Custom Car December 2024 by Assignment Media Ltd

DEC 2024

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Crowd Pleaser

Jon Gurney’s 300E Ford Thames – fresh from winning the public’s heart at the Supernats

PLUS Best in

Britain winning resto-modded ‘56 Bel Air built to perfection by Old Bones Fabrication

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Contents

is W 21 su int e N eo r’ ov n 24 em sa be le r

Find us on Facebook at mCarMagazine www.facebook.com/Custo

Regulars 2

News & reviews

Farewell Monkeys, welcome Turkeys

32 Centre Spread The Best in Britain

46 Autofocus

The life and times of Doug Bond

62 Events

Next year’s dates are coming in fast

64 Next Month

Christine Thurley’s immaculate Anglia

Features 8

34 18

Vantubulous

Jon Gurney’s sensational Thames van

18 Small but Perfectly Formed Jack Edmunds’ cool model hotrods

22 Best in Britain

Richard Ward’s Old Bones-built ‘56 Chevy

34 NSRA Supernats

The cars and the goings-on at Old Warden

54 8

48 Focused on Fun

Brian Huxley’s streetable V8 Ford Focus

54 Trip Out

The mellowest hot rod happening

www.customcarmag.co.uk

58 Redgrave

Five years of V8s at the Cross Keys

60 Hot Rods and Hills

The ever-popular Lake District gathering

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News & reviews Pics: Tony and Liam Bates

Pics: Russ DeBarr

Monkeying around

ager to avoid the post-Christmas blues and get out and have some fun in our cars, the guys at the Iceni C.A.R. Club came up with the idea of the Brass Monkey Run. That was not long after the turn of the century and the idea was simple but effective. A suitable date between Christmas and the New Year would be chosen to meet up at the starting point of The Ram public house in Brandon on the Norfolk / Suffolk border. Engines would start at 10.00am, when the cruise headed off to Waitrose in Swaffham. After a short comfort break, it would be back on the road at 11.00am, heading to the ﬁnal destination of Wells-Next-The-Sea on the Norfolk coast. The plan proved popular and, with others joining in along the route, parking in Wells itself was at a premium. To counter this, the ﬁnal resting place was switched to Wells

Town Football Club in 2016 as this offered ample space to park. The route changed again in 2023, with the ﬁnal destination being moved along the coast to Hunstanton and the mid-route stop-off point being Sainsbury’s in Kings Lynn. Over the years, the Brass Monkey Run has enjoyed sunshine and endured the cold, the rain and even snow. That has never deterred spirits though, with every staging of the run being well-supported. Sadly, however, the run will now be no more as the man behind it all, Tony Bates, has decided his days of organising have come to an end. Tony wishes to thank everyone for their continued support over the years, and we would like to thank him for making it all possible. However, there will now be an alternative. Check out the Cold Turkey Run in the Something for the Weekend section.

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Pic: Julian Hunt

Eliminators

In the ﬁrst, and only, Street Eliminator elimination rounds at the National Finals, a couple of teams ran new PBs. First up was Anthony Higgs who not only ran a PB, he broke the 200mph barrier with a 7.0442 / 206.29. A couple of pairings later, Bad Apple Racing’s Graham Smith carded a PB 8.0322 / 164.88 – so close to the 7s. Congratulations to both teams – it was quite some way to ﬁnish the season.

Celebr ating 74 years

Pic: Julian Hunt

Truly hooked

Having a hook-and-pick set in your toolbox can be a bonus for tackling a multitude of tricky and ﬁddly tasks. The Laser Tools 4-piece set features 145mm long tools, each with a soft grip handle and insulated shaft. www.lasertools.co.uk

RAISED WHITE LETTER TYRES 13”-15” MOST SIZES IN STOCK NARROW BAND, WHITEWALLS 13’-15”

Dave ‘Fuzzie’ McKenzie

Founder member and long-serving chair of the Supercharged Outlaws Dave ‘Fuzzie’ McKenzie passed away on Saturday 5 October. Dave was a key member of Team Thing, later to become Team Tiki, and piloted the Pic: Supercharged car on many occasions. He was a Outlaws UK) gentle and caring man adored by anyone who knew him. His legacy speaks for itself, and he will be greatly missed. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. RIP Dave

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News & reviews

Something for the weekend?

Fresh Bath

Norfolk turkeys

Sunday 27 October sees the Restoration Show make its debut at The Bath and West Showground near Shepton Mallet. The day offers classic car displays, a stunning exhibition of beautifully restored classic cars, club stands, live restoration demonstrations, trade stands and an autojumble. www.restoration-show.co.uk

The Cold Turkey Run heads to the Cliff Top car park in Cromer, Norfolk on Saturday 28 December. To try and make the day accessible to as many people as possible, there will be four starting points, so simply choose the one most convenient for you. These are Krazy Horse, Bury St Edmunds IP32 6NU,

departing 9.15am; Waitrose, Swaffham PE37 7FD, departing 10.00am; Great Yarmouth seafront (A149), departing 10.00am; and Peterborough (details to follow). The departure times from each starting point should ensure everyone arrives in Cromer at around 11.30am. The local council has agreed to rope off an exclusive parking area for eligible vehicles, and daily drivers will have to park in the adjacent public car park. There is an on-site café and the town centre is a 10-minute walk away. The day is very much in the early stages of planning and details are being updated almost daily. Facebook: Bod Here

Thanks guys

After around 16 years in the hot seat, the very hot seat, Wayne Nicholson announced that 2024 was the Lucky Devil Racing team’s last season racing in Pro Modiﬁ ed. In the early days, the team’s Corvette was running a 510ci Chevy, with Wayne clocking 6.6 second quarters. Things got more serious with the switch to a blown methanol 521ci Hemi though, which powered the car to 5 second quarters. Team members have come and gone over the years and Wayne would like to express his thanks to Carl Wattam, Ken Coleman, Andy Kirk, Lee Kirk, Andy Marshall, Richard Harker, Sandy Cockram, Adam Nowak, Tony Underhill and anyone else he’s unintentionally missed out.

Pic: Julian Hunt Thanks also to the current team of Joe Nicholson, Gaz James Nicholson, Tim Asquith, Andrew Wright and Dale Wingate. Final thanks to the team’s sponsors and supporters: Lucas Oil Products UK, NGK Spark Plugs, Andrew Sharpe at AllyFab, Ian Andrew Kitchingman and Danny De-lacy Ewbank. Well, not quite the ﬁnal thanks as Wayne expresses his gratitude to everyone at Santa Pod for looking after the team,

keeping them safe and basically putting up with them. Then there is the most important person in all of it, with special thanks going to Belinda Nicholson who has supported the adventures and been by Wayne’s side all of the way. CC would like to thank Wayne and everyone involved with the Lucky Devil team for all they have achieved and the entertainment they have provided over the years.

Grandioso

This year’s Surrey Street Rodders Grand Quiz takes place on Saturday 16 November at Elstead Cricket Pavilion, Thursley Road, Elstead, Godalming GU8 6DU. Despite the weather gods throwing all they could at Wheels Day, SSR is still able to give you a chance to get some of the money raised and give it to a charity of your choice. The Grand Quiz provides the opportunity to give a ‘Grand’ to the registered charity of your choice. All you need to do is get a team of up to four people to Elstead Cricket Pavilion on the right day, then answer the most questions correctly in a pubstyle quiz. Entrance is £20 per team to cover costs. John Price will be the quiz master for the evening, with the proceedings starting at 7.30pm. The bar will be open and hot beverages and nibbles will also be provided. No mobiles or phone a friend-style cheating will be allowed, and you must bring the details of your registered charity with you to declare if you win. The winners will be presented with a cheque for £1000 made payable to their nominated charity at the end of the evening, only on the condition the registered charity details are authentic (headed note paper) and can be veriﬁed via the online GOV.UK charity register. The Surrey Street Rodders’ decision on the winners will be ﬁnal. To enter, send an email to whiffsmith@hotmail.co.uk with your team’s name and chosen charity as soon as possible, as permitted numbers at the club house are limited.

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News & reviews Engaging news

Congratulations to Elaine Southworth and Supercharged Outlaw racer and race car builder Roy Wilding on their recent engagement. The couple announced the news over the Hot Rod Drags weekend and intend to tie the knot next July – presumably avoiding the Dragstalgia weekend. We wish them all the best for the future.

Festival anniversary

Displayed in the National Motor Museum’s In Focus Gallery, Burnout marks the 60th anniversary of the 1964 British Drag Racing Festival. The exhibition recounts the first large-scale event to bring the sport to the UK. The exhibition, which runs until 2 February 2025, is a community collaborative project. The National Motor Museum Trust partnered with the British Drag Racing Historians (BDRH) who researched and curated items for this exhibition from its members’ private collections and other archives recommended by the group. It is

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supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and members of BDRH, particularly John Hunt and Nick Pettitt, organised and managed research for the project. As well as the special exhibition, which is included in the Beaulieu attraction ticket, visitors to the National Motor Museum can also see the 1961 Allard Chrysler Dragster which is on permanent display. The dragster was restored to full running order for the museum ten years ago by the Allard Chrysler Action Group, a project sponsored by Lucas Oils. www.nationalmotormuseum.org.uk

Pic: Julian Hunt

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News & reviews Jumble on

The remaining 2024 dates for the Huddersﬁeld Auto / Retro Jumble have been conﬁrmed as 27 October, 1 December, and 29 December. Early dates for 2025 are 19 January, 23 February, 23 March, and Easter Sunday 20 April. The venue is Old Market Building, Brook Street HD1 1RY and stall pitches are priced at £20, whilst public admission from 9.00am costs £3 per person. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

Super chair

After 9 years of dedication and devotion as chairman of the Nostalgia Superstock committee, Don Scott has decided the time is right to stand down. When Don took on the post, the class was in its infancy with only a handful of cars running, but he spearheaded its growth and now a 60-car ﬁeld is a regular occurrence. Always fair, considerate and good-humoured, Don has continually striven to do what’s right by the racers and has done an excellent job of communicating with them and the people at Santa Pod. Somehow, he has managed all of that on a voluntary basis whilst still managing to race his Plymouth Superbird. Thanks for all you have done Don. You will be a hard act to follow.

