Maritime Canada’s Quarterly Rod & Custom Magazine - Vol #1: Issue #3 - July2020
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Maritime Rod & Custom
Nova Scotia Strong
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Publisher: HiDefRods Photography Editor: Rodger Evans Art & Design Guru: T-Mac Travel Assistant: Abe MacEvans & Mr. P 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 I’m not sure where to start... March 17 Acadia University closed to the public due to Covid-19, and I was at home working on the final stages of April’s Maritime Rod & Custom Issue. A few immediate concerns included if Advocate would be open to print the issue, and whether Canada Post would be delivering. Many things were up in the air, out of my control, and down right worrisome. After that wave of panic passed, and the magazine was on its way to subscribers, an atrocity, unlike any other ever witnessed, gripped Central Nova Scotia for 13 hours on April 18-19. The needless murder of 22 innocent individuals took a province that was already down due to Covid-19, kicked it right in the gut, and left us wondering why someone would commit such atrocities in one of the friendliest provinces in Canada. As Nova Scotia reeled from Covid-19 and Portapique, news of a helicopter carrying six Canadian Armed Forces members crashed off the coast of Greece, three were from Nova Scotia. Although an Upper Canadian by birth, I’ve learned how close knit the military is in Nova Scotia, and deeply felt the province-wide sadness the loss of three lives brought about at the end of April. And as if these tragedies were not enough, during the Snow Birds Operation Inspiration, a celebration of first responders, health care workers, those lost in Nova Scotia’s April 18-19 rampage, those lost at sea in Greece, and those lost to Covid-19, one of the planes crashed in Kamloops, killing passenger Capt. Jenn Casey. A journalism fixture in Nova Scotia, particularly Halifax, she was the team’s Public Affairs Officer. In approximately eight weeks, the province I now call home was continuously pushed to the brink. They were unable to grieve properly for those lost, and they were unsure what the future would hold. Yet Nova Scotians continued to persevere, as they always have. As we slowly come out of the darkest days of Covid-19, and start to gather with family and friends, it is still crystal clear that life isn’t going to be “normal” for a long time. Restrictions are still in place to keep people from entering other provinces, except for the most essential of reasons; I applaud all levels of gov’t for keeping Canadians safe. Car shows, cruise nights, and racing are currently a thing of the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate the efforts of others. For these reasons, all content in July’s issue is from Nova Scotia. I also wish to dedicate the July issue of Maritime Rod & Custom to Nova Scotia. For those that have experienced loss in the last few months, and continue to move forward, as well as to those that have no choice but to go to work every day to keep us safe and fed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
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In this Issue...
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Trevor Kelly’s ‘23 Ford T-bucket............. 6 Tony Gaudet Sr.’s ‘32 Ford ...................14 Wendell Whynot & Mike Herman Gassers... 20 Bob Reid’s ‘58 Yeoman Wagon................. 28
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Derek Fraser’s ‘31 Model ‘A’.................. 36 Doug & Kim Tidgwell ‘37 Chev Coupe....... 42 Bud Lively’s ‘66 SS Chevy II .................. 48
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Brian Kelly’s first test for his son Trevor’s burgeoning hot rod building passion was to have Trevor polish the stainless steel had purchased to build the car’s frame. As you will see, Trevor polishing prowess didn’t stop there... 6
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I have to admit the first time I met Trevor Kelly, after ’23 T-bucket is definitely his go to in the summer months. asking someone at a car show who owned the over-the The T-bucket started out as a father-son build in top ’23 T-bucket, he wasn’t who I expected would be the 2004 after they had spent some time watching various owner. Although Trevor and his family own a number builds on TV, as well as searching for ideas on the of newer cars that I would expect someone from his internet. Brian, Trevor’s father, had wrenched on classic generation to be drawn toward, I get the feeling that the muscle cars as a young man himself, but hadn’t done Vol(1) Issue (3) Maritime Rod & Custom 8
so in 30+ years. They decided the first step would be to The original plan was to use a steel body, but everything build a frame. Brian brought home a set of stainless steel they found was well beyond use, and therefore they frame rails and asked Trevor to polish them; initially to decided to go with a fibreglass body. The body they determine how serious Trevor was about building a hot found was in a barn in Cape Breton filled with a round rod. You see, polishing stainless steel to the level you see bale of hay. Once they got the body home they realized it on the ‘23 is a meticulous seven to eight step process. was quite twisted from the weight of hay, so the first goal Once the rails were polished to a mirror finish, Brian was to straighten the body. Once straightened, they cut realized Trevor was into the build for the long haul. the floor out to channel the body over the frame rails, but When asked why they chose a ’23 T-bucket they also beefed up the underside with a steel floor, seat and both had the same answer - it’s a true, old school hot rod back pans that were molded into the fibreglass body. Once with an open engine and lots of power. In Brian’s mind the body was complete it was shot with Hot Hues Molten the car fulfills the three rules