Custom Car January 2023

Page 1

JAN 2023

£4.99

Up with the best

Hot Rod Drags: tales from a great weekend at the Pod

CC Cover Jan 23 v2.indd 1

12/12/2022 15:03


EUROPE

45,000 Volt Coil enables larger plug gaps for greater fuel efficiency & more power.

Our Ignitor III ignition modules are designed for the serious performance enthusiast who demands serious power.

45,000 Volt Coil maximizes energy and reliability over the full rpm range.

60,000 Volt Coil our HC (high current) and HV (high voltage) E-Core Coils were engineered specifically for our ignitor III ignition modules.

Billet Distributors plug n’ plat billet distributors are designed for maximum ignition performance at a price you can afford.

Low resistance, high performance spark plug wires, available in two versions.

New Flame-Thrower “Stock-look” Distributors are loaded with all the features that would expect from a high performance part, yet maintain the original look for the ultimate “sleeper”.

HEI DISTRIBUTORS we’ve engineered our module and coil to work together, to provide you with superior ignition performance on the street or track.

Not just another ignition box… a powerful 2nd spark throughout the entire rpm range.

All the benefits of the original ignitor & more… averages 4 times more available energy between 3000 & 5000 rpm.

Fool proof control designed for use h any 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engine. with

40,000 Volt Coil delivers more spark energy and voltage.

Optimized coil design yields at least 15% more energy available for the spark than the most common OEM Coils.

Integrated patented Ignitor II technology with a powerful micro controller and adaptive dwell algorithms.

Multiple sparks throughout the entire rpm range.

Performance cast distributors for VW and Alfa Romeo engines now you can get a quality distributor that delivers excellent performance and doesn’t break the bank.

Performance cast distributors for British engines replace your worn out distributor with one that will deliver performance you demand.

Power Relay Kit Universal design…

Quick change Crimp Tool Professional quality crimp tool designed for people who want to make plug wires on a regular basis.

works with most battery ignition systems.

THE ORIGINAL DOUGS HEADERS

there’s only one Doug – his engineering genius in header design is only available here. The no-compromise fit and quality of Doug’s headers has been the choice of those seeking maximum performance for almost five decades.

CORVETTE SIDEMOUNT HEADERS

JBA PERFORMANCE EXHAUST SYSTEMS add even more power to your car, truck or SUV, stainless steel construction, high flow muffler designs and great looking tips are the perfect complement to any vehicle.

PATRIOT EXHAUST products offer the best value for money of any brand in the industry.

Electric Exhaust Cut-outs un-cork your exhaust with the flip of a switch.

Since 1920 the world’s oldest performance muffler is now available for that “resto-rod” on your 1950’s custom.

JBA Performance Exhaust more power, more sound, higher quality, the original is still the best.

Varaflow Tunable Muffler Get the exact sound you’re looking for, or tune out annoying drones when driving down the highway.

www.pertronixeurope.com

Untitled-1Car_2021_08_Aug_Petronix Custom 36 Europe_FP.indd 1

EB

RATING

25

25 T

H

UR O

1 Compton Place, Surrey Avenue, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 3DX Tel/Fax. 01276 65554 Email. info@pertronixeurope.com

CE L

A SOLID-S STATE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM… “Never change points again!”

The home of PerTronix In Europe

YEA

R

10/07/2020 22/06/2021 12:10:26 16:00


Contents

F is eb su ru 19 e a Ja on ry ’ nu sa 23 ar le y

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

8

Regulars 2

News & reviews

50 Auto Focus The exploits of the ReadSpeed racers

52 The Custom Car Years Ours worlds as they were in Jan ‘73

60 Events And still they keep mounting up…

64 Next Month

40

26

A wicked Deuce and a rampant ‘Runner

Out and About 26 V-ATE Meet Plenty to ogle at, and plenty to eat

36 Fitment Show Showing the kids some proper cars

Features

52

28

6

Hall of Fame Gala An emotional end to the year’s racing

8

Coco Pop Done in honour of breakfast cereal…

18 Reimagined ‘37

18

www.customcarmag.co.uk

Bought not built then built not bought

28 Shrek’s Fat Ride Done in honour of a cartoon ogre…

40 Hot Rod Drags A cracking weekend on and off the strip

SUBSCRIBE! 14 Custom Car subs offer The best value way to get your monthly fix

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 1

CC Contents Jan.indd 1

12/12/2022 18:17


News & reviews New Committee members announced at NSRA AGM AT THE NATIONAL STREET ROD ASSOCIATION’S AGM, which was held on Sunday 27 November, few changes were made to the committee for the coming year. Thanks were given to Teresa James, the outgoing Secretary, and Brady Cole, who stood down as Pre-29 Member Coordinator. New recruits to the committee were confirmed as: Secretary: Pauline Cox Treasurer: Anne Owen Public Relations Officer: Keith ‘Roasty’ Elliot Pre-29 Member Coordinator: Wendy Newman

Love this… One of the very biggest decisions any car builder has to make is what colour the finished work is going to be. Sometimes, it’s because you happend to have a few pots lying around, but more likely you’ll have a parti cular reason for deciding on your chosen hue. In Mel Garrard’s case, it’s because he wanted to mimic the colour milk goes when you put it on Coco Pops. Well, it’s a Pop, right? Makes sense to us, and even if it’s not the first thing we thought of when we clapped eyes on the car, it sure is sweet…

New to the NSRA Committee: From left to right, Pauline Cox (Secretary), Anne Owen (Treasurer), Keith Elliot (Public Relations Officer) and Wendy Newman (Pre-29 Member Coordinator)

In addition, dates were confirmed for various events on the NSRA calendar for 2023. These are: 5 March: Southern Swap Meet, North Weald Airfield 5-7 May: Nostalgia Nationals, Santa Pod Raceway 2-4 June: Fun Run, venue TBC 10-13 August: Hot Rod Supernationals, Old Warden Park 15-17 September: Hot Rod Drags, Santa Pod Raceway Date TBC: Northern Swap Meet, Melbourne Raceway

The SuperNats return to their usual venue at Old Warden Park on 10-13 August as the NSRA embarks upon its second half-century in existence

AD PRODUCTION

DISTRIBUTION

Tandem Media Ltd.

Distribution in Great Britain:

Production and Design Manager

Marketforce UK Limited,

Neil Hepden – 01233 220245

121-141 Westbourne Terrace,

custom@tandemmedia.co.uk

London W2 6JR

MANAGEMENT

Tel: 0330 390 6555 www.marketforce.co.uk

Publisher: Sarah Moss www.customcarmag.co.uk Assignment Media Ltd, Repton House 1.08, Bretby Business Park, Bretby, Derbyshire DE15 0YZ

EDITORIAL Group Editor: Alan Kidd alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk Art Editor: Sam D’Souza Contributors Dave Biggadyke, Mike Pye, Keith Lee, Steve Edwards, James Webber, Dan Fenn, Kaziyoshi Sasazaki

Photographers Julian Hunt, Vic Peel, Harry Hamm, Richard Hair

ADVERTISEMENT SALES Tandem Media Ltd Account Manager Charlotte Dryhurst – 01233 555735 laura@tandemmedia.co.uk Group Advertising Manager Ian Argent - 01283 553242 ian.argent@assignment-media.co.uk

sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS 13 issues of Custom Car are published per annum UK annual subscription price: £64.87 Europe annual subscription price: £78 USA annual subscription price: £78 Rest of World annual subscription

available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org © Assignment Media Ltd 2022 All rights reserved

contents of Custom Car are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in Custom Car, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into

UK subscription and back issue orders:

able care to ensure advertisers’ probity,

01283 742970

‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made

Every effort is made to ensure the

price: £85

ccsubscriptions@wwonline.co.uk

Where a photo credit includes the note

a contract. The publishers take reasonbut will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts

2 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

News Winter.indd 2

12/12/2022 17:06


Quartet of inductees into NSRA Hall of Fame announced for 2022 IN ADDITION TO THE COMMITTEE CHANGES and event dates detailed on the page opposite, the National Street Rod Association has announced 2022’s | inductees into its Hall of Fame. These are:

NEAT STUFF in this issue

NSRA Member: Tim Horsfall Street Rod: Revenge Individual: Pat Ganahl Supplier/Organisation: Saturn Industries Following its much-publicised tour of the UK, which culminated in a starring role at the 2022 SuperNats, Hot Rod of the Century Revenge has been inducted into the NSRA Hall of Fame

Kustom with an F

Machine Mart introduces all-in-one welding kit for fabrication and automotove use CLARKE’S MIG102NG MIG WELDER is designed specifically for automotive and general fabrication work. Producing a maximum power of 90Amps, it’s capable of welding mild steel up to 4mm thick. Promising optimum performance and reliability, the unit uses flux cored steel welding wire which produces its own gas shroud as it burns – meaning it doesn’t require a gas cylinder. Further features include turbo fan cooling for greater efficiency and multiple power settings for accurate welding power control. It comes complete with a range of accessories including wire, and earth clamp and even a welding mask. The MIG102NG is part of an extensive range of welding equipment in the Machine Mart range. It’s priced at £167.98; head for www.machinemart.co.uk.

Untitled-1 1

News Winter.indd 3

Suited and Bootsied for the social event of the year Flat out and four wheels up. Now that’s a save

Dad, can you trim me an interior while I make the tea?

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM 3 08/12/2022CAR 10:31

12/12/2022 17:06


Suited & Bootsied Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Julian Hunt

In mid-November, a good many people switched their race suits for dinner jackets or evening dresses and headed off to the Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey for the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame gala. Over 200 guests attended this, the 16th ceremony of welcoming new inductees to the Hall of Fame. Comperes for the evening were John Price and Colin Theobald, and this was the first occasion for a number of years that no Americans were in attendance. Now retired from quarter-mile racing, Ron Hope of Rat Trap Fuel Altered fame did send his apologies, and ex-CC editor Tony Thacker forwarded his best wishes. The evening kicked off with a drinks reception during which BDRHoF director Bev Bradbury presented trophies to the junior drag racing winners. The focal point came later though, the presentations to the five latest inductees. That proved more emotional than usual this year following

the sudden death of one of the recipients less than ten weeks previously. The official side of the gala closed with a few words from Lesley Wright and it was then time to retire to the bar area for socialising. What better way could there be to round off the evening? The gala was presented in association with Santa Pod Raceway, USAutomotive, NSRA, Santa Pod Racers Club, Straighliners and Lucas Oil Products. Supporters of the BDRHoF are Atlantic Fluid Tech, Team Twister,

‘The event proved more emotional than usual this year’

Maybe the most poignant presentation of the evening came after Gary Page stepped on stage to hand over the ‘Bootsie’ awarded to the late Jon Morton. Former bike and Super Gas racer, Jon passed away on the first day of the European Finals in September. The ‘Bootsie’ was presented to his stepson Dan Page who was accompanied on stage by Heide Stanley, Marcella Field and Debbie Stock. Colin Theobald then presented a print of Jon’s No Hair Camaro commissioned by Dave Gibbons of Tony Morris Carburetors

4 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

3pp BDRgala CHANGE CAPTION.indd 4

12/12/2022 15:59


Induction process

The names of the 2022 Hall of Fame inductees were announced at Dragstalgia earlier in the year. It was, however, the gala evening when they were each presented with a highly cherished ‘Bootsie’, sponsored by Santa Pod Racers Club

