrap metal and turning it into a bad ass drag car. Although the body on the ‘55 was fairly solid, it lacked a floor, and the frame would never stand up to the pounding a drag car would receive. Therefore their first order of business was to build a completely new, custom chassis. To this they added a narrowed Ford 9” rear end and Fatman front suspension. They then added Wilwood brakes and an Air Ride Technologies air suspension to all four corners. Knowing that the Nomad was being built for drag racing they also fabricated a double roll bar system for both safety and to reduce flex when the car launched off the line. In order to get all 4400 lb of sheet metal moving down the track, Leigh decided that a GM Performance crate 502 was a good starting point. He sent the motor to AJ Automotive in Nova Scotia where they worked their magic on the inside of the

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motor, and also added a Pro Charger supercharger for an extra bit of oomph. Before the motor was put in the car it produced 928HP on a dynamometer. This included a 12-ribbed serpentine belt which helped produce about 10 lb of boost from the supercharger. Very little was done to the body, other than to replace the missing floor, add wheel tubs in the back, straighten out the original body panels, and add two new bumpers. A significant amount of time was spent refinishing the original stainless trim that you see around the windows, as well as wet Vol(1) Issue (1)

sanding and buffing the stunning PPG Boyd Red paint. Approximately 1000 hours later (all within a year’s time), the car was complete and ready to race and show. The first issue while racing was that the ribbed belts would not only slip, but couldn’t hold up to the horse power being produced from the motor. Leigh grew tired of constantly ordering belts from Pro Charger in Kansas and decided to go with a cogged belt. This not only cured the belt slippage problem, but increased the boost from the supercharger to 22 lb. This in turn brought the car’s horse power numbers into the range of 1100HP, and although Leigh’s ETs (9.97 on pump gas) and

Maritime Rod & Custom

Tech Sheet Deets

speeds (125+MPH) increased dramatically, his need to replace pistons also increased. In the end, after two years of racing, and afraid that he would hurt the car’s sheet metal because of the amount of torque produced every time the car launched off the line, he removed the supercharger and replaced it with an 850CFM Barry Grant Demon carburetor. Since its debut at the 2005 Radical Speed Sport, Leigh and his wife Kelly have taken the car to several of the local car shows, as well as on a couple of trips to the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton. As we wrapped up the interview I made a serious pitch to Leigh to bring the Nomad back to Radical Speed Sport in 2020. If he does, and if you have a chance to see it in person, you’ll fully appreciate the “Radical” build and the raw power and “Speed” it would have produced in its racing heydays.

Owner: Leigh Kelly Location: Fredericton, New Brunswick Builder(s): Leigh Kelly, Richard Drummond & Many friends Build Date: 2004-2005 (1000+ hours) Vehicle: 1955 Chevrolet Nomad Body: all original fenders and body panels; all original trim; new bumpers Paint: PPG Boyd red Engine: 502 CID GMC built by Armstrong Boys (AJ Automotive); 850CFM Barry Grant Carb Transmission: 3 Spd Turbo Hydromatic with 3500 stall converter Ignition: MSD Ignition System Exhaust: 3” Stainless Chassis: Complete new Chassis (Drummond) w/ double roll bar system Rear Suspension: 9” narrowed Ford w/ 4:10 gears; wilwood disk brakes; 33”x18.5”x15” Mickey Thompson Sportsman tires on Ultralite Weld Racing Wheels; airide Technologies front Suspension: fatman fabrication w/ airride technologies; wilwood disk brakes; 28”x7.5”x15” Mickey Thompson Sportsman on Ultra-lite Weld Racing Wheels Interior Modifications: Double Roll Bar System; Nissan 6-Way power seats; 3.5” dash Extension; Ididit Tilt/telescopic steering column; Vintage air conditioning Interior upholstery: All done @ Drummond Built-Fredericton Etc: car weight - 4400lb Best ET - 9.97 @ 128mph (Pump gas w/ procharger supercharger)

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Field of dr

AFTER SURVIVING TWO STINTS IN SALVAGE YARDS, THIS EX-AMBULANCE DEMONS 42

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reams

STRATES THAT A HARD LIFE CAN SOMETIMES RESULT IN ONE-OF-A-KIND BEAUTY Vol(1) Issue (1)

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After completing the build, Jack took his rat rod back to Bob’s salvage yard, known locally as “The Field of Dreams.”

