Custom Car - February 2023 by Assignment Media Ltd

FEB 2023

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Making an entrance It’s never too late to join the hot rod family

Impossible?

Father and son’s 10-second street’n’strip ‘69 Roadrunner CC Cover Feb 23.indd 1

08/01/2023 21:13

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Contents

is Ma 16 sue rc Fe on h ’2 br s 3 ua al ry e

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

Regulars 2

News & reviews The coolest exhausts you’ve ever seen

36 Readers’ Rods A Camaro RS done with subtety

50 SoCal Diaries California Hot Rod Reunion

52 Events This is going to be a very busy year

64 Next Month

The new build everyone’s talking about

Out and About 16 Hospice Run Rodders making the world a better place

18 Sam’s Diner Perfect venue for a get-together

59 Brass Monkey Run Cruising to the coast for Christmas

60 Mount Edgcumbe Huge turnout for a 25 year old show

Features 6

Beginner’s ‘32 You’d never believe it’s its owners first rod

www.customcarmag.co.uk

20 Fastest Road Runner Street-look 440 running in the 10s

30 Brothers in arms Cars that made a family closer than ever

40 National Finals Britain’s racers do battle for the gongs

SUBSCRIBE! 28 Custom Car subs offer The best value way to get your monthly fix

FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 1

CC Contents Feb.indd 1

09/01/2023 16:49

News & reviews

DECEMBER 2022 £4.99

More history emerges on two-time CC cover star

NEAT STUFF

in this issue

4o years later

THE DECEMBER ISSUE OF CUSTOM CAR included a feature on Mick Tebbs’ much-loved ‘32 roadster, which he recreated in tribute to its original builder Merv Magoo Barnett. It was a front cover star back when it was new in 1982 and 40 years later, it made a triumphant return to grace the same spot once again. Penned by DB, our article included as much of the car’s history as Mick has been able to unearth. But as sometimes happens, publishing a story like this turned out to be the key to finding out yet more. Following publication, we received a letter from the owner who got away – Nigel Parris, whose past vehicles have included two other CC feature cars in the shape of a T woody and Volvo-engined T track roadster. ‘I was the owner in 83/84,’ says Nigel. ‘I showed it around and won Best Street Rod at the Surrey Street Rodders meet at Guildford, also Best Hot Rod at the Horsham Festival and a Top 10 trophy at Thruxton. I also showed it at the Brighton Concours on the seafront, and in 1984 I tookpart in the Pete & Jake’s California Kid Run at the Grasshopper Inn, Westerham and on to Hever Castle.’ Back then, says Nigel, the Deuce had come to him with a black one-piece lift-off roof and a red fold-down soft top. He added a custom steering wheel and Triumph Spitfire bucket seats, which his partner reupholstered along with the panels, trunk and spare wheel cover. ‘I still have the trophies,’ says Nigel, ‘and even have the original black and silver number plates.’ There’s a man who knows what a car’s heritage is worth – and now, for this very special ‘32, he’s part of it.

You shall go to the ball!

CC Cover Dec.indd 1

13/10/2022 23:48

Father and son (and Road Runner) in perfect harmony ‘58 Apache or Santa’s grotto? You decide…

Why the nickname? Meet the car that played tricks on its owner

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2 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023

IN PROGRESS News Feb.indd 2

09/01/2023 16:11

UR VISIT O

Valley Gas creates a masterpiece of art deco design VALLEY GAS SPEED SHOP is currently working on a Ford Pilot whose unveiling is scheduled for later in the year. Ahead of that, however, the Andover hot rod specialist has given us a taster of the sort of detailing you can expect to see on the vehicle. ‘We’ve fabricated an in-house dual stainless steel exhaust. the company says. ‘Rather than the pipes traditionally coming straight out the rear to finish, we’ve adapted the beautiful original overrides to accentuate the deco styling, by creating a finisher along with custom metal meshing to combined the exhaust exits into the bumper.’ It’s going to be a bit special, this one…

TE & I S B E W P O H S E N O N L I

Weekend of Wheels returns for 2023 COFFEE’N’CARS has announced the return of its annual Weekend of Wheels show for what will be its third year. One of the ﬁrst shows born post-Covid, it’s a chilled-out event mixing rods and kustoms, classic and modern Americans, big rigs, ex-military motors and more with a winning combination of food, drink, camping, DJs and live music. Organiser Attila Csorba does mention something about karaoke too, so best have the tonsils in tune… The event will be held on 28-30 July at the same site as last year in Moorgreen, near Nottingham. £25 per person for the whole weekend sounds like a good bit of value to us… you can track it down at www.coffeencarsuk.club. DEI’s exhaust and pipe wraps are designed to keep heat inside your headers, reducing engine bay temperatures and increasing gas elocity throu h your e haust meanin a cooler air char e and with it, that little bit more performance. The wraps are available in three rades rom asic wo en re lass throu h crushed la a roc to a dual-layer powersports job with a stainless exoskeleton. They’re all available in through Nimbus Motorsports and Demon Tweeks.

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FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 3

IN PROGRESS News Feb.indd 3

09/01/2023 16:11

News & reviews

Love this…

We’re STILL listening Even when it’s not what we wanted to hear…

Hellzapoppin’ was a celebrated surreal comedy released in 1941, but what’s the phrase doing on the back of Jody Gething’s Anglia? Turns out it’s a nod to his grandad. Jody and his brother Niki had found a picture of him when he served in the Army in Egypt, with a lorryload of ammo and ‘Hells a Poppin’ written up the side. Grandad explained that if the whole lot went up, that’s what would have happened – and now here it is on the back of his grandson’s rod!

Oops #1

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restoration job, but it feels to me like we’re getting somewhere. It says February on the cover but as I write this I’m still finding pine needles in the floor and an army of stale mince pies remains garrisoned in my kitchen cupboard, so I’m in a looking-at-theyear-ahead sort of place. We bought the magazine at the height of summer and for many different reasons, we’ve been putting it together in less than ideal conditions. My aim is that when the new season starts, that will have been sorted. We’ll be able to run race and event reports as soon as they’ve happened, and the balance of feature cars will be right. I know we’ve had a few motors in the mag which have caused some of you to raise an eyebrow. And you know what, we still will. Personally, I believe we should be a broad church and not cater to cliques. But I also believe it’s important that the main feature vehicles every month should be the sort of classic CC star cars which are exemplified by Kelvin Clough’s Deuce, which is on the front cover this month, Adam and Chris Nowak’s Road Runner, which is the other main feature car, and Andy Saunders’ Deja, which is on the Next Month page. There should always be room for vehicles like Jon’s Camaro, though. James Evans’ S10, too, which was a bit controversial when we featured it a couple of months back, and Rich Bratby’s F250, which brought out the snob in a certain kind of reader. Browsing through some old copies of Custom Car the other day, I saw Kev Elliott (who people are forever telling me is the best editor the mag has ever had) encourage readers to be more open-minded about the cars in the magazine. Saying, basically, that even if something doesn’t fit your own view of what a custom car is, you can still admire it and learn from it. So, if you’re certain that you know what should and shouldn’t be considered worthy of being called a custom car, maybe open your ears a little. I was certain The Custom Car Years was going to be a hit, after all… Alan Kidd, Group Editor alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

LAST MONTH’S Up with the best Hot Rod Drags: tales from a great weekend at the Pod COVER got loads of attention. And so it should, because a cool pic of a cool car doing cool stuff is always going to be, indeed, cool. The car in question is Keith Freeman’s Deuce. Which is all good, but there’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip and we confused our Freemans and went and called him Kim. Members of the 1066 Cruisers will know how this happened. Soz to both. JAN 2023

SO, THE CUSTOM CAR YEARS. What a crap idea that turned out to be. I have to say that I thought a monthly article looking back at what was in an issue of this magazine from decades ago, along with what was happening in the world that same month, would go down well. I used to absolutely love The Rock’n’Roll Years on TV, if you’re old enough to remember that, and it’s where the inspiration came from. Safe to say it ‘went down’ well in the sense that it bombed so thoroughly, it hit the deck harder than a sumo wrestler’s last curry hitting the back of the pan. I’m already used to getting flamed on Facebook by a few usual suspects who take every opportunity to lay into everything – but when the people who provide voices of reason and sanity in the febrile world of social media also say it doesn’t work for them, that’s when you know it really is time to listen. So, thank you all for your honestly. The Custom Car Years was my idea, we gave it a try and we got your answer. And I’m well happy with that to be honest, because it was an unbelievable amount of work to put together, so you’ve done me a favour. Several people have also said they would like to see our centre spreads coming back. We actually laid one out for this issue, but at the time of writing it’s looking like we won’t be able to fit it in. Still, message received and a centre spread will be back in the issue plan from this month onward. No, it won’t involve a girl with her norks on show. I know a lot of you would like that to come back, too – but seriously, you know what the internet’s for by now, don’t you? Plenty of people have also been asking for Readers’ Rods to make a reappearance, and I’m pleased to say that in this very issue it does just that. No doubt some of you will look at Jon Buss’ Camaro and say hold on, that’s not a hot rod, or a kustom, or even all that modified, but it’s cool and real and to me, it’s exactly the sort of motor a section like Readers’ Rods is there for. This is our sixth issue of Custom Car since Assignment Media took it over. Most of you know by now that it’s been a rolling

CC Cover Jan 23 v2.indd 1

12/12/2022 15:03

Oops #2 PAUL GATTY WAS PLEASED to see his Impala in last month’s report on the V-Ate Pit Stop Meet, but bemused to see it labelled as a ‘62. ‘Since I imported it 34 years ago, I had laboured under the belief that I had bought a 1959 Impala,’ he says, tongue firmly in cheek. ‘Seems I was wrong.’ Paul’s Impala runs a 348ci ‘W’ motor with factory tripower, 4-speed manual and posi rear with disc brakes up front for, as he puts it, ‘same day stopping.’ Happy to set the record straight.

4 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023

News Feb.indd 4

09/01/2023 17:05

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10/12/2021 23/10/2020 09:00 15:28 12:30 12/05/2021 03/12/2021 14:07 14:52 29/04/2022

elvin lough may have come late to the party but his ﬁrst hot rod made quite an entrance Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Richard Hair

6 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023

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was instantly drawn to Kelvin’s ’32 roadster when I came across it in the 32nd Street line-up at the Supernats. I can’t put my finger on why though. Nothing leaps out at you, it’s more that what is there works so well. Maybe that’s the secret, everything working in discreet harmony. That, and panel gaps to die for. The hand-scrawled show card in front of the roadster simply stated: ‘Built with help from mates over last 12 months.’ Impressive as that may sound, the car’s standing soars

when you find out this is el in s first e er hot rod build. Having decided he really needed a hot rod in his life, el in took on an unfinished ro ect. But that never materialised into anything more than a collection of parts. ‘It was a plastic odel ick u , he confided. aybe his cursory reference to the repro ‘glass body underlies why he ne er finished the build – he wanted something more. Something more came in the form of an unfinished roadster. el in bought it

from a friend of a friend who had to sell it on due to a change in personal circumstances. ‘While essentially there was nothing wrong with the steel body it was a bit too much of a mish-mash for my liking,’ Kelvin explained. ‘Parts of it were original Ford, others were home-made, with the remainder being repro steel pressings from Brookville and United acific. n no way am a body man, but with help from my mate Mal Stein I stripped it down to separate panels and set about fettling to the best of my ability.

FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 7

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Burocracy

el in started the uild y cuttin up the un nished pro ect he had ou ht

…before blowing it apart and taking it to Motoburo

He then got the build to this stage…

The team at Motoburo set to work on sorting the body…

…and step by step it became a rolling car once again

With it all then stripped down once again, the chassis was painted and the nal uild e an

With the chassis fully rolling once again…

…the freshly painted body was dropped back on the rails

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08/01/2023 23:32

espite att eap loo in li e hes ready to catch it i it comes adri t a imewor s onnet strap it does a ne o o eepin the lou red ootlie metalwor where it should e musin ly el ins dau hters re er to the odel yin uail radiator cap as that ud ie on the onnet

’My wife treated me to a TIG welding course at our local college where I learned a lot – despite all the practical jokes others on the course played on me! Well, they were all 15-year-olds, so I would have done the same in their shoes. ‘Making the most of my new found skills, I repaired some panels and sourced some sectioned original panels from the States to repair others. In essence, the doors and cowl top and sides are by Brookville and the quarter panels are original Ford.’

n course

Kelvin did a lot of work sorting the body to his satisfaction, but as he readily admits he is not a body man and further help was needed to finish it to his e acting standards. We ll come back to that, and in the meantime take a look at the underpinnings.

Jon Golding at Home Grown Hot Rods bo ed the original outer rails and added the tubular crossmembers necessary for rigidity and for mounting the rolling stock. When asked why he didn’t tackle the chassis work himself, Kelvin’s response was admirably succinct and straight to the point. ‘I wanted a chassis that is strong and square, and Jon’s the man for that.’ So, back to that quest for a perfect body. ‘There’s a group of proper old school guys in Brighouse who trade under the name of Motoburo,’ enthused Kelvin. They are an e tremely talented bunch who work on all manner of classics, and were a massive help in showing me where I’d gone wrong. ‘They pointed me in the right direction and were major players in getting all the panels straight and square. They also sorted the panel gaps far better than I ever could. Then,

‘I wanted a chassis that is strong and square, and Jon Golding is the man for that’

with the body painted, they allowed me to carry on building the car in their workshop. I couldn’t have asked for more.’

Stroking it

hat building of the car in ol ed fitting the de rigueur dro ed beam front a le and ord inch rear. he front a le is retty much all So Cal Speed Shop sourced through Jon Golding, while the rear has been narrowed and fitted with a etroit ocker and 31-spline Strange shafts by John Sleath ace ars in oncaster. John Sleath also built the small block he y motor, a ci fitted with a stroker kit and bored +60 thou. The potent motor has been dyno’d at 400bhp; Kelvin said the carbs don’t do the engine any favours, but it still has plenty of power and looks great. ransmission is a fitted with a shift kit and high stall torque converter also built by that man leath. inking it to the rear a le is a ro shaft fabricated by unning and airbank in eeds. When it came to wiring the car, Kelvin once again turned to the Motoburo crew. ‘I didn’t want to torch the car by mistake,

FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 9

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The chromed and drilled 4-inch dropped I beam installation features hairpins, adjustable forged perches, tube shocks and concealed disc brakes. Directional duties are handled by a Vega steering box

Front illumination is provided by ’32 Ford passenger car headlights mounted on one-off cast stands from Sweden which replicate the contours of the front axle

10 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023

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08/01/2023 23:33

Not only is the Bell Auto Parts number plate surround a cool period piece, it’s also apt as Bell is Kelvin’s wife’s maiden name and that’s how he affectionately refers to her. The nited aci c repro o li hts mounted on inward-facing So Cal Speed Shop headlight mounts, operate as indicators, probably the largest you will ever see on a traditional-style hot rod The narrowed Ford 9-inch rear axle hangs from a ’40 Ford transverse leaf spring and is located by ladder bars, with a home-made Panhard rod restricting lateral movement. The axle runs a Detroit loc er di alon with tran e spline sha ts and is tted with olice spec inch ra es Right: A pic that means a lot to Kelvin as he set out to build the car because of a promise made to his daughter Harriet that he would drive her to her prom in a hot rod if she made her own dress. They both made it, with a week to spare

so I got the guys to install a bespoke loom. It incorporates multiple circuits – none of which feature a sound system or USB port. My working day revolves around my mobile phone so no way do I want that to play any part in me driving my roadster.’ That sentiment makes sense to us here at CC. Wiring aside, Kelvin did a lot of the work on the car himself. The brakes, for instance, plumbed using stainless steel lines with fittings. he system incor orates a Wilwood bias valve but, interestingly, no booster. ‘I have to work on my left leg a bit,’ Kelvin quipped. He also fabricated the headers and exhaust system himself; well, he had to make full use of those TIG welding skills. The exhaust features a couple of Cherry Bomb silencers tucked up in between the chassis rails, for which Kelvin fabbed the pipework from a selection of bends he bought through eBay. Wanting something a bit different to the norm, he opted for mild steel when it came to the Lakes headers. Not just any old mild steel, though – they’re formed from ’30s Ford driveshafts for the main tubes, along with anges from aul arton at Whengparts and eBay sourced bends as turnouts.

Debutante

Some 11 months after Kelvin deposited the body and chassis at Motoburo, the roadster was finished and on the road. t had to be, really, as he was on a fi ed deadline. ‘ made a deal with my middle daughter, Harriet. I told her that if she made her own dress to wear on the night, I would build the car to take her to her prom.’ Both sides of the deal were met, and Harriet had a big smile on her face when she arrived. Mind you, so did Kelvin. Although the roadster had already clocked up a good few miles by then, it made its show debut at the Supernats. Work commitments meant they didn’t arrive at Old Warden until Saturday morning, but Kelvin and his wife Karen were determined to go out on the cruise which was heading off just an hour later. uick lot was hatched find a s ot and leave the kids to pitch the tent while they went cruising. What could possibly go wrong ‘ retty much e erything, really, Kelvin recalled. ‘About a mile out, a cracked rocker cover spurted oil all over the headers and that was as far as we got. We returned to cam only to find a gust of wind had wrecked the tent. We spent that night under a £50 gazebo from Asda! Best night’s sleep in ages…’ I’m guessing being part of the

FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 11

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Above: The roadster rolls on ’36 Ford wires wrapped in Firestone crossplies, 5.60-16 up front and 7.00-16 at the back. The one-off V8 spinner hub caps, cast by a guy in the States to Kelvin’s desi n were powder coated then nished o with a ew coats o clear op ri ht he imewor s column is tted with a sa ety shi ter it and topped o with a orsche 356 steering wheel. The dashboard is from a passenger car hence the glove box, and the Lokar ools y dition ali insert eatures a polished other o earl inlay pattern he au es are y Stewart Warner and the switch gear from So Cal Speed Shop, apart from one which is a discreetly matching ignition switch. A Lokar handbrake is mounted under the dash Above right: The interior trimming was stitched by Hayley at Motoburo using 2 1/2 hides of Oxblood leather. The Glide seat adds a touch of daily driver armchair comfort as it’s heated, with the tell-tale switch hidden away in the glove box. Kelvin was insistent on the 4-point Schroth Racing harnesses for when he pops to Aldi with one of his kids Still kind of above right: The boot space is free of clutter save for the O’Brien Truckers cast ali battery box

historic 32nd Street display the following day made up in some small way for the disappointment of missing out on the cruise. en more so as it s his first build, had to ask el in the ine itable uestion – how does it dri e ‘ e ne er dri en a hot rod before so ha e nothing to reference it to. dri e the car in all weathers and it can get a bit unruly. guess it dri es like e ected a brake horse hot rod on cross lies would. t rattles, it smells, but most of all it s fast. My daily driver is an Audi A8 and come the weekend it’s like switching an armchair for a deckchair. ‘ d always wanted to dri e my wife down the street in a roadster, and now can. t s come out e actly as wanted it to so ha e no lans other than to kee dri ing it. Well,

there are a cou le of minor oil leaks need to fi , and will robably get the headers recoated at some point. ‘ already ha e another ro ect on the go, a ’57 Chevy Cameo Carrier aka a Fleetside pick-up. That is getting an LS motor and a or ette , and ha e a deadline to get that one finished as well. want it on the road for my th, and will turn in ril. aren and my birthdays are only two days apart and we’re planning to drive from the east to the west coast to celebrate. ngland that is, as it s ossible to see the sun rise in the east then set in the west on the same day. it like a budget oute , guess. oing by what el in has achie ed with his roadster, our money is on that being a birthday treat to remember.

‘It rattles, it smells, but most of all it’s fast’ 12 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023

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he laid ac anlass chopped screen mates with a ic odwell hood nce remo ed the hood can e noc ed down or easier transportation ut el in o ten lea es it ust as it is

uilt y ohn leath the stro er motor internals include a ams street and strip camsha t and roller roc ers ittin on top o it all are a pair o ali heads and a eiand inta e mani old with our o li e rew s nest polished trom er car s with inta e cast aund scoops and a homemade lin a e par s are pro ided y an and illet distri utor while coolin is handled y a al er radiator

or ront and rear symmetry el in had drian mith at uc land utomoti e punch rows o lou res into the oot lid a e you spotted the lac o e terior door handles

Thanks ‘ e team at Motoburo Matt, Martin, Da e the gap, Jon senior, Jon unby, John Cuthbert, Rick, Morgan and ayley. en there’s Adrian Smith, Mal Stein, John Sleath, Jon olding who was so generous with his time, and my kids auren, Jasper and arriet. More than anyone though, my wife aren, she’s ace.’

Rear lights are ‘37 Ford with Zephyr-style lenses tted with lue dots

FEBRUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 13

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Vintage Hot Rod Supplies Ltd

1929 Ford Model A Roadster pickup 1928 Ford Model A Roadster Hiboy Superb running engine, good steel Original running gear, good body. panels, soft top frame included. £11,500 £12,500

1929 Ford Model A roadster All Steel, original running gear £12,000

EMAIL: BLACKRABBIT@MOTOBURO.COM WEBSITE: WWW.MOTOBURO.COM

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1930 Model A roadster, very original in green and black , all running and driving and in very good order throughout. £22,000

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Out & About

Sixteen of the best

Words and pics: James Webber

Back after a two-year sabbatical for the C-word, and now in its fourth year, the annual Children’s Hospice Run took place on 10 December. Organised again by Sue Watts, with help from John Lobb, the plan was simple. Meet at 10am at a local car park then, once everyone was there, head off and cruise the short distance to Little Harbour Children’s Hospice in Saint Austell, park up, let the children come out to see the cars and hand over presents to the children and staff. Some participants decorated their cars and dressed up in festive costumes to make it more fun for the kids, too. John Lobb’s 58 Apache van was kitted out as a travelling grotto and carried the gifts up to the hospice. A minimum £10

donation was asked of all taking part; due to the adverse weather conditions that struck most of the UK that weekend, a lot of people didn’t come but still contributed to the cause.