Lincoln green

The green light is on for the National Hot Rod, Custom and American Car Show which will return to Lincoln Showground on 27-29 June 2025. The weekend offers a multitude of live entertainment acts, stunt shows, free camping and so much more, including the prestigious Best in Britain display. www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

Hoe, hoe, hoe

The 2025 staging of the Hot Rod Hoedown at The Steading will take place over the weekend of 12-14 September. The venue is Barrasgate Farm in Annan, Scotland, which offers full camping facilities. Hot rods, customs, classics and bikes are all welcome and the weekend offers a DJ, live music and a Saturday cruise. All that for just £35 per person including camping. Facebook: Hot Rod Hoedown At The Steading

Pic: Julian Hunt

Ace deal

The ever-enterprising people at Valley Gas Speed Shop have been in touch to let us know of a new partnership resulting in them becoming the sole UK supplier of ACES Fuel Injection systems. Based in Tennessee, ACES specialises in developing and manufacturing state-of-the-art engine management systems and ignition components. The product range is extensive and the branding is slick, with fuel injection systems carrying playing card-related names such as Royal Flush and Jackpot. Valley Gas will be installing an ACES EFI on one of the projects they have in hand and will be announcing exactly which build that is in the near future. www.valleygasspeedshop.com

Seasonal bash

Chances are not many of you will make it over to Irwindale Speedway for the Mooneyes Christmas Party on Saturday 7 December. We’re going to give it a mention, however, for the very simple reason that by doing so we get the opportunity to show you this cool advertising poster…

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USED V8 ENGINES/AUTO TRANS’ see our Website for more items! All prices include vat. Prices subject to change without notice. Correct at 04-10-24. E&OE. Freight extra.

ALL UNITS ARE USED but- SUITABLE FOR REBUILDING We keep most parts in stock to rebuild these units! LONG ENGINES: Block, Crankshaft, conrods, pistons, camshaft, timing gears, lifters, pushrods, cylinder heads, rockers.

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Chevy 350- ‘86 on, one piece rear seal version ............... £826.06 ....... £743.45 Chevy 350- Vortec, [uses 8 bolt inlet manifold] ................ £917.83 ....... £826.05 Mopar 383- .......................................................................... £734.27 ....... £660.84 SHORT ENGINES: Block, Crankshaft, conrods, pistons, camshaft, timing gears. ..................................................................................................................................................... RETAIL: ........................ GOLD CARD:

Ford 302- pre 75, can be used for Kit car build ................ £917.83 ....... £826.05 Ford 351W- 1 piece rear seal version ............................... £747.78 ....... £673.00 LM7 GM 5.3ltr 1999 on,CUTOUT UNITS: These units have either a cable or electronic throttle, & come with a 4L60E 2wd auto transmission. The LM7 is from the LS family. In pickup trucks they are around 270-295bhp. The block is cast iron & so is much stronger that the OE Aluminium block. It can be rebored & has 6 bolt mains. We keep many parts for them, including Edelbrock or Holley kits to run the std injection & ignition, or a carb manifold, & ignition control.

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LM7 5.3 V8 Gen111 cutouts ............................................... £1140.00 ..... £1026.00 LM7 as above, but inlet manifold & coils damaged ......... £746.40 ....... £671.76 Alum’ inlet manifold to take a carb or TBI injection .......... £485.90 ....... £437.31 MSD ignition control box- when not using ECU ............... £643.96 ....... £579.57 Mahle LM7 complete gasket set 2002-2007 ...................... £270.84 ....... £243.76 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS: also available rebuilt. ..................................................................................................................................................... RETAIL: ........................ GOLD CARD:

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When he ﬁrst got it on the road in the late ‘80s, Jon’s Pop was painted red with plenty of chromework and ran a Jag IRS, Viva IFS and a 3.0-litre Ford V6

When he came to sell the Pop for the second time, Jon had lowered it, switched to steel wheels, changed the engine to a blown Daimler V8 and had the body painted Tahiti Blue. In that guise, it was featured in our August ’02 issue. Nowadays the Pop is clocking up plenty of miles with Ray Woodhead behind the wheel

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You’re building a race car when your mind drifts towards a show car. Combine the two and you get a show car with more than enough go Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Alan Kidd

The Rover-powered tubbed 300E that Dave Harries built as a business-cum-promotional vehicle was featured in our February ’96 issue

n his early teens, in the late ‘70s, Jon Gurney developed a fascination for cartoon-esque cars after a friend brought a hot rod magazine into school. It all made sense to him and he was hooked. But his parents would not allow him to bring Custom Car magazine into the house back then (can’t think why?) so he had to settle for other publications available at the time. That second choice reading matter did Jon no harm though. “The thing with hot rodding is there are no rules, and no following the pack,” he said. “It’s about expressing your personality within a piece of mobile artwork that is entirely your own. “My focus was heavily on the wacky American show rods of the ’60 and ‘70s, and I would spend hours drooling over cars like Boot Hill Express, Pool Hustler, Sand Draggin’ and The Red Baron. I was in awe of builders such as George Barris, Bob Reisner, Ed Roth and Steve Tansy.” By his late teens, Jon became the owner of a bone stock sit-up-and-beg Ford Pop, and three years later he had transformed it into a hot rod. Jon then sold the Pop and bought the ex-Steve Urigalo Morris Minor pick-up which he spent a fortune on rebuilding and detailing to the hilt. With the pick-up beginning to tick Jon’s boxes, he did the only thing he could, sell it on unﬁnished and buy his old Pop back. Sometimes life weaves a mysterious web, eh? Jon stripped the Pop and rebuilt it, then stripped and rebuilt it again this time as a more drivable hot rod with a blown Daimler for power. Then, at the Supernats in 2004, for no particular reason he sold it once again, this time to a guy from Dublin. Having some personal issues to attend to at the time, he then took a year’s sabbatical from the hot rod scene. Having subsequently moved house, he was itching to start another project and while looking around for a suitable base vehicle an already built Thames 300E van came up for sale. It was painted black, tubbed and running a Rover V8, Jag rear and Viva IFS. Thinking it would be ideal to run round shows in the next season while deciding on what he really wanted, Jon headed off to Birmingham to take a look. “It turned out to be the van built by Dave Harries in the ‘90s,” Jon enthused. “Admittedly I wasn’t really in the best frame of mind at the time, but I did the deal and drove it home. “A couple of weeks later, after running it around my home town, it was condemned as unsafe and became laid up in my garage. Dave had originally built the van as

a workhorse for his business, mainly using bits and pieces he had knocking around, and a great job he made of it. By the time it got to me in 2005, however, it was well past its sell-by date.”

Quartermaster

Jon systematically removed parts to sort out problems but those problems just kept multiplying, with the van left sitting in bits for six months and him not knowing what to do with it. A friend of his, Steve Pateman, yes he of Street Eliminator Calibra fame, called round one evening and the pair started discussing what should be done with the Thames. Jon was erring towards getting shot of it, but Steve’s take was to build a road-going ¼-mile race car and he suggested letting a friend of his give a quote for fabricating a race chassis / rollcage package. Danny Bates, a former Hauser Race Cars professional who had just started a new venture, Adrenaline Race and Performance near Northampton, checked out the van and quoted for the work. In no time, Jon had it stripped back to the bodyshell and chassis which he shipped off to Danny’s workshop. Having decided to move away from show cars and go racing instead, he had decided on a V8 with nitrous and sourced a Goodwrench 350 Chevy with a rebuilt TH350 transmission which a fellow Outlaws Rod and Drag Club member had sitting in his workshop. They were delivered to Danny along with the rear axle Dave had ﬁtted when he built the van, as Jon felt it was too good to waste. The axle and trans are united by a custom prop made and balanced by Bailey Morris and subsequently chrome plated. With the rolling shell all done, it was returned to Jon for him to complete the rest of the project. “There was still a lot to do,” he recalled, “but I planned to complete it in three years max.” The exhaust came ﬁrst, then the bulkhead and inner A panels formed from 16g steel for strength. The idea was to make the van as practical as possible, with maybe the odd hint of a rat rod in looks. It was at that point though that things came to an abrupt halt.”

Sidetracked

“Another friend, Dave Woodﬁeld, messaged saying he had an ex-Barris car in his workshop. I shot over there and was confronted by Alvin’s Acorn dating back to the ‘60s. Dave had been commissioned to restore it by the London-based owner who had acquired several show cars from the

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Vantasia 2. 1.

The van’s beauty proved to be skin deep only and it was soon stripped in readiness for a makeover

The main chassis rails were fabricated from 3 x 2-inch mild steel box section and feature a Hauser Racing rear section with 4-bar bracketry

The 1960 Thames 7cwt as Jon bought it to use as a runaround on 12 November 2005

4. The roll cage was fabricated from 2mm wall, 50mm diameter CDS tube to 7.5 second spec…

7. Jon fabricated the exhaust headers using a kit from Hedman, with mild steel 1¾ inch pipes feeding 3-inch diameter collectors. When finished, the headers were treated to a hightemperature enamel coating

10. …then the floor and trans’ tunnel, formed from 18g mild steel…

13. The laborious task of paint stripping revealed SEVEN different paint colours

5. …and features mounting points for the front suspension, the Flaming River steering rack and the engine and gearbox

6. With the rolling chassis completed, the van body was mounted on to its new home

8. The exhaust system pipes, formed from 3-inch diameter 16g mild steel tube, feed stainless steel Magnaflow mufflers. The 3½ inch stainless steel tailpipes were sourced from Summit Racing, and the main pipes have been polished and chrome plated

11. …along with the dashboard…

14. Subsequent blasting unearthed the true extent of the body rot and damage…

9. The first sheet metal to be fabricated by Jon was the bulkhead…

12. …and the rear wheel tubs, with all panels being bead rolled wherever possible

15. …with pretty much all of the lower metal work in need of repair or replacement

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Ray’s Classics

San Carlos CA since 1980

California Collector Car Export Sales Specialist 1973 Ford Pinto, 2 door wagon, rebuilt 4 cylinder Engine/4spd Manual, very nice original interior, rustfree California car $10,250.

1952 Ford Zephyr Mk1 LHD Rust Free Car. Rustfree sunbleached body and underside, all new brakes/clutch hydraulics, on the button driver sold new in the USA and not to be confused with the usual UK welding nightmares, not the cheapest but the most solid example you will find outside of Australia $8250.