Right: Team members Nick Dammers and Jan Smit received the award for the late Henk Vink from the legend known as John Hobbs. Dutchman Henk made his first appearance at Santa Pod in 1972, racing Kawasaki-based bikes. First was a 750cc triple, then a four-stroke nitro burner before a twin-engined machine. His quickest ride, however, was a mid-6 second hydrogen peroxide-fuelled rocket bike, which he developed along with Sammy Miller. Henk suffered a fatal heart attack in 1988 following his 50th birthday celebrations Below: Dave Stone was joined on stage by Gerry Andrews, Trevor Horncastle and Andrew Swan to collect the award for The Stones Drag Racing Team, presented by Philip Evans. Dennis ‘Daddy’ Stone planted the seed for the team when he started racing in 1968. Over the years he was joined by fellow team members Dave Stone, Gerry Andrews. Dave Lee Travis, Colin Thompson, Trevor Horncastle, Andrew Swan, Mickey Pratt, Dick Cruse and Alan Bates. They are the only team to win three top classes at Silverstone – Street, Altered and Dragster

Above: Chairman John Proctor and Merchandise Co-ordinator Alan Martin collected the award on behalf of the National Street Rod Association. The ‘Bootsie’ was presented by John Wright and Jerry Cookson. Formed in 1972, having been spawned by the National Drag Racing Club Roadster Register, the NSRA first staged the Hot Rod Drags at Avon Park Raceway in 1989. Such was the success of the event, five years later the Nostalgia Nationals was added to the association’s calendar. Both meetings are now staged at Santa Pod Raceway Left: Graham Beckwith, commentator and Melbourne Raceway supporter, presented dragster and Funny Car racer Mark Flavell with his ‘Bootsie’. Mark began racing in the 1980s and has gained honours in both Super Comp and Super Pro ET. He is also a staunch supporter of a number of race tracks, in particular York Raceway back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Having now retired from work, Mark takes an active role in the ongoing development of the now-renamed Melbourne Raceway

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 5

3pp BDRgala CHANGE CAPTION.indd 5

12/12/2022 15:59


Eurodragster.com, VP Racing Fuels, Custom Car, ChairOffice, Peter Walters Race Design, Paul Whitehouse Art, julianhunt. net and Shakespeare County Relics. The date for the 2023 gala has been announced as Saturday 18 November, with details to be confirmed CC

The BDRHoF presented Colin Theobald with a special appreciation award for his work in helping to raise funds for charity in support of Hayley Hadfield, along with Andy and Purdie. The total amount raised was a staggering £32,512.86. Sadly, Hayley passed away in the weeks following the Gala; our condolences to her family and friends

At the pre-dinner drinks reception, sponsored by Santa Pod Raceway, the Lucas Oil Products sponsored awards were presented to Junior Dragster championship winner Luke Fulton, on the right, and runner-up Luke Mugridge Below: Bev Bradbury receiving flowers in appreciation of her hard work behind the scenes to make sure the gala awards are an evening to remember

Pictured left is the BDRHoF Honorary Chair Lesley Wright, together with Lynn Davies of USAutomotive

The same reception also saw Hollie King presented with her award for winning the ACU Junior Drag Bike championship. Runner-up Casey Holegate was not in attendance to collect her award

6 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

3pp BDRgala CHANGE CAPTION.indd 6

12/12/2022 18:19


WWW.CARBUILDER.COM INFO@CARBUILDER.COM

IS

SU

E

34

Heating & Aircon • Mechanical Parts • Interior • Braking & Clutch • Exhaust Systems

DON’T MISS OUR NEW CATALOGUE AVAILABLE NOW!

OVER 7,000 PRODUCTS AVAILABLE DOWNLOAD OR ORDER YOUR COPY FROM OUR WEBSITE One Stop Shop  Wiring Diagrams  Includes Hints & Tips  Specification Charts  IVA Approved Products

01580 891309 - 01580 448007 - 01580 448017 CBS CM_2022_02_Feb_Car December 2020.indd Builder 1 BuysSolutions_FP.indd 1 Bargain Car_2021_06_June_Car Cars_2021_Best BookazineCar BuilderSolutions_FP.indd Solutions_FP.indd Builder Solutions_FP.indd 1 Custom Car_2022_07_July_Car Builder 11

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


The car that started Mel’s love affair, Jonathan Hebeler’s chopped Pop

W

hen we last visited Mel Garrard, it was to take a look at the Plum Crazy Fordson van he had recently finished restoring at the time. That feature was penned by Jon Hill and appeared in the October ’17 issue. Jon kicked off by commenting that Mel grew up loving Pops and Fordsons, the de rigueur hot rods of that era. It will come as no surprise, then, that prior to Plum Crazy, Mel had built a string of cars and vans based on British tin. Or that at the time of that feature, his son Elliott had a 100E of his very own (which he still does). Similarly, it will come as no surprise when it came to deciding on the base vehicle for Mel’s next project. ‘I’ve fancied a chopped Pop on steels since I attended the Hot Rod Drags back in ,’ el confided. onathan ebeler as there in his purple sit up and beg rolling on yellow steels and that was all it took to get me hooked. ‘Fast forward several years and a fair number of projects and cars and I was put on to an unfinished op pro ect in omford. Bizarrely, the tip-off came from Shawn Shirley in Arizona. (The power of social media, eh? DB.) Adrian Fish was the then owner and he had invested a good number of years into the car. ‘The body was excellent, all steel with a Mini roof panel nicely grafted in. A Cosworth turbo engine was installed, as was a 5-speed T5 manual gearbox. The rolling stock featured an IRS, based around a Cosworth diff, with fabricated upper and lower arms in a custom cradle and quad shocks and outboard vented discs. The front suspension was centred around Mk3-5 Cortina spindles, with custom upper and lower A arms, adjustable coilovers and an Escort Mk2 steering rack.’ Despite the time already spent on the build, Adrian was no longer feeling it for the Pop and had lost interest. His focus was

8 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 8

12/12/2022 12:27


Ask people what made them decide on the paint colour for their car and chances are very few would mention their favourite breakfast cereal Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Harry Hamm

‘I wanted it to be the colour the milk becomes when you’re eating Coco Pops’ JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 9

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 9

12/12/2022 12:27


A shake of hands seals the deal between Mel and Adrian and the Pop heads off to a new home

by then directed towards a Mk1 Consul project, and the Cossie engine and box were destined to feature in that. It was June 2017 and, having recently finished the Plum Crazy rebuild, Mel struck a deal for the Pop rolling shell and took it home with him to deepest Lincolnshire.

Simple plan

‘I had ideas to ship the van Stateside for a future road trip, but that subsequently ran into clerical issues. Consequently the plan was to keep the Pop build simple and produce a reliable car that would hopefully make that journey itself in years to come. ‘I decided upon a 2.0-litre Pinto engine and Type 9 5-speed box. They came my way through a wanted ad, with me collecting them at Dragstalgia a short time later. The engine seemed fine so ust tidied it up and fitted a ne inta e manifold and ebber carb, along with a tubular exhaust manifold.’ It was then though that things got more intense. ith the front end sheet metal removed, it was evident the shock towers needed some heavy-duty strengthening as they flexed far too easily hen eight as applied. In order to attain the necessary steering geometry, it was found that the top arms also needed modifications to enable the fitment of the correct ball oints. ith the IRS also in need of work, the decision was taken to remove the body to facilitate easier access to all areas. ith the chassis devoid of body or , it was tidied up and the boxing plates rewelded. The engine and box were mounted, the front shock towers beefed up

and the sorted back to that later.

ell sort of.

e’ll come

Mel confessed to momentarily having deviated from his build plan as the project progressed, but only for amusement. hile the Pinto lump was out of the car and on a stand for painting and detailing, I dropped in the big-block Chevy I happened to have lying around to see ho ell it fitted, ust for a laugh. I was, however, amazed to see how much it looked at home. That was

House of KZ Kustomz. He came and took a look to assess how much to remove from the pillars and also discuss possible paint colour options with me. After deliberation we agreed on a 4-inch chop and the Pop as boo ed in at the or shop. e also decided on the final paint mix after put to Kevin that I wanted it the colour the milk becomes when you’re eating Coco Pops!’ Although Kevin was impressed with how well Adrian had grafted in the Mini roof panel,

‘I dropped in the 454ci big block Chevy I happened to have lying around to see how well it fitted, just for a laugh’ never going to feature in the plan though as my quest was for reliability and economy.’ In case you’re wondering, the 454ci V8 mated to a 5-speed box now resides in Mel’s previously small block-powered C2 Corvette. Not so much economy with that one, then.

Cereal colours

Enough side tracking; back to the job in hand. ‘The possibility of a roof chop raised its head,’ Mel recalled with a smile. Inevitable really, as a chopped Pop had been on his bucket list for nigh on 40 years. It was also pretty much inevitable who Mel would ask to lower the roof as the guy had done an amazing job of painting Plum Crazy a few years earlier. ‘I put the idea to Kevin

he decided that finishing off the roof chop would be easier if it weren’t in situ. The panel was carefully removed, to be replaced later with one from an alternative donor car. Just as the roof pillars were about to be dissected, a member of the Ford Sidevalve Owners’ Club happened by the KZ Kustomz or shop. orrified at hearing of the impending work, he proceeded to call Mel all the names under the sun for allowing such butchery. But then later, with the chop complete, Kevin invited the guy back to take a look. Maybe somewhat reluctantly, he had to admit the car looked great. Kevin House painted the car in the special mix colour to match Mel’s breakfast – apart from the bulkhead, which was

10 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 10

12/12/2022 12:27


Cereal Popping The Pinto engine slotted into the con nes of the Pop’s engine bay

Past the point of no return begins at ustom

he roof chop

hat S OC member was right much better chopped

the Pop looks

he Pop wearing its fresh paint waits for Mel to add the nishing touches

With of metal removed from each of the pillars some realignment was called for

he

S features custom A arms and ali hubs

Another point of no return Mel bid farewell to the RS previously tted under the Pop

A panel cut from a P Cruiser now lls the void in the Pop s roof

Mel only put his big-block Chevy here for a laugh t does look right at home though

replacing it with a far more appropriate and simpler Anglia 10 E axle

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 11

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 11

12/12/2022 12:27


‘The body was excellent, all steel with a Mini roof panel nicely grafted in’

20 CUSTOM CAR WINTER 2023

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 12

12/12/2022 12:27


Headlights have been converted to LED for improved night-time drivability, with indicators mounted further down the wings. The front bumper was painted silver by KZ Kustomz

Being clearly seen during the future road trip he’s planning in the States is paramount in Mel’s mind, hence the neat repeater indicators incorporated in the peep mirrors Pic: Mel Garrard

finished in a contrasting shade of cream. t as then bac to el for him to finish off the build. re ired the car using a it from o n to arth ustom and lassic uto lectrics, and fitted ynamat soundproofing throughout. he pedal box came from an scort and utilises il ood master cylinders, ith a eugeot slave cylinder adapted for the clutch. left the seats ust as bought them, but trimmed the rest of

routing cables and pipe or proved to be a pain. ruth as needed a much simpler approach. cut out the and sold it on, added a couple of extra crossmembers and installed an nglia axle ith an e ay sourced hinese bar location it, coilovers and a anhard rod.’ ot exactly an ideal scenario ith a car built but a man’s gotta do hat a man’s gotta do, and it does the ob perfectly ith no unnecessary fuss.