‘Participants decorated their cars and dressed up in festive costumes to make it fun for the kids’ Gifts for the kids included Amazon vouchers and cinema tickets, and there

was a selection of cakes and biscuits for the nurses who look after them and have done throughout the pandemic. Once the run was finished, local hot rodder Graham Snow invited all the participants back to his holiday park for a heart-warming meal and hot drink at his on-site diner. Despite the snow and icy conditions, the Run attracted 16 cars in total. Sue told me afterwrd that the event had raised just over £1100 overall, which is an incredible amount considering the cost-of-living crisis. The donations will go a long way to helping the hospice – a huge thanks to Sue for organising again, and of course to all the nurses at Little Harbour for the wonderful work they do CC

Is that Santa’s grotto? Nope, it’s John Lobb’s ‘58 Chevy Apache, which arrived at Little Harbour bearing gifts for the kids and staff alike

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Far left: Chris Grundy built this ’65 protouring Mustang himself and hasn’t stopped driving it since Left: Jason White recently bought this ’53 Vauxhall Wyvern, which runs a 2.0-litre Pinto and 5-speed box Far left, below: Hospice Run organiser Sue and partner Chris are a regular sight in their previously featured Chevy pick-up

Right: Graham Snow recently bought this Chevy 3100 from local builder Garry Godden; down below, it’s fitted with London taxi running gear Far right: Steve Martin is a common sight in this ’29 Model A, which he’s owned for what seems like forever Below right: Deciding the icy weather was not best for his previously featured ’34 blown Hemi coupe, Garry and wife Judith came in their ’64 Falcon Camper Below: Trevor Pellow drives this GMC pick-up, which has modern running gear underneath

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Out & About

Play it again…

Words and pics: James Webber American cars are great, and American diners are great too. Put them together and you have greatness guaranteed. Introducing Sam’s Diner, which is located next to Par Market in St Austell. And guess what? It’s great. Established since 2016, until the dreaded lockdown came along it used to host monthly car evenings. After things got back to normal, Sam’s manager Sarah was interested in having a show at the diner. Enter the dynamic duo that is Jason and Emma Goss. They help organise regular events and rallies down here in Cornwall and also run the South West Classic Events Calendar page on Facebook, which posts event details to keep you up to date with what’s going on. The date was set, with the time from 1pm until evening. As the market and other stores nearby were open and using the car park, only a small section was sectioned off for show cars which meant just 40 spots available. The guys asked Mark Jones has owned this patinated Chrysler 300 for a number of years

‘A great variety of hot rods, classic Americans and retro cars turned up’

Left: This Chevy panel van has been out and about on the south-western show circuit for a while. I’ve seen it a few times but never caught up with the owner… however the paintwork is stunning Below left: Barry Aimable drives this ’64 Thunderbird with billet rims Below: Steve Harrison turned up in his moredoor Ford Zephyr with 302 power

for pre-entry by submitting information on the car so they could keep tabs. A great variety of hot rods, classic Americans and retro cars turned up, despite the weather being a bit dismal. Local band Play it Cool played throughout the afternoon and a local dance club threw some moves to the tunes. All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and everyone went home happy after thoroughly enjoying themselves. Was this the start of something bigger? During the day, discussions took place on the subject of further events at both Sam’s and Par Market, so keep an eye on the socials and the South West Classic Events Calendar page for future details CC

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The father and son team of Chris and Adam Nowak might just have achieved the impossible with this genuine street ’n’ strip ’69 Road Runner Words: Mike Pye

Pics: Vic Peel

Action shots: Julian Hunt

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n 1969, the combined staff at Motor Trend magazine voted the Plymouth Road Runner its Car of the Year. It had only come on stream the previous year, largely in response to the huge success of Pontiac’s GTO, but was a hit from the off. The theory was simple: a low-priced, two-door sedan with the highest output motors in the range available. Plus, a cartoon animal to give the marketing

department something to play with, and a funny sounding horn. In a review of Plymouth’s new model, Car and Driver put it beautifully succinctly: ‘If you like the taste of whisky, you drink it on the rocks, right?’ In planning the concept, Chrysler executives focused their attention on the vast sea of blue-collar workers who liked a bit of stop light action, probably went to the drags but weren’t competitive

racers. They didn’t have a big budget but were fiercely brand loyal and um ed at the chance to buy a no-frills factory hot rod that would run 100mph in the quarter and cost under $3000. Some 44,300 of them did in the oad unner s first year, then more than 81,000 in 1969, outselling Pontiac’s GTO and giving GM’s new big block Chevelle a run for its money. At every stop light.

It looks like a nicely restored stocker at rst lance ut then your eyes ali ht on the ilodon sump al racs and wider rear wheels which ma e this un re ellow more o a esto od in dis uise ut one that still i es that old car e perience rather than tryin to e a modern car

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This time round the boys have gone for more of an A12 look with the black steels, no hubcaps and chrome wheel nuts, though at 6x15 and 8x15, the rears are considerably wider than the skinny steels Plymouth chose to t in Street tyres are BFGoodrich radials with their sidewalls shaved and redlines applied by Mr Whitewalls

Mr Dependable

Chrysler’s 426 Hemi was already the stuff of legend when the Road Runner came out, and was on the option list from the start, but it was too expensive. It was also a high maintenance, gas-swilling bear on the street. Much more relevant to Road Runner buyers was the trusty 383 big block, which offered a solid, dependable 355bhp and would spin up the F70-14 bias ply rubbers on their plain Jane steels ’n’ caps with ease. Mid-way through ’69, the 440 was added to the Road Runner options list, and with three two-barrel Holleys produced 390bhp it gave mid-13 second performance off the showroom oor. he now highly sought after A12 Engine Conversion Package, as it was known, really put the Runner in Road Runner. Chris Nowak saw this 1969 example advertised for sale in Auto Trader when he was on a business trip to Bournemouth almost 20 years ago now. A ‘minor’ detour via Essex on the way back to Doncaster to view it sealed the deal. On another trip to Bournemouth, a couple of weeks later, he took his wife with him. ‘I suggested we take the scenic route home,’ Chris chuckles. ‘She spotted the car from

about 400 yards away and said “Please don’t tell me we’re going to be stopping outside that house.” ‘I said let’s just take a look while we’re here. But my cover was blown when the guy selling it said “Hello, nice to see you again!”’

Fuel crisis

he return ourney in ol ing the , some very expensive fuel courtesy of said RAC man, and a lack of windscreen wipers was somewhat fraught. But the look on their teenage son’s face when they made it home was priceless. ‘I was only about 17 at the time,’ remembers Adam, the son in question. ‘But I was over the moon.’ What it lacked in fuel in the tank, it made up for in paperwork in the glovebox, showing the former Nebraska car had been imported into the UK in the early ‘90s by Bernie Chodosh. More importantly, the VIN showed it to be a genuine ’69 Road Runner, factory equipped with a 383, auto transmission, 8.75 rear end and unfire ellow aint. o additional performance packs. At that point, though, it was orange with a ’glass Six Pack bonnet, a 440 and a four-speed.

‘I think it had lived a lot of its life outside since coming to the UK so had suffered a bit,’ continues Chris. ‘But it was all there, and we just set about using it.’ With York Raceway just up the road, part of that using it entailed ragging it down the quarter mile at every available opportunity. ‘I’d never drag raced before,’ explains Chris. ‘We’d been to watch, but going there in this car was my first time. ran seconds and thought that was fast.’ ‘It then ended up as our main hobby for the next 15 or 16 years!’ interjects Adam.

you now what you re loo in at under the lass li t o onnet you ll immediately spot this is a bit more than a stock restoration – but, as a CC reader you re not most people hat repro i ac air lter is all part o the disguise to make the casual onlooker think this might be a stock restoration

he owa s ha e always wanted to eep the oad unner a car o it s still the date coded loc and stoc cran that were in it when they bought it, though a Hughes main cap girdle helps keep it all to ether t now uses cat rods and pistons and is pe ed at compression ndy ylinder ead ported a ed e heads support a ull roller top end and it suc s uel throu h a custom uilt humper ar s c m sin le our arrel on an ndy sin le plane inta e with super suc er spacer ou s eaders sna e around that actory manual steerin o standard e uipment on a no rills oad unner and e haust ases e it throu h a inch system with ynoma mufflers he fully rollerised 727 TorqueFlite behind has a Turbo Action valve body, A&A Transmissions billet steel front drum, Kolene clutch plates, billet ser os and a car on e lar transmission shield and has een ood as old since he recent addition o an low ratio rst and second ear set y cott illadeau has made it e en more responsi e

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The (re-)build Chris has had a few American cars in the past but the one that got away was this ’63 SS Impala (which, very sadly, ended up in Ireland being cut into two novelty display pieces for a bar). ‘That’s me and my sister with dad in the car,’ says Adam. ‘Those sorts of experiences at an early a e were a reat in uence on me

In a moment of madness, the boys bought a Dodge A108 van to tow the car to the races. It looked a cool rig, but the weight distribution was almost disastrously wrong

Eventually, though, the fun had to be put on hold for a while and the rust and ller issues dealt with his picture was taken just after York Raceway closed in 2018

An interim makeover around 2014 saw the car sporting some of Craig Ainge’s fantastic signwriting, though Adam and Chris resisted other suggestions to bore and stoke the 440

And this one at the end of the following weekend!

hile that was oin on the oys were busy at home restoring all the bits they’d taken off… Neatly skipping over all Ash’s hard work, here’s the ’shell after he laid on the resh coats o un re ellow

Here’s the car as Chris bought it 18 years ago now. Repainted orange, with a 440, 4-speed and i ac onnet tted and eld wheels

It’s the car that does it all – street, strip and even wedding duty

Some of the smaller rust repairs needed were done at home…

…but once the shell got to Ash Rawson’s workshop, things escalated dramatically

…even down to trimming the seats themselves, these being from a ’68 Charger as the car had plastic bucket seats when Chris bought it

There are loads of neat hidden details, like the Auto Meter transmission temp and voltage gauge innards transferred into the original gauge cluster Left: Chris and Adam have made a conscious decision to keep the car 440 powered, but this is its third rebuild. The only stock parts that remain now are the block and the factory forged crank

A detail we really like is the drop-out centre section in the exhaust so the twin ynoma mufflers can e uic ly removed at the track while the tailpipes stay in place

Also very cool is an Aeromotive ph su mersi le pump and affle system incorporated into a modi ed but stock-style fuel tank Right: Lift the top on the reproduction lass i ac air lter and you ll see it s een modi ed to wor with the car’s single four-barrel carb

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Right: This montage nicely illustrates the three phases of evolution the car has been through in the owa s hands e like them all, but we like it best the way it is now

Stu Goodlad Photography

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Car’s best time is 10.69 seconds at 125.89mph with a 1.49 60ft. That’s probably as quick as it will ever go in the Nowaks’ hands as, if they take the next step, it will no longer be a street car – and it’s always remained a street car Pics on this page by Julian Hunt

‘We knew there was rust and filler in the car, but there was always another race meeting to go to’ When racing, the Nowaks bolt up a set of American Racing Torq Thrusts with 29-inch Moroso frontrunners and 29 x 10.0 Hoosier slicks

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Buffers will know an A12 Road Runner would have a 440 6bbl sticker on the side of the gaping air intake in the lift-off bonnet, but this one has what is says on the tin.