1950 Austin A40 devon LHD USA car, small fortune spent on extensive restoration, only a handful of miles since completion $11,250.

1935 Chevy Pickup Project, all steel, Mustang two frontend, coilover rearend, very nice cab/sheet metal, extra doors and roof panel, all sheet metal is present, 350/Auto, not running , California title and factory vin plate $11,950.

1964 1/2 F Code Mustang 260CI/Auto, P/S, matching numbers california black plate car, rustfree stripped to bare metal 100% complete $11,750.

1976 Checker 4 door saloon, 6cyl/automatic, very good body & paint, very nice red interior, same owner last 38yrs, serviced very recently, on the button ready to go $12,250.

1957 Chevy Stepside, 6Cyl, 4spd, California truck since new, just removed from long term hibernation, zero rot, no patch panels required, engine turns freely, currently a non runner, stay tuned $10,250

1967 Chevy G-10 Rust free, Black plate California Van, V8/Auto, Vintage Mags, Originally a factory Martin Walters type Camper conversion, on the button, runs great $9,875

25 VEHICLES UK REGISTERED READY FOR PURCHASE IN THE SW OF ENGLAND POA Prices include shipping from Oakland CA to UK mainland. Check the website for complete inventory list.

WE CAN LOCATE LOCA THE CAR OF YOUR DREAMS

Vehicle shipping to the UK inspection services available in the Western States

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16. The rear wheel arches were removed and replaced with repro panels

18.

17. The B pillars were repaired and new sills welded into place

20.

21.

…that he’d formed at work on the brake press, with a shrinker / stretcher forming the curved corner sections Right: The fuel tank incorporates baffles and was fabricated from 3mm ali plate. Jon had it painted blue to match the Nitrous bottle

Wanting to make as much as he could, Jon formed the steering wheel centre and spokes…

24.

27.

30. No surprise the tank was then highly polished. No simple bolthole mounting for it though

Jon cut the roof open and welded in the new roof gutters…

22.

23.

…which he polished and bent to shape…

…before welding to the steel outer rim

Left: You’d never know, though, as it’s concealed by a mild steel, bead-rolled cover which is now painted body colour

25. …which was highly polished before installation. That rosejointed bar next to the catch can is one of the adjustable radiator mounts

19.

The rot was cut from the bottom of the rear doors and replaced by fresh sheet steel

26. Jon also fabricated the radiator catch can and matching windscreen washer bottle, using 3mm stainless steel plate...

28.

29.

More 3mm stainless plate was used to fabricate the radiator header tank

The end plates and brackets for the adjustable mount were formed and welded to the tank sides

31. Having decided to reverse the opening of the bonnet, Jon set about designing and fabricating new hinges…

32. …a process he describes as involving far more work than he ever intended

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“Build a road-going ¼

33. With the body repairs completed, it was time to send the van off for paint. Jon has high praise for John Wadge, who sprayed everything inside and out (and underneath)

34. With the emphasis being very much on show as well as go…

It’s been a long time coming – far longer than he ever expected. But at last, Jon is behind the wheel and clocking up the miles

35.

36.

…everything that wasn’t painted was either polished or chromed…

…and we mean everything

37.

38.

Thames 300E vans were never ﬁtted with a headlining, and the roll cage and overhead control boxes added to the challenge of ﬁtting one

Jon formed a curved wooden front panel with help from work colleague and carpenter, Andy Townsend

39.

40.

Once happy with the ﬁt, the panel was passed on to Tom Tidey…

…who trimmed it in diamond pleat leather

“Every nut and bolt would be polished or plated”

‘60s and ‘70s. Shortly afterwards, I visited the owner’s property and when I ventured into his underground car park I was like a kid in a candy store. In front of me were Sidewinder, The Bunk Bed and Pool Hustler, among others. Amazingly, I was asked to help Dave with the restoration of Sand Draggin’, which involved stripping the front suspension and having it re-chromed and detailed before re-assembly, together with the carbs and linkages. Eventually, that distraction was over and it was time for Jon to return to the real world, the problem now being that the show car world he so enjoys had kicked back in. “My attention turned to chroming and detailing the parts that would be removed from the van in readiness for it being painted. It was still going to be a quarter-mile van, only now every nut and bolt would be polished or plated and every washer stainless.” Jon did still tackle the more mundane side of the build, though, forming the ﬂoor, trans’ tunnel, dashboard and wheel tubs. He was certain the saving grace with the everprotracted build was the body, but that came back to bite him. “When I set to with the paint stripper, I unearthed seven coats of paint, including the original beige colour, along with a shed load of ﬁller and sandwiched rot. I persevered before eventually passing the body over to Alex, a sandblaster friend of mine. It didn’t turn out well – the bottom eight inches of the body needed replacing and all the front panels were dumped.”

Pressing on

Despite his hatred of bodywork, Jon pressed on and numerous repro panels were sourced from Ex-Presssed Steel Panels in Keighley

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ng ¼-mile race car”

and welded into place. Rear lower corner panels were fabricated and fitted, and the bottom of the doors were cut off and replaced with fresh steel. Replacement front panels were sourced through eBay, with Jon opting for fibreglass wings from Old Ford Autoservices in Bracknell – after buying too many used wings, only to find them beyond repair, and not being able to afford new steel replacements. Besides, it is a race car after all and ‘glass wings help keep the weight down. Around three years down the line, the body and panels were ready for painting – a job entrusted to John Wadge of S&J Body Repairs Ltd in Shepreth. Some four months later, Jon had the van back in all its orange glory and the painstaking job of assembling everything without damaging the paint or chrome plating began. The main man responsible for all the brightwork was Doug Heath in Baldock, with Jon doing as much of the initial prep work as possible to save both time and money. Unlike many, Jon was actually looking forward to wiring the van and had ordered up a shed load of different colour tri-rated wire, heat shrink, brass connectors and wire numbers. He then spent a few months soldering every wire, numbering them at both ends so there would be no issues with future identification. Jon’s good friend Kevin Saddler set up the front suspension and steering geometry and also got the engine running perfectly. Kevin also helped out with plumbing the brakes using Earls stainless hoses and polished and chromed hard lines with brass fittings, with the system featuring a Chevy dual master cylinder/servo, a proportional valve and a line lock.

The smoothed-out dash is home to a complement of Auto Meter Auto Gage instruments. The steering column is a Jonmodiﬁed and polished Triumph 2000 unit with a Race Tech quick-release boss TIG welded on the top, and Tom Tidey trimmed the scratchbuilt 12-inch diameter wheel in leather. You did notice the left-hand drive conﬁguration, didn’t you? That’s a nod to the original plan to build what was essentially a road-legal race car The home-built centre console is home to a B&M Quicksilver ratchet shifter with a custommade housing featuring a Thames script. Out of view are a home-made brake pedal, a Trigger Flat-Floor handbrake lever, a custom heater / demister unit that incorporates two computer fans and ceramic heating elements, and a JVC sound system with Pioneer speakers

Above: The repro steel front valence panel now incorporates a slam panel with Mini and Morris Minor bonnet latch parts, with the bonnet now opening from the rear on custom-made hinges All the exterior trim and the front grille have been refurbished and re-chromed. Only those in the know will have noticed the front bumper has been subtly reshaped

Jon has created his own versions of Haynes manuals, speciﬁcally related to the van, which he carries with him just in case. The ﬁrst covers everything electrical, the second everything engine, and the third everything transmission and other stuff. How cool is that?

Above: Although the inside of the load area highlights its quarter-mile intentions, it is still ﬁnished to the same high standards as the cab area. Underneath the rollcage-mounted NOS bottle, a removable steel cover conceals the 8-gallon ali fuel tank which is painted Audi Blue Pearl and ﬁtted with a Summit race cap and marine fuel gauge sender Tom Tidey trimmed the MDF side panels in diamond pleat leather, while Jon cut the Martrim-supplied Palamino Superwool carpet trims and then had a friend called Aggy bind the edges. The rear headlining is stitched in Alcantara and attached to wooden bows crafted by Jon

An electric memory tacho with a separate shift light is mounted overhead on one side of the roll cage, while above Jon’s head there’s an Auto Rod Corporation control panel. This incorporates switchgear for the lights, fuel pumps, electric fans, water pump, ignition and engine start, along with the controls for the nitrous system. A second overhead control unit houses warning lights for the turn signals, oil pressure, charging system and high beam, together with toggle switches for the 2-speed wipers and ‘screen wash Left: The seats are high-backed Corbeau buckets, painstakingly retrimmed in a diamond pleat pattern using Premier Newmarket Tan leather supplied by Martrim in Sandbach. Luke 3-point harnesses keep the driver and passenger in place; Jon tells us the seats are really comfy, a comment echoed by his wife Sarah

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GOING UNDER

There can’t be many race cars that look this good underneath. When Jon says everything is painted, polished or plated, he isn’t kidding. The problem is very few people will get to fully appreciate it Fortunately for us, Jon has access to a lift and a photographer at work. ‘Jawdropping’ doesn’t cut it

The Goodwrench 350ci small block Chevy runs 4-bolt mains, a high-volume oil pump, hydraulic flat tappets, a low-end torque-oriented camshaft, 8.50:1 compression ratio cast ali pistons and 76cc cast iron heads. An Edelbrock 600cfm 4-barrel carb is mounted on top of the Offenhauser 360 dual plane inlet manifold, and sparks are courtesy of a high-performance HEI distributor. Danny Bates mounted the engine using the motor plate fabricated by Jon It wouldn’t be a true quarter miler without a whiff of gas and that comes from a Competition Cheater Nitrous Oxide injection system with purge kit. All plumbing utilises stainless braidcovered rubber hoses with Aeroquip fittings, with the fuel system being fed by a Facet Gold-Flo Red Top pump and the nitrous system by a Facet 40107 pump. Both systems run through Holley regulators and FRAM filters. Transmission is a TH350 auto’ fitted with a Hughes Performance GM20 2000rpm stall torque converter and a TCI 168 tooth flex plate. The installation features a Moroso finned cooler / filter, plumbed in with more braided hose and Aeroquip fittings

A couple of seats were then thrown in and the van ventured out of the garage under its own power for the ﬁrst time in 16 years. A trip up and down the road proved problem free so it was time to get cracking with the interior. Another long-time friend, Tom Tidey, was called upon to tackle the trimming, something he does as a hobby. “I basically wanted a fullleather interior, but nothing too complicated,”