of hot rodding - big engine, Orange Candy at Hot Shots Auto Refinishing Hot Shots big tires and wheels, and lots of shiny stuff. Trevor on also added a set of flames, as well as a Rat Fink rat on the other hand is attracted to the idea that everything the back left corner of the body. The final addition to the mechanical is visible, unlike other hot rods and classic body was a custom interior by Baren Enterprises (Mount muscle cars. Uniacke, NS). In the beginning, their plan was to build an Knowing that his son was going to drive the altered t-bucket for drag racing. Nothing serious, just car, Brian’s first concern was safety. Everything on the something to have fun with on the weekends. Realizing car goes above and beyond what they thought was the the limitations associated with drag racing, they decided minimum for the build; this includes the roll bar. Starting to cut 20” off the frame rails and make it into a street-able out as a single straight piece of 11’ 2”, 3” diameter hot rod instead. The suspension was next and includes a stainless steel, with 1/2” thick walls, they needed to find very much narrowed Strange Engineering Ford 9” rear someone to bend the roll bar. Brian had a friend with end with 35 spline axles in the rear, and Pete & Jakes a 100 ton press that they thought could handle the task (Super Bell) chrome I-beam drop axle attached to chrome of bending the pipe. Good thing, because the press was 3-link ladder barns and chrome shocks up front. Stopping pushed almost to its limits (86.5 tons) and made some power on all corners comes from polished aluminum noises that required them to run the press remotely while Wilwood disk brakes. peeking through the shop door. Vol(1) Issue (3) Maritime Rod & Custom 9
As the car was being built Trevor kept on polishing stainless steel, including the windshield frame, all the supports, all brackets for the radiator, and even all the bolts and washers that hold the car together. The gas tank is a polished stainless steel Moosehead Beer keg that was modified with a Cobra flip up gas cap. The threaded part of the gas cap, originally aluminum, was reproduced out of stainless steel and welded to the top of the keg, with the aluminum flip cap tightening onto it. A drilled stainless pipe was also added to act as a baffle in the tank to reduce fuel slosh while driving. The interior also has touches of Trevor’s stainless polishing prowess, including a custom one piece stainless steel dash with Autometer gauges, polished stainless gas and brake pedals, polished Grant steering wheel, as well as chrome steering column and shifter topped with custom knob from Van Chase Studios. The powder coated 396 big block Chevy and heads sit in front of a custom, polished, stainless steel
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firewall, but also has its fair share of polished goodies. These include the polished aluminum Edelbrock Victor 2-R tunnel ram, polished aluminum Weiand Hilborn dual quad air scoop, polished Billet Specialties valve covers, pulleys, Howe Racing aluminum radiator, polished Be Cool fan and overflow tank, as well as various chrome accessories - starter, alternator, and Tuff Stuff water pump. The custom built 3” exhaust with Cherry Bomb glass pack mufflers in the turn outs gets its shine from ceramic coating. The motor is paired to a powder coated GM Turbo-Hydromatic 400 automatic with a 4000 stall torque converter from Hughes Performance. Power is transferred to the Ford 9” rear end though a very short, and very polished, aluminum driveshaft from Precision Shaft Technologies. The final touch was really a necessity, given the lack of storage space in a T-bucket. Brian was able to find a used, custom, Denray Travel Master motorcycle trailer from a couple in New Brunswick. The trailer was treated
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to the same paint and flames as the body, and is used to haul the necessities one needs when spending a day at a car show. Completed in 2008, Brian and Trevor decided in 2014 to completely dismantle the car to check for wear and tear. Much to their delight they found very little wrong with the car, wiped the stainless steel down with a rag, and replaced one of the head gaskets. One significant change they made during the winter of 2018 was to swap out the original carbs for a pair of Fi-Tech Fuel Injection units. These, paired with a Master Kit Go EFI fuel delivery system has made the car much more dependable and drivable on a regular basis. To this end, Trevor has likely put a few thousand miles on the car over the past couple of years. While reminiscing about their first father-son
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build, and providing some details about their current ’40 Chev pickup build, the one aspect of this build that is mentioned time and again, is the amount of outside help they received from their many friends and contacts Brian has made over the past 30+ years in the construction business. While Trevor’s dedication to polishing is what sets the car apart from so many, the parts wouldn’t have been there to polish if not for the kindness of the people that are too many to name in one article.
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Owner: Trevor Kelly
Tech Sheet Deets
Chassis: custom, hand polished stainless steel
Location: Fall River, NS
Builder: Brian & Trevor Kelly + Lots of friends Build Duration: 2004-2008
Vehicle: 1923 T-Bucket + Denray Travel Master Trailer
Body Mods: Polished stainless steel firewall; steel floor+seat+back pan molded into
fibreglass body; rear corners cut to allow spacing for large tires
Paint and Painter: Hot hues molten orange candy (hot shots auto refinishing)
Engine: 396 Big block chevy (powder coated
block and heads); ~525HP; fi-tech fuel injection w/ master Kit go EFI 2x4 system; polished
edelbrock tunnel ram; polished aluminum
weiand hilborn dual quad air scoop; polished billet specialty valve covers and pulleys;