Slippery slope

Not long after, the father and son team were approached by Dave Billadeau, asking if they’d be interested in joining the American Super Stock drag race series. ‘That was a really great thing to do,’ says Chris. ‘The friends we’ve made, the help you get, it was absolutely brilliant.’ Despite admitting they had no idea what they were doing, the pair became stalwarts of the series – which led to the first of the engine rebuilds. ‘We pride ourselves on doing as much as we can ourselves,’ says Adam. ‘So we’ll take something apart, buy a book and then just work our way through it.’ The addition of Edelbrock aluminium heads, a bigger cam and headers saw the times tumble to low 13s, with the occasional high 12. ‘It was down to technique really, and practice,’ explains Adam. ‘And replacing the four speed with a TorqueFlite.’ Being consistent in a bracket class made the Nowaks very competitive, even winning the championship one year. The problem was the series didn’t accommodate two drivers in the same car – so Adam would wheel it in American Super Stock then hand over to his dad, who competed in Pro ET at the same events. Happy days. A second engine rebuild saw the heads milled for more compression and a bigger cam and carb, while some weight came off through the use of ’glass bumpers, a fuel cell and a heater and back seat delete. When they dipped into the 11s, a roll bar was required, while swapping to Calvert Racing suspension parts both mitigated the extra weight and helped with hook up.

Plymouth execs were surprised to discover they could trademark the words Road Runner for use on a car, despite Warner Brothers having been using it for their cartoon character since 1966. A deal was done between the two and the cheeky character became an integral part of the Road Runner legend.

A quick spot for a ’69 Road Runner is the recessed tail lights. Love those factory exhaust tips which, thanks to V-band clamps, stay in place when the mufflers are dropped out for racing

A third engine rebuild saw the Edelbrock heads and intake replaced with parts from Indy Cylinder Head in Ohio. At the same time came a further bump to 11.2:1 compression and a full roller top end, which netted 646bhp and 575ft.lbs of torque on EDA’s dyno in Castleford.

closed in 2018, at which point the boys had to make a decision.

Turning points

The real turning point, though, was swapping the second hand Holley 950 for a custom-built 1050cfm carb from Dominic Thumper in California. ‘It’s incredible,’ says Adam. ‘It got us an extra 15bhp on the dyno and really woke the car up, yet it’s still driveable on the street – which is an important factor for us.’ That and the 8.5-inch, 5000rpm stall converter they had custom made by ATI Performance Products in Maryland contributed greatly to the car’s current best time of 10.69 at 125.89mph. By that point, the car was starting to look a bit tired. It had become more race than street, too, though it did still see a lot of road use. And, despite everyone saying they should bore and stroke it, it remained a 440 car, on the ’69 date-coded block that was in it when Chris bought it. ‘It was a good 1000-yard car at that point,’ chips in Chris with a grin. Around 2014 or 15, Craig Ainge exercised his considerable signwriting skills to add ‘Nowak & Son Racing Team’ and big cartoon Road Runners to the sides – as well as the names of two mythical speed shops, both of them references to Adam’s grandfathers. That look lasted up until York Raceway

Show or go

‘We knew there was rust and filler in the car, but there was always another race meeting to go to,’ says Adam. ‘Or another show,’ interjects Chris. Sad as it was, York closing was the catalyst needed. One weekend later, the car was a bare shell and the boys were in talks with renowned Mopar body and paint expert Ash Rawson at APR Bodyworks. ‘Yeah, it ended up with a lot of new AMD metal in it,’ says Adam. ‘Rear quarters, boot floor, parts of the rear chassis legs, front wings…’ Meanwhile, Adam and Chris set about restoring the rest. The brightwork went off to Prestige Electro-Plating in Mexborough and they took on everything else, stripping every sub-assembly and rebuilding it in its correct factory finishes. ‘We got a bit carried away, but we just wanted it to look as close to factory as we could, and to try and hide as many of the modifications as possible,’ explains Adam. The roll bar, for example, was re-made in chromoly by 351 Motorsport in Wakefield – but done this time so it doesn’t protrude into the boot, and so the rear brace is removable to allow access to the rear seat. A ’68 Charger donated its front seat frames, which the Nowaks re-trimmed themselves using Legendary Auto Interior products. The stock steering wheel went back in, and some of the additional Auto Meter gauge innards were incorporated into the original gauge cluster.

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Thanks ‘Dave Billadeau for advice, support and parts over the years, Ash Rawson at APR Bodyworks, Andy at 351 Motorsport for the roll bar, Dave McCallan for roll bar mods and fabrication, Bill O for powder coating and laser cutting, Scott Billadeau for the last transmission rebuild, Danum Autoglass for front and rear windscreen install, EDA for engine balancing and dyno work, John Sleath Race Cars for chassis dyno work, Tim Holmes for sound advice on the paint colour, Prestige Electroplating for polishing and chrome plating and Mr Whitewalls for the tyre redlines. ‘Biggest thanks of all though to our wives, Gail and Rachel, for their continued support and putting up with us both.’

Left and Above: Suspension mods include RHS tubular upper control arms and adjustable strut rods, lighter duty small block front torsion bars, CalTracs, split monoleaf springs and Calvert Racing adjustable shocks all round. A Wilwood Dynalite disc brake kit adds stopping power at the front, while a narrowed truck Dana 60 back axle with Eaton Truetrac diff, Strange shafts and 4.10 gears by George Chiles has proven up to the job since the old 8.75 axle took a dump on the line

Above: ’68 Road Runners only came with bench seats, but buckets were available for ’69 so, as the originals were missing, the Nowaks sourced some from a Charger and re-trimmed them using Legendary Auto Interior products. Race additions include a selection of Auto Meter gauges and that Cheetah SCS Turbo Action shifter Below: RCI three-inch harnesses and a neatly formed chromoly roll hoop by 351 Motorsport with removable driver’s door bar and rear brace tell you this car is built for more than just static shows, but it does both jobs equally well

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‘We think it’s the quickest full weight, 440-powered car in the country’

Above: Super clean boot area no longer has the cage protruding into it, but does still have the re-located battery to help with weight distribution at the drags Car’s superb paint and bodywork is the handiwork of Ash Rawson at APR Bodyworks in East Yorkshire

Below: Though a cheaper coupe with popout rear quarter windows was available, the better looking hard tops with their roll-up rear windows were more popular and greatly outsold them. Road Runners in this guise were only built for two years before the body was redesigned for 1970, and then again in line with the manufacturer’s ‘fuselage styling’ concept in 1971

Returning to steel bumpers and a modified stock steel fuel tank with ba e and Aeromotive submersible pump added weight, but it was all done to maintain the illusion that this is a largely stock car. We like that a roach a lot.

Can’t knock stock

ence the return to the factory aint colour. ‘We were really undecided on the colour, remembers dam. ‘ t was im olmes that said to us, to take the decision out of your hands, ust do what it says on the . im was right, and the boys ha en t regretted the decision once, nor the decision to let sh do the work. ‘We e got it down from an second car with a four s eed to a best of . at . m h through the mu ers in what now looks like a fairly stock car. We re really ha y with that as one of the main aims when we built the car was to run tens

through a full e haust, says dam, his dad nodding in the background. What we think is most im ressi e about this car, though, is that it manages to tread that fine line between street car and race car. dam is more into the racing, and it does ust what he wants it to do there, yet it s also a car his mum and dad will um in at the weekends and take to local car shows – which hris ha ily admits is what he refers to do these days. hat s a huge accom lishment with what the boys are retty sure is the uickest full weight, owered car in the country. ‘ t s where we want it to be now, says dam. ‘ ce t we ha en t got anything to work on together in the e enings and at weekends now, adds hris. ‘ o m thinking that we need to get something else. ‘ f we did that, might also get the o ortunity to race against my son

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ack in the 1970s, Peter Gething spent a lot of his time building and modifying custom cars. Not all of it, though, because in addition to things like a C-Cab called Temptation, he also emerged from that era as the father of two sons, Jody and Niki. It was when Jody, his eldest, came along that Peter decided it was time for

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Jody and Niki Gething’s dad was a proliﬁc custom car builder back in the 70s. Safe to say they’ve both inherited his genes Words and pics: Steve Edwards

a more sensible form of transport. So he bought a 1947 Bentley Mk6. Which maybe wasn’t quite as sensible as it first appeared, because from there the cars kept on coming and going – until finally he settled on a yellow Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II, which turned out to be a keeper. Hardly surprisingly, car shows were a regular part of Jody and Niki’s childhood.

As they grew up, Peter took them to arious e ents – he was a regular at the Bowling Green meets in Lichfield, where at the age of around fourteen Jody got the chance to ride in a Ford Pop belonging to one of his dad’s friends. Safe to say it was one of THOSE moments. The kind that define your future path in life. Jody was smitten –

and he declared then and there that one day, he would have one of his own. For Niki, the appeal of owning a hot rod came a long time later. Having grown up, he went through a string of fast, high-end luxury cars – indeed, when he eventually went out and purchased a Pop it came as something of a surprise to his family. But he also bought a 2005

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V8 Mustang for his wife Beverley, so he still has a foot in both camps. It might come as a surprise, then, that it’s Jody whose Anglia has a V8 on board. That’s hardly the point, though. The brothers invariably cruise to shows and events together; they feel that owning

Scratching the itch: Jody’s 90’s-style Anglia

ody’s experience of modified motors started early in life. His second ever car was a Ford Prefect 107e with a 2.0-litre Pinto engine, which served as his daily driver. Although it was very cool, however, the Prefect didn’t sxratch that itch he had

for the sit-up-and-beg style of a hot rod. He’d seen a 1953 Ford Anglia locally and asked the owner if he could have first refusal if he ever decided to sell, and the call eventually came a few years later. As it happened, the call coincided with Jody and his wife Glynis saving up

for the deposit on a house. Obviously, the house purchase was put off for a while. Priorities, right? Glynis is a very understanding person, to be sure. The Anglia already had a desirable Jag back end and Viva HB front suspension set-up, and there was a 2293cc Cortina

Painting the Anglia took forever and a day, and however much time went into it was nothing compared to the amount of masking tape Jody and Peter got through in the process of achieving the 90s-style image Jody was after. Frenched rear lights have a very 90s look, too, as do the blue dots in the taillamp lenses. Wheels are 13” Cobra Super Sports up front (seen here) and 15” Wolfrace American Racing slot mags at the back, all wrapped in pro le ru er

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these cars has brought them closer and they’re grateful to have created so many memories with their dad. They both acknowledge they would never have been able to complete either of the projects without his expertise, nor of course the patience and support of their families.