Jon explained. “The biggest challenge for Tom was the seats – they caused him a few months of grief, but he got there in the end with help from Fred at A&R Pound in Baldock. Aggy was called upon to trim the edges of the carpet – and with that, Jon had the realisation that the van was ﬁnished. “After 18 years of slogging away in a single garage, the van was on the road and the time

The rear doors had their fair share of rot, so a good bit of refurbishment went into them including making all the catches and locking bar system from scratch, along with ﬁtting tinted glass The rear lights are original new old stock Enfo Butlers units, with all red lenses providing brake, indicator, and running lights

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The Adrenaline Race and Performance front suspension features rose-jointed fully adjustable tubular lower A-arms and Ford Capri 2.8 Mk3 struts. The struts were fully rebuilt and made adjustable by LEDA and are ﬁtted with Eibach springs. The custom hubs were made by Chris Isaacs Race Cars from billet alloy and have dual Ford and Chevy stud patterns. Brakes are 2.8 Capri 9-inch discs with Wilwood 4-pot calipers

had come to enjoy what was never meant to be. The enjoyable part is now actually driving it and appreciating the great comments from both members of the public and fellow hot rodders. From the outset, my intention was to make as many parts as possible, and when I couldn’t source a part I’d have a go at making it myself.” We’d say Jon has achieved that goal – and more besides. CC

The MK2 Jaguar 4HA rear axle has been narrowed 9-inches and is ﬁtted with a 2HA Thornton Powr-Lok diff and custom shafts. The axle is located by rose-jointed 4-bars, with the installation featuring adjustable rose-jointed Protech coilovers. Brakes are Jag 11-inch discs with Wilwood 4-pot calipers The wheelie bars were a £30 swap meet buy – and quite the bargain, especially when Jon discovered they were a genuine Strange product. They have been fully refurbished and, unsurprisingly, chrome-plated

There’s no denying the radiator header tank that Jon fabricated truly is a thing of beauty

Cooling the engine is taken care of by a Meziere Enterprises 100 series electric water pump and a Be Cool 4-core ali radiator

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to Adrian Brown, Andy Townsend, Lee Proctor, Chris Ashford, John Wadge, Paul Taylor, Doug Heath, Tom Tidey, Fred Pound, Aggy and Kevin Saddler. Also thanks to Mark Brazier-Jones for fueling me with his artistic creativity, and to my wonderful wife Sarah for her patience, support, and understanding”

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Miniature marvels Jack Edmunds was too young to build real hot rods, so he took to customising die-cast models instead Words: Olly Sack Pics: Jack Edmunds

ack Edmunds says he’s ‘mad about pretty much anything with an engine.’ Sounds familiar, right? But that extends to some stuff without an engine, too – where he’s taken the hot rodding game into new territory. Jack’s a mere 24 years of age. He had some tough stuff to deal with when he was little, and he found that model-making gave him a way to cool off and relax. ‘I stated making model tanks and planes,’ he says.

‘Painting them and trying to make them look as good as I could.’ Planes and tanks do have engines, but Jack is particularly into custom cars and bikes. ‘I have always loved them, because of how different they can be – I just loved that!’ But there was a problem. ‘As we all know, cars and bikes are very expensive. So I said to myself, let’s collect some cool model cars instead. But the type of cars I like, they don’t really make any of them.’

Problem? There are no problems, only challenges. And like a proper custom car builder, he decided that if he couldn’t buy what he wanted, he’d just have to make it. ‘I have watched custom car makers for years, and I thought to myself if they can cut up a real one and make it into a badass kustom, I can do it with models, right?’ Jack uses die-cast models, so he’s working with metal too. ‘I’ve been getting better with every build,’ he says, which is the perfect way

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to learn when the cars you’re cutting up only cost a few quid out of Smyths Toys. ‘I start with a model car and I take my drill, angle grinder and Dremel to it and cut it up. Then I try and make custom parts. I build from scratch and make my own parts sometimes – I love making custom floors out of thin sheets of wood, and using other parts from other models to create the vision inside my head. ‘The hardest part for me was trying to make the two metal parts stick, as I can’t weld. I

use Milliput, a modellers’ epoxy putty, to help shape and stick the roof back to the body, then shape it away, sand it all down to get the right body shape and then fill it, sand again and paint it.’ Some of the processes are different to building a real-life rod or kustom, and of course you don’t need to worry about little things like engines, transmissions and having to be able to sit in it. But the vision and creativity will be instantly familiar – and the

quality of the model cars Jack has turned out speaks for itself. If you’re looking at these models and thinking that one of your own custom car would make a pretty cool Christmas present, rest assured you won’t be the first. Jack took it up for fun not money, but at the same time he’s not averse to the idea of taking on commissions. You can find him by searching out Fresco’s 13 on Facebook

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This is the car that scooped the big one in Lincolnshire this year. Here’s what it takes to win that coveted award Words: Mike Pye Pics: Alan Kidd

hichever way you look at it, Tri-Chevys are iconic automobiles. They transcend the boundaries of hot rod, custom, race car and classic. Even lowriders. Whatever genre of modified vintage American car you’re into, you’ll find a Tri-Chevy version of it. And such is their enduring popularity that there are complete reproduction bodies available these days,

as well as a healthy aftermarket ready and waiting to sell you just about any part you might require for one. All three variants have their followers. The classic brigade tend to prefer the ’57 and the racers the ’55, while the ’56 sits somewhere in the middle – though they’re by no means mutually exclusive. When it came to choosing which Tri to go for, the three people behind this car, Richard

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Ward, Dean Cook and Ross Cook (Dean’s son), were in agreement that it had to be a ’56. Before we get into the car itself, let’s ﬁrst explain the triumvirate. “Me and Dean have been best mates for more than 40 years, so much so that we call each other brother by another mother,” laughs Rich. “We’ve both always had a massive interest in cars. Dean’s dad, Barry, also loved his cars and my dad, Geoff, owned

a garage, so I guess we both inherited this expensive hobby.”

Early influences

Growing up in the 1970s and ’80s, the boys would go to local custom car shows together, fondly remembering days spent at Doncaster Racecourse. “For Dean, it was always the cars, but for me it was how they were shown – like a ﬁlm set with lighting,

props etc. I remember fake skeletons creeping out from under Grave Digger, and a smoke machine! “My favourites were the day vans and pickups. Dean preferred the cars, and from day one he said one day he’d own a ’56 Bel Air.” As the years rolled by, the ‘brothers’ worked hard in business, which took up most of their time, and Ross picked up the car habit from them. Between them, they’ve enjoyed

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The build 1. Following the old adage of start with the best you can find, a good running 210 sedan was bought here in the UK, rather than risking a sight unseen US import

4. Some people really shouldn’t be allowed near cars. How’s this for a ‘repair’?

7. With double skinned areas, sometimes the only option is to remove the outer skin entirely to access and repair the inner area

2. The Old Bones boys didn’t expect it to be mint, so blasted it to see what they were up against

5. After blasting, a coat of Novol bodywork primer / corrosion inhibitor went on to protect the metal

8. Then the laborious task of hand forming repair panels could begin

10. The only off-the-shelf repair panel used in the whole car was the boot floor, but note the additional hand-formed pieces that tie it into the inner wings

13. While you can build a complete ’56 Chevy body from repro panels these days, Old Bones prefer to use original panels where possible…

11. The correct way to remove a panel. Drill through the factory spot welds

14. …even if they do need some localised repairs

3. Yep, the usual story of old repairs and some shocking welding, but overall, the car was deemed a decent base

6. Then the digging into suspect areas could start in earnest

9. If in doubt, cut it out. But not before adding some bracing to keep everything aligned after you do so

12. After nearly 70 years, very few firewalls have survived intact. This one was also given a bit of a clean up to improve its looks

15 Likewise, original bumpers and trim are invariably better than the repro parts, so it was time well spent repairing them

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17.

16. Similarly, checking the fit of trim items before and during the welding and repair stage pays dividends later on in the process

19.

Left: Then the boys really went to town on the dressup, adding a polished aluminium serpentine front drive system from Southwest Performance Parts

Rather than just chuck an LS in it, the decision was made to keep the 327 Chevy engine with camel hump heads that was in the car when bought

20. When we say this was a nut and bolt restoration, we mean it. Here’s how far Old Bones went with the chassis

18. The block was sound, so a mild performance rebuild was carried out in house at Old Bones

21. After many months’ work, the body was finally ready for its coat of Novol For Classic Cars epoxy primer…

22.

23.

…followed by the laborious job of blocking, checking, priming, blocking, checking, repeat

At last, into colour she goes, starting with the white…

…then masking up the colour break…

26.

27.

…and finally, the Alfa Romeo red

Needless to say, the underside saw just as much attention in the paint department, albeit with a coat of stone chip in the mix for protection

The paint process isn’t over yet though. If you want the full show shine, you’ve got to do the full colour sand to achieve it. More laborious and time-consuming work

28.

29.

Though the end result is worth every minute spent with the wet’n’dry and the polishing mops

With the chassis equally resplendent in a fresh coat of gloss black, the fun part can now begin

25.

24.

30. Here’s the level of detail you need to strive for to be in with a chance of taking home the Best in Britain award

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a ﬁne collection of cars and bikes over the years, showing them with great success on occasion. A 2009 Focus RS, for example, took Ross and Rich all over the country and to three consecutive concours gold cup titles. “We loved every minute of that,” recalls Rich, “and the car is still in the garage now, with just 5600 miles on the clock.”

“Out of the blue, Dean just dropped into the conversation, ‘If you ever see a nice ’56 Bel Air I’d be interested…’”

Talking classics

The old ’56 was never far from their minds, though it eventually came about in a rather circuitous way. “The three of us were talking one day and asking what American classic we’d all have if we got the chance. Ross and I both said a Chevy 3100 pick-up, or similar, but Dean still said 100% a ’56 Bel Air.” Then one day, while surﬁng eBay, Rich spotted a ’56 GMC truck for sale. He sent the details to Dean (on holiday!) and Ross. They liked it, and the next day Rich and Ross were at the seller’s house near Windsor, returning that afternoon to Yorkshire with the truck on a trailer behind him. “I joined a few Facebook groups and put up a post asking for recommendations for who we could approach to do the work,” Rich remembers. Long story short, one name kept cropping up and that was Old Bones Fabrication in Andover, Hampshire. Serendipitously, when Rich contacted Steve Jones there, it turned out the company had done a load of work on the truck for its previous owner, and he was over the moon at having the opportunity to ﬁnish what they had started. Seeing the ’54 Chevy truck Old Bones built for James Batty of Auto Finesse cemented the idea that these were the men for the job. However, we’re here to talk about the Chevy, we’ll come back to the GMC another time. And believe me, there’s plenty to come back to as there are some big plans afoot for that one.