chrome tuff stuff water pump, starter and
alternator; howe racing aluminum radiator; polished be cool electric fan and overflow tank
Transmission: GM TH400 automatic; powder
coated case; hughes performance 4000 stall converter; precision shaft technologies
frame
rear Suspension: powder coated strange
engineering ford 9�; 35 spline axles; chrome
coil over shocks; chrome 3-link ladder bars; polished wilwood disk brakes
Front suspension: complete pete & jakes
(Super bell) chrome i-beam drop axle; polished wilwood disk brakes; chrome 3-link ladder bars; chrome shocks
Wheels & Tires: polished Weld wheels
(rodolite); hoosier tires; front 26x7.5x15; rear 31x18.5x15
Interior MODS: custom polished one piece
dash+windshield frame; polished gas & brake pedals; chrome steering column;polished
grant steering wheel; chrome gennie shifter
and emergency brake; shifter know from van
chase; classic industries gauges and seat belts Upholstery: baren enterprises (Mt Uniacke)
etc...: polished stainless steel moosehead beer keg gas tank; all stainless steel fasteners
throughout; bolt heads ground and polished as well as washers
polished aluminum drive shaft
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7 Window Cou
When 32 For you ca 14
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upe
n the Gaudets (Tony Jr. & Tony Sr.) set out to build a hot rod rd coupe for senior, they started with a custom frame. But as an see, sometimes your aspirations take a turn for the better... Vol(1) Issue (3)
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In a little shop near Milford, NS lives one of the most extensive collections of old tin I’ve seen thus far in the Maritimes. Tony Sr. and Jr. are the owners and sole staff of Gaudet’s Hot Rods. Although there is a smattering of different things, the main focus of their builds are ’32 Fords. Tony Sr. has always been into cars, but as a young man Tony Jr. was more interested in hockey, and thus car building took a back seat for many years. Growing up Tony Jr. remembers his dad building a Model A 2-door sedan that they would take out every weekend to go to car shows, or just for a drive. After Tony Sr. sold that, he never really had another hot rod for himself. Once hockey became a pastime for Jr., he became interested in building cars along side his dad. For the last 15 years the duo has amassed an enormous amount of metal, motors and everything in between. During that time Tony Jr. has been across Canada a few times picking up parts, shells, or whatever to add to the collection in the shop. Currently, the garage is filled with various nostalgia, body panels, grill shells, an amazing collection of ’38 & ’39 grilles, pedal cars, and a room that many would salivate over - an engine room that includes a blown Hemi, a Buick nailhead, a flat head, and an antique military Triumph. What started out as a hobby has somewhat spiraled out of control, but the two still try Vol(1) Issue (3)
to remain focused on ’32 Fords for their iconic stature as “the” hot rod for some. Between the two of them they currently own seven projects: two ’32 roadsters; two ’32 coupes; the 4 door ’32 in this article; a roadster pick up; and a newly acquired ’34 coupe that will be Tony’s next build. The ’32 4-door, just recently finished, started four years ago as a new set of ’32 Ford American Stamping frame rails. The two built a frame in a shop jig built specifically for ’32 Ford frames. The chassis was then completed with independent front and rear Superide suspensions from Heidt’s, Wilwood brakes on all four corners, and 1940 steelies with chrome caps and rings. Now that the chassis was complete they just needed to find a body to put on it. They looked for a coupe body for some time, but couldn’t find one that was a reasonable price or in reasonable shape. One day a friend of Tony Jr. saw the 4-door for sale on-line. It was an original, untouched, 4-door. Although four door cars were never that attractive to hot rodders, they are actually one of the rarer body styles from 1932. Today, they are now somewhat sought after, not to be built as the Gaudets have, but to be cut up and turned into 5 window coupes. Tony Sr. never thought of building a four door, but he was soon going to be a grandfather and thought the convenience of four
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doors would come in handy. The body is completely stock, uncut, and attached to chassis as it would have been bolted on in the factory in 1932. The body, hood and grill are original steel, the fenders are reproduction steel from Brookville Roadster. The car is built to be driven and for comfort. The modern chassis is powered down the road by a healthy Chev 348 with factory tri-power setup attached to a GM 200-$R transmission. The interior, except for the dash, is custom and includes front bucket seats, tilt steering, and quad style gauges in the original insert. Unlike the previous five builds, this is their first “shiny” car. Typically their builds are finished in black primer and driven. This time they had their friend Mike Berglund
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come work on the panels and apply an original 1930’s Ford colour, Washington Blue. Although Tony Jr. is somewhat reserved about his abilities, stating that he’s an “amateur” body guy, one thing he tries to do with every build is learn something new; he learned a lot about body work from Mike when they did the 4-door. To this end he recently built a louver machine and louvered the trunk on the ’34 coupe project. With that level of passion, and from what I observed hanging, sitting, and stored around the shop, Gaudet’s Hot Rods has a bright future. Tony Jr. already has visions of the next five builds, and maybe one day his one year old son working in the family shop if he’s interested…
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Owner: tony gaudet sr.