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Jack Leslie is a retired, long haul, truck driver that recently moved to Nova Scotia from Picton, Ontario in 2018. While in Ontario Jack built a traditional hot rod ’38 Chev coupe, a custom ’55 Chev fleet side pickup (Look for it in April’s Issue of Maritime Rod and Custom, as well as Speed Sport 2020!!!), and the 1947 Chev Sedan Delivery Rat Rod that you see pictured here. The sedan delivery started its life purpose built as an ambulance, or “meat wagon” as they were known back in the day. After being decommissioned it was “put out to pasture” just outside Kansas City, MO where it was found by a car enthusiast from Waupoos Ontario, Bob Flageaul. Every year, Bob would go to the states and bring back three cars and various parts. When Jack met him there was 300+ cars in his field, and a wide variety of vehicles stored in various barns. The farm was known to locals as “The Field of Dreams.” The patina that you see on Jack’s ’47 is all Mother Nature. Jack’s unsure how much time it spent outside in Missouri, but estimates it sat in Bob’s field in Waupoos for approximately 10 years. When Jack visited the farm, looking for his next project, he came across three Chev sedan deliveries. This one caught his eye not only for its patina and rat rod po-

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tential, but also for the fact that he hadn’t seen very many sedan deliveries of this vintage at car shows. Jack bought the car with the initial goal of just getting it going, wanting to keep it as original as possible, and leaving the patina as is; he wasn’t interested in restoring the vehicle. Jack knew the car needed some upgrading so he did a 12 volt conversion, and although he would have been happy to keep the original 235 in-line 6 cylinder, it blew up when he was taking it from one garage to another. Realizing the weight of the finished car, it was natural to replace the 6 banger with a “warmed over” small block 350. He also wanted people to take a few steps back when he opened the rat rod’s hood, so added an aluminum rad, traditional hot rod finned valve covers, chrome air breather, chrome master cylinder, and chrome big rig air horn. Realizing that safety was going to be an issue in a 70+ year old vehicle with a hot rod motor, while also wanting to try and keep the car as original as possible, Jack added a 12 bolt Camaro rear end to the original frame, but decided to keep the front end original. For stopping power he added Corvette disk brakes to the front, but also had to add a vacuum booster (chrome tank on the firewall next to the master cylinder) to make sure he could stop safely.

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The front part of the interior is completely original, except for reupholstering the seat and door panels. Out back Jack wanted to replace the rotted wood frames with something that looked nice, didn’t make it look like a hearse, but also kept a rat rod theme. After building a custom frame out of 2x4’s to make a space for the air ride system, he then sourced walnut boards to build the truck-like bed, but decided to cover the walls with old barn boards to add to the rat rod persona. The final touches to Jack’s rat rod come courtesy of the talented fingertips of Kim Taylor (Taylor Signs in Bellville, ON). Jack was interested in adding some art to the patina panels, but also wanted it to look authentic. Jack chose the “Beagle Boys” of Donald Duck cartoon fame as the salvage crew on the

doors, but also wanted to pay homage to ???????’s car collecting efforts, thus “The Field of Dreams Auto Salvage” on the side panels. The authenticity of the signage comes from Kim painstakingly removing paint to give the effect that the artwork is as old as the patina. Bob Flageaul passed away in 2016 after a short battle with cancer. However, not before Jack was able to take the completed rat rod build back to Waupoos and take Bob for a ride and show him the completed project. Bob originally had plans to restore some of the many cars that he had accumulated over the years, but a passion for collecting, and a lack of time, never allowed him to fulfill some of those dreams. Being able to share his build with Bob will always be memorable for Jack.

Tech Sheet Deets

Owner: Jack Leslie Location: Hantsport, Nova Scotia Vehicle: 1947 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery Builder(s): Jack Leslie & Brian Garrett Build Duration: 2013-2015 Body Mods: Stock; visor from ‘47 Chev Paint and Painter: Patina by Mother Nature; Clear Coat (Kustom Ride); Lettering and Pinstriping (Kim taylor - Taylor signs) Motor: 350CID; 300HP; Comp cam; aluminum Edelbrock intake; chrome valve covers and air cleaner; custom aluminum rad Transmission: 350TH w/ Shift Kit; lokar shifter Electrical: 12 volt conversion Exhaust: custom headers; custom zoomies; flowmaster mufflers

Frame: Stock Rear End: Camaro 10 bolt Posi; Custom Air ride (ron weeks) Front End: custom Air ride (ron weeks) Brakes: 1970’s corvette disks (front); corvette master cylinder w/ chrome vacuum canister Wheels: 16’ Steelies w/ chrome baby moons and beauty rings Interior: Stock Front Seat; custom steering wheel; custom sound concepts stereo; custom barn-board floor and paneling (owner) Upholstery: Headliner and Seat (Mike’s Interior)

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Impeccably

Furnished What started out as a request to buy Joe Casey’s ‘51 Chev Rat Rod pickup, turned into a gorgeous 1950 Sedan Delivery that’s way too nice to haul anything but two people and their necessities for the next car show...