Even now, Peter and the boys’ mum always follow along in the Rolls-Royce on the way to shows. Told you it was a keeper. He loves watching people’s reaction as they pass, which always makes him extremely proud, and of course travelling in convoy is always a

good idea in case of breakdowns. For the Gethings, it will always be a family affair. Thanks to KD Car Modz for the use of their building as a location for our photos. They’re based in Stoke on Trent; you can find them at www.kdcarmodz.co.uk

When Jody bought the Anglia, it was powered by the V6 from a 2.3-litre Cortina. All very well, but he wanted a V8 and as time went on, he started to lose interest. Fortunately, one of his mates cropped up in the nick of time with the 289 he was fetching out of his Mustang to make way for a i loc n eepin with the s theme he le t the en ine alone inside ut threw as much chrome at is as he could nd ottom he interior eatures ol swa en ront seats and an e tremely cool ame e ect dash oard n the ac the ells a oppin moti was added in honour of Jody’s grandad, who made it home from WWII despite having to escort a lorry load of ammo in the Egyptian desert

V6 lurking under the hood. But Jody had always wanted a V8 motor and when a mate said he was taking the 289 out of his Mustang to install a big block, it was exactly what he needed to take his project to the next level. The engine couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jody was beginning to lose interest. But the prospect of the rumble that only a V8 can give revived the appeal. He installed it with help from his friend Baz, keeping the internals stock but dressing up the outside with as many chrome parts as he could get his hands on. The overall theme was to recreate the look of a rod that had been built during the 90s, so the bling was certainly appropriate. On the interior, the rod features a cool 3D flamed dashboard that has a bunch

of Equus gauges and switches sunk into it. The front seats are Volkswagen items, while the rears are from a Ford Ka (Niki had found that these fitted in his Pop with the minimum of modification, and if a thing ain’t broke…) The fronts don’t fold but that wasn’t an inconvenience for kids Ed and Dylan who were always happy to climb in anyway. Jody has had his Anglia for a bit more than a couple of decades now. The ‘Hells a Poppin’ legend was added to the boot in honour of his grandad, as they had found a picture of him when he served in the Army with a lorryload of ammunition near the pyramids in Egypt and that’s what was written on side. Grandad had explained that that’s what would have happened if the truck went up!

The rod sits on the wheels it came with, which are 13” Cobra Super Sports up front and 15” Wolfrace American Racing Slot Mags at the back. They’re wrapped in 60-series rubber to fill the wheel wells as much as possible. There’s a host of custom touches around the vehicle from the subtle, nearly flush front indicators to the frenched rear lights, complete with blue dots in the red lenses, and of course there’s that superb paint job that Jody and Peter completed together. It took ages, Jody says, and countless rolls of masking tape, to get the look he wanted, as they completed one side first and, once he was completely happy, mirrored the design before Peter laid down multiple layers of pearl paint in the period-correct style. Worth all the effort? Well, just LOOK at it…

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A turn up for the book: Niki’s 70’s-style Pop

magine Peter’s surprise when his younger son Niki, who had until then always preferred fast, modern cars, announced that he fancied buying himself a Pop. Admittedly, he had always modified those other cars, lowering their

suspension and generally making them look cooler and go faster than ever, but an old hot rod? This was a turn up for the book. And a good one at that! He had seen an iconic looking rod on Facebook which already had a Jag rear

axle, an HA Viva front and a 2.8-litre Ford Cologne V6 installed. Good specs, those, but it was definitely what you’d call a project, with a load of rust needing to be dealt with before it would be in any condition to hit the streets once more.

It’s when you look at the Pop’s paintwork that you see just how talented Niki’s dad Peter really is. A local paint shop gave the car its base coat of purple ut a ter that eter stepped in with a li eral supply o iolet and elly reen metal a e to i e it its nal appearance n the oot lid meanwhile, there’s some very nifty airbrush work by… Peter again. The red light under the back axle was none of his doing, but it screams 70s at the top of its voice and that was his era so decide for yourself…

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The Pop came into Niki’s life with a 2.8-litre Cologne V6 under its bonnet, an HA Viva front clip and a Jag rear axle. It also came complete with a shed load of rust, but that’s another story ottom ord a leather seats is a phrase you don t hear e ery day ut that s what i i trac ed down to t in the op oth ront and rear are rom the u i uitous city car and they went in with minimal modi cation lsewhere the ca in continues to ollow the whole s theme i i was oin or with the build – as does the rear door card, which he formed from four-way stretch carpet over foam cut out to create a 3D Joker logo

In fact, when Niki went to collect the Pop he decided that rather than taking it home straight away, he’d be better off playing it safe and dropping it off at his Dad’s so his wife wouldn’t see the state it was in. He and Peter also took the dramatic step of grabbing a couple of matt black rattle cans to disguise the worst of it until proper repairs could be made! Unfortunately for Peter, the only garage available to do any work in was the one that housed his precious Roller. This now had to be parked outside while they worked on the Pop – in all weathers, up to and including when it snowed. The car is known as The Joker, a nickname it pretty much gave itself as, while Peter and Niki were chasing wires around the place, they discovered that they kept changing colours. It was madness and just a little messed up, as if the car was having fun with them.

Niki decided to have the car painted in Beverley’s favourite colour of purple but wanted to drop a load of metalflake into

search which led him to a set from a Ford Ka. These could fold forward so his kids, Ellie Mae and Jayden, were easily

A couple of matt black rattle cans disguised the worst of the rust the mix too. He got a local paint shop on the case, but it was Peter who laid down the violet and Kelly green flake to finish it off. He was also responsible for the airbrushing on the side-opening boot lid; a man of many talents for sure. Niki always liked the look of 70s-style hot rods and so that’s exactly what he set out to create with the Pop, from the fur headlining all the way through to the red lights above the rear axle. When it came to putting some seats in it, he went looking for some that were small enough to fit without too much modification, a

able to get in the back, and in defiance of everything most people think they know about the Ka they were trimmed in leather. In the boot, Niki used some fourway stretch carpet to create a unique 3D door card featuring the Joker logo created out of foam. Definitely going for it with the theme there. As the build progressed, he also found himself with a full set of electric windows looking for a home – so he gave them to Jody as a birthday gift, complete with motors and a template from his car. What were we saying about this being a family affair…?

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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 5 0YZ. Please include Business Park, Bretby, Derbyshire DE1 by Bret , 1.08 se Hou ton Rep Ltd, ia Assignment Med size you have available ing digital pictures, use the largest ﬁle your contact details – and when send

A sweet piece of RS

on Buss has a relationship with Camaros that goes back a long way. Several years and, indeed, several Camaros. is first e am le of this articular form of all merican icon was a third generation ersion, with the uni uely free of soft edges styling of the s. efinitely not a look for e eryone, though a amaro s a amaro for all that. nyway,

Words and pics: James Webber

Which is what you see here. amaro may indeed be a amaro for all that, but this one s a amaro so it s a amaro and then some. Jon had always wanted one of these so, ha ing trousered a wad of the folding for his , he took out a small loan to bridge the ga and made tracks to ewcas tle to make it his own. Jon lives in Devon, so the journey home was always going to be, let s say, an edu

The engine rebuild was a chance to stuff it full of cool bits he swa ed it for a which he went on to restore, gi ing him a toe on the first rung of serial ownershi and utting him in the mood for more.

cation. But you know what? The lesson he learned was that he’d bought a pretty good one. e remembers it as ha ing taken ‘fi e and a bit’ hours, which is pretty impressive

as shakedown runs go, but as well as being a test of his faith it demonstrated that the Camaro wasn’t a basket case. It did still need a lot of work but it wasn t a shed, which you’ve got to see as a win.

Cool bits

hat was in the summer of and since then a lot of work has indeed been done. ot all of it was scheduled – most notably, the engine let go last s ring, rom t ing a to end rebuild which on took as an o ortunity to stuff it full of cool bits – but in the main it s been a case of getting the the way he wants it. In particular, when he bought it the amaro was brown. nd on the inside it was beige. Just what you want when you’ve landed an , with its cooler than cool long

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S The 350 small-block V8 had its top end rebuilt shortly before these pictures were taken, having let go in rather a big way on a cruise out to the beach. Doing all the wor himsel on ed it up with a ni ty pair o twin side pipes which e it ust ahead of the nearside rear wheel. Talking of wheels, a set if 17” Torq Thrusts is possible the most isi ly non standard thin a out it ot that the e tended nose and true split bumper of an RS needs a lot in the way of adornments to make it cool. Even in its original coat of brown paint, this car would have been a looker from the word go, though the black interior Jon added could hardly help but be an improvement over the factory beige

nose and s lit bum er – who needs to stand out when you could instead look like a anda uid salesman dri ing an llegro o that was near the to of the list and the amaro now stands loud and roud in a coat of ugger range, com lemented by a black inyl interior. uch cooler. We mentioned the engine a moment ago, and it deser es to be mentioned again as it s the original, matching numbers . he arts in the to end might not all be original but the engine itself is the one with which the left the orwood, hio factory.

Custom or classic?

ou might ask if this is a custom motor as such, or more of a classic, but it s certain

ly not standard. Whether it s uite into ro ouring territory is another matter, but while kee ing it looking retty standard on u graded its sus ension using erfor mance shocks and anti sway bars. e stri ed and rebuilt the brakes, too, both front and rear. oing back to the engine, again, it s its out lyrics ia a de ilishly cool twin side e it e haust. ut e en with this to grab your attention, the most ob ious sign that this is not your ty ical amaro has got to be that it s rolling on or hrust wheels. hese are shod with tyres u front and s at the back. here s another modification on the car too, and it s one you re unlikely to ha e seen

before. ow does an electric boot release sound on created it out of ontiac and e us arts, and it s o erated by a s are button in the dash. es ite a earances, on s amaro is not erfect, nor is it a show ueen. e regularly gets behind the wheel and en oys cruising out to local runs and e ents – and when we s oke to him, he was ust waiting to get some confidence in its freshly rebuilt engine before enturing further afield. a ing done all the work himself, on is uick to thank his wife isa and daughters amie and mma for utting u with him being in the garage at all hours. t might be more car than custom – but with a such a cool in the family, we doubt they mind

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Relatively speaking

■ Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Julian Hunt

onsidered by many to be the poorer relation to many events staged at Santa Pod Raceway, the STP UK National Finals is in truth the grand finale for the National Drag Racing Championships. Headlined by the Pro Mods, the meeting attracted an impressive field of 328 vehicles. Hardly a poor relation, then. Talking of the Pro Mods, the event’s test day on Friday more than hinted that these guys meant serious business. A 6.2290 / 238.92 from Kev Slyfield,

followed by a 6.2999 / 232.46 from Jon Webster, more than proved that. Throughout the weekend, Paul Brown was the chauffeur in the Pod’s 2-seater dragster, providing the thrills with a number of sub-8-second passes at over 170mph. Paul’s girlfriend, Zoe Sparrow, was a passenger on one of those occasions, which takes the term ‘back seat driver’ to a whole new level… Light rain around 4pm on Saturday progressively got heavier and racing was called for the day. That early finish