Tech Sheet Deets
Transmission: GM 200-4r
Location: milford, Nova scotia
Builders: tony gaudet Sr. & tony gaudet jr. Build duration: 4 years on & off Vehicle: 1932 four door sedan
Rear Suspension: heidt’s superide fully Front suspension: heidt’s superide front
grill shell; brookville roadster steel
suspension; wilwood brakes
Paint and Painter: ford Washington blue (Mike berglund)
Engine: 1961 chev 348; 280hp; 3x2 factory tri-
power; 60’s moon valve covers; stock exhaust manifolds with smithy’s glass pack mufflers
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starting with new ASC ‘32 ford rails independent; wilwood disk brakes
Body Mods: stock steel body, hood & fenders
Chassis: complete chassis built in house
Wheels & Tires: 1940 steelies with chrome caps and rings; 185/65/r15(f); 235/75/r15(r)
Interior: custom leather interior bucket front seats; tilt steering; stock gauge insert w/ quad gauges
Upholstery: barry, Mt. Uniacke, ns
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Dynam #6
After returning from the Byron Dragway near Ch exactly what needed to be done to a couple of “pro
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mic Duo #66
hicago, Wendell Whynot and Mike Herman knew oject� cars sitting in the lot of Wendell’s shop... Vol(1) Issue (3)
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After attending a drag racing event in 2015 at Byron Dragway in Chicago, IL, Wendell Whynot and Mike Herman decided to transform two cars that were sitting in the lot at Wendell’s shop. One was a ’55 Chev two door post, and the other an original ’64 327 Nova SS. Wendell had not yet decided what to do with the two cars, but after seeing 500+ authentic gassers and front engine dragsters at Byron, he and Mike knew that they needed to build a nostalgic gasser for each of them. Wendell started building the ’55 first. After 30 years in a barn in Bridgewater the car emerged in excellent shape, body wise. Wendell started by removing the original frame to the firewall, and then building a new frame. To the new frame he added a straight axle and springs from Speedway Motors. Brakes are Wilwood disks. In the rear, Wendell added
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a Ford 9” with 4:11 gears, modified leaf springs, and drum brakes. Power for Wendell’s gasser comes from a 454 CID Chevy Big Block topped with a tunnel ram and two 500 CFM Holley Carbs. Adding to the nostalgic look of his gasser are a pair of fender well headers that feed into 3” exhaust. The scoop covering the tops of the carbs is a very special piece. Wendell had his grandsons, Angus and Maxx finger paint the scoop. Once they were done, the scoop was cleared and serves as the icing on top of the proverbial big block cake. The only modification to the body was to radius the rear fender wells. He contemplated adding a fibreglass flip front end, common in some gassers, but the original body panels were so straight he thought it would be a shame not to use them. Wendell’s car started
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out all white, with the original plan to add graphics as a tribute to his brother and a friend, Calvin Whynot and Borden Hanley, who had recently passed. Calvin Whynot had a body shop and Borden Hanley was a local mechanic. Four days before the annual Liverpool Memorial car show, held for Calvin and Borden, Wendell asked the 10 or so guys that were hanging around his shop to grab some masking tape and start taping the blank canvas for some graphics. Along with some help from the “Paint Fairy” they had the graphics laid out and painted in two days. Friday night the car was back in Wendell’s shop and the same group of guys was there to clean, polish and reattach all the chrome; the ’55 Gasser made its debut at the car show on Saturday. Wendell’s ’55 was without an interior when he Vol(1) Issue (3)
bought the car. For the nostalgic gasser look he stripped what was there, put three gauges in the centre of the dash, along with a dash top tach, installed two bucket seats, aluminum door panels, and a Moon steering wheel. He would have installed a roll bar a few years back, but learned that insurance companies were no longer insuring street cars that had racing components such as roll bars. When they built Mike’s Chevy II gasser they removed the original front frame, again to the fire wall, and rebuilt it with a complete Chevy II/Nova kit from Speedway Motors. The kit comes complete with frame, springs, spindles and brakes. The rear end in the Chevy II is a 10-bolt posi-traction axle with 3:42 gears. The motor in Mike’s gasser is the original 327 warmed up with a Weiand tunnel ram and two
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Edelbrock carbs. The motor also has a set of aluminum heads and the requisite fender well headers feeding into a 3” exhaust. The body on the Chevy II was just as straight as the ’55, so the only modification was to radius the rear fender openings. Mike didn’t know what the paint scheme was going to be until after Wendell completed the base graphics. Once again there was a significant amount of taping and a visit from the “Lace Fairy.” Once the base
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graphics were complete, Mike had Kermit and Clifford Keddy (CK Signs), two well known pinstripe artists in the Maritimes, come apply the hand painted graphics. These included all the pin-striping, 327C.I., and Mouse House and mouse. Originally “Mouse House” was painted gold, but Clifford came back in the winter of 2019 and applied gold leaf to the lettering to add an extra nostalgic pop to the car’s graphics.
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The interior in Mikes Nova is original, except for a roll bar, under dash gauges, and a cable driven tach bolted to a plate where the ashtray would have been. Both Wendell and Mike have a long history of drag racing in the Maritimes, and Mike still races an altered T-bucket drag car that he and Wendell painted. However, as true to the theme of nostalgia gassers the two cars appear to be, these builds are meant more for the street/ show scene, than the drag scene. Vol(1) Issue (3)