Behind the chrome tilt’n’shift column lies a set of Dakota direct ﬁt digital gauges. Other modernising tricks include electric front windows and a Raingear electric wiper system

The whole car was reﬁnished using the Novol For Classic Car paint system. Colours are Alfa Romeo Rosso over Diamond White, with a ceramic clear coat for protection

Idle chat

The Chevy came about as a result of an idle comment made during a meeting between Dean, Rich and Steve about progress on the GMC, as Rich recalls: “Out of the blue, Dean just dropped into the conversation, ‘If you ever see a nice ’56 Bel Air I’d be interested…’” With that in the back of his mind, Steve would have the occasional look for a suitable car and, after a couple of false starts, eventually found what he thought might be just that. It wasn’t the red and white

Air conditioning system blows cool through billet vents set into a custom pod under the dash, while the controls have been integrated into the factory sliding heater switches

Bel Air of Dean’s dreams but it was a good, solid, black and white ’56 210 sedan and, once the boys had given the nod of approval, Steve went to pick it up. “Obviously, we could have imported a car from the States,” he continues. “But you never really know what you’re going to get when you do that, so I narrowed my search down to the UK only and, believe it or not, this one turned up at a classic car dealer just down the road from us. It cost £150 to have it delivered to the workshop –

Retro Retrims in Taunton took care of the interior, restoring the original seats and adding an OEM+ look design in poppy red over white leather. Carpets are classic square weave wool. “Chris’ work is just phenomenal,” says Steve, “and he’s the only trimmer I’ve ever come across that I see eye to eye with on everything”

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compare that to bringing one in from the States these days!” Like most Tri-Chevys, it had been fiddled with over the years and had aftermarket wheels, a non-factory 327ci motor and what Rich calls a “nasty interior”. But it was a decent car and a good base for the project.

Seeing red, and white

“The remit we were given was to build a nice Resto Rod, red over white, and mostly original, just better, with some modern parts

to help make the car more reliable,” recalls Steve. “After that, we were pretty much given free rein to make things as good as we can.” In response to my question about a budget, Rich explains: “It was discussed right from the start, and all the way through, but basically it just had to be right – and we know that doesn’t come cheap, especially when you add in things like the fuel injection, hidden Bluetooth stereo system, clean engine bay, all that sort of stuff. But that’s why it looks the way it does.”

The bluetooth, OEM-style head unit fronts a neatly concealed audio system from Kicker, with an amp and sub under the front seat and speakers in the door pockets and parcel shelf, under which are further slimline amps. We’re told it sounds incredible

Door furniture might look stock, but those winders operate electric windows – and there are discreet speakers integrated into the panels just below the arm rests

So, into the mix went a few additional niceties like CPP tubular upper and lower A-arms, new Borgeson power steering box and a CPP disc brake kit. All pretty standard stuff to improve the driveability of what, let’s remember, is now almost a 70-year-old car. Pretty soon, what started out as a repaint and rebuild turned into a body-off frame, nut and bolt restoration. The build box in this here article will give you some idea of how far the Old Bones crew went, but space dictates it can only ever paint a fairly cursory picture.

Two-piece forged split rim wheels with hidden hardware were designed by Old Bones and made by Rimscarnated UK. They’re 8 x 18s up front and 9.5 x 18s in the rear. Tyres are Goodyear Eagles in 235/40-18 and 255/45-18

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“All in all, it was a pretty interesting, emotional restoration, but then I suppose they all are really”

“We had a few problems along the way,” Steve recalls, “like when four grand’s worth of parts from Danchuck got lost during Covid, and then Danchuck closed down its retail arm and massively reduced its stock and parts availability. And the Sniper fuel injection system kicked us in the arse, though we did get it sorted in the end. “All in all, it was a pretty interesting, emotional restoration, but then I suppose they all are really.”

Relationship advice

When I asked Rich how the relationship went, he beamed: “We hit it off with Steve from day one. He’s got a great team down there and they worked on the car like it was their own. Either one or all of us would go down there once a month to discuss the build, and we received a photo ﬁle every month showing what had been done, plus loads of Facetime when more urgent answers were required. “Don’t get me wrong, there were a few very quiet journeys back to Yorkshire when Steve told us how much some of the parts were going to cost but, looking back, he was never wrong with his choice of quality parts.”

Certain parts went off to specialists, such as Hauser Racing for the back axle, which came back equipped with an Eaton Posi and 3.7 gears, while Chris and Kirstie Burns at Retro Retrims in Somerset were called upon to stitch up a fresh take on the classic Tri-Chevy interior, but the vast majority of the work was carried out in house at Old Bones. That includes the engine rebuild, a full rewire (using Painless Performance products), stainless exhaust system, hidden stereo install and all the paint and bodywork. “We always make a big effort to maintain a great relationship with our customers, and this one was no exception. Richard and Dean are genuine petrolheads and they understand what it takes to build a car like this,” says Steve enthusiastically. He’s very enthusiastic is Steve. An enormous amount of work is the answer. Especially if you want to present the customer with a car they can literally jump in, turn the key and enjoy driving without having to worry about anything. This masterpiece, for example, was three and a half years in the making. “It’s the little bits you have to do to achieve that that take the time. We’ve got thousands

of hours in this car – over 3000, I’d imagine – but that’s what it takes to do the job right, and to make sure you’re happy with the end product before you hand it over to the customer.

The big reveal

Finally, the day came of the big reveal. I think it’s fair to say everyone involved must have been feeling pretty nervous. Rich recalls that day fondly: “We’d arranged a visit about six weeks from completion. The car was 95% complete and was now running. We took our mate Carl with us too, who hadn’t seen the car before and when Steve lifted the roller shutter, there was silence. I’m sure it was 10 minutes before anyone spoke, we were just walking round it, sitting inside, listening to the engine, gawping!” “If I’m honest, I think we went a bit far,” says Steve. “It’s gone way past just a nice, driveable resto rod, but I think the boys are happy with it, and hopefully, when we’ve tweaked a couple of things, they’ll start to feel a bit more comfortable with it and use it more. I hope so anyway.” As for the driving experience, Richard is honest: “Mechanically, it’s amazing. With

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Though it’s not original to the car, the engine is the same 327 that was in it when they bought it. It’s had a full rebuild in-house at Old Bones and has been pepped up with a Comp Cams cam, Weiand intake, MSD Pro Billet ignition and EFI. Gearbox is a TH350 three-speed auto’, which sends the torque generated back to a Hauser Racing 10-bolt, rebuilt with Eaton Posi and 3.7 cogs Left: Despite Steve at Old Bones saying at one point they were ready to rip the whole Holley Sniper fuel injection system that’s under that air filter off and revert to a four-barrel carb, they persevered and they all agree the end result is worth the effort

the fuel injection it starts first time and runs lovely, but the quest to keep an original ride experience might have bit us on the arse a bit. It’s like a four-seater sofa going down the road – but when those roads are Barnsley cobbles, it’s a bit bouncy! So it’s going back to Steve over the winter to have the shocks changed, but other than that we couldn’t be happier with it. “All our families are into cars and they all love the ’56, even if they’re just sitting in it on the drivwaye playing Greased Lightnin’ on the stereo!” Before this year was out, though, the car made it to a few shows, so you may well have had the chance to see it yourself and appreciate the fruits of all the labour that’s gone into it. Certainly the judges have noticed it, the car being awarded not only Best in Britain at the National Hot Rod, Custom and American Car Show in June, but also Best Engine and Owners’ Choice too. On top of that, it won Best American at The Drivers Collection show in Sheffield. Though Dean has realised his ’56 dream, we know this isn’t going to be the last we hear from the South Yorkshire brotherhood. We’ll be back right after the break… CC

Above: The dress up continues all the way through to the coolant pipes and Be Cool cooling package, not forgetting the alternator, Borgeson power steering pump and serpentine pulley system along the way

Things look pretty tidy when you open the boot, but there’s an extra surprise in a hidden compartment in the floor. JD’n’Coke, anyone?

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ll was looking good for the 33rd NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals at Old Warden Park over the first weekend of August – apart from it clashing with the Hot Rod Hayride, that is. The stage was set – literally – and the weather gods were onside. So, did it live up to the billing? It pretty much did, by all accounts. The programme for the weekend was sort of jam-packed from start to ﬁnish – maybe a little too packed in terms of the live music, but that is just my own viewpoint. Friday, I felt the daytime was a little ﬂat, but again

that could just be me – and there certainly was plenty going on in the evening. Saturday was an entirely different story. An enjoyable cruise out, an IVA chat, an Insurance Q&A and even an informal session with a real-life author. The live music was almost non-stop from mid-afternoon through to midnight, but I felt the closing act on the main stage started too late which was a shame. Again, that’s just my take on it. In saying that, the atmosphere both at the Party Tent and around the Main Stage was buzzing, and the enhanced lighting helped create a great atmosphere.