An impressive field of 328 vehicles gave everyone ample time to prepare for the evening charity auction in the Fuelers Bar. The racing community at large, along with Santa Pod Raceway, had pulled together some amazing lots to be auctioned off in aid of Hayley Hadfield’s chosen charities – Pancreatic Cancer UK and the Christie Hospital. Auctioneer Colin Theobald juggled live and online bids, and jovial banter added to the buzz of the proceedings. Most importantly, though, more than £20,000 was raised. An amazing amount. The track needed drying on Sunday morning, so racing was later starting than planned, then at midday the action paused as Colin Theobald paid tribute to the late Jon Morton. That was fittingly followed by a minute’s silence and a parade of Super Gas cars down the track. At close of play, all the champions had been crowned. Those not pictured here are: VW Pro – Graham Fairhead; Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET – Gary Lake; VW Sportsman – Paul Robinson; and Renegade Outlaw Anglia – Rob Stone CC

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Modurstang Pro ET Simon Gough

2022

Brett Featherstone

CHAMPION

AC Bell

Tom Kaye

Qualifying saw Nick Mugridge break out big time by running his quickest ever time, a 10.0693 on a 10.20 dial in. Tom Kaye, however, kept on the right side of his 10.20 second dial in running a 10.2009 perfect ET. Simon Gough, Brett Featherstone, William Clark, Ronnie Mercer, Amy Watkins, James Oliver, AC Bell and Kaye all made it through to the third round of eliminations. Bell (9.99 dial in) then ran 10.0913 / 129.03 to see off Mercer, Gough (8.50 dial in) an 8.5369 / 156.83 to end Oliver’s racing for the day, Kaye (10.28 dial in) James Oliver a 10.3315 / 117.43 to defeat Clark, while Featherstone lost out to Watkins’ 9.5124 / 140.35 on a 9.48 dial in. By then, though, the man in the Chevy Nova had done enough, and Brett Featherstone was crowned 2022 champion.

Pete Nee Super Pro ET Andy Thetford carded a PB 8.7945 at 160.72mph in qualifying on Saturday, his first-ever eight. That was as good as it got for him though as Ashley Bell proved too strong. First-round Billy Gane wins also went the way of Tom Atkinson, Callum Swinchatt on a bye, David Russell, Barry Giles, Nick Good, Mark Bailey, Alan Didwell, Scott Hauser and 2022 Billy Gane, who secured the

PERFECT ET

Amy Watkins

Andy Thetford

PB 8.7945 / 160.72 Tom Atkinson

CHAMPION

championship by eliminating Ron Bartlett. Good (6.84 dial in) then ran 6.9184 / 186.54 as he defeated Giles, Gane (8.60 dial in) an 8.6257 / 158.48 to overcome Swinchatt, Hauser (7.35 dial in) a 7.4154 / 170.42 to see off Bell, Atkinson (8.42 dial in) an 8.4502 / 159.02 to eliminate Bailey and, as Didwell fouled, Russell (8.72 dial in) ran 8.7382 / 158.45 on an 8.72 dial in. Both Gane and Atkinson then broke out, but Gane (8.60 dial in) by a smaller margin to take the win. Meanwhile, Good was a no-show leaving Hauser to run Scott Hauser a perfect ET 7.4002 / 178.51 on a 7.40 dial in, whilst Russell (8.72 dial in) laid down a leisurely 15.7388 / 70.05 bye. David Russell

Nick Good

PERFECT ET

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Lucas Oil Junior Dragster Luke Fulton

Harley Coulsell

Jessica Bishop

2022

CHAMPION

Ada Cassisi

First time out elimination wins on the Sunday were bagged by Luke Fulton, Luke Mugridge, Liam MacDonald, Mackenzie Love, Harry Redshaw, Finley Fagg, Harry Peters, Nieve Deevey, Daniel Weir, Ada Cassisi, Harley Coulsell, Jacqueline Bartlett, Grace Smith and Jessica Bishop. Fagg, Coulsell, Fulton, Bishop, Weir, Mugridge and Cassisi then went a step further. In round three Weir fell by the wayside as Mugridge (8.17 dial in) ran 8.2993 / 77.19 with a +0.0354 RT, Cassisi (10.05 dial in) had a +0.0751RT and ran 10.1719 / 63.07 (+0.0751 RT) to defeat Bishop, and Coulsell (8.08 dial in) carded an 8.2251 / 74.16 and a +0.0797RT to eliminate Fagg. Meanwhile, Fulton (8.27 dial in) ran an 8.4183 / 77.67 with a +0.1438 RT to confirm his name on the championship silverware.

Daniel Weir

Luke Mugridge

Don Scott

Stuart Doignie

2022

CHAMPION

Spencer Tramm

NEM Plant Nostalgia Superstock First-round elimination wins were recorded by Dave Billadeau, Don Scott – who was confirmed as 2022 Nostalgia Superstock SPRC

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Steven Hudson

2022

CHAMPION

Leah Kellett

B Fast R Super Comp

Allan Schofield

After running an 8.9008 first time out in this 8.90 index class it will come as no surprise that Leah Kellett picked up the Perfect ET Award sponsored by the Twister Race Team. However, in round two Richard Tunstall pipped Kellett to the number one qualifying spot thanks to an 8.9004 / 147.61. Richard Tunstall

8.9004 ET

Tunstall then benefitted from a bye in eliminations, with Kellet, Allan Schofield, and Steven Hudson also progressing. Tunstall then ran 8.9413 / 133.27 to see off the 9.0256 / 151.12 from Schofield, and the 9.0030 / 134.49 from Hudson was no match for Kellett’s 8.9089 / 160.25. That win confirmed the championship went the way of Kellett. Champion – Stuart Doignie, Simon Rickwood, James Oliver and Spencer Tramm. Billadeau (9.85 dial in) ran 9.8999 / 126.52 when overcoming Rickwood’s (9.70 dial in) 9.7623 / 133.32 in round two. Meanwhile, Scott’s perfect ET 9.5809 / 139.45 on a 9.58 dial in lost out to the 9.2931 / 140.68 from Oliver (9.25 dial in), and Tramm (11.08 dial in) ran 11.1445 / 112.61 to defeat the 11.8983 / 111.92 from Doignie (11.81 dial in) by a win margin of just 0.006 second. Dave Billadeau

Ashley Rawson

Simon Rickwood

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Bob Molden

2022

CHAMPION

Andy Dibley

Collin Morrice

Tony Morris Carburetors Super Gas

Andy Dibley had already secured the championship prior to him breaking out in the first elimination round Tim Moore allowing Bob Molden to take Andy Harrison the win. Mark White, Tim Moore and Andy Harrison also went through, as did Collin Morrice on a bye run. Harrison was next on Mark White a bye and ran 11.1494 / 101.05, whilst Morrice ran 9.9567 / 137.32 to eliminate White, and Molden ran 9.6701 / 136.58 after Moore returned to the pits. Harrison then ran 10.0603 / 134.03 but lost out to the 10.0207 / 139.91 from Morrice, as Molden laid down an 11.5327 / 93.31 bye.

Springbridge Direct Wild Bunch Eliminations saw Rob Brown (8.50 dial in) run 8.5716 / 151.17 to defeat Philip James, Bob Hawkins (6.68 dial in) clock 6.8464 / 142.94 when overcoming Mark Coulsell, and Keith Crampton (9.78 dial in) run a 14.7506 / 49.73 when Bob Morgan was a no-show. Brown (8.50 dial in) then ran 8.5209 / 152.65 against the 6.6093 / 186.66 from Hawkins (6.68 dial in), while class champion Crampton (9.78 dial in) idled to a 14.0705 / 58.97 bye.

2022

CHAMPION

Rob Brown

Keith Crampton

Bob Hawkins

Mark Coulsell

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Motorsport UK Pro Modified Jean Dulamon’s racing was curtailed just after mid-track in the first round of qualifying, when a nitrous explosion blew off the car’s bonnet scoop which was left behind on the concrete. Jon Webster was another casualty and didn’t make it out for eliminations. PB 5.8816 / Bobby Wallace and 242.40 Michel Toreen were there though in a nailJean Dulamon biting pairing, the former taking the win with a 5.9478 / 239.97 against Toreen’s 5.9767 / 241.57. Wayne Nicholson’s engine spun over but would not fire so Kev Slyfield ran a lifted 9.6744 / 91.99 bye, while Andy Robinson staged on his bye. In what was his last run before reported retirement, Slyfield then ran a shut off 15.5668 / 54.55 due to tyre shake as Wallace ran 6.1575 / 217.89. Robinson was on a bye, a 10.5685 / 81.24 enough to Andy Robinson confirm him as class champion. The 2022

Bobby Wallace

Kev Slyfield

Wayne Nicholson

CHAMPION

Michel Toreen

champion’s last run, however, was a red-lit and lifted 9.3707 / 85.54, allowing Wallace to take the win with a PB 5.8816 / 242.40.

Track Worx Comp Eliminator A run of note came in the second qualifying round when Ahmed Jamshaid ran a PB 8.7229 / 168.49. That was as far as it went, though, as he was then a no-show for the eliminations – allowing Terry Newton to go through at the expense of leaving a few bits of his Escort van on the track. Dan Dan Williams Williams, Spencer Tramm and Nic Williams all took Ahmed Jamshaid wins to make progress into the next round. Dan Williams (10.55 dial in) then ran a 9.8431 / 132.04 against Tramm (11.55 dial in), who carded a losing 11.0720 / 117.08, while Nic Williams (11.40 dial in) ran an 11.1410 / 92.93 bye as, unsurprisingly after what had happened earlier, Newton didn’t show. The Williams siblings’ final went the way of Nic who ran 10.9114 / 108.16 on an 11.40 dial in against Dan’s (10.35 dial in) red lit 9.9435 / 117.31. Despite that, it was Dan who took the championship laurels.

Nic Williams

2022

CHAMPION

Terry Newton

PB 8.7229 / 168.49

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Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator Andy Bond

Rob Carter

PB 7.6321 / 181.37

James Murray ran a PB 10.3695 / 134.10 in qualifying but then lost out to an 8.0973 / 183.51 from Anthony Higgs in eliminations. Andy Bond put in an 8.0056 / 181.37 to eliminate Ashley Cooper, Nick Hale PB pulled a red and 10.3695 / 134.10 Alan McSweeney went through with a 12.3103 / 98.99, as Rob Carter in his new Passat ran 9.6643 / 136.49 to defeat Ricky Hale. In the semis, Carter’s 8.7876 / 158.49 lost out to the PB 7.6321 / 181.37 from Higgs, and with Bond Nick Hale bumping through stage McSweeney ran 7.6481 / 173.07. The final produced side-by-side sevens, Higgs taking the win with a 7.6439 / 179.92 against McSweeney’s 7.7393 / 180. That man Bond had already claimed the class champion’s crown though. CLASS WINNER

Anthony Higgs

Alan McSweeney

James Murray

Danny Pike

Outlaw Flat 4

Drama came in the second round of qualifying when, running against Vito Versluys, Danny Pike deployed his ‘chute after crossing the finish line. His Notchback immediately went sideways and hit the right and then the left wall. Danny got out of the car and was checked over in the medical centre where, apart from being bruised and shaken, he was given the thumbs up. In eliminations, Darren Shephard ran 11.4914 / 115.96 when defeating Mark Pascoe, Adam Lowe saw off Jonny Marriage with an 11.4333 / 119.83 and, with Danny Pike out, Vito Versluys idled to a 23.0497 / 76.16 bye. With both James Darren Shephard Wotton and Jon Rathbone being no shows, Lowe was confirmed as championship winner and then, in the absence of Shephard and Versluys, he staged twice to take the final.