the interior myself. retty much the last ob did as to fit a removable to bar so e can haul a trailer full of camping gear on those ee ends a ay.’ hat asn’t actually the last ob, though, as despite the op being painted and pretty much finished el too the plunge and changed the rear axle and suspension. he os orth as too much axle for the car no running a mild into engine, and

Adopting the if it ain t broke don t x it philosophy Mel has left the internals of the 2 0-litre Pinto engine well alone save for tting a new oil pump e has given it an external makeover though along with tting a fresh intake manifold and Weber 2 3 carb A fresh -branch exhaust manifold sorts the waste gases, while a custom ali rad fabricated by Collin Rey at Custom Aluminium Fabrications keeps things at the right temperature

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 13

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 13

12/12/2022 12:27


Above left: An ad on the Rods’n’Sods forum turned up the steel wheels, Morris Minor 14” diameter on the front and banded 7” wide Hillman Minx 15” diameter at the back. Tyres are Michelin 145R14 and Hercules H/P 4000 225/70R15 front and back respectively Top right: An array of LED gauges and a GPS speedo are mounted in a steel panel set into the Prefect Bakelite dash. Hanging underneath the parcel shelf is a refurbished heater along with a DAB radio. Below that are the 3 pedals, indicating the gearbox needs to be stirred by hand Above right: Mel sourced the MGF front seats through eBay, the beige and cream upholstery being the perfect combination for his chosen paint colours. He then set about trimming the rest of the interior himself in plain cream and diamond-stitched dark beige vinyl with polished ali accents

eft he boot plays home to the under- oor mounted custom fabricated high capacity ali fuel tank. Ideal for those long-haul interstate cruises Pic: Mel Garrard Top: The ex-Geoff Cousins louvred bonnet was picked up at the Supernats Above: The Lucas rear lights have been upgraded to LED, as has the not-soinsigni cant number plate light he rear lights have also been modi ed to incorporate orange lens indicators. Not being a fan of the Boudicea chariot, skin-ripper original Pop bumper, Mel narrowed it 12” and got KZ Kustoms to coat it in silver paint

14 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 14

12/12/2022 12:28


Mel is breaking the car in for an impending US road trip Since it appeared on the road in early 2022, the Pop has been well received, graced the Custom Car stand at the National Hot Rod and Custom Show in Peterborough and garnered the Popstalgia Pick and Pop Festival awards at the NSRA Fun Run. So far, driving duties have in the main been handled by Mel’s son Elliott, as they tend to travel to rod runs together with Mel behind the wheel

of Plum Crazy. At the time of writing, around 1200 miles have been clocked up in Coco Pop, a good start for breaking the car in for that impending US road trip in two or three years’ time. Mel will be in the driving seat for that adventure, although Elliott may be joining him for part of it. We look forward to seeing the holiday snaps from that particular trip.

Thanks Left: Spot the difference? Mel couldn’t live with the A-suffix registration number and has changed it since our photoshoot Pic: Mel Garrard

‘Kevin House at KZ Kustomz for the awesome chop and paint, RF Welding for the fuel tank, Collin Rey for the radiator, Adrian Fish for selling me the solid project, my son Elliott for being my right arm and my wife Mandy and daughter Melanie for being my number one fans’

NOVEMBER 2022 CUSTOM CAR 3

8pp Mel Garrard Pop.indd 15

12/12/2022 12:28


Celebr ating 74 years

The Best choice

Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_The Pop Shop_QP.indd 1

08/12/2022 15:56

®

The new, high ZDDP content, Driven GP-1 engine oil for tuned engines is perfect for high lift cam applications. Available in 5W-20, 10W-30, 15W-40, 20W-50 and Nitro SAE70 viscosities. Anglo American Oil Company +44 (0) 1929 551557

www.drivenracingoil.co.uk

16 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023 Custom Car_2022_12_Winter_North Hants Tyres_HP.indd 1

CC Ad Spread.indd 2

08/11/2022 14:00

12/12/2022 17:23


Untitled-2 1

Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Scenic Car Tours_FP.indd 1

25/10/2022 10:17:11

30/11/2022 12:07


When you need a car right then and there, and buying is the only option, that doesn’t mean you can’t still make it your own Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Matt Richardson

18 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 18

12/12/2022 13:44


JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 19

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 19

12/12/2022 13:45


Sedanism Many years ago in the States the rolling chassis came together nicely

Still a long way to go with the project

Fortunately, body repair panels for ’37 Fords are readily available

Recessed rewall is a necessity for engine and transmission clearance

Front seats were pretty much thrown in to get the car driveable

We did say the car was sold with quite a few un tted parts

Door cards and side panels were cut to shape…

The rear seat was cut down for a better t

…and then retrimmed. Note the headlining is already tted

Engine and transmission now installed

A 2-post lift in the yard makes life so much easier

…and Dynamat was attached to every panel Kieron was the man wielding the scissors when it came time for the carpet

Neat under-dash panel features pieces cut from a ‘39 Ford grille Part way through the rewire, using the kit that came with the car …Finn sets to cutting the hide for the other door

Kieron’s long term project, a ’32 sedan running blown Rover power and 5-speed transmission

Right: With one door card already trimmed…

20 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 20

12/12/2022 13:45


Steel rear wings were sourced as new old stock and for a smoother look the doors and boot lid have been tted with concealed hinges he cowl vent is now power operated and custom door mirrors give a view of what s behind he sedan was painted in the year 2000 with coats of MW opa lue Metallic Pearl applied over a PP base coat hat was then topped off with coats of PP clear with the colour and clear being sanded between each coat

I

n an all too familiar scenario, Kieron Smith had to sell on what non-essential cars he had when kids came along. Things change over time though, and around 15 years ago he found himself in a position to start collecting parts for a fresh project, a ’32 Ford sedan. Progress was slow, however, and as his family got older he realised he needed another car right then and there. temporary fix as found by returning to classic Volkswagens until the reality hit that wasn’t a place he really wanted to be. House stuff then got in the way for a while until once again Kieron got back into building that ’32. After a change of jobs, he felt the need to have a car on the road far sooner than it ould ta e to finish off the sedan. He started to peruse for sale ads but was somewhat reluctant to buy a UK-built car as more often than not they are never your car,

instead more commonly referred to as the builder’s old car. Another change then got in the way, the purchase of a Mustang race car – a joint project undertaken by Kieron and his dad. hat as six or seven years ago and as the car had been out of action for a while, it needed a fair bit of recommissioning to get it back on track. With that sorted, Kieron’s thoughts once again returned to buying another car, something he could stamp his mark on without too much work. There were criteria though; it had to be a hard top to cope with British weather, it had to accommodate 4 people, and it had to have a V8 under the bonnet, or be easily adaptable to fit one. Being the nice guy that he is, Kieron took his family on holiday to Florida, somewhat surreptitiously as it turned out though. While in Tampa, he met up with

Greg Saunders, aka britrodder, and the pair spent time together. It wasn’t time wasted sightseeing, though: they went looking for a new ride to meet Kieron’s needs. Their quest proved fruitless, and Kieron returned home empty handed. Greg, however, had pointed him in the direction of a website aimed at Florida locals and focusing on hot rods for sale.

etting the hump

‘Back home, I did what any hot rodder looking for new wheels would do, I went surfing,’ ieron confessed. earches proved fruitless until one night an ad popped up for an unfinished pro ect ’ Ford umpbac sedan. It caught my eye so I contacted the seller, Bill Elliott, in Gainsville, Florida. It turned out it had been for sale for a while but as proving difficult to move on as it had a manual transmission.’

‘It had been for sale for a while but was proving difficult to move on as it had a manual transmission’ JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 21

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 21

12/12/2022 13:45


22 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 22

12/12/2022 13:45


eft he smoothed out bonnet is tted with a two-step safety latch with cable-operated release while the restored front grille and bonnet sides sport the original stainless trim he stainless steel front bumper is from ob rakes the headlights have been converted to alogen and forward vision is through a custom curved one-piece windscreen Right M Performance Ram et 3 0 with upgraded ME ECM electronic fuel in ection offers 00bhp An Aeromotive ad ustable fuel pressure regulator controls fuel ow while a Walker high- ow radiator with custom cover and support rods ensures things don t get too hot he intage Air rontrunner pulley system is spun by a serpentine belt while Sanderson P1000 ceramic coated Ram orn-style headers feed a custom exhaust system featuring turbo mu ers

The seller sent over loads of photos and, liking what he saw, Kieron arranged to have an inspection done. Sat with his dad and some friends at the Supernats a short time later, he asked for everyone’s thoughts on the car. It’s always good to get a second opinion after all, or several in this case. The responses were all good so Kieron did the deal and arranged to have the car shipped over, the sedan arriving on these shores in October 2019. Essentially what he had bought was a driving albeit unfinished pro ect. he chassis was well sorted and the body was painted. The seats had pretty much been thrown in though, and the iring lashed together ust to get the car running. There was, however, the added bonus of the boot and back seat being rammed full of boxes of parts, not only those needed to finish the build but more besides. The for sale ad said ‘many extra parts included if desired,’ and it would have been rude not to take Bill up on that offer.

Stocktake

aving ta en stoc of hat he’d ust bought, Kieron was happy to leave the rolling chassis well alone. To be honest, why wouldn’t he be? Just take a look at the spec and decide for yourselves. The sedan sports a Monte Carlo front clip and a 9-inch Ford rear axle with a modular ali carrier housing, Currie Enterprises shafts and 3.50:1 gears. The clip and axle are mounted on a powder coated custom fabbed rectangular tube chassis. A dual-circuit Corvette brake booster plumbed

in with stainless steel lines powers up the all-round disc brakes, with the emergency brake being by Lokar. Fuel is contained within a Tanks Inc poly 18 gallon cell with an electric pump and stainless steel lines. The V8 Kieron was insistent upon sits between the chassis rails, quite a potent power plant by all accounts. That is backed up by a Tremec TKO 500 5-speed manual with 0.64:1 overdrive 5th gear. The trans features a Weber heavy duty clutch, Wilwood slave cylinder with braided stainless steel hoses and a Mcleod NHRA approved clutch scatter shield. A pretty beefy transmission then, yet nobody Stateside fancied it. The sedan body had been treated to a itchin roducts recessed fire all and replacement floor pans, along ith a boot floor pan and tool tray from Automotive Products. The original drip rails were restored and a Hagan tear drop fuel filler door grafted into the nearside rear wing. The doors were converted to suicide opening with rounded leading lower edges. An unusual mod, but understandable as Kieron told us Bill stands at 6ft 4 inches tall and it allowed him to get in and out of the car far more gracefully. All body seams were sealed and the underneath covered with a rubberised coating. With the body then painted, tinted safety glass and ne seals ere fitted all round. Reportedly $15k was spent on sorting out the bodywork and painting it, which may not seem excessive until you realise that was over 20 years ago.