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Maritime Rod & Custom

If you don’t know Joe Casey, you’ve never been to Radical Speed Sport, Atlantic Nationals, or PEI. Originally a drag car builder earlier in life, Joe and his wife Eleanor are now known in the Maritimes for high-end, functional builds that are meant to be driven. Prior to the ’50 Chev Panel, Joe’s most recent build was a patinaed ’51 Chev step side pickup that looked like it was just pulled from a barn. However, looks are deceiving as it sported updated running and stopping gear, and a beautifully adorned LS motor under the hood. Norm Gallant, a local furniture dealer, was looking for a street rod that could double as advertising for his Summerside, PEI furniture store. Norm initially proposed purchasing the ’51 step side, but wanted to have it painted. Joe wasn’t too keen on painting his patina creation, so he asked Norm to find a project that he would want Joe to complete. When Norm found the ’50 panel for sale he knew this was the truck that Joe could make into his dream street rod. ’50 Chev panels are relatively rare finds these days, and make beautiful street rods, but as you can see from the front spread inset, the starting point for the build was far from road ready.

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Joe’s initial assessment of the ’50 was “it looked like a piece of junk on the trailer”, but Joe had a finished build in mind, and wasn’t going to be overwhelmed by where he had to start. After taking the body off the frame, and sending the frame out to be media blasted and painted, Joe spent the next month welding and filling holes, just to get the truck to the point where he could start the bodywork. One thing Joe insists on when doing a build is that any holes not necessary for the function of the finished product should be filled. So, although the firewall of the ’50 may look like brand new sheet metal, it’s actually the original with hours of filling, welding and sanding to end up with the final product you see.

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Maritime Rod & Custom

Once the frame came back Joe added his signature touches to this street rod build. These include a four link suspension with adjustable coil overs in the rear, a Mustang II front clip with 2” drop spindles and disk brakes, and an LS power plant to pull it down the road, married to a 4L60, four speed transmission and Lokar digital shifter. Joe painted all the sheet metal in the interior to match the exterior, and then filled the dash with new Dolphin gauges and added a tilt steering wheel. He modified a pair of power buckets seats, and covered them with the same leather used on all the door panels. The final touch was to do something with the expansive rear space of the truck. Joe started by adding a beautiful oak floor with stainless strips. Since the panel’s walls originally were bare, Joe decided to dress them up with wood that matched the floor, and made sure the boards followed the profile of the underlying sheet metal. After the truck was complete, Norm decided he wanted to put a logo on the side that would advertise his store. Needing more than just words, Joe and Norm decided that the logo should include furniture. Rather than try and integrate images of modern furniture, Joe suggested that furniture and appliances folks would have purchased back in the ‘50s made most sense for the logo. Norm liked the logo idea so much he now uses it on the new trucks that he actually uses to deliver furniture in PEI.

Over the years Joe’s builds have garnered multiple trophies throughout the Maritime show circuit. Although he’s proud of his many achievements, there’s nothing like the praise he received at the 2019 PEI Street Rod Association Show ’n’ Shine in Brudenell, PEI. You see, the original owner of the ’50 had heard about the build Joe did for Norm and came to the show to see it. As you can imagine he was completely blown away by what Joe did with the ’50, and admittedly had wished he met Joe before he sold the truck to Norm. Fortunately, he has a ’39 Plymouth project that may end up with Joe’s build stamp on it in the not so distant future.

Tech Sheet Deets Owner: Norman Gallant Location: summerside, Prince Edward Island Builders: Joe and Eleanor Casey (full frame off restoration) Build time: 2018 (9 months) Vehicle: 1950 Chevrolet Panel van Painter: macgregor’s performance (PEI); 3 coats paint & 3 coats clear body: Original body and Frame engine: 5.3L ls3; 300hp Transmission: 4l60 4 speed automatic; lokar digital shifter Rear End: 4 link w/ adjustable coil overs; chev rear end w/ 2:73 gears Front End: mustang II w/rack and pinion steering; 2” drop spindles; disk brakes Wheels: American racing wheels Interior& Upholstery: joe casey; tinted windows; tilt steering wheel; power seats

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Camaro Cadre

Greg Blair’s Blown, Big Block ‘71 Pro Street Camaro is the newest member of an exclusive club 54

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I first met Greg Blair in the summer of 2017 when I was asked by Canadian Hot Rod Magazine to photograph and write a story on Greg’s ‘52 Chev Fleetline Gasser, “RatDiculous.” When I entered the “garage” I could quickly see Greg was a serious collector of customs, hot rods, and nostalgic race cars. However, what stood out most was his collection of “super” cars, including a Ford GT40, Viper, and the 2007 World’s Fastest Street Car, a 1967 Camaro sporting a massive 14-71 supercharger attached to a 580 CI big block Chevy. Yes, it is “street-able”, but any pictures that I’ve seen posted of Greg and passengers have both of them wearing the type of ear protection you see sported by airport ground crew members. Furthermore, a well-known TV personality (I’ll leave it up to you to guess who...) known for his devil-maycare attitude regarding high horsepower diesel builds was overheard saying that a ride with Greg in the ’67 scared the s**t out of him… Fast forward 20 months, and I meet up with Greg at Radical Speed Sport 2019, sporting a new “supercar.” This time it’s a 1800HP, 1971 Pro Street Camaro filled with a 598 CI big block sporting Polished Big Brodie heads with custom Larson Engineering valve covers, all topped with an 8-71 Billet blower from the