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Owner: wendell whynot
Tech Sheet Deets
Transmission: muncie 4spd; hurst super shifter
Location: liverpool, ns
rear Suspension: narrowed 9” ford w/ posi-traction and 4:11 gears; drum brakes
Builder: wendell whynot Vehicle: 1955 Chevy 2-door post
Front suspension: custom frame; speedway motors spring and axle kit; wilwood disk brakes
Body: all original sheet metal; radiused rear wheel wells Paint and Painters: house of kolor candy brandy wine on white; lace graphics (paint fairy); hand-painted hood scoop (grandchildren) Engine: 454 CID chevy big block; 2x500 cfm holley carbs; tunnel ram; painless wiring harness; fender well headers into 3” exhaust
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Wheels & Tires: vintage 60’s aluminum slots - 3.5”(f) & 9”(r) Interior: stripped for vintage gasser look; 3 gauges in dash and dash mounted tach; bucket seats; aluminum door panels; moon steering wheel
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Owner: mike herman
Tech Sheet Deets
mallory distributor
Location: beaverbank, NS
Transmission: 5-spd borg-warner t5
Builder: wendell whynot
rear Suspension: gm 10 bolt w/positraction; 3:42 gears
Vehicle: 1964 Nova SS
Front suspension: bolt on speedway kit including springs, axle, spindles and brakes
Body: all original; radiused rear wheel wells Paint and Painter: house of kolor candy teal on white (wendell whynot); lace graphics (paint fairy); lettering and graphics (kermit; clifford kelly (CK signs)) Engine: original 327; ~400HP; aluminum heads; weiand tunnel ram; 2 edelbrock carbs; carter fuel pump; msd tal box; Vol(1) Issue (3)
Wheels & Tires: American Racing torque thrust; 3.5�(f) & 8� (r); mickey thompson street slicks on back Interior: stock; reupholstered buckets and console; roll cage; moon steering wheel; cable drive tach; tinted windows
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In 1968 Bob Reid owned a 348 powered ‘58 Chev 4-door sedan. He’s built m
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many cars since then, but a ‘58 Yeoman/Delray, 2 door wagon was his goal. Vol(1) Issue (3)
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At the ripe, young age of 18 Bob Reid piled into a four door ’58 Chev and drove from Nova Scotia to Kingston Ontario in 1968. He had always had an appreciation for the ’58 body style, a one off, but was especially attracted to the two door wagon. Bob remembers as a kid growing up in Truro, a company named Handy Andy having a 348 powered ’58 Delray wagon that they used as a delivery vehicle. Since that time he’s built a couple dozen cars, but his dream was always to own a ’58 Chev Delray/Yeoman 2 door wagon. At one point he found a ’58 Nomad, but they were four door cars in ’58. Bob was looking through “Old Autos” in 2003 and found a ’58 Yeoman (American version of the Canadian ’58 Delray two door wagon) two door wagon for sale in Alberta. Sight unseen, Bob and wife Sherry purchased the car and had it transported back to Nova Scotia on a flatbed trailer. When it arrived there wasn’t much that wasn’t wrong. When they were ready to remove the car from the trailer, they cut the straps, but much to their dismay the Yeoman didn’t move (i.e. spring back after being tethered down). Bob looked at Sherry and said “Wholly f*@k!!!!” Sherry looked at Bob and said “Oh well, you have it here now, so you may as well build Vol(1) Issue (3)
it.” The frame was broken over the back wheels (typical for these cars), so Bob had someone repair the frame and box it from the shock towers to the rear bumper for increased structural integrity. Bob built a 9” Ford rear end from a ’57 Ford wagon with 3:00 gears and the springs were cut on all four corners to lower the stance. The front end also has drop spindles, disc brakes and hydro-vac brake system. The rear brakes are drums. Wheels are 8” GM rally wheels with chrome trim rings and chrome dog dish centre caps. The car came with the original 283 that had been rebuilt by the owner, but Bob had a 409 that he was considering using, so he sold the 283. In the end, he used a big block 502 that had been sitting around the garage looking for a home. In hind sight, the 409 could have been insured as a 348 and cost him less than half to insure that a big block 502 costs, but Bob loves to hear the rumble of the big block. So much so that the he never turns on the four speaker stereo system his son insisted should be installed in the custom upholstered, original interior, as it interferes with the sound of the engine. Bob’s greatest achievement with the car is the placement of the dual exhaust that exits behind the rear
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tires. He once had a lead on a ’58 two door Delray with a 454, but the owner didn’t want to sell it. Bob was in contact with the owner several times during his own build, particularly with respect to getting the exhaust through the X-frame; Bob didn’t want to run it down the outside of the frame. The trick was to run the exhaust through pieces of drive shaft tubing welded into the frame. The most difficult part is to get the exhaust up over the rear end housing, a necessity with such a low stance, and Bob’s ultimate goal for the exhaust. The guy in Kamloops said it couldn’t be done, but Bob proved him wrong. Although the car was quite expensive to bring
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around to what you see today, Bob doesn’t regret it for a second. He’s driven it everywhere along the east coast of North America, and as far west as Ontario, usually at around 75mph, the car’s sweet spot. When it was first finished he drove it to the Syracuse Nationals and won longest distance Canadian award in 2005. In 2006 they won a top 25 award at Moncton’s Atlantic Nationals, and then drove to the Adirondack Nationals in Lake George, NY where they won a top 50, as well as long distance award. And if you think for one second that Bob and Sherry will stop taking the Yeoman on long trips, just read his motto painted on the back window.