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 23

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 23

12/12/2022 13:45


Above left: The smooth Bitchin Products steel dashboard houses a complement of Speedhut instruments including a GPS speedo. The switchgear is housed in a custom-built panel below the dash, formed using part of the original front grille from Whiff’s ’39 Ford Top right: The seats are from a 2005 Pontiac GTO, the fronts being power-operated. The original leather was stripped and replaced with yet more of the same. The Golders Green hides, a colour Kieron was persuaded to go for by the rest of his family, were expertly trimmed to shape and stitched by Finn and Whiff. Kieron himself is responsible for the Wheat carpet though Right: It will come as no surprise that the boot void is as sumptuously trimmed as the car’s interior. Below Right: No prizes for guessing what the speaker housings in the door cards are formed from. The lack of window winders hints at them being power operated

The interior of the sedan was to become the focal point Sit down and strap in

Despite being a runner, the sedan wasn’t roadworthy so Kieron set about making it drivable as simply as he could. In saying that he didn’t cut corners, just concentrated on functionality rather than aesthetics. The seats weren’t mounted securely so that was rectified, ith the bac seat being narro ed and cut do n in height for a better fit. s he would be carrying valuable cargo (his family), seat belts ere fitted front and rear. ynamat soundproofing as adhered to every panel, although the interior trimming was held over for a later date. The dash had been painted, but no holes for the gauges had been cut. That was a daunting task and Kieron confesses to entrusting it to someone else, and who can blame him? e fitted the intage ir uper ooler air conditioning, which just left the wiring to sort. That was tackled by removing what was there and fitting an merican uto ire igh ay 22 modular fuse panel and wiring harness, making sure all of it was used this time round.

In January 2020, some 3 months after the car landed on these shores, the sedan was fit for the road. hat ell and truly tic ed the ‘without too much work’ box, then, despite it having no interior to spea of. hortly after that, though, ovid hit and ith loc do n, there was nowhere to go in the car. hen that first loc do n lifted, things got serious with the interior trimming, and I mean serious. For those who don’t know, ieron’s dad is rahame hiff’ mith. lthough no having eased up due to his advancing years, Whiff has been responsible for trimming a great number of car interiors throughout his career. It is no surprise then that the interior of the sedan was to become the focal point of the car. Even more so as Kieron’s son Finn plans to tread in his grandad’s footsteps and had more than just a hand in trimming this interior. In Kieron’s own words, ‘Finn and dad took over and I basically became the tea boy. I sorted the carpets though, so they can’t say it’s all down to them.’ By mid-July 2020 the sedan was

back on the road; this time, though, it was fully upholstered. ‘I use the car a fair bit now,’ Kieron told us with a smile in his voice. ‘Fellow club members say that I only bring it out in the rain though. That’s because I often seem to end up driving home in the rain! al ays frequent the upernats and Beaulieu and am not at all worried about using the car. It is so comfortable and cruising at motorway speeds you can still enjoy a conversation. It’s got the get up and go, and it really does go! ‘I’m considering changing the wheels, but I keep changing my mind as to what type. I may drop the front on air, but that is all. I just want to keep driving it. Besides, I’m back on with the ’ build no . nd no, neither car is for sale ’ Kieron readily admits to not having built the car, but he has undoubtedly put his own mark on it. Buying it as he did got him on the road in a few short months and it meets every criterion on the list he drew up. That makes it a winner all round in our book.

24 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 24

12/12/2022 13:45


With it being such a good t it s hard to believe the back seat wasn t formed to suit the rear of a 3 ord sedan from the outset As well as the leather trimming inn and Whiff also sorted the Stone nion Cloth headlining he side armrests incorporate speaker housings formed using more of that 39 ord grille

Another ob rake stainless bumper adorns the rear of the sedan and the semi-frenched rear lights have been converted to E with a third brake light tted below the rear window

Thanks My wife, Soph, and daughter, Nieve, for putting up with all the strops. anks also to Finn and dad for helping out with the interior JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 3

8pp Kieron Smith.indd 25

12/12/2022 13:45


Diner rods

Out & About Words and pics: Dave Biggadyke Having visited the V-Ate Pit Stop Diner back in May, we brought you coverage of their All American gathering in the September ’22 issue. Such was the success of that inaugural Sunday afternoon event the man behind it all, Bob Wilding, had to introduce ticket-only admission for future themed car meets. That was purely to limit the number of vehicles attending though and there was no charge for the tickets. As such, come the All American and Hot Rod Meet on the last Sunday in September only those with valid tickets could gain access to the privileged parking area. Despite all tickets being allocated well in advance of the day, there were some empty spaces. I can only presume that was down to people applying for tickets but then not attending for whatever reason. Shame on you. If you couldn’t make it, common courtesy should prompt you to contact the organisers so your space could be allocated to someone else. Attendance was by no means sparse though, and there was a varied mix of

Since the V-ATE meet, Pete Rowland has sold on his ’51 Chevy Fleetline, the car now residing in the Newcastle area

Colin Noddings came along in his 383ci Chever stroker-powered ’37 Ford cabriolet, a car we featured in the November ’22 issue

Curved ‘screen pillars indicate this Chevy Impala rolled off the production line in 1962

John Arthur’s ’64 Plymouth Valiant convertible is a new car on us. Word is the ragtop was a substantially longer build than anticipated

‘There was plenty of CC fodder to feast your eyes on’ vehicles to check out. Understandably some were later-day American muscle cars and pick-ups, but alongside those was plenty of CC fodder to feast your eyes on. As the weather wasn’t as balmy as it was for the May gathering, people understandably started to drift off somewhat earlier, apart from those still sampling the delights of the diner itself of

course. This was the last car-themed gathering of 2022, but we’re pretty sure they will be back on the calendar in 2023. The V-Ate Pit Stop is located alongside the A17 at Sutterton, Lincolnshire. Even if there isn’t a gathering on at the time, if you’re in the area it’s well worth dropping in for a bite to eat. Check it out at www.v-ate.com CC

26 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

Out and About Winter.indd 26

12/12/2022 14:33


Bomber and Mary Stevenson are now officially V-ATE meet regulars in their ’30 Model A coupe

Above: Tony’s ‘62 F100 pick-up runs a front clip and all-round air ride by Bomber County Speed Shop in Grantham Right: Another recent feature car in attendance was Kim Leonard’s Model A. The Pinto-powered Sport coupe appeared in the December ’22 issue

Pete Senneck lives just up the road from the diner so it would have been rude for him not to pop along in his Pro Street Chevy Nova

The battle scars on this ’59 Chevy Apache pick-up hint that it has had to work for a living sometime in the past Mustangs spanning several decades look hard even when parked up, such as this very yellow ’69 Fastback

Above: Scott Halliwell’s 351 Ford Windsor-powered ’34 coupe features a Neil Tadman interior

Super clean ’67 Mustang ragtop looked impeccable, right down to the detailed engine bay

If it wasn’t the only van on show, it was certainly the only one I picked up on. Despite it looking pretty much stock, this ’78 Chevy van is still a cool ride Left: Hefty coat of patina on this ‘68 Dodge Charger helps to make a tough car look even tougher

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 27

Out and About Winter.indd 27

12/12/2022 14:33


Sometimes when you buy a car, the inspiration comes too. It can take many forms – in this case, everyone’s favourite swamp-loving ogre Words and pics: Steve Edwards

28 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp Shrek.indd 28

12/12/2022 17:12


G

ary Brady bought his first Ford Pop back in the mid-80s. It was light blue and it was powered by a V6 that had a blower strapped to it. The car had been stood in the seller’s garden for a while and needed to be extricated before ary could drive it home hich he did, much to the seller’s surprise. But what happened next wasn’t a surprise to anyone. As an avid reader of both Custom Car and Street Machine, and a member of Charnwood Cruisers, a car club that was set up in 1975 and is still going strong all these years later, Gary was keen to get the Pop ship shape. And some six months later, it was. Of course, being a car fan means that they come and go. And the Pop did, to be followed by several others as well as a variety of Minis and Capris. Until recently, Gary’s daily driver was a 1997 Escort van that had been airbrushed with various scenes depicting knights in armour and the Grim Reaper on the bonnet and a full-on blue fur interior. His partner Sharon detests it, and the bad news is that though we’re talking about the vehicle in the past tense that’s only because Gary has taken it off the road to give it a rest. In the meantime, when we took these pictures he was getting set to enjoy the coming summer with the roof down on his Audi convertible. So that gives you a picture of the man and his cars. One night, while casually browsing eBay, he came across this late Ford Anglia, dating from 1953, which had been significantly modified by Richard Gordge. Over a fourteen-year timespan, he had widened and lengthened the Anglia and fitted a 400ci (6.6-litre) Chevy small-block motor. For whatever reason, after completing the extensive bodywork the car got moved on and ended up on the auction site where Gary thought it was just up his street.

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 29

6pp Shrek.indd 29

12/12/2022 17:12


Jaguar became part of Ford about a decade and a half after the back axle under this particular Ford was made, which is either a really heroic attempt to keep it in the family or a particularly strained attempt at nding a theme for a caption t s a standardwidth LSD job from an XJS, and rather than being narrowed it s covered over by wings containing an extra of glass bre

The Anglia had been widened by 10.5” and lengthened by a full foot. Its chassis, which obviously had to be remade, now consists of one built in a Jago style out of 4x2” box with 2x2” crossbracing; off of this, Richard had hung the suspension from a Triumph Vitesse.

he Anglia s track stands 10 wider than standard o help take care of this its front wings have been extended by 2 each Right: This angle shows the extra width in the wings pretty well Overall the car stands 10 wider and a foot longer

Left: When you consider how many horses it s possible to get from a 00ci engine an output of 2 bhp shows you ust how wonderfully unstressed it is in standard form A nice long stroke makes it a tor ue monster too ideal for towing a caravan then his one is largely standard though theres nothing that can t be improved by the addition of a 0cfm Edelbrock Performer carb

On the outside, the original roof was removed and replaced with one from a Volvo estate, complete with a sunroof. Up front went fibreglass wings, widened by 2.5”,

30 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp Shrek.indd 30

12/12/2022 17:12


Left: The front seats, which are Recaros, started life in a Vauxhall. Ian Cherry at Car and Coach Trimmers in Nottingham was given free rein with the colour scheme and decided to base it on Shrek, as you do Below: When Gary bought the Anglia, it had two old Lancia seats in the back e nitely not the message you want to convey when you’ve got a queue of blushing brides waiting to be transported to a new life. Back over to Ian Cherry again; he lobbed the whole lot in a skip and built this custom bench seat. Marital harmony starts here

Whether booting the bass is as good as booting the nitro is for you to decide

The dash needed to be made from scratch to suit the car’s wider proportions. Its top was made out of the truck lids from two Vauxhall Chevettes, and the facia looks like it was cut from an entire oak burr. There used to be a Rover SD1 steering column poking through the Anglia’s bulkhead, but that’s long since been replaced by a stainless steel effort from Pop Brown. The billet ali wheel on the end of it is unlikely to be mistaken for one off a bus

while at the back the rears have an extra 6” of glass included and cover a standardwidth Jag LSD rear end, that hot-rodders’ favourite, which came from a 1980s’ XJS. The large body was then painted in Polynesian Turquoise, from the palette offered by Rover on its 200 Coupe model (which was nicknamed Tomcat after its project codename, not to be confused with the similarly titled Land Rover based race truck [something you’re frankly unlikely to do]), and some pinstriping added.