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Blower Shop. Get up and go is supplied by a polished aluminum, 16 gallon fuel cell that feeds fuel through a BDS Speed Pro fuel system, Fast ECU and Geardot Big V intake. If one chooses, this can be intensified via a direct port nitrous system hooked to two NOS tanks between the custom Jaz driver and passenger racing seats with five point harnesses. What you can’t appreciate from the images I have (Greg’s hoist was in use by a rebuild of the ’67 Camaro) is the sheer quality of the build under the bright yellow, modified (stretched wheel wells, fibreglass front clip with tunnel lid hood, fibreglass doors, and custom wing) 1971 Camaro body. The frame is a custom built tube chassis, with a fourlink rear suspension with coil overs attached to a narrowed Strange Dana 60 rear end with 4:30 pro gears and 40 spline axles. All of this is required to take the power from the front, through a Coan Extreme Performance TH400, and transfer it to Billet Specialty Comp 5 double bead locked rims wrapped in Mickey Thompson ET rubber. The front suspension sports tubular A-arms, coil overs and rack and pinion steering. All four corners (when a chute isn’t required…) are ground to a halt be Wilwood disk brakes.

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The interior, and its technology, definitely scream “drag car.” Although the headliner and door panels are original, much of the interior is modified to be “race ready.” Attached to the custom tubular frame is a 12 point roll cage. Input from the driver goes through a custom pedal system and TCI Outlaw shifter that is protected underneath by a CSR carbon fibre Super Shield on top of the transmission. Input from the car comes through a set of Autometer gauges housed in a custom clip-in dash. The NOS system is stored in a custom bottle rack. Further additions to the interior include a Halon fire suppression system and in-dash ports to plug in a laptop if you want to remotely tune the FAST fuel injection system.

Once I was notified that the Camaro was one of the 2019 Hub City 6 finalists (see 2019 Radical Speed Sport coverage on p 14-17), I photographed the car from several angles for an award collage. When I realized that there was a New Brunswick license plate tucked between the drag chute and wheelie bars, I asked Greg if it was street legal - “Yep” - Have you raced it - “Nope, well not at a track…”

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Tech Sheet Deets Owner: Greg Blair Location: Berry Mills, New Brunswick Build Date: 2001 Builder(s):

Present

Frank Luchi, Don Brownlee, Ron Wood, Rick Nemeth, & Greg Blair

Vehicle: 1971 Pro Street Camaro Body and Paint: Luchi -London, ON Sikkens Metallic Yellow

Body Mods: Complete fibreglass front Fibreglass Doors Stretched Wheel Wells Fibreglass Trunk & Wing Wheelie Bars

Z28 Stripes

clip

Frame: Complete Tubular Steel Chassis 12 Point Roll Cage

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hood

Engine: Balanced & Blueprinted 598CID;1800HP Polished Big Brodix Heads Larson Engineering Valve Covers Billet 8-71 Blower Shop Blower Geardot Big V Intake Aeromotive A 1000 Fuel System BDS Speed Pro System Hamburgers 8qt Oil Pan Direct Port Nitrous Injection System FAST ECU Custom Wiring System Exhaust: 4â&#x20AC;? Ceramic Flowmaster Transmission: Coan Extreme Performance TH400 3200 Stall Converter Reverse Valve Body/ Transbrake Billet Reactor Flex Plate CSR Carbon Fibre Super Shield Rear End: Narrow Strange Dana 60 40 Spline Axles 4-link w/ Coil Overs Wilwwod Disk Brakes

w/4:30

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Front End: Rack & Pinion Steering Tubular A Arms Wilwood Disk Brakes Wheels and Tires: Billet Specialties Comp Series Double Beadlock w/ Mickey Thompson ET Tires Interior: Original Headliner and Door Panels Custom Jaz racing Seats 5-Point Harness Custom Clip-in Dash w/ Autometer Gauges Custom Pedals Custom NOS Bottle rack Halon Fire Suppression System TCI Outlaw Shifter Etc: FAST Fuel Injection System is Computer Programmable with Remote Tuning Capabilities

Gears

The Art Of Hotrod Photography

Custom Collages Site Specific Shoots Show Boards

https://hidefrods-photography.weebly.com/ rodger.c.evans@gmail.com Kentville, NSMaritime Rod902-678-4772 & Custom

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