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Owner: bob & sherry reid Location: bible hill, NS
Tech Sheet Deets Painter: wayne meagher
Builders: wayne meagher, alton, NS
Engine: 502 chevy big block; 450HP; single carb; frame mounted electric fuel; homemade wiring harness
build time: 2003-2005
Transmission: GM 400TH
Vehicle: 1958 Yeoman 2-door wagon Body: completely stock
rear Suspension: 9” ford w/ 3:00 gears from ‘57 wagon; drum brakes
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Front suspension: dropped spindles; disk brakes; hydrovac Wheels & Tires: 8” GM rally wheels; chrome trim rings and centres Interior: custom upholstered stock interior by wayne meagher
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Derek’s Deluxe
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When Derek Fraser decided he Rod wanted Model Issue (3)A Maritime & Custom to build a traditionalVol(1)
hot would be enjoying it within 2 years. Vol(1)rod, Issue (3)he promised his wife they Maritime Rod & Custom
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Like all male children, and no doubt a few females as well, Derek had a passion for fast cars. What started out with Hot Wheels®, progressed to building and modifying plastic car models and drawing hot rods in school, to finally doing modifications to Camaros, Challengers, and other muscle cars in his late teens and early 20’s. A little later in life, Derek found himself with a spare motor and a new garage, and once again revisiting his childhood dream of building a hot rod. The initial dream was to build a ’32 Ford, but the cost associated with finding a good body was not part of the budget. Instead, he settled for a ’29 Model ‘A’ Tudor that he found on Kijiji that came with a bare ’32 Ford frame from Brookeville Roadster. The day it was dropped off in the driveway he and his wife Rhonda Parliament made a pact that they would be driving in the car in 2 years. The first order of business was to get the frame set up to accept a ’29 Model ‘A’ body and 351 Windsor motor. Derek completed all the frame work in his garage including adding all suspension brackets, modifying cross members and everything to make it
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to fit under the Model ‘A’. The rear suspension is a narrowed 9” Ford with 3:50 gears, 31 spline axles, and posi-track. It’s attached to the frame with a triangulated 4-link and fully adjustable coil over shocks. The front end is a Lucky 7, dropped, I-beam with wishbones. Originally purchased unpainted, Derek’s plan part way through the build was to trade them back for chromed components, but unfortunately the supplier had gone out of business. Since he and Rhonda had talked about a red/black colour scheme for the car, Rhonda suggested that he get the components powder coated red. A decision that really makes the car stand out in a crowd. Stopping is courtesy of disk brakes front and rear. The steely rims were also powder coated red, capped with 50’s Ford dog dish hubcaps, and wrapped in Coker whitewalls to complete the look. The motor was something Derek had in storage for several years, but unfortunately didn’t have the expertise to rebuild. Derek had built roll top desks for his brother-in-law in Ontario in exchange for some engine re-building tools and machinery. He found an engine builder in Debert, NS (DWA Automotive) that
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The motor was something Derek had in storage for several years, but unfortunately didn’t have the expertise to rebuild. Derek had built roll top desks for his brother-in-law in Ontario in exchange for some engine re-building tools and machinery. He found an engine builder in Debert, NS (DWA Automotive) that took the tools and equipment in return for rebuilding the 351 Windsor motor. And rebuild it they did!!! The motor was bored .040” over and stroked to 410 CID, filled with a Cam Dynamics Thumper Cam, stuffed with 9.5:1 forged pistons and topped with fully reworked and rebuilt ProComp heads, Edelbrock AirGap intake, and Quick Fuel 750 CFM carb. The combination results in 450+ HP. Exhaust is released from stainless steel Lakester style headers and 2.5” diameter exhaust that is so loud
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the stereo in the car was removed because they couldn’t hear it over the motor. The transmission is a fully rebuilt C6 with shift kit and reworked converter. Next came the body. Derek didn’t have a ton of bodywork experience, but he did have a brother-in-law in Ontario, who owns a body shop, who he would call on occasion for pointers. The final look he wanted was a “high boy” style with bobbed fenders. He decided to chop the roof 3.5” which is about as much as you can chop a model A with a 6’2” driver. All of the body seams were welded and custom steel floor and transmission tunnel fabricated. The original door latches were replaced with modern bear claw latches for function and safety as well as all of the original wood supports in the body were removed and replaced with steel tubing
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for rigidity. Custom touches include a Chevy Montana roof insert and frenched in license plate and ’39 Ford taillights. He also made all windows (front and four sides) operational for air flow. The paint decision was easy. Derek wanted a hot rod black car so he went with PPG’s Factory Package Black that results in a “flat” finish that can be washed and waxed. The final step of the build was to complete the interior of the car. The dash is out of a ’32 Ford and houses a custom Dolphin gauge cluster. The steering column is from Speedway, and all of the interior
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upholstery was completed by Rhonda. So if you’ve been keeping score, everything on Derek’s first ever hot rod build, except for the motor and transmission rebuild was done in house by Derek and Rhonda. Had it not been for some finicky seals in the rear end, they would have easily reached their two year build goal. As it was, Derek needed to wait an extra week to get new seals. Derek and Rhonda drive the car whenever they get a chance and look forward to the next 2 builds, a 1932 Ford pickup and a 1932 Ford roadster.
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Tech Sheet Deets Owner: derek fraser
Transmission: rebuilt c6 with shift kit and reworked converter
Location: coldstream, ns
Chassis: custom built ‘32 ford boxed frame from brookville roadster; centre x-member; pinched to fit model ‘a’ body; powder coated
Vehicle: 1929 Ford Model A sedan Builder: derek fraser build time: 2 years + 1 week Body Mods: 3.5” chop; all body seams welded; wood ribs removed & replaced w/ steel tubing; roof insert from chevy montana; frenched license plate & ‘39 ford taillights; all windows & windshield operational
rear Suspension: powder coated lucky 7 dropped i-beam w/ wishbones;gm calipers on volare rotors Front suspension: triangulated 4-link; fully adjustable coil over shocks; 9” ford w/ 31 spline axles; 3:50 gears w/ posi-track; rear disk brakes; custom hd driveshaft
Paint and Painter: PPG Factory Package flat black; derek fraser
Wheels: powder coated steelie rims; coker wide whitewall tires
Engine: 351 windsor stroker (410cid); built by dwa automotive (Debert, NS); 480+HP; quickfuel 750CFM carb; cam dynamics thumper cam; fully rebuilt procomop heads; 210cc 2.02/1.60 valves; 3” exhaust attached to stainless steel lakester style headers
Interior: ‘32 ford dash w/ custom gauge cluster; speedway steering column; no stereo (couldn’t hear it...)