Adam Lowe

2022

CHAMPION

Jonny Marriage

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California Hot Rod Reunion 22

SoCal Diaries W

Former Custom Car editor Tony Thacker lives in California these days, and this month he’s been enjoying the sound of flatheads…

hen Steve Gibbs and Greg Sharp created the California Hot Rod Reunion 30 years ago in 1992, I don’t think either of them imagined the impact it would have on the nostalgia drag racing scene. Indeed Wally Parks, their boss at the time, said: ‘We’re only doing this once.’ That first event, held at Famoso Dragstrip north of Bakersfield, California, attracted a few hundred old racers and their cars and it was truly a reunion. Like Topsy, the event grew and in 2000 Steve coined the word ‘Cacklefest’ to describe the noise made by nitroburning dragsters. ‘We thought it would be neat to push start some cars just like in the old days and thought we might be able to get around six of them to do it,’ he said. ‘We ended up with nine and the next year we doubled in size.’ It continued to grow. In 2016, Steve moved on to form his own Nitro Revival event and sadly the Reunion has never recovered. It was always described as a car show with a race on the side – but for a number of reasons, it has evolved over the years into a race with a car show on the side.

Some people might not agree with the spectacle of ‘Back Up Girls’ but they certainly add to the show. This year’s crop had a Playboy bunny theme

The sign says ‘Motor Racing is Dangerous’ and it can be but thankfully Shevey Mack walked away from this accident when his A/Gas ’68 Camaro made an unscheduled right turn into the wall

Most of the two-door Austin A40 Dorsets went for export and all we got was the taxi. Thankfully, however, many were turned into racecars – including this one powered by a blown, big-block Chevy by Morrison Racing Engines

The swap meet was down, no doubt due to the Internet but there was a Moggy Minor jammed between a ’55 Buick Century and a Ford Falcon, a ’59 Ford Ranchero at $2900 and a ’56 Ford wagon

Randy Winkle of the Famoso Speed Shop is a prolific builder/collector/racer and his latest is the famous ‘Durachrome Bug.’ Built and raced by Warren Gunter in the late 60s, this early Funny Car powered by a nitro-burning Chevy ran into the 7.0s at 210 mph

You don’t see many of these, do you? Gary Lynch’s ’58 Austin A40 is an old Gasser resurrected by Gary. Powered by a 383 Chevy, Gary lost in R2 after running 9.527 with a speed of 140.08 mph

Above: I love the D/Gas Anglia of Don Fournier – last year’s winner – but sadly Don was out in Round 2 having run a best of 10.55 at 126.26 mph with his 377ci Chevypowered ’48 Left: Now there’s a tough B/Gas ’48 Anglia belonging to Wayne Charbonneau from Ramona, California. 632ci big-block Chevy ran 9.293 with a speed of 154.05

Who doesn’t love a wheel-standing straightaxle ’55 Chevy? Fred Cline’s Tri-5 with a 632ci Chevy ran a best of 10.585 with a speed of 123.75 but lost in the first round to Beau Dyson

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Left: In some places, murals never went out of style. And here’s the proof – Rambo on the hood of an early80s Fox-body Mustang. It’s not for everybody but what is?

Below: Another rare beast in Randy Winkle’s Famoso Speed Shop stable is this ’38 Austin sedan. Powered by a 350ci Chevy, it lost in the first round with a 10.467 and a speed of 125.97

Above: ’34 3-windows don’t come much tougher than this flat-black louvered beast from the Camden Speed Shop. I’m liking the rear nerf bars and the front winged hairpin bracket Right: Who knew? I only knew Cushman because of their classic scooters but obviously in the late-60s they built the Cushman Trackster. Powered by a 25-horsepower two-stroke, it could hit 16 mph

Above: I’m not a big lover of four-doors but I do like the suicide rear doors of this 1950 Merc. With overdrive and new brakes and tyres, this could be a great project car for just $4000

Left: Satin black paint remains a popular hue for hot rod builds and this ’55 Ford F-100 complete with Moon discs had it in spades

Above: The top end of The Grove used to be jammed with cool rods and customs from clubs such as the Beatniks and this chopped and slammed ’41 Chevy Special Deluxe coupe had it goin’ on

Above: Now, I could give garage space to a ’41 Willys Americar coupe and this blown big-block Chevy powered orange whip had the perfect street rod stance. Could be equally tough as a Gasser though

Pink with white flames is not everybody’s choice of color combination but this ’28-29 on Deuce rails with a dropped and drilled axle and Moon discs worked, somehow – as did the chopped Deuce Phaeton in back

Above: $36,000 seemed a lot for this 1930 Model A, despite the ’54 331ci Chrysler Hemi with dual quads. Riding on a TCI chassis with a Ford 9-inch it might be a good start for somebody

Above: 1930-31 Model A coupes seem to be everywhere now and this white-walled, Chrysler Hemi-powered ’30 is fronted by the ubiquitous Deuce grille shell

Above: It looks like a pile of unrelated parts that don’t know each other screwed together to sell, however, the grille and the cowl might work for somebody if the price was right – though I doubt it

Dale Seaholm’s ‘Holy Hell’ chopped ’34 5-window enjoys lots of notoriety due no doubt to its unusual forties’-style flame paint and early drag car stance

1933-36 Willys coupes are fairly rare but when was the last time you saw a panel van? Again, satin black was the color of choice. Back in the day, these were popular delivery vans

The patina looks a little fake but this Bonesstyle chopped ’32 3-window from the Jokers Bay Area car club had great presence, even down to its home-made flat aluminum wheel discs

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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

JANUARY 24-26 Autosport International NEC, Birmingham. www. autosportinternational.com 28 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 29 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

FEBRUARY 1 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 18 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com 19 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 21 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

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

19 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

25-26 Straightliners Open Weekend Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www. straightliners.events

21 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

MARCH

24-26 Classic Car and Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham. www. necrestorationshow.com 25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

1 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25 Run What Ya Brung Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

5 NSRA Southern Swap Meet North Weald, Essex. www.nsra.org.uk

26 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

5 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

27 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

11 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 18 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events

APRIL 1 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

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1-2 Straightliners Race Meet Santa Pod. www.straightliners.events

13 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

2 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

13-14 Spring Autojumble Beaulieu. www.beaulieu.co.uk

5 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 7 Wheelsday Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot. surreystreetrodders.co.uk 7-9 Festival of Power Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 15 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 15-16 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 15-16 Wagon UK Offset Show Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge. www.wgnuk.com 17 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 18 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 20-23 Race the Waves Bridlington. www.backfirepromotions.com 22 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events 22 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 29 Barnstormer Weekend. Kay’s Barn, Dunnington, York. www.backfirepromotions.com 29 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com 29–1 Springspeed Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

MAY 1 BHP Show Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone. bhpshows.com 3 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 5-7 Nostalgia Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

13-14 Springbreak Kustom Kulture. Stonham Barns, Suffolk. www.stonhambarns.co.uk 13-14 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 15 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 16 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 19-21 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 20-21 Custom and Classic Show Earlswood, Solihull. www. motormayhemcc.co.uk 20-21 Duchy Capri Club Show Constantine Bay, Padstow, Cornwall. www.duchycapriclub.co.uk 21 Herts Auto Show Oaklands College, St Albans. www. hertsautoshow.co.uk

8-11 Hot Rods and Hills Park Foot Holiday Park, Pooley Bridge, Cumbria. parkfootullswater.co.uk 9-11 Retrofestival Newark. Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.retrofestival.co.uk 10 Run What Ya Brung Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 11 Bespoke Show West Malling, Kent. bespokeshows@gmail.com 11 BHP Fuel Fest Westpoint Arena, Exeter, Devon. bhpshows.com 11 Bromley Pageant of Motoring Norman Park, Bromley. www. bromleypageant.com 16-18 Sportsman Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 17-18 Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races Pendine, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. www.vhra.co.uk 17-18 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 18 Custom and American Show Beaulieu. www.beaulieu.co.uk

26-29 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

18 Retro Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

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

19 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

28 Lincoln Castle Classic Car Rally. Lincoln Castle, Lincoln. castlerallylvvs@ gmail.com

20 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

JUNE

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

2-4 VanJam Fir Tree Farm, Warmington. www.vanditos.co.uk

24 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

3 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

24-25 Top Speed Meeting Machrihanish Airport, Campbeltown, Argyll. www.straightliners.events

3-4 Classic and Performance Car Spectacular. Tatton Park, Knutsford. www.tattonclassiccarshow.com 4 Plus Four Four Show Hartham Park, Wiltshire. www. plusfourfourautomotive.co.uk 4 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 7 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25 Fast Show Reloaded Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 30-2 Summer Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

JULY 1-2 Stars and Stripes Car Show Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire www.tattonstarsandstripes.com

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5-6 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 7 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 10-13 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden Park, Biggleswade. www.nsra.org.uk 11-13 Retrofestival Newbury Showground. www.retrofestival.co.uk 12 Best of British Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk Historic Vehicle Gathering – Powderham Castle, Exeter, 8-9 July Pic: James Webber

5 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 6-8 Västerås Summer Meet Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden. vasterassummermeet.se 7-9 Dragstalgia Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 8 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events 8 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com 8-9 Historic Vehicle Gathering Powderham Castle, Exeter, Devon. historic-vehicle-gathering.info 8-9 Kernow Old Vehicle Rally Penhallow. KOVC Facebook 13-16 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com 15 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 15-16 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 16 Ford Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 17 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 18 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 21-23 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

21-23 Rock’n’Ribs Festival Wincanton Racecourse, Somerset. www.rocknribsfestival.co.uk 22-23 National Hot Rod and Custom Show Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln. www. hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk 22-23 Carrot Town Garage American Car Show. Stonham Barns, Suffolk. www.stonhambarns.co.uk 22-23 Straightliners Race Meet Llanbedr Airfield, Llanbedr, Gwynedd. www.straightliners.events 28-29 Weekend of Wheels Moorgreen, Nottingham. www.coffencars.club 28-30 Hotrod Hayride Bisley Shooting Ground, Woking. www. hotrodhayride.co.uk 29 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 29-30 Mopar Euro Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 29-30 Ten Of The Best Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

AUGUST 2 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 4-6 Ultimate Street Car Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 5-6 Festival of Wheels Trinity Park, Ipswich. www.motorshowevents.com

12 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events 13 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 13 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 15 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 18-20 Greenlight Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 19-20 Passion for Power Classic Motor Show. Tatton Park, Knutsford. www.tattonpassionforpower.com 25-27 GOW! Speed Hill Climb Prescott Hill, Cheltenham, Cotswolds. www.vhra.co.uk 25-27 Knucklebusters Car Show. Stonham Barns, Suffolk. www. stonhambarns.co.uk 26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