I’ve no idea if the event clash caused a downturn in numbers this year, but it certainly didn’t feel like this was the case. That was most evident on Sunday, when the show ﬁeld was heaving. I fully understand the reasoning behind the area immediately in front of the hospitality marquee being designated as a special show area, but maybe that can be tweaked for future events. In a similar vein, and I appreciate this will be controversial, after 33 years is the judging system in need of an overhaul? If that should be the case, I admit I’ve no idea what format that overhaul could take. After all, the

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It takes a lot to host the premier hot rod event in Europe – even more so when it’s managed by a team of volunteers. That’s just what the NSRA has done for more than three decades, though

Words and pics: Dave Biggadyke

coveted Participants’ Choice award can only be voted for by the participants, can it not? Maybe food for thought though. To sum up, it was a top weekend, and a little fine-tuning could make it a belter. Let’s give the final word to NSRA chair Keith ‘Roasty’ Elliott: “Wow, what a weekend. The UK hot rodding scene is booming. With the event clashing with other shows, the Supernats was still a huge success and numbers were on par with previous years – and the quality of the cars is getting better. The UK is definitely in the premier league of hot rodding.” CC

Graham Slater’s ’56 Mk VII Jaguar was one of the true stars of the weekend. Starting with a 4-door sedan, Graham worked his magic in just 7 months. Amazing. It’s no surprise he went home with a Top Ten trophy

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Alright on the night The NSRA pulled out all the stops when it came to the nighttime (afternoon?) entertainment. A quick tot up from the event programme totalled 11 live bands plus a couple of DJs over the 4 days. The weather helped with the atmosphere, as did the addition of decorative lighting strung across the catering village. Saturday was party night with many getting into the spirit and dressing for the occasion, although some appeared to be enjoying things a little too much. Whatever way you looked at it, there’s no denying it was cool for cats Things got serious (more or less) on Saturday afternoon. An IVA chat with Trevor Gardiner was followed by a ClassicLine Insurance Q&A session with Darren, and then a chat and Q&A with author Lesley Brown

Wade Nortcliffe’s immaculate ’56 Chevy took the silverware for the Pre-29s Pick

The Oblivion street / strip Model T is being sold as an unﬁnished project to help fund the owner’s nursing care. The engine is a 500bhp 427ci Chevy stroker mated to a TH350 trans’, and there is the option of it being sold as a ﬁnished car with the work being completed by Huxley Motorsport

Carrying on its winning ways from the National Hot Rod Show a few weeks earlier, Andy Hogg’s T Bucket won the Best Model T trophy

Another of the specialist displays was the Pop Festival. The lineup was impressive, and featured a good few sit-up-begs with a long pedigree…

…such as the Hot Rod & Custom UK project Pop which dates back to the early ‘80s. The reg number is still the same, but what else of the original build remains is questionable

Another vehicle with great provenance is Kevin King’s Fordson, winner of Popstalgia Pick and the Tony Robinson Memorial Award

I twice came across John Emery and his sublime ’34 coupe during the weekend. On both occasions, he was just driving away. Maybe that’s telling me something

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Coming up trumps Organised by the Cannibals Car Club – UK, Saturday’s cruise had two stop-off points. The ﬁrst provided the opportunity to have a nose around the Buckland Automotive Engineering workshop. There was certainly plenty to check out among the greatly varied projects on the go, and Adrian Smith was on hand to answer the questions inquisitive rodders threw at him.

Plenty of horsepower was on hand at the second destination, the world-class equestrian centre Keysoe Internationals. The Cannibals had secured exclusive parking for the estimated 130+ cars that turned up, and the venue offered a bar and café to ensure all were fed and watered. Marshalled checkpoints at the start

and stop-off points offered cruisers the opportunity to select a Top Trump card. Remember them? In a sort of twist on a poker run, the Top Trump rating shown on each card was totalled up with the winner being the one with the highest total. In the event of a tie, there was be a Trump Off on Sunday afternoon. We kid you not

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Brown sugar The show area immediately in front of NSRA Hospitality was reserved for specialist displays. One such display was some of the vehicles originally built by the late Kris Brown.

Now owned by Mark Bellringer, this ’27 Track T was the last of Kris’ builds – albeit unﬁnished when he passed away. Long-time friend Anthony Saxon completed the car in 2020, with the build spec reading Jago chassis, Pro-Laminates tub, 2-litre Pinto and Type 9 gearbox

Kris’ ’56 Ford F100 panel was the parts haler for his business. He imported the panel as a stocker and ﬁtted a Jag IFS, Ford 8-inch rear axle, and a 302ci small block Ford with C4 transmission. The panel is now owned by Paul Bicker

With help from Ian Pemberthy, Kris built the ’37 Model Y now owned by Stephen Reeve in the early eighties. Back then, the car was painted green and powered by an 1100cc A series engine. Nowadays there’s a 2-litre Essex V4 under the bonnet, mated to a 2000E ‘box

Since being built in the early seventies, the Old Iron Fordson has appeared in many guises over the years and, coincidentally, appeared on a Top Trumps card. Now owned by Steve Elliott, the van is powered by a small-block Ford V8

You’ll have read the full feature on Adam Sayers ‘60s vibe Model A sedan in the October issue. It appeared in public for the ﬁrst time on Friday and picked up the Liberty and Lows Pick trophy and a Top Ten award a couple of days later. The smiles on the faces of Adam, Bryan Whitﬁeld and Chris Vining during our photoshoot were priceless

Dave Spreadbury has done it again – his Hemipowered ‘39 Willys sedan is exquisite. We’ll be taking a close look at this debutante Top Ten winner in a future issue

For me, one of the big shocks at prize giving was that Jon Gurney’s name didn’t feature. His freshly ﬁnished 300E is stunning and the van is another on our list of impending features

Maybe Bill MacDermid will no longer be best known for his Procharged Street Eliminator Camaro as his latest build, this ’70 GMC C10 pick-up, will be giving it a run for its money. Yet another one to watch out for in a future issue of CC

Fresh from its debut in the Best in Britain lineup at the National Hot Rod and Custom Show, Colin Parkinson’s conceptual ’33 roadster bagged a Top Ten placing at the Supernats. Will we be featuring it? Of course we will…

The NSVA was an oﬃcially invited guest this year and brought along an eclectic selection of custom vans of American and British origin

Grant Pinney, NSRA PRO, presents the Young Rodder Award to a delighted Rhys Knox

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In what must be a Supernats ﬁrst, when Dave Cannon drove around to collect a Top Ten award his ’37 Chevy coupe was towing a caravan. Technically it’s not a caravan, it’s Le RodPod, and it’s a pretty cool piece of kit

Another car making its Supernats debut was Mick Harle’s ’35 Ford coupe. It was voted into the list of Top Ten winners

Famous four As is the norm, the latest inductees to the NSRA Hall of Fame, announced at the AGM last November, were oﬃcially presented with their plaques and certiﬁcates by NSRA chair Keith ‘Roasty’ Elliott.

NSRA Member – Brian Lucas. As Brian was unable to attend, Martin Hubbard accepted the plaque on his behalf Another prize-giving shocker was the omission of Richard Ward’s Best in Britain winning ’56 Chevy Bel Air. Maybe many people missed out on seeing it as it was tucked away in the bottom corner of the show ﬁeld on the Old Bones Fabrications trade stand. Not to worry, we’ve got it covered here in this issue of Custom Car instead…

Above: Ian Reeve pulls around in his ’34 Austin Ruby to collect the Spirit of Hot Rodding trophy. Two Rubys in the winners’ circle, whatever next? Below: Kevin Barnaby’s ’55 Mk1 Zephyr Zodiac was a Top Ten winner for the second year running.

Individual – Andy Saunders, who pulled around in Tetanus, a build based around a 1937 Cord sedan

The Best British Tin award went to the recently featured Pro Street Anglia 105E of Mike Zschorn Pic: Robin Cook Collection

One thing in life you can rely on is that when Ian Burton builds a new motor, it’s a nice one. His latest creation is this ’72 C10 pick-up running a supercharged LSA engine – another vehicle on our list of future features

Street Rod - Small Fry, presented to the current owner Charles Baldacchino whose late brother John built the car. Charles later collected a Top Ten award for the diminutive Austin

Organisation / Supplier – Jerry Denning. As Jerry was unable to attend, Jim Rutter accepted the plaque on his behalf

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Right: The award for Best Tot Rod went to Maverick’s ﬂamed ’34 roadster

Undoubtedly Nigel Hepburn went home a happy man as his ’52 Chevy pick-up bagged the award for Best Commercial, together with a place on the list of Top Ten winners Another ex-CC feature, another ’37 Chevy, another Top Ten winner. Mark Barrett’s unique pick-up has been a regular in the winner’s circle since he unveiled it last year

Top honours, the coveted Participants’ Choice award, went the way of Dave Day for his LS motored ’53 Chevy pick-up. You’ll have to look one all the way back to our October ’14 issue for the full feature on this

Above: The nice people from Shuttleworth selected this ’54 Chevy Bel Air as their pick of the show…

Kim Fleming has a quick chat with John Price before collecting the Best Traditional trophy for her ’50 Mercury

…while the equally nice people at ClassicLine opted for Steve Roberts’ Willys coupe. Unlike those pushing, Steve managed a smile when the car refused to start

Carl Harris presented the Traders’ Pick award to Tim Bate for his ’32 coupe

Special Awards were presented to the Cannibals Car Club for sorting out and marshalling the cruise, and Jane and Bob Jeffries for the hospitality they offered to new arrivals

Much to the approval of Patch the dog, John Proctor collects the NSVA Pick award for his Model A coupe…

…while the winner of the NSVA display was this ’65 Ford 400E van

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MM2 Custom Car 275x200 pg2.indd Mart_3PS.indd 1 Custom Car_2024_12_Dec_Machine 2

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MM3 Custom Car 275x200 pg3.indd Mart_3PS.indd 1 Custom Car_2024_12_Dec_Machine 3

09/10/2024 11:22 12:25 10/10/2024

The car that ﬁtted Doug like a glove. Running the exDennis Priddle/Tony Boden dragster was a big step forward for the team in the early ‘80s

Auto focus

The Name is Bond ■ Words and Pics: Keith Lee

he drag racing bug can bite deep, as many have found. That is certainly the case for Doug Bond who, along with friends Martyn Hannis and Lawrence Osborne, have racked up 50 years involvement in the sport. Most aspiring drag racers start out with a reasonably manageable first car – but the three friends from Cheltenham instead got involved with the only working rear-engined funny car in the country! Doug, Martyn and Lawrence all used to ride around on bikes off-road, and Doug helped Martyn get a job with him at a motorcycle dealer. Another friend of the trio was Pete Barnett, who had gone to a couple of drag races with Doug. When they saw a small advert for the Castrol GTX funny car in the latter part of 1974, Pete decided to buy it. The 392 blown Chrysler that had powered the Ed Shaver driven machine had been

replaced by a 354 from Liam Churchill’s funny. The complete car, plus trailer and starter, were picked up for £2000. Running this difficult combination was eased by using straight methanol. It did not put the inexperienced team off as, after a season of racing, Pete then moved on to a more conventional funny in the form of Clive Skilton’s black VX4/90, which they then campaigned in 1976. This was fitted with a 392 hemi from Dennis Priddle, which Martyn recalls being good for a best of 7.2s. A blowup in Sweden sidelined the car, and Pete Barnett retired from racing. He would make a return with an ex-Nobby Hills funny car some years later. Being actively involved in racing had suddenly ground to a halt, but Doug decided he wanted to drive himself. That resulted in the acquisition of the original Hemi Hunter rolling chassis from Dennis Stone. A 392 hemi, which needed rebuilding, was sourced