Attached to the wings are a pair of Morris Minor tail lights. Gary says he had thought about changing these to something a little more modern, but that he was severely dissuaded from making the switch by a mate. Obviously the bonnet and boot lid had to be adapted to fit, otherwise the slam panels would become more like waft panels. And for the same reason, a new dash had to be built. If you pay any attention to the world of modern cars,

you might have heard manufacturers like Volvo and Land Rover (them again) banging on about ‘floating dashboards’, but rather than an optical illusion that’s literally what Richard would have been left with. Well, not so much floating as lying on the floor, but you get the idea. Anyway, the top of the dash was made out of the truck lids from two Vauxhall Chevettes. Elsewhere in the interior, when Gary bought the car it had one seat in the front and two Lancia items in the rear, along

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 31

6pp Shrek.indd 31

12/12/2022 17:12


with a Shrek toy. This was the state of play when was delivered to Ian Cherry at Car and Coach Trimmers in Nottingham. Ian was left to his own devices with regards to colours and design and he promptly took his inspiration from the large cuddLy toy, which now incidentally has to accompany Gary to every event he attends. A pair of Recaro seats from a Vauxhall now inhabits the front area, while Ian was

so unhappy with ones in the rear he threw them out and built a custom bench seat which, unsurprisingly, fits perfectly. It’s very comfortable, too, as many a bride can attest. Moving back to the front of the cabin, Gary has added a few other touches of his own. These include replacing the Rover SD1 steering column with a nice stainless steel unit from Pop Brown, which is topped off by a suitably wild billet ali wheel.

Talking of wheels, the ones on the ends of the axles came with the car and seem to be Appliance 5-spoke polished steels, or very good replicas, Gary takes them off each winter when the car is laid up and gives them a good coat of Vaseline to protect them from the rigours of the British winter weather. Now, we mentioned the 400ci Chevy motor that lurks under the Anglia’s widened bonnet. This is the largest version of that

Above: Tail lights are from a Moggy Minor. We all have wobbles from time to time and Gary’s was to think about changing them for something more modern. A friend set him straight Right: There’s nothing quite like a nitrous bottle. Except this one is actually the housing for an amp and subwoofer, so ‘quite like a nitrous bottle’ is in fact exactly what it is

32 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp Shrek.indd 32

12/12/2022 17:12


first-generation small-block, and sitting atop it a 750cfm Edelbrock Performer carb feeds fuel to the cylinders from the Triumph fuel tank that has been installed in the rear. Although the horsepower produced by these engines isn’t the greatest in the world, at around 265bhp, everything comes from deep down in the lower reaches of the rev range thanks to its long stroke. So, plenty of deep lazy grunt accompanied by a deep lazy rumble. The engine block shares the same dimensions as the more common 350ci unit and can share all its ancillaries, too, which can only be a good thing. Also a good thing is nitrous injection, though the bottle in the boot is actually a fake. This would be a bad thing but while it could more charitably be described as ‘dummy’ rather than ‘fake,’ it actually houses an amp and subwoofer to help boot the bass if Gary

Appliance 5-spoke polished steels, or very good replicas, are shod with 135/60R13 BFGoodrich T/ As up front and 295/50R15 Cooper Cobras at the back

puts the stereo on, and these are definitely good things. Whether booting the bass is as good as booting the nitro is for you to decide, but there’s a reason why the word ‘good’ has appeared so many times in this paragraph and sure enough there it is again.

You ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen Shrek’s Fat Ride haul!

Not that any stereo is going to be all that audible over the roar from the custom-made, dual side-exit stainless steel exhaust pipes anyway. Now, this here Anglia is a regular visitor to shows and as a consequence it can usually be seen towing a caravan. Finally a good use for all that torque. The tow hitch is a swan neck affair from a 1980s’ Sierra, which is not the most commonly seen case of keeping it in the family but there you go. The good thing here is that when it’s not in use, it can be hidden away discreetly. With regards to towing, the wide track of the vehicle means doing so is such a doddle it’s actually easy to forget the van is on the back. Gary says he has even embarrassed a few guys who were giving it large in their hot hatches at the traffic lights, once again there’s yet another good thing for you. As this shows, yet again, there ain’t no substitute for cubic inches. Even so, if you want to get away first you’d better make sure you’ve got your torques in order. You may have seen a housefly, maybe even a superfly, you might have possibly seen an elephant fly – but you ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen Shrek’s Fat Ride haul!

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 33

6pp Shrek.indd 33

12/12/2022 17:12


FREE!

. w w w

Custom_Subs Ad_RingOct22_DPS.indd 2 Custom Car_2022_12_Dec_Custom Car Subs_DPS.indd 2

05/10/2022 11:53 21:08 11/10/2022


£4.99 2022

S AL FIN AL ION

MARCH

T NA

BRI

TA I

PEN N -

Ner TE a rac T H Ealways I NOnce a racer,

S

e fr o m th Ba c k

EN

LD GO

ri t of Te tive ar tomo The au

'7 0 s

A RO AL ION

AT D N AN GR

LG I

UN A F

NY

CAR

T DS

OW SH ER

S £4.99 2022 MAY

N

A OST

Smith

£4.99 2022 APRIL

T IN

B

MA RA

ES

£4.99 2022 AUGUST

BES

E DIN

RAC

H EAC

TO

£4.99 2022 JUNE

AU OIT TR DE

0s, he '8 i th d in

n dow kd l ck i lo d in plleted

com

t Starte

POP

D LS EE WH

T ES / F AY

EP SLE HT TIG

I VA

OW F P L O

ER

£4.99 2022 JULY

BOSS

ER

yr Zeph soul ece ed m pi harg Museu superc a with

r a c tom

s u c / k u . o c . a i d e

m t n e nm

g i s s a ww.

ncel.

w

u

ebit a

tD Direc

Custom_Subs Ad_RingOct22_DPS.indd 3 Custom Car_2022_12_Dec_Custom Car Subs_DPS.indd 3

ca . r only nless you e f f o su ber bscri 12 month u s t i ery Deb irect at £42 ev D w s ne *UK, y continue l l tica toma

05/10/2022 11:53 21:08 11/10/2022


Out & About

Fitment for a king

Words and pics: James Webber

After the success of the Offset show back in April, Brad and his team from Wagon UK came back with a bang in the autumn with their second show, Fitment. Once again, the event was held at the Royal Cornwall Showground in Wadebridge. However this time, the team wanted to get a different selection of cars from Offset – the aim being to illustrate the diversity and variety of cars either freshly built and new to the scene or which are not often seen at these events as the owners can sometimes feel that some types of shows are not ‘their scene’. As a result, there was an enormous diversity of both cars and people at Wadebridge – including a great variety of rods and Yanks, as well a lot of younger enthusiasts, perhaps unfamiliar with this style of cars, who were nonetheless fascinated and spent plenty of time talking about them and taking photos. Cars that were positioned inside were allowed to enter on the Saturday afternoon so their owners could start

‘There was an enormous diversity of both cars and people – including a great variety of rods and Yanks’ cleaning and polishing. One of Wagon’s sponsors, Immerse Detailing, offered pre-show valeting for any premium cars, and there were plenty of caterers on-site to keep everyone refuelled. Keeping the public entertained were the Two Brothers racing stunt team, performing insane tricks on their motorbikes, and the Extreme Bike Battle team who once again pulled out all the stops with their display of BMX jump box, flatland and trials stunts. Helping to create a family atmosphere, Body Bounce was also there with a selection of inflatables which kept them busy. Multiple traders including Bristol Detailing Supplies, Deadly brand clothing, Metal Head Fabrication and many others were pitched inside and outside. There may have been a wide variety of cars in the show, but a couple of hot rods

36 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

Out and About Winter.indd 36

12/12/2022 14:33


Roger and Angela Flamank’s ’47 Ford Tudor, which will be no stranger to regular Custom Car readers, took the prize for the best vehicle in the paddock arena

Above: Inside the show hall, Garry Bennett’s blown hemi ’34 Coupe was doing its bit to bring the joys of hot rodding to a younger generation of modified car fans. It scored a Top 3 Best in Show gong for its efforts Wayne Wills’ Rover-engined kustom Zephyr looking good for a massive restoration programme and a whole lot of welding

Below: Some lovely detailing on this ’41 Master Deluxe. The pinstriping takes your eyes all round the houses, and the Airlift rig is a thing of beauty

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 37

Out and About Winter.indd 37

12/12/2022 14:34


Out & About

Fitment for a king

Carl Joscelyne’s Volkswagen 412 lowrider was one of the most talkedabout builds of the year in the air-cooled scene. No surprise at all to see it going home with the Best in Show award

were there to fly the flag come prizegiving. These were Garry Bennett’s previously featured blown hemi ’34 Coupe, which placed in the top three, and Roger and Angela Flamank’s ’47 Ford Tudor, also previously featured, which took the prize for the best vehicle in the paddock arena. I messaged Brad the next day to ask him how it went. ‘It had a different feel to Offset but it was still a busy, successful day,’ he said. ‘I’d like to thank all my sponsors for their continued support and to my amazing team for helping out. And a special thanks to my partner Lucy for putting up with me and supporting me!’ Having had a bit more time to reflect on his two shows, Brad has since come to the decision that for 2023, Wagon UK will concentrate solely on Offset. This means there won’t be a Fitment show next year – all the more reason to mark 15-16 April in your diary and get set for a weekend in the South-West! CC

JP Tuning’s superb ’69 Fiat 500 has been picking up trophies left, right and centre since making its debut last summer. It was placed in the top three here, and a few days later took first prize at Petrolheadonism

Anthony Fryett’s bagged Grumman LLV postal van never fails to grab the attention. It’s been a regular around the south-west show scene over the last year

38 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

Out and About Winter.indd 38

12/12/2022 14:34


Vintage Hot Rod Supplies Ltd

New!

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

YOUR SINGLE-SOURCE STREET ROD PARTS PROVIDER! 800,000+ PARTS IN STOCK!

1947–1953 BILLET GRILLE available plain or polished, with or without Chevrolet lettering. $1595–$2295

Electric Wiper Motors #EWFORD47

Buick 37–58 . . . . . . . . . . . . $230–$239 Cadillac 37–58 . . . . . . . . . . $230–$250 Chevy 37–67 . . . . . . . $198.75– $253.50 Dodge/Plymouth 40–50 . . . $239–$400 Ford 37–65 . . . . . . . . . . . . . $230–$400 Oldsmobile 37–58. . . . . . . . .$239 Lincoln 40–60 . . . . . . . . . . . $230–$239 Packard 38–40 . . . . . . . . . . .$239 Mercury 39–62 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $239 Pontiac 37–58 . . . . . . . . . . .$239

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

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

Tel: 07813135360 Email: sales@vintagehotrodsupplies.com Vintage Hot Rod Supplies, Moorlands Lane, Saltash PL12 4HJ, United Kingdom

Custom Car_2022_12_Dec_Vintage Hot Rod Supplies_QP.indd 1

Policy benefits can include Agreed valuations Club member discounts Limited mileage discounts

0800 085 5000 Authorised & regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

FREE CATALOG WITH YOUR ORDER! SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW US ON

ALL PRICES, PRODUCT IMAGES AND AVAILABILITY ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. PLEASE CALL FOR CURRENT AVAILABILITY AND PRICES

11/10/2022 12:51

Laid-up cover Breakdown cover Track & rally day cover

Call our UK team on

adrianflux.co.uk

CALL US TODAY! 01-360-835-9799 WWW.STREETRODHQ.COM

Modified, Close Ratios, Heavy Duty Modifi 50 Years of Experience Complete Boxes and Parts Mail Order or Collection Telephone: 01580 714114 bghgeartech@btconnect.com www.bghgeartech.co.uk Kent, TN17 3LE JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 39

CC Ad Spread.indd 3

12/12/2022 17:26


something in the air ■ Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Julian Hunt and (as credited) Dave Biggadyke

T

here was something in the air at the Hot Rod Drags this year. Actually, in reality was it was more a case of nothing in the air, with the density altitude being significantly lower than at recent events. That could only result in one thing – really quick times. Much to the delight of racers and spectators alike, that proved to be the case at the Hot Rod Drags in mid-September.