SEPTEMBER 1-3 VW Action Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 2-3 International Autojumble Beaulieu. www.beaulieu.co.uk 2-3 Jurby Drag Racing Jurby, Isle of Man. www.straightliners.events 3 Brooklands American Day Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. www.brooklandsmuseum.com 6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

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7-10 European Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 8-9 Hindenberg Dirt Track Races www.hindenberg-dirt-track.com 8-10 Goodwood Revival Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood. com

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events 9 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 14 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

9-10 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

15 Straightliners Race Meet Santa Pod. www.straightliners.events

10 VHRA Swap Meet Ramsey, Cabridgeshire. www.vhra.co.uk

17 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

11 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

21 Run What Ya Brung Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

15-17 Hot Rod Drags Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

22 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

15-17 Isle of Man Festival of Motoring www.iomfm.com 01732 879153 16 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com 17 American Car Show. Stonham Barns, Suffolk. www. stonhambarns.co.uk 17 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

NOVEMBER 1 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 19 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 21 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 25 NSRA AGM. Venue TBC. www.nsra.org.uk 25 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com

DECEMBER

22 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

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

10 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

28 Flame & Thunder Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 29 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 30 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

19 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 22-24 National Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 23-24 ACU/UKITA Records Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 30 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 30 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events 30 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

OCTOBER 4 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 7 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

Dragstalgia – Santa Pod, 7-9 July Pic: Julian Hunt

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A touch of Brass

Out & About

The Ram in Brandon is the traditional meeting place for the main part of the Run. Keith Overy was there bright and early in his ’38 Plymouth as spaces in front of the hotel started to fill up

Words and pics: Alice Fairhead In that awkward week between Christmas and New Year, when we ought to be out in the garage but we’ve eaten too much and it’s cosy inside, us lot in Norfolk have one day to get out and stretch our legs. This year it fell on the 27th, courtesy of the increasingly popular Brass Monkey Run organised by Tony Bates from the Iceni Car Club. Every year, we start bright and early by gathering at the Ram Hotel in Brandon for bacon rolls, coffee and a natter as we wait for 10 o’clock. That’s when we all make a move to Swaffham, where others are waiting in the Waitrose car park to join the convoy. Some make good use of the petrol station in their gas-guzzling American cars, while other have a catch-up. We had a short stop in Swaffham before we were off again at 11am for the final stretch of the journey up to Wells-next-the-Sea up on the North Norfolk coast.

This year brought out a good mix of new and old American cars, as well as a few British and Europeans Some were already there, having come from Cromer and alike, with us all arriving just before noon. Parking proved to be a small issue, with some having to find spaces in town as the car park we intended to use on the edge of town was full, but after that everyone made their way into Wells for chips and ice cream. This year’s Run brought out as good a mix as ever, with new and old American cars as well as a few British and Europeans in the mix. Despite the appearance of some sun in Wells, it was far from warm – not exactly

brass monkeys this year, but all the same a lot of people decided to make a move after lunch with the heavens starting to look threatening. Once again, the Brass Monkey Run was a fabulous day out and a great way to pass the time and catch up with friends. As always, a big thank you to Tony Bates for organising – and we’re already looking forward to this year’s run! CC

Swaffham is the first stop on the way to Wells. And for some of the Runners, the petrol station there makes it a very welcome one…

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As everyone keeps saying, trucks are becoming more and more part of the rodding scene, and they were plentiful once again on the Brass Monkey Run

Nigel Fairhead also made in out in Betsy the hot rod

Waitrose and V8s have always gone hand in hand. This ’61 was new to the Brass Monkey Run this year

Kev Bridges in his cool ’59 Impala

Graham Crisp out and about in the ’34 Phil Robinson brought his Pop out for a run

You’ve probably seen Ben Montgomery’s Outlaw Anglia at the Pod. Here’s how it looks in the altogether quieter surroundings of Wells-next-the-Sea

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Out & About

Cumbe all ye faithful

Words and pics: James Webber The Mount Edgcumbe Classic and American Car Show celebrated its silver anniversary in 2022 – and never before had it attracted so many visitors. Held in the grounds of Edgcumbe House in Cornwall, it’s one of the region’s biggest events of its kind – and this year more than 800 cars, bikes and campers took to the show field. With a public entry fee of £12 including all day parking and entrance to the gardens, as well as to a summer fair also taking place in the grounds, you’d also go a long way to find a better value car show. Centre stage at the show was the late Lord Edgcumbe’s personal ’56 Chevy truck. He had commissioned top customiser Ian Webb at Ian Webb Specialist Cars in Saltash to restore it, but tragically His Lordship passed away before he could see it finished. His family decided to have the build completed in his honour so it could be displayed at the show – where it certainly did justice to his vision. Multiple car clubs including Launceston Retro Rides and South West Mini Squadron had displays at the bottom of the field and the rest were categorised from American to Retro Ford. Multiple food vendors were scattered on the outside edges and a few traders were placed in between. The show is organised by a small committee of less than ten members, made up of representatives from Cornish healthcare charity Cornwall Hospice Care and members of the Friends of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park. I contacted a member of the committee afterwards for a round-up of how it went. ‘We believe we had a record number of attendees,’ they said. ‘We estimate it was about 15,000 people, including 7000 who

Roger and Angela Flamank’s ’47 Tudor is an eyeball pleaser from all angles and if anything, it’s even better on the inside. It appeared in last month’s issue after winning Best in Paddock at the Wagon UK Fitment Show, and on this occasion it went home with both the Best American and Best in Show awards

‘We believe we had a record number of attendees – about 15,000 people’ came over by boat (run by Plymouth Boat Trips). We are still totting up the monies raised but we believe there is enough to fund over 1000 hours of nursing care at our two adult hospices in St Austell and Hayle. The rest will go to The Friends who help with the maintenance and care of Mount Edgcumbe Country Park.’ A number of awards were handed out at the end of the show for various categories.

Among these, the big winner was Roger Flamank, whose 1947 Ford Tudor Hot Rod won Best American and Best in Show. Despite the title of the show, all makes and models are welcomed. So if you’re in Cornwall in early August, or you fancy cruising to one of the biggest shows in the South-West, Mount Edgcumbe could be the place for you. The money is going to a great cause, too – what more excuse could you need? CC

Dexter Eaton and dad Nick run this ‘27 Model T and ‘32 5-window respectively. Both cars have V8 flathead motors

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Pride of place in the show field went to this 1956 Chevy pick-up which Lord Edgcumbe himself was having restored by Ian Webb Specialist Cars of Saltash. Sadly, its owner died while the job was in progress; his family decided to have it completed in his honour for all to admire at the show., The truck’s interior was trimmed by fellow Cornish outfit DSI, while detailing was by Reflection Correction Ian Webb’s own stand featured the ‘51 Mercury that was once in a Take That music video, and a ‘40 Ford pick-up which is currently a ground up build, with trimming recently done by Darren at DSI Below: James Sheardown’s ‘48 Chevy Fleetmaster Coupe is no stranger either to shows in the South-West or show reports in Custom Car. With a 383 SBC, Holley carb and Mustang 2 front clip, he had it up for sale at one point last year but it’s not the sort of car you’d want to part with

Above left: Model Y pick up running a Zetec lump Above: The man behind the sewing machine, Darren Mansfield of DSI trimming, turned up aboard his ‘72 Volkswagen Wizard Left: Both these Moggies look like older build. Something else the have in common is that both run V8s

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62 CUSTOM CAR FEBRUARY 2023 Custom Car_2023_02_Feb_Adrian Flux_QP.indd 1

IN PROGRESS Classified.indd 62

20/12/2022 12:07

09/01/2023 11:48

Ray’s Classics

San Carlos CA since 1980

California Collector Car Export Sales Specialist THREE OF THE BEST FROM A CALIFORNIA COLLECTOR OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY BY RAYS CLASSICS 1958 CHEVY CAMEO V8/4SPD HYDRO AUTOMATIC - $POA

Concoures quality rottisserie restoration, excellent condition throughout right down to the very last nut and bolt, runs and drives like a dream, the last year for the cameo and the hardest one to find especially with the more desirable hydro gearbox and this colour combo, the attention to detail everywhere you look is stunning, none nicer.

1962 CHEVY BELAIR BUBBLETOP - $POA

409/4spd, P/S, rottiserrie restored with very particular attention to detail, flawless condition throughout with very few miles since restoration, you will not find a nicer example anywhere, runs & drives as good as they come, the Belair was the only model in the 62 line-up with the bubbletop carried over from the 61 impala, very few were built and all were powered by the 409 seen mainly on the dragstrip super stock class, blue chip investment grade car.

1959 CHEVY EL CAMINO 348 TRIPOWER /AUTOMATIC - $POA

P/S, P/B excellent restored condition throughout and those iconic fins what’s not to like.

1949 CHEVY 3100 PANEL VAN - $22,750

6cyl/3spd , one California family owned since new, documentation since 1949, bone stock, runs and drives excellent.

WELCOME TO 2023 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 THE CAR OF YOUR DREAMS

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

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650-361-8083

Tel: e: raysclassics@earthlink.net www.raysclassics.com

03/01/2023 13:56

MARCH 2023 £4.99

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Official Broker of the NSRA Authorised and regulated by the FCA

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  All prices include VAT. Prices subject to change without notice. Correct at 15-3-22. E&OE. Freight extra.

                                                            



          

 Front wings 64-68 ......... fr£170.78 Bolt & clip kit, top ............ £18.90 Splash shields 64-68 ........ fr£23.15 Rad panel 64-68 ............ fr£177.79 Front valance 64-68 ....... fr£61.70 Fr frame rails65-70 ......... fr249.67 Rr fraim rail 65-68 ....... fr£292.78                                                                                 

                       

          

                 

                

                

 HD 3cor US rad64-6 ........ £450.30 Rad hose kits 64-8 ............. £30.88 Heater seals 64-66 ............. £17.63 Htr plenum 64-68 .............. £25.58 Heater cable set 64-6 ......... £20.06 Heater rads 64-73 ........... fr£45.18 Htr core end caps 65-8 ...... £11.09 Therm housin 64-73 ...... fr£19.01 Shroud-fan-steel 64-6 ........ £30.59

             

                                                       

        

            

              

        

                                        Rack & pinion kit, manual, 65-66 ......................................... *£981.00 Power rack&pinion conv kit, 6570 inc pump .............. *fr£1423.42

 V/reg inst panl 64-8 ........ fr£38.95 Park light kt 64-66pr ........ £76.90 Reverse lt kit 64-6 ............. £72.32 Numb plat lit 64-70 ........... £33.71 Indicator switch 65-6 ........ £31.30 Dipswitch 64-73 .................... £7.74                                                           

                                                                

                                                              

                        Latch or lock 65-68 ....... fr£59.23 Door lk knob 64-7pr ......... fr£5.48 Chrm gromet 65-68 .......... pr£4.42 Door card clips 30 ........... fr£14.84       



    

                                                                                     

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  

            HOLLEY- USA kindly gave us permission to use the “Blue Mustang” picture

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03/05/2022 15:59

Custom Car - February 2023

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