Doug’s school friend Pete Barnett in the GTX funny car at Snetterton was the ﬁrst active participation in the sport for the young lads, as they worked on the car

from Tony Froome. Originally run injected, the motor was soon fitted with a blower and two-speed. The car, was soon sold on, but the engine and trans were destined for a new rearengined car – which was literally a copy of the Liz and Ollie Burn Pro Comp car. Doug and Martyn copied all of the frame tubes, as they tried to build a car on a very limited budget. Appropriately named Shoestring, the car brought them some success in Pro Comp at Long Marston between 1980 and ’82, as the new 1/4-mile track established itself. There was also the occasional foray into Top Fuel with the car. A real step up came with the purchase from Tony Boden of the rear-engined Hitman/Mister Six dragster. It was one of three similar cars built by Dennis Priddle – and the one he originally raced himself. Doug remembers it as a very comfortable car to drive. By this time, they had moved to Donovan power, and they started racing in Europe. After enjoying his time in the car, Doug needed time off to work on expanding his motor repair business. But he returned after three years, ready for the 1990 season. There have been many cars over the years, and Joe actually returned with Jim Read’s Le Patron dragster, which was a sister car to Mister Six. We have not touched on Martyn’s involvement with some funny cars along the way. These involved other drivers, as Doug himself did not fancy being sat in a closed cockpit – so it was dragsters all the way for him. There are always low points, and for this team it was in 1995 when they were testing an injected nitro dragster. A blocked injector leak caused the motor to hydraulic on starting – with Doug and his brother Terry being hospitalised as a result! Doug

Running wingless was Doug in the car that was a copy of the Lizard, during the opening year of the newly ﬁnished Long Marston 1/4 mile track

46 CUSTOM CAR DECEMBER 2024

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13/10/2024 23:23

Joe Bond in the very quick Topolino, which enjoyed great results in the fuel altered ranks

returned – and ran his best time, when he clocked 5.94s in Top Alcohol against Dave Wilson at Shakespeare County, in the first side-by-side fives at the track in 2003. Doug retired from regular driving in 2004, after many years competing in both MSA and FIA events – a decision which coincided with son Joe ending his time in the junior ranks. This resulted in a second generation Bond racer stepping up as the team driver – and needing a suitable car to drive. What to build was influenced by the start of the National Fuel Altered Association, which inspired the team to put together a blown Topolino Altered for Joe in this new class Lawrie Gatehouse established. Running on methanol, it was named Nuthin Fancy. By summer 2006, the car was ready to roll, and Joe licensed the powerful machine with ease. He just dipped into the sevens by the end of the year, as he made great progress. That early promise continued, as by the end of 2008 he had hit 6.85/198 at Santa Pod. Joe was NFAA champ in 20102012 as the Topo got ever quicker, despite the chassis being shortened for 2011. Best time was an excellent 6.30/215 – still on methanol – but the little car was retired in 2014 as a new ride neared completion. The sleek Nuthin Fancy 2 slingshot made its first pass at the 2015 Hot Rod Drags. If you think the car bears a similarity

Another view of Joe in the ﬁnal year of running the Topo. The front canards helped with handling on the low 6 second runner

to the late Norm Wheeldon’s Two Much twin-engined dragster, that is because the chassis and body is a twin to Norm’s slingshot. Doug has been at the wheel on a couple of occasions, which took him back to his earliest drive in a dragster. They currently hold the record for the quickest ever UK built slingshot, which Joe has piloted to a best time of 6.20s and a top speed of 226mph. Running on methanol, the dragster is one of the very quickest alky slingshots anywhere. Joe was aiming to crack Dennis Priddle’s 6.04s UK slingshot record (which was set in 1975 on nitro), but he thinks that just might just be a bit too much of a stretch. The team suffered a setback at last year’s Hot Rod Drags, when, on specialist advice, they tried a set of smaller rollout slicks. Unfortunately, these did not deliver the same grip and Joe tagged the wall, causing chassis and front end damage. So it was back to the Mickey Thompson boots! They might not move as quick as they used to, but a lot of knowledge has been amassed by Bond, Hannis and Osborne over the many years together. Aided by many more friends and helpers on the way, and spurred on by Joe, their second generation driver, they might now go at a more relaxed pace – but they still have that same enthusiasm for the sport.

Joe launching against Roy Wilding, on a run which damaged the car in 2023. Luckily the front bodywork was not ﬁtted at the time

A birds eye view of the Nuthin Fancy 2 dragster, which is the quickest slingshot in Europe

Doug Bond awaiting the signal to ﬁre up the car in the ﬁreup road

Martyn Hannis at left, and Lawrence Osborne standing behind as Joe launches at Santa Pod on a low 6 second pass

DECEMBER 2024 CUSTOM CAR 47

2pp Autofocus Dec 24.indd 47

13/10/2024 23:24

S D O R ’ S R E D A RE post to Custom Car, alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk, or Email photos and details of your car to de your contact details Burton on Trent DE14 9PR. Please inclu Assignment Media Ltd, PO Pox 8632, the largest ﬁle size you have available – and when sending digital pictures, use

Brave new Ford

hen the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame announced this year’s inductions at Dragstalgia in July, a popular inclusion in the list was the Huxley family. Their history goes back to 1979, when father of the clan Brian started racing aboard a street-driven ’69 Mustang he had prepared himself. Brian’s sons, Lee, Darren and Marc, have all followed in his footsteps in one way or another. Lee, the eldest of the three, drove in partnership with his dad as the family became a dominant force in the late 90s, and in 2009 Marc set up Huxley Motorsport – under whose banner he too is a well known name at Santa Pod. Darren, too, has been a regular at the Pod for many years, and the family are also involved in drift racing.

Words: Tom Alderney Pictures: Julian Hunt and Brian Huxley

Following on from the Mustang, Brian has also raced a ’32 Roadster, a ’glass-bodied ’68 Mustang fastback and a variety of Japanese cars. Even with such varied tastes, though, his most recent weapon has been an unusual one. Unusual and definitely not your average Custom Car feature material – but a hero on the strip and a sleeper on the street nonetheless. And most of all, a testament to Brian’s determination not to let a massive setback put him off. That setback was a fire in February 2020 which razed his garage and took his previous racer with it, along with a lifetime’s worth of trophies and souvenirs and more besides. There are people who would have jacked it in after a knock like that, especially as Darren also lost his car and Marc a freshly built 347 stroker lump at the same time – and to start with he was more worried about them than

he was about himself. But a year later, he arrived home with the spiritual successor to the burnt-out shell he had woken up to that fateful morning. Said shell was that of a left-hand drive Ford Focus which had been built by Kugel Komponents in Kalifornia. Brian and Marc had bought it and brought it home to their base in Worcester, hooking the 302ci V8 for a rebuild in readiness for action. The car may have been dead, but a few parts survived – enough to give Brian the idea of using them in one which would be its replacement and, maybe, feel kind of like a tribute to it. Which was why he was to be found, some time in 2021, dragging a 1.6-litre Focus back across the country from Peterborough. It wasn’t going to stay 1.6-litre for long. But first, having stripped it down to bare

48 CUSTOM CAR DECEMBER 2024

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14/10/2024 13:20

bones, he had to mount it up on a spit and cut away all the rust before cleaning, sealing and painting the underbody in readiness for the good stuff. All the subframes were powder coated, too. His plan was to built a streetable racer for shows, cruising and, of course, Sportsman ET.

Nothing small

As the man said, nobody brings anything small into a bar around here. Four-pots are for commies, V8s are for fun, and so on. Fun was very much part of the plan, so Brian put in a call to Bill MacDermid at TopSpeed Automotive and a 302 crate engine from ATK in Texas was on its way. Further shopping trips brought home a pair of Edelbrock alloy heads, a roller cam and roller rocker arms, a 600cfm Holley carb and an electronic distributor. And with each swipe of the Huxley credit card, the fun factor grew ever broader. The exhaust, a full crossover system with 2¼” stainless steel pipe on shorty headers, came from

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Above: None of your carbon ﬁbre race seats here. The Focus is, according to Brian, 90% street and 10% strip, so he can relax in the original leather-clad throne

An 8-gallon fuel cell lives in the boot, where it’s kept out of harm’s way by a safety cover

Huxley Motorsport, where mate’s rates presumably applied. Brian also brought in a quick-shift C4 automatic gearbox from John Sleath, with a 2400 stall converter to get the engine singing – which, he says, it does very well. The whole drivetrain is housed in a Kugel Komponents engine cradle and gearbox mount. The same company’s four-link suspension, with coil-over shocks and spring locators, houses a limited slip axle from a Foxbody Mustang that’s stuffed with Strang Engineering heavy-duty halfshafts. On the ends of the axles, Centerline wheels

The Focus was originally designed for you to have couple of unruly kids giving you GBH on the earhole everywhere you go. Brian’s has a Huxley Motorsport roll bar instead, and you’ve got to say that’s a big improvement

are shod with 4x15” front and 9x15” rear Hoosiers; behind them, braking is by Willwood discs and calipers. The engine gets its gas from an 8-gallon fuel cell that’s tucked away beneath a safety cover, while Brian himself is tucked away beneath a Huxley Motorsport roll bar. The interior is not all stripped out and trackfocused, though; he wanted something streetable, and the original leather-clad Ford recliners definitely fit that bill. Ford’s own OE specs are also adhered to in the front end wiring – it’s been completely redone, but without any fancy deviations from standard.