The Pod was buzzing all weekend Although cold at times, especially overnight on Friday, the weather pretty much played ball. Many PBs were run, one new record was set and the Pod was buzzing all weekend. With plenty of added entertainment away from the track, this really was a great weekend – a fitting finale to a season of street car racing. As Hod Rod Drags go, this 34th staging was up there with the best of them CC

 Simon Devos was getting air under the front tyres on his Frankenstien

Chevy throughout the weekend. Simon’s best of a string of 10-second passes was a was a 10.2761 / 127.62 on the Friday

uite a few Modi ed 100E drivers showed what they re made of Stuart Flitton ran a PB 9.8762 / 138.13 followed by a PB 9.8337 / 136.13 on the Friday. He upped the ante the following day with a 9.7235 / 138.28  It will come as no surprise that Brian Savidge clocked up a good

number of quarter-mile passes in his CC-featured ’32 roadster, 17 to be exact. Brian ran a best of 10.3444 / 128 then switched back to his road tyres for the 170 mile drive home Remember the red, yellow and green stripey Mustang campaigned in recent years by father and son Grahame and Kieron Smith? Well, it’s no longer multi-coloured, and Kieron ran it to a best of 11.6080 / 113.51 on the Friday which Whiff matched the following way

 Running in Gasser Circus, the winner of the NSRA Best Reaction Time

award was Lee Pike, in the Honky Tonkin’ II Chevy Nova, with a 0.0072. Car was sporting a for sale sign if you fancy joining the Circus

40 CUSTOM CAR WINTER 2023

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 40

12/12/2022 17:13


 Eight-second Sally Woolner s rst run in the Camaro was an off-par

9.0035 / 152.59. That didn’t faze her though as her next timing ticket read 8.2411 / 166.06. Good as that was, husband Justin’s best in the car was an 23 so that was her target time Sally s nal pass was a storming PB 8.2222 / 166.06, bagging her the bragging rights over the dinner table

 The Hayling Garage Duster sports a fresh paint scheme from when it

was campaigned by James Forster. A PB 9.4094 / 143.37 on the Friday was followed by a PB 9.3239 / 143.38, then a subsequent string of low to mid 9-second passes

 Loz Moules took full advantage of the favourable racing conditions

and ran a P 1 919

3 on the Saturday her rst ever 1 -second

Another Willys, another PB. John Dalrymple piloted his Full Tilt ’33 coupe to a best of 8.9642 / 154.15  Kevin Baker went home smiling after running a PB 11.8606 / 112.77

in his Austin A40 – and receiving an NSRA Dirty Dozen trophy

 Despite being on the road for 5 years,

the weekend saw the public debut of Ian Dawes’ ’51 Henry J. Power comes from a 750bhp 392 Hemi topped off with a 6.71 blower, but with all those horses the tyres struggled to nd traction an came away with a best of 12.9949 at 115.95mph, along with an NSRA Dirty Dozen trophy Inset pic: Dave Biggadyke

 Hot lapping Brian Watson picked up the award for most runs on

 A welcome change in the usual sea of ords and Chevys this 3

Pontiac usiness Coupe is a clean and tidy looking car

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

Friday, a tally of 13 passes – the quickest of which was a PB 13.001. So close to that 12, eh Brian? Brian also passed the magic ton with a fastest terminal speed of 103mph Capping off the weekend was his name being added to the list of NSRA Dirty Dozen winners Eleanor Jones generously helped out dad Lee Johnstone when it came to driving the Aint No Saint Volvo. Eleanor’s best was a 9.9810 / 135.37, Lee’s a PB 9.9253 / 137.74

 A proper family affair, Jon Byng with his Maestro diesel-powered Pop

and his son Tom in his Rover K-series-powered100E

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 41

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 41

12/12/2022 17:13


Renegade Outlaw Anglia It’s hard to believe the Outlaw Anglias have been entertaining the crowds with their heads up racing spectacle for 30 years now. In recent times, a couple of drivers have run 6-second quarters so the big question is, who will be the first to clock 200mph? That question wasn’t answered at the Hot Rod Drags – but there’s always next year, eh? Of late, the class has introduced bracket eliminations for those drivers who get knocked out in the early rounds. Rather than load your car on the trailer, you pick a dial in and have another go. Beats getting home in time to mow the grass on Sunday afternoon.  Colin Millar purged

ets of nitrous and ran a P 9 0 190 9 much to the delight of his crew especially Aaron Springford Colin later overcame oug McClure in E1 to take the championship then having dispensed with Mark racking ran a 2 3 1 against Rob Stone to book his passage into the nal he Flyin’ Fyfer wasn t uite so ying on that last run though and en Rushforth took the win although Colin did pick up trophies for the NSRA irty o en and for being the uickest Outlaw

saw 1 9 and with Power Wayne to farewell bid 9 1 0 an idswell off Spencer put him through to the nal en 02 1 1 Simon arlow being a no show an 232 1 1 13 against Colin Millar then took the laurels with an

A 9 91  en Rushforth proved dominant in the elimination rounds

 Wayne Power came into eliminations in place of edd

uy and went through E1 with a 10 021 12 1 over red lit ary ill A 10 0 9 12 in the next round was no match for en Rushwort though

inner Middletons rst ualifying run was an top spot e 3 0 1 1 3 momentarily putting him in ed th pairing couldn t improve on that though and uali ation round him against en ennedy in the rst elimin 0 2 an with h throug went inner (pictured here) next round 1 9 but he lost out to Rob Stone in the

ary king played sub for  Similarly Mark rac tion ina elim rst the in ird and was victorious rindle 131 0 against Rob round with a 10 3030 t of bes his ran n Mark the p against Colin Millar pulled a red but 0 131 0 212 10 the weekend a

 hat man Millar also got to Rob Stone Rob had already despatched avid Pearce and Phil Middleton, 8.5435 / 150.56 and 3 99 1 9 39 but an 3 99 1 9 39 was no match for the lyin yfer

 Phil

 Andy Agent Orange Cunningham ran a P 11

0 11 0 but was ultimately eliminated so went bracket racing instead e made it through round 1 against en ennedy but lost out in E2 to Pete utler pictured here

42 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 42

12/12/2022 10:18


Great save!

 Rob rindle ( 90 dial in) and Pete utler (11 10 dial in) faced up

in the Outlaw Anglia racket Elimination nal Pete was too uick and ran an 11 00 119 9 breakout allowing Rob to take the win with a measured 9 23 12 2

Save of the weekend goes to Gary Bird. In session 2 of Outlaw Anglia his Lucky Penny Pop went across the track at the finish line. Gary corrected it, although the car had all four wheels off the ground at one point. Great driving job Gary.

 A good few Nostalgia Superstock racers were participating in RW

sessions throughout the weekend including Phil obson who wrung a 10 2 10 2 out of his odge Coronet Ol’ Scatter Bolts running against ave Simcock

10 339 9 09  edd uy s rst ualifying run was a lifted

a storming 9 owever he was back on form in round 2 with ent however retirem ed enforc in ed 19 3 A split cam belt result

 ave Simcock pipped Ol’ Scatter Bolts on a couple of occasions the best from his Challenger being a 10 2 2 129 9

 Simon arlow came out in the second ualifying session and ran

191 1 1 which he improved with a 12 1 0 in the next round A 0 0 1 9 92 on Sunday morning waved goodbye to Rob Nixon as did a 10 1 3 1 to Mick aylor in E2 hat was as far as it went though as Simon was a no show for the next round

 Meanwhile Carly ayne Watts ran a 10

Shop Challenger

01 12 12 in the Watts

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 43

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 43

12/12/2022 10:18


Wild Bunch With a mix of Altereds, dragsters, slingshots and Funny Cars, the Wild Bunch proffered a field of 32 cars for the class’ final RWYB-type event of the season. As always, the racing was close and exciting and PBs abounded. Great job guys.  Steve Garlant ran the Sonic Attack 2

dragster to a PB 10.6626 / 119.97 on the Friday

 Having run a PB 7.6985 / 171.08 on the Friday, Alan Lloyd got progressively quicker in Gonzo the Great during Saturday’s qualifying rounds. His second run was an improvement to 7.6412 / 171.11 and the day ended with yet another PB, a 7.6063 / 171.76 earning him the NSRA Quickest Wild Bunch trophy  Allan Scho eld piloted the Rough Diamond ‘23T back in the 8s, the best of which was an 9 1 9 1 in the rst elimination round

 Gavin Meanley was driving the Charles Bang Special a dragster that rst ran in Cincinnati in the mid-60s and is now owned by Dean Butler. Gavin made a number of side-by-side passes alongside another Flathead-powered car, Back From The Past driven by Bradley Cooper. Who notched up the most wins is somewhat of an irrelevance against the sight of the two cars lining up against each other. We will, however, tell you that Bradley ran a 10.886 / 121.56 PB speed, bagging him the NSRA trophy for Quickest Flathead. Meanwhile, Gavin featured in the NSRA Dirty Dozen  Ruaridh Hart was making shakedown passes in his BraveHart Opel GT Funny Car. His best was a 12.1869 / 95.64 with the car in checkout mode

Gary Atkinson ran a PB 9.6147 / 132.95 on the Saturday in his Time Lock 2 Altered  Paul Brown took time off from giving

taxi rides and made a few passes in his BBQ Roadster, netting his best-ever timing slip in the car, an 8.3902 / 150.57

 An ET PB of 12.0621 at 115.66mph proved too

quick to better for Ian Wild in the Wilds’ Cat Jag straight six-powered Competition Altered

44 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 44

12/12/2022 10:18


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.