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Upholstery: custom (rhonda parliament wife)
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When Doug and Kim Tidgwell heard their Camaro Grand-prize Giveaway at the 2005 Atlantic Natio won a brand new trailer. In fact, what they won build of their dreams...
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o’s number called for the onals, they thought they’d n was a one-of-a-kind
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After their kids had grown, Doug and Kim Tidgwell the hotels on Main Street and asked if they had a room decided it was time to purchase a classic car. Doug available. The woman at the desk looked at them and wanted to purchase a Camaro in memory of his parents said “No, the Atlantic Nationals are on, there aren’t and brother, as well as to relive his youth. His first any rooms in Moncton.” Just as they were about to car at the age of 19 was a ’76 Camaro Rally Sport. In turn around and leave, and hit up Doug’s cousin in 2005 his daughter’s boyfriend mentioned that his aunt Riverview, the other woman at the desk hung up the had a Camaro for sale that had been drag raced by the phone and said she’d just had a cancellation, would previous owner’s wife. That May the whole family they like that room? went on a road trip to southern Nova Scotia to see the Doug and Kim spent the weekend in Centennial Camaro, which was now stored in a barn. The first Park looking at all the cars, but not realizing in addition thing they did was take it to the Truro Car Show. The to the trophies, there were giveaways at the end of following weekend they went to the Grave’s Island the show on Sunday. It just so happened that they show and joined the Classic Chevy Club of Nova parked in the basketball court behind the bandstand Scotia. While there they were asked if they would be where trophies and prizes are given away on Sunday. going to the largest car show in eastern Canada that Their original plan was to leave at noon to do some takes place in Moncton, the Atlantic Nationals. Sunday Shopping (not possible in NS at that time), but The first weekend in July Doug and Kim got a number of cars started to pile into the area, blocking in the Camaro and naively headed for Moncton. Not them in. While having a bite to eat they started to hear having booked a motel in advance, they went to one of people’s names being called for particular prizes. Vol(1) Issue (3) Maritime Rod & Custom 44
A friend won an air compressor, another friend won another prize, but they couldn’t figure out why these particular folks were winning. After all the prizes had been handed out, Bill Doherty finally came to the Grand Prize giveaway and went through several details - winner was from Nova Scotia, winner owns a ’68 Camaro (Doug knew of at least 10 ’68 Camaros from Nova Scotia), and finally said the car number and owner’s name, Doug Tidgwell. Kim yelled out “That’s my car!!!” and beat Doug to the stage. When Doug got to the stage he asked what they won. Kim said “that.” Doug thought they’d won the trailer, but in fact its was the car on the trailer!! Although offered cash on the spot for the project car, Doug said “thanks, but I’ve always wanted to build a hot rod.” He knew he had a good start with a Fat Man chassis and suspension, GM crate 350 motor, and 350-TH transmission. What he didn’t realize right away was that the body was truly one-of-a-kind. The body is a composite that was produced by Cutting Edge Composites in PEI using infusion molding of epoxy polymers. Although multiple ’32 Ford coupes were produced, only three ’37 Chev coupe bodies were completed by the company. One is still in PEI behind the shop where it was made, one body is an art piece on a wall, and this body, the best of the three. Before they started there was a great deal of work that went into straightening the body so that it would sit on the frame properly. Once they were ready to build there was lots of discussion between the builder (Winslow “Winnie” Hurlburt), Doug, and Kim. Winslow thought that the rear end should be tubbed, but Doug shuddered at the thought of cutting a Fat Man chassis. Winnie and Kim sent Doug for burgers, and when he returned there was five feet cut out of the back of the frame being prepped for narrowing to accept wheel tubs and big slicks. The Mustang II front end was also narrowed an inch on each side to get the wheels centred under the fenders. Adjustable coil overs were Vol(1) Issue (3)
used to get the stance, and a mixture of Granada rotors and Camaro calipers provide stopping power. Out back they used TCI springs attached to a Pro Street 9” Ford rear end with 4:11 gears. Back brakes are drums out of a Granada. The rear frame was not only narrowed for the tubs, but the shackles for the springs were placed through the frame to lower the car just that much more. The body is essentially the way it came out of the mold. It came with the chopped roof and smoothed, handless doors. The taillights are out of a Cadillac, and to negate the need for bumpers, they attached schedule 40 steel tubing to the frame to protect the steering and custom built gas tank in case of a collision. The custom interior was completed by Alan Oickle (Alan’s Upholstery in Liverpool, NS) and reminds both Doug and Kim of a Pepsi can, their favourite beverage. The steering wheel was another battle that Doug didn’t win. While shopping at Ididit for a steering column and wheel with Kim and his father-in-law, Doug found a leather wrapped steering wheel that he thought would suit the car. Kim and her father agreed, except they thought it should be the wood version. Every time Doug came back to the counter the leather wrapped version was gone and the wood version was waiting. After six years of meticulously making the car safe, as well as exactly the way they wanted, they took the car to the Nova Scotia Registry of Motor Vehicles. Apparently, registering a polymer bodied ’37 Chev coupe isn’t that straight forward. The Registry wasn’t familiar with the Atlantic Nationals, there was no serial number for the body, there was no serial number for the chassis, and they didn’t have a receipt for the motor. After seven days of back and forth, a signature from a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge, a glowing engineering report, and a grocery bag full of recipes from the build, the ’37 was finally registered as a 2011 Chevrolet Business Coupe - truly one of one!!!