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To finish the job, Brian had the Focus resprayed in its original colour, Ford Panther Black. Which capped off three years of hard graft – and gave him the car he had wanted to create at the outset. ‘We are delighted by the finished product,’ he says. ‘It’s used for shows, shopping, cruising and drag racing, and until we hear different we believe this is the only RHD V8 Focus in the world. Talking of drag racing, Brian’s PB in the Focus is 13.21sec / 104mph. But all aligned and set up, he describes it as ’90% road and 10% race’ and says it will cruise at 55mph at less than 3000rpm. So not only is it streetable, it’s also a hell of a sleeper – quick shift gears with kickdown on every forward ratio mean anyone who tries to mess with it

“Until we hear different, we believe this is the only RHD V8 Focus in the world” is running the risk of a summary humbling they won’t forget in a hurry. So Brian has done the right thing by the Focus that got fried, and he now has a proper weapon as his reward. Satisfied? Of course he’s not. The build bug is back, don’t you know. ‘I’m now thinking I would like to own an American car again,’ he says. ‘Watch this space – I love them! ‘For this one, thanks to Marc at Huxley Motorsport for his help and hard work. But now it’s time to move on to another project…’

Above: A limited slip axle from a Foxbody Mustang is stuffed with Strang Engineering heavy-duty halfshafts and held to the car by Kugel Komponents’ four-link coil-over suspension. Hoosier tyres all round ride on Centerline rims

Below: The engine and C4 John Sleath gearbox are housed together in a mounting cradle from Kugel Komponentsw

TopSpeed Automotive supplied a 302 crate engine from ATK in Texas, which Brian built up using Edelbrock alloy heads, a roller cam and roller rocker arms, a 600cfm Holley carb and an electronic distributor. Short headers fire the fumes into a full 2¼” stainless crossover exhaust from Huxley Motorsport

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Out & About

Easy life

Words & Pics: Odgie Danaan

Event: The Trip Out Date: 6-8 Sept 2024 Venue: Euston Park, Norfolk Yet again, the Trip Out proved the best event of the year for so many people. Regulars and newcomers alike revelled in the warm, friendly, laid-back, welcoming atmosphere that it has become famous for. We were treated to the usual central show field full of hot rods, customs, classic

Americans, restored British tin, endless custom vans and of course an array of fabulous bobbers, choppers and classic bikes. There are no formal arrangements as such – you just ride or drive on and park where you like, the amphitheatre effect of the rolling site giving the perfect backdrop whichever way you look. Surround that with a whole bunch of eclectic trade stalls and food vendors, with the huge beer tent providing accommodation for a fantastic array of excellent bands throughout the weekend

(no less that the legendary Jim Jones All Stars headlining on Saturday night – did the roof come off? You betcha…), the bike show tent itself, packed with machines that simply make you stand there and draw breath in stunned appreciation, and topped off with the infamous Lounge bar at the crest of the hill, where DJs and dancing and dark deeds take place right through until the wee small hours, and you have the recipe for the grooviest three days or fun, frolics and partying you’ll ever get in this country.

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“Nice if you arrive in something old, cool and groovy, but all you really need to do is just arrive”

Part of that is down to the organisers, Anna and Andy, backed by a small but enthusiastic group of helpers, whose knowledge and experience and painstaking care mean the easy-going nature of the event belies all the hard work that’s gone into creating it over the previous 12 months. The other part is down to the wonderful people who turn up, bringing with them that same shared joy and passion for an event that is always far more than the sum of its parts. It’s impossible for me to over-sell the Trip Out to you:

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newcomers arrive for the first year to see what the fuss is about and are instantly hooked. It really is that sort of event. And all are welcome. Nice if you arrive in something old, cool and groovy, but all you really need to do is just arrive. There’s lots of space for camping, for everything from a bike with a bedroll on the back to a modern caravan or motorhome. Just bring yourself, leave your worries at the gate for three days and meet so many happy, friendly people you’ll be desperately wanting to come back for more next year. The Trip Out. Always a pleasure…

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V8 to the power of 5

Out & About Event: V8 Hot Rods meet Date: 26 August Venue: The Cross Keys, Redgrave, Suffolk Now in its fifth year, the V8 Hot Rods annual August bank holiday Monday meet is getting bigger all the time as it attracts people from far and wide to take over Redgrave’s village green and gardens. Every year, the event starts earlier and earlier. I arrived at 9.15, thinking it was silly to be there so early – but instead found a lot of people already parked up for day. Open to anything pre-’72, the meet attracts a lot of locals as well as people now coming from afar, including Rob Drage in his gorgeous black Chevy all the way from Nottingham. The Cross Keys pub kept us all fed and watered all day, with bacon rolls for breakfast and BBQ and beers come lunch time keeping it up well into the afternoon. And if the cars weren’t enough for you, live bands were playing in the beer garden all afternoon. As ever, Eyeball Mike was here, there and everywhere pinstriping various cars. Come 3pm, it was time for trophies, with a Top 10 being picked by members of the V8 Hot Rods club and Best in Show Chosen by head organisers Kev and Tracey. The sun shone all day, making it the perfect way to spend a bank holiday. We can’t thank Kev and Tracey Bridges and the rest of the V8 Hot Rods crew enough for their organisation and effort.

What better sight than a line up

of hot rods in front of the village

pub?

Jill directing traﬃc

Organisers Kev and Tracey parked up along the road

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James Hambling’s ’56 Plymouth was the pick for the Krazy Horses crew

John Unsworth was another Top 10 winner with this lovely purple ’32

What better way to stand out than in a bright green gasser van?

Above: The van was a new one to me, This kind of vehicle is deﬁnitely making a comeback Above: One of the Top 10 winners, George Mizell’s 1940 truck

Mark Harris and his ex Steve Neimantas ’61 Caddy, which we featured in the October ’22 issue of Custom Car, also picked up a Top 10

Below: Best in Show winners Rob and Bev with Kev and Tracey

Below: Best in Show was Bev and Rob Tyrrell’s ’49 Lincoln lead sled

Another Top 10 winner, and furthest travelled, was Rob Drage from Nottingham

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Out & About

Carry on Camping

Words & Pics: Martin Drake

Event: Hot Rods and Hills Date: 6-9 June 2024 Venue: Park Foot Holiday Park, Ullswater

rods and customs… and little did I know that when I returned, I had been gone three hours! It’s a beautiful site, close to the eastern shore of Ullswater, with a stunning ten-minute stroll into town where the pub food is amazing.

I said it’s about the driving, and there were three cruises over the course of the four days. But the main thing about Hot Rods and Hills, which is the same as any event, is that it’s all about what you make of it.

This year’s Hot Rods and Hills was a little different to normal, due to a clash of events. With Street Weekend and Truckfest on at the same time, a lot of key players were missing in action – and good on them too, as it’s the diversity of events that keeps this hobby of ours alive. Hot Rods and Hills never disappoints in its unique format. It’s not a show and shine event – you drive your car, not sit and polish it. Despite being a little quieter than it has been in the past, it was still full of the diehards who’ll always be there. It just made a change that when we got on to the field to set up, we didn’t have to fight to get a camping spot! As we arrived on Thursday, we could chill out a bit more, have a wander round camp and chat to some good friends, then walk down the lakeside into Pooley Bridge for some food and drinks, call in at the shops and get some beers for the night. Come morning, more people started to roll in and by Friday night it was filling up nicely. Park Foot is such a huge place, I took my camera for a walk on the hunt for sweet

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As luck would have it, it only rained a bit – and then the sun would always come out and crack a smile once in a while. As Saturday rolled on, indeed, the suntan lotion did too. The beer gardens filled up and so did the crack with people you knew. Some

didn’t make it ’til the last minute but they made it – and that’s what counts, right? Even with some regulars missing, it was still a great weekend. There are some hot rodders who have never been – all I can say is, come on, pull your finger out! Just joking,

but never say never – get yourself booked in for the fun and frolics; you wont regret it! Next year’s event is already in the diary – 5-8 June, once again at Park Foot Holiday Park. Call them to book – and mention you are with the hot rods. See you there!

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BRENTACRE CUSTOM CAR & HOT ROD INSURANCE

NB: We advise you to double check with organisers that the event or show as listed is still going ahead, to avoid any wasted journeys. To submit an event, email alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

OCTOBER 2024 25-27 California Hot Rod Reunion Famoso Raceway, Bakersfield, CA www.famosodragstrip.com 26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 27 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

NOVEMBER 2024 6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 19 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 23 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Dinner. Oatlands Park Hotel, Weybridge, Surrey. britishdragracinghof.co.uk 24 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

30 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

DECEMBER 2024 1 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com 4 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 8 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 17 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 28 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

APRIL 2025

28 Cold Turkey Run. Cromer, Norfolk. Facebook: Bod Here

1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

29 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

6 The Fast Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

JANUARY 2025

18-20 Festival of Power Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

20 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

FEBRUARY 2025 23 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

MARCH 2025

MAY 2025 6 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 16-18 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

2 NSRA Southern Swap Meet North Weald Airfield, Essex www.nsra.org.uk 23 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

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AUGUST 2025 1-3 Hot Rod Hayride. Bisley Shooting Ground, Surrey www.hotrodhayride.co.uk 5 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 7-10 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden, Bedfordshire. www.nsra.org.uk 15-17 Hot Rods in the Borders Lilliardsedge Holiday Park, Jedburgh. Facebook: Hot Rods in The Borders 23-26 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

27-29 Dragstalgia Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 – 1 June. NSRA Fun Run. St Ives, Cornwall. www.nsra.org.uk

27-29 National Hot Rod, Custom and American Car Show. Lincoln Showground, Lincolnshire www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

JUNE 2025 3 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 5-8 Hot Rods and Hills. Park Foot, Pooley Bridge, Penrith Facebook: Hot Rods and Hills 14-15 Race the Waves. Bridlington, East Yorks. backfireinfo.weebly.com 21-22 Duchy Ford Show. Watergate Bay Touring Park, Newquay www.duchyfordclub.co.uk

JULY 2025 1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 4-6 V8 Brothers Village. Hooglede, Belgium. www.v8brothers.be 19-20 American Auto Club UK Summer Nationals. Upton Upon Severn Worcestershire www.american-auto-club.co.uk

SEPTEMBER 2025 2 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 4-7 Euro Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 12-14 Hot Rod Hoedown. Barrasgate Farm, Annan.Facebook: Hot Rod Hoedown at the Steading

OCTOBER 2025 7 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 26 NSRA Northern Swapmeet Magna Science Centre, Rotherham. www.nsra.org.uk

20 DeuceDay Details TBA. Facebook: Deuces of Britain 25-27 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

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