SEASON’S GREETINGS TO ALL OUR UK FRIENDS & CLIENTS 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

Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Rays Classics_FP.indd 1

650-361-8083

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

05/12/2022 09:17


Universal Polyurethane Products for your Custom Build SF1450 ANTI-ROLL BAR BUSHES 10 - 30 mm

SF0293 BUSH 17/8” OD SF1276 BUSH 1” OD SF2043 BUSH 11/8 ” OD SF0478 BUSH 13 /16” OD

SF0984KSS CLAMP STAINLESS STEEL

WELD ON SHELLS IN CDS TUBE New 17/8” OD Bush & Weld on CDS Shell kit. Engine Mountings, Rear Radius Arms etc. SF0293SBTK

Car_2022_12_Dec_Chris 46Custom CUSTOM CAR JANUARYWitor_HP.indd 2023

CC Ad Spread.indd 2

1

For prices, dimensions, hardness options and on-line sales visit our website at www.superflex.co.uk

25/10/2022 14:45

12/12/2022 17:28


 Saturday evening saw the now familiar on-track Cacklefest (not a ‘Cracklefest’, as the event programme called it

 Clinton Wildishs bagged

3 MC pick-up has a lot of custom touches which combine to make it that bit different to the norm on these shores

Plymouth elvedere runs 0ci mated to a 2 or ue ite transmission and wears its original Corporate lue paint Could be yours for 2 large

 Custom vans were thin on the ground this

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

time round but this odge A10 caught my eye wo-tone paint bullet hubcaps and white band tyres are all you need for added cool

 On the riday Robin Read ran his aimler-powered dragster to a

91 192 0 the NSRA uickest riday E but damaged its rear axle gears in the process e returned to base and rebuilt the axle with another set of gears offering a different ratio and on the Sunday ran a s uirrelly 3 1 swapping lanes at the end of the track

 I didn’t manage to get up close to Marc Lamude’s ’68 Camaro so I

can t con rm if it s been painted or wrapped since being featured or that matter can t con rm if Marc still owns it either as heard no mention of the driver s name he twin-turbo 00ci Chevy-powered car ran 312 1

 Crewman Aaron Springford put in a few RWYB passes in the Flyin’

Fyfer under the watchful eye of Colin Millar Aarons rst ever a 9 1 at 1 3 0 mph

he best of those carded

 ancy getting some strip action for yourself

he Assassin 3 ord coupe comes without engine transmission or rear axle for 12 00 t does come with a though

Pic: Dave Biggadyke

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 47

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 47

12/12/2022 10:18


NSRA DIRTY DOZEN

• Wayne Colliver, Misfit slingshot • Jack Hagan, ’28 Model A • Andrew Jackson, Triumph Herald • Brian Watson, ’33 coupe • Brian Daly, ’33 coupe • Jim Usher, Hemi Hunter • Nick Wait, ’39 Ford • Sharon Carver, Ford Prefect • Colin Millar, the Flyin’ Fyfer • Ian Dawes, ’51 Henry J • Kev Baker, Austin A40 • Gavin Meanley and Pete Ayres, Charles Bang Special

 One of the NSRA Dirty Dozen trophies went to Brian Daly, simply for driving his coupe down from Scotland then going for broke on the track, while

another went to Jim Usher and the Hemi Hunter team for keeping part of UK drag racing heritage alive and kicking

 Rod Harrison debuted his blown alky 540ci

big block Chevy ’23 T Altered. He put in 3 passes culminating in a 9.0120 / 136.15

 James Barry was getting to grips with the

ex-Street Eliminator Willys coupe built and raced by the late Gerry Treit, and ran a best of 10.0087 / 136.57. We understand James plans to run in Outlaw Street next season

 The Merv Barnett built roadster is not only

back on track after a 20 plus year break, it’s also back in the family. The man now behind the wheel is Merv’s son Nick, who ran a best of 13.7 seconds at 103mph

 On three occasions on both the Saturday and Sunday the same pairing pulled round for match races – four times on the Saturday actually as both

drivers pulled red lights in the same race. Those drivers were Trakbak Racing CEO Keith Bartlett, the man with the home advantage, and 2022 Street Eliminator champion Andy Bond. Keith was driving Roarin’ Rat and to keep things on a more even keel Andy left his race car at home and came along in its Not So Ugly Sister ’55 Chevy. Keith ran a best of 10.1321 / 130.93, and Andy a 10.0680 / 132.49. As for who won overall? Saturday went the way of Keith 2-1, whilst Andy took Sunday 2-1. Pretty even then

48 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 48

12/12/2022 10:18


Supercharged Outlaws The Supercharged Outlaws fielded a pack of 14 cars competing in 3 scheduled sessions on both the Saturday and Sunday. Wheelstands, PBs and even a new record were the order of the day. There was also an instance of body switching, then switching back again. As always, the racing was close and exciting with a few edge-ofseat moments thrown in for good measure.

 im reeman proved to be Mr Consistent in his El Loco euce coupe

A 9 339 1 12 straight off the trailer proved the uickest of his succession of 9-second passes throughout the weekend

 Wayne Allman was preparing for his rst run on the Saturday when he dis-

9 in the 1 Bootlegger Camaro is last run produced a wheelstanding Maybe 1 launch despite which he ran a P 9 0 bars wheelie and that 2023 for beckons an

 Simon oot kicked off with a 9

 Roy Wilding put in a stonking P 0 2 193 on the Saturday but at the expense of broken rocker arms Roy wouldn t let that stop his racing though so he nipped home to fetch replacements he following day he ran 23 19 9 against Aaron Windridge and then alongside Wayne Allmans -second pass a P 0 02 19 1 so close to side-by-side -second runs

covered Mental Breakdown had a distinct lack of oil pressure his was traced to a defunct oil pump and Wayne didn t have a spare a problem exacerbated by him already having stashed the ashes of former Super Comp racer Andy Williams in his chute oe ond came to the rescue with a loan pump and the following day Mental Breakdown bounced down the track to a 3 32 1 9 9 with Andy s ashes being released in the shutdown area Wayne then paired up alongside Roy Wilding and despite knowing the run was uick wasn t uite expecting his wife elen to tell him he d run his rst We caught up with Wayne in his underpants later when he told us the 990 199 9 timing ticket is dedicated to all those who doubted he would ever do it

 Robbie rabham pulled up to the line in the Freddy’s Revenge Altered on the riday and then ran a P 9 12 19 0 his rst ever t was a case of altered images when Robbie next pulled round as the team had switched to the West Country Shaker unny Car body his is actually the illbillies Avenger body raced in 19 - until suffering re damage at Snetterton t made a brief comeback in the 0s with the body having then been restored over the last couple of years Running in this guise Robbie ran a best of 1012 19 03 but then reverted to the more familar opolino on the Sunday due to a latching problem with the Avenger body

 Joe Bond ran Nuthing II Fancy to a trio of

2-second passes the rst a 2 19 219 0 and the last a 2 2 22 Sandwiched in between was something that bit special a 20 220 09 Not ust a P for oe but a new European record to boot

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 49

8pp Hot Rod Drags.indd 49

12/12/2022 10:18


Auto focus ■ Words and Pics: Keith Lee

This month, Keith catches up with drag racing stalwarts Glen and Tim Read

D

rag racing is very much a family sport. And while at the recent British Drag Racing Hall of Fame gala, I caught up with Glen Read and his brother Tim who were there to enjoy seeing their old rivals and friends, the Stones team, inducted. Their late father, Jim Read, made his mark in the sport both on and off track. There were four sons in total, with Steve and Robin being the other two. All of them were, and still are, involved in the drags, even though they are in their senior years. The Readspeed legacy all emanated from the family business, which was situated at the amusingly named Frogs Island in Oxfordshire. Jim’s family tree surgery operation would be home to the team vehicles, and he was always welcoming to other racers as well. I remember first meeting the Read clan when they arrived en masse for one of the BDR&HRA area meetings I had started in Berkshire, which must have been over the winter of 1969-70. They made an impression then, and still do. Not maybe the most obvious choice for drag racing, but Jim first raced his Volvo Amazon street car back in 1971, having been introduced to the sport by two of his sons who persuaded him to take them to

Above: Jim Read conducting the start line, as Stripteaser launches against Stagecoach Left: Steve Read trying out the cockpit of Jim’s rear-engined car for size. In the background, you can see the team bus dominating the pits at Santa Pod Below: Jim posing in the engine bay of his dragster, back in the Frogs Island workshop

Santa Pod in 1969. The Swedish motor gave way to a blue Camaro the following year. Glen meantime took over driving the Volvo, for his own first taste of racing. Late in ’72, Jim moved into the dragster ranks, with a car based around the old Weekend Warrior chassis assembly which was fitted with a Ford V8 motor and auto trans. It was called Autofrog and fittingly painted a muddy brown. It gave him a taste of something different, and it would not be long before he wanted something faster.

At the tail end of 1973, Jim and myself spent a week sharing an apartment in California during a drag racing trip. We both saw the result of a serious funny car fire, in the form of the remains of Butch Maas’ ravaged fire suit. At that time, a major fire had not occurred in the UK, but this sight at the Simpson shop was sobering – and Jim would be an early proponent of treating safety equipment properly, as scant regard was generally paid to safety gear at that time. Interestingly, although Tim was the

Left: Jim warming the hides of the rst car to carry the Le Patron name

Above: Glen Read launching hard in his neat little 1800cc Volvo powered entry

50 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

Auto Focus.indd 50

12/12/2022 15:10


only son who did not compete himself directly, in later years he would become part of the UK tech crew – and very much involved in checking safety equipment. Both Tim and Glen crewed for renowned Swedish racer Krister Johansson in the current millennium, until he retired. Now they support Jonny Lagg at races. Of Jim’s four sons, Steve was generally referred to as the wild one. He did go to Australia in the mid seventies. Steve has done a lot of racing around the world and in modern times established himself as a major Top Fuel racer down under. The ‘Pom’ Steve Read must have confused more than a few over there, given that their own top racer just happened to be a certain Jim Read – no relation. For a few years, the Read crew, under the name Readspeed, was a team which literally stood out in the pits. While most racers maybe had a van and beaten up trailer, Jim acquired an ex-Lesney Matchbox Toys double-decker staff bus, which transported their dragster downstairs, while the crew quarters/observation deck was on the upper deck. It was a popular place to watch the racing from, given the unobstructed vantage point! Our Jim had become involved with the BDR&HRA committee right from his early days in the sport and would serve as club chairman for a good number of years, as he worked to improve the sport he loved. When he wasn’t racing, he would often appear on the start line, doing stints as an unofficial starter at Santa Pod and keeping an eye on how things were working. Pro Comp started in 1975 and it became a popular addition, as it featured a mix of dragsters, funnies and altereds. It would be a class which would feature the Read name for many years to come.

Above left: Bird’s eye view of the business end of the rear-engined car, which did so much travelling around Europe Above right: Sat in the pits is the Camaro which Jim used to run in the early 70s, before later turning his attention to the dragster ranks Right: Hard to believe that Robin Read’s Spirit of Le Patron is only 2.5 litres. He ran 6.37s/208mph following this burnout. Team member Bill Mears on the right

Left: Jim was taken with the truck at Ed Donovan’s factory. He would later buy the ex-Priddle Ford F100 which did many, many miles hauling the trailer around the tracks. len nally ran it into the ground in Norway, where he now lives

Jim debuted his blown hemi, called Le Patron in mid ’75. He had wanted to buy the Mister Six car from Dennis Priddle but ended up purchasing the previous Hot Wheels slingshot rolling chassis. Paintwork was by friend and noted custom bike builder Uncle Bunt, aka John Reed. Others running under the Readspeed banner included Glen, who built a Harold Bull-chassied dragster the previous year – still sticking to Volvo power. Local bike racers Bob Beckwith and Ray Elger also saw their machines refinished in scroll designs from Uncle Bunt. Way before his record-setting Daimlers, Robin’s first four wheel action would, like Glen, feature Volvo power in his Junior Dragster entry. Knowing that he needed a more modern design to be competitive, Jim called on Dennis Priddle to construct a rear motor car for him. This would be the first Priddle RED design seen in action and it would prove to be a very successful and long-lived machine.

When we were out in California, Jim struck up a friendship with engine manufacturer Ed Donovan. Naturally it was Ed who he got to supply one of the 417 Donovans to power the new racer, which rolled into action in 1978. It proved to be a great car, which saw so much action in the following decade as the family competed all over the continent. Jim took it into the sixes, prior to Steve taking on the driving duties. Sadly, Jim suffered heart problems and passed away at the tail end of the eighties. The only one of Jim’s sons still actually driving is Robin – who, with the help of his his dedicated crew, has achieved so much with his tiny blown Daimler powered cars, having clocked a mighty 6.37s/208mph at this year’s Nostalgia Nationals. He has come a long way since his earliest quarter mile excursions riding my old Triumph powered Lambretta! The Spirit of Le Patron name of Robin’s latest car serves as a fitting tribute to the Readspeed patriarch.