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Although the car runs like a dream and is exactly the way they wanted, they weren’t completely sold on the original paint scheme. The car started out two tone silver and blue; blue was Doug’s mother’s favourite colour. However, in the winter of 2019 Doug and Kim took the car to Wayne’s Hot Rod and Customs in
Waverly, NS and asked for two things, the car remain blue, and that Wayne produce a set of ghost flames on the front fenders. They both agree that the car is now complete and look forward to many more years of taking the car to shows far and wide; they’ve put 26,000 miles on the build since its completion in 2011.
Tech Sheet Deets
Owners: doug & kim tidgwell
Location: bedford, Nova Scotia
Engine: 350 crate SBC; 350HP;painless wiring harness; vintage air; 2.5” stainless exhaust
Vehicle: 1937 Chev business coupe
Transmission: 700r4 automatic
Builder: winslow (winnie) hurlburt & doug tidgwell
rear Suspension: pro street ford 9” w/ 4:11 gears; tci springs; granada drum brakes
Build time: 2005-2011 Body Mods: composite body (cutting edge); tubbed; Cadillac taillights; hand fabricated grill; small rear windows removed Paint and Painter: one-off, custom metallic Blue with ghost flames on front fenders (wayne’s hot rod and customs waverly, ns)
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Front suspension: mustang II with coil overs; granada rotors with camaro calipers Wheels & Tires: Weld Rod lites; 15”x5” on bfg 195/60/15 (F); 15”x10” on bfg 285/70/15 (B) Upholstery: alan’s upholstery (liverpool, ns)
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Sometimes the stories around a car are more intriguing than the car itself. Bud Lively is well known around the Maritimes, Nova Scotia specifically, for hanging around the oval race tracks and drag strips, as well as flipping the odd classic car. In 1971 Bud purchased a 1940 Ford pickup that he would use to shuttle his nephew Clair and anyone else that wanted to go for a ride. As time wore on, so did the ’40 Ford. Bud always had a goal of rebuilding the pickup, but could never find the time to do it the way he wanted. So begins the story… Bud’s good friend Mike Snow purchased the ’66 Chevy II Super Sport in 1984 as a stock, original L-79, 4-speed car. These are fairly rare as only a little over 3500 1966 Chevy II SS cars came with the 327 CID, 350HP L-79 engine option with an M21 4-speed transmission; total production in 1966 was 170,000+. An option that made them track ready, right off the lot. In 1995, the car was modified to accept some big rear meats by narrowing the frame, tubbing the rear wheel wells, adding a 4-link system, and adding a roll bar to the interior. This also included cutting down the back seat to fit between the tubs and roll bar. This work was completed by a well known car builder in southern Nova Scotia, Dennis White.
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When Mike purchased the car it was black. Wanting something different he took the car to a local body shop owned by Wendell Whynot, and asked Wendell to paint the car. Since the body was immaculate, there was very little for Wendell to do, and since Mike hadn’t given any direction for colour, Wendell decided to paint the car bright yellow. When Mike returned he wasn’t completely sold on the all yellow paint job. Wendell asked him what he wanted, and Mike replied “You’re the painter, do whatever you want.” The result is a blend of purple, green, and pink graphics that make this Chevy II one-of-a-kind. In the late 90’s the motor started to smoke a bit, and so Mike started looking for another L-79. As luck would have it, he found one that had been in a ’68 Camaro that had been wrecked. Unfortunately, the block had been sitting for 30 years and was seized. The decision was made to pull the block out of the Chevy II, and use it’s innards to rebuild the Camaro L-79 block. Luckily for Bud, Mike kept the original block, and it’s in Bud’s garage today. The transmission was also swapped for a TCI 3-speed automatic with 500 Stall Converter. Bud’s friend Jack also has the original 4-speed in storage.
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Bud had always liked Mike’s car, and in 2014 after a few adult beverages, and some back and forth, a deal was struck that Mike would give Bud the Chevy II in return for Bud’s ’40 Ford pickup and some cash. The pickup build ended up in the hands of Dennis White, and the result is a cool rat rod/nostalgia camper trailer combination. When Bud got the car home the first thing he and Clair did was figure out why there was a noise in the rear end. They determined that the axle was missing a vent to get rid of built up pressure, and so Clair fixed the problem for his Uncle Bud. Next, they decided to upgrade the front end to help with steering and braking. Bud wanted to leave the car as stock as possible, so Instead of a Church Boys Racing suspension system, they replaced all the bushings and idler arms to assist with the car’s standard steering. Next, they added a set Vol(1) Issue (3)
of power disk brakes to the front, and new set of Weld wheels to accommodate the disk brake spacing. Although the car is set up for racing, and Bud ponders the idea of putting it back to stock, the truth of the matter is that he has no intention of racing the car, or changing it back. The Chevy II is really meant for his son Craig to own one day, and Bud’s go to ride nowadays is a ’64 GTO.
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Tech Sheet Deets
Owner: Bud Lively Location: Bedford, NS Builders: Dennis White & Wendel Whynot Vehicle: 1966 Chevy II Super Sport build time: 1995 Body Mods: None - All Original Original Painter: wendell Whynot
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Engine: 327 l-79; 350hp Transmission: TCI 3SPd Auto; 500 stall rear Suspension: Frame Tubbed & Narrowed; 4-link; Coil overs; DIsk Brakes Front suspension: Disk Brakes Wheels & Tires: Weld Racing Wheels Interior: Stock
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