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 51

Auto Focus.indd 51

12/12/2022 15:10


the Custom Car years January 1973: How Custom Car and the world looked 50 years ago Baikonur, 8 January: The USSR’s Luna 21 Moon mission blasts off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It lands a week later in the Le Monnier Crater after two days orbiting the lunar surface and deploys its payload, the eight-wheeled Lunokhod 2 rover, which goes on to beam more than 80,000 pictures back to Earth over the next four months. Lunokhod 2 is finally abandoned on the Moon after being rolled into a crater in what must surely remain the only ever extra-terrestrial road stack.

Paris, 23 January: The Paris Peace Accord signals the USA’s agreement to withdraw from Vietnam. Following years of sometimes acrimonious negotiations, Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho reach an understanding which will, in the words of President Nixon, bring ‘peace with honour in Vietnam and South-East Asia.’ All American prisoners of war will be released under the terms of the ceasefire, which is due to take place on 27 January. On the morning of the 27th, a few hours before the ceasefire takes effect, Private Mark Miller of the US Marine Corps, stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigon, becomes the first American to die as a result of enemy action since the signing of the accord. Three days later, the US Department of Defense receives a list of 555 POWs to be released; it includes the name of Private Ronald Ridgeway, who in February 1968 had been listed as killed in action. Ridgeway is finally released in March after more than five years as a POW, spending almost all of them presumed dead.

A mighty funny Avenger

MAKING ITS DEBUT THIS YEAR, this Hillman Avenger is co-owned by Jeff Morris, Kevin Burrows and Rob Spence, all of whom share the driving as they did the building. Its body is of stock length and dimensions, unlike the usually much-modified funny body, but rather than being actually stock it is in fact all glassfibre – and totally home-built to a very high standard. Oblivion’s chassis is built of 1.375” 14-gauge and 1.625” 12-gauge for the main rails and roll cage, with the usual collection of small bore stuff linking it all together. Its wheelbase is 108”, with the front axle carrying 100E spindles and home-built hubs with Pirelli-shod Avenger wheels. Coil shocks control the action of their own axles, while the steering is looked after by a Standard 10 box. The rear is Chevy with 4.11:1 gears spinning 8.90 Kellys on 8.5” American Mags, while Jag discs take

over from the chute when speeds get under the 100 mark. The engine started life in a junior fueler which disappeared from the scene after one full season of appearances. It’s a nearstock 283 Chevy with fuelly heads and Hilborn injection. A Scintilla mag fires the action through Champion plugs. Behind the engine, a Borg and Beck clutch is linked to a Chevy box using only two of the three gears. Although the car is yet to make a full power run, it has already posted a time of 11.9 (110mph).

52 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 52

12/12/2022 11:05


CUSTOM CHEVROLET

London, 1 January: The United Kingdom, along with Denmark and the Republic of Ireland, joins the European Economic Community. The Common Market thus expands from six to nine members. Everyone agrees that this is sure to end well. Wilmington, Delaware, 5 January: Junior Senator Joe Biden is sworn in at a chapel in Wilmington General Hospital, Delaware, where his son remains following the car crash on 18 December that killed Biden’s wife and daughter.

HOPPING UP ’56 CHEVY SEDANS with the street racer look is almost a commonplace local craft over on the West Coast of America. And thanks to the large number of these vehicles shipped overseas, even Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and would you believe the UK have their share of ‘56s in the jealous hands of enthusiastic rodders. ut ya gotta go a long way to find another 1956 Highway Patrol Chevy. Of course, it ain’t a real prowl car. But who cares? This fake fuzzmobile was originally conceived by the guys at Action Automotive, purveyors of stickers and American auto mags, as a low-budget talking point for the ’72 Listow Car Show… just something different. Getting the car ready for the Show was a rush operation and even now AA reckon the project is incomplete. So meantime the car is just day-to-day transport and a rolling advertisement for street racing, drag racing and the great self-adhesive decal revolution that Action Automotive hopes will one day descend on us all. Basically, as they say, the machine is stock, though the 283ci (4.9-litre) smallblock motor is in fact a later variant of the original 265-cube powerplant. Innards for the motor are all regular Chevy items, with the exception of Jahns pistons and a mild Duntov cam. Carburation is still in the hands of a tiny 2bbl Rochester, though a bumpy manifold and a big four-barrel will get fitted when time is available. Ignition is boosted by a TRD transistorised unit feeding a bunch of NGK plugs, a set-up that’s proved very reliable for daily chokeless cold starts and the one or two occasions that the beast has been driven in anger (Panda cars have proved easy meat).

Lubrication is courtesy of regular Mobiloil, filtered by a ram cartridge and insured with ynns acing ormula. A Zoom street’n’strip clutch, carried as in- ight luggage after a visit to on arlits Hi- erformance orld in lorida, carries power to the three-speed manual box and stock rear end. A r asket oor-shift conversion (only available for left-hookers) was added in the hope of more positive shifting, but the extra stretch required from the right-hand driving position (the car is a Canadian model), plus several bolt failures, have put the curse on this particular bolton and the AA boys refer to it as a ‘pain in the arse’ rather than an improvement. The suspension and tyre/wheel set-up has been more successful, with Spax adjustable dampers all round giving excellent variable ride control. ront coils are stock, while the jacked-up rear end comes about with the aid of a set of 6” Durachrome lift brackets. Straight-line stability is reputedly pretty good but we understand a trolley jack comes in handy for high-speed cornering. Cosmic wheels carrying 14” Kelly rubber up front and 15” Dunlops at the rear contribute to the hiked appearance, while s acers hel fill out the wheelarches. Bodywork alterations include a functional hood scoop and a glass replica rear bumper. The front bumper was discarded to save weight (around 15cwt) and a couple of neat stainless-steel nerf bars added to legalise the cars rofile. . inal add-ons include two Hella red ashing lights, a rant steering wheel and a Yazaki tach. All that’s missing is a current-style Stateside police ‘yelper’ siren, but apparently nobody’s yet come up with a sensible price on one…

Washington, 20 January: Against the background of the building Watergate scandal, Richard Nixon is inaugurated for his second term as President of the USA. ‘We stand on the threshold of a new era of peace in the world,’ he says in his inaugural address. ‘How shall we use that peace?’ Indictment proceedings begin the following summer. Heimaey, Iceland, 23 January: All 5500 inhabitants of Heimaey, an island off the southwest coast of celand, ee in an emer ency evacuation after the Eldfell volcano erupts with no notice in the middle of the night. he initial fissure o ens u to a len th of almost two miles, cutting the island in half; residents esca e on fishin boats docked in estmannaey ar harbour, the first of which sets off for the mainland within half an hour of the eruption beginning.

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 53

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 53

12/12/2022 11:05


the Custom Car years HIT PARADE The youngest singer ever to record a number one hit remains at the top for the fourth of his five-week run at Osmond mania continues to sweep the country.

A greener shade of black UK Top 10 Singles, 7 January 1973 1 (1) Long Haired Lover From Liverpool Little Jimmy Osmond 2 (4) The Jean Genie David Bowie 3 (2) Solid Gold Easy Action T.Rex 4 (3) Crazy Horses The Osmonds 5 (10) Hi Hi Hi/C.Moon Wings 6 (15) Ball Park Incident Wizzard 7 (20) You’re So Vain Carly Simon 8 (11) Big Seven Judge Dread 9 (5) Gudbuy T’Jane Slade 10 (13) Always On My Mind Elvis Presley

BLACK WIDOW IS A RARE THING, a Model T with a genuine steel body. The property of Pete Ferris, it runs a Pontiac 389 HO and despite its name, it’s mainly green. his definitely doesnt mean ete is colour blind. He’s actually making quite the name for himself as a trick paint sprayer, which is a sideline to his main business in repairing damaged bodywork on boring cars. He’s also the chairman of the Nottingham Drag and Custom Club, so when he decided to build himself a T it had to be right. And right in this case means steel. The chassis is a very basic 3x2” box section affair, which etes com any Motors sells ready-drilled to accept Herald suspension and running gear. Pete went one better here and opted for Vitesse independent front suspension for the simple reason that this comes with discs. The back end is from a 2.4 Jag, chosen mainly for ease of installation, but the ratios are a little on the low side so Pete’s got a 3.4 unit lined up to slot in. Rear shocks are the front units from a Lotus Elan, just with softer springs. Brakes are the stock Jaguar ones, aided by a 6” Jag servo. The body and pickup bed, as you may have guessed by now, are all hand-made from sheet steel. So too are the opening

doors and pickup gate; in total, the whole lot took about four months to make. When it came to designing the body, Pete simply got a Monogram plastic kit and a bundle of magazines from about 1960 onwards, and worked from that. No drawings, just a set of measurements. Pete never works from drawings: ‘If you get something exactly right, it won’t look right. So I just aim to get it to look right.’ Easier said, you might reasonably think, than done. And you would find ete agreeing with you, because while presumably he was content with the original results he’s already getting the itch to bring them into the 1970s. Trouble is, he says, it looks like something the Kaliforny kids were running around in four or five years ago. Well, we can only write about what we see before us so let’s talk about the here and now. The paint job started with a base coat of Ford Aquatic Jade green, over which went a full coat of elly reen ake. Thirty coats of lacquer later (T-H-I-R-T-Y), it was ready for the white acrylic cobwebbing, which was likewise lacquered, and then it was masked into panels and finished off with matt black. The upholstery is real black hide and was deep diamond tufted by a friend – the

New entries this month: • Blockbuster (The Sweet) • If you don’t know me by now (Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes) • Me and Mrs Jones (Billy Paul) • Roll Over Beethoven (ELO) • Whisky in the Jar (Thin Lizzy) • Baby I Love You (Dave Edmunds) • Superstition (Stevie Wonder)

54 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 54

12/12/2022 11:05


New York, 5 January: US rockers Aerosmith release their first album, also titled Aerosmith. With the exception of vocalist teve yler, most of the band have never been in a studio before. t doesn t a ear to ut them off.

only job Pete didn’t do himself. The seat base, oor, gearbo tunnel and firewall are one iece of late aluminium, which ete had welded u locally. he icku bed is trimmed in black car eting, and the inside of the tailgate has been covered in the same hide as the driving com artment. ete didnt want to clutter u the dash too much, so he aimed for a eriod effect and installed just three small gauges s eedo, rev counter and fuel gauge . he lights are housed on a Herald steering column H , note , which is to ed by an Astrali wheel. he bottom of the column is fitted to a edford cwt steering bo , while the edals are out of a ontiac gas and a addy brake . heels were made to etes own s ec out of , then double heat treated. ou ve got to remember that when lack idow was started, there wasnt too much around in this country, so while getting them cast and machined to his own atterns was e ensive it was either that or im ort a set. Si es are back with unlo rubber and at the front, wra ed in oodyears. he only thing left to tell you about is the engine. A ci H High ut ut

ontiac motor, its rated at bh bog standard. hich its not. he headers are hand-crafted and took three weeks to make they dum out into a collector on each side, and then underneath and out through silencers, with blanking lates for stri use. heres a remote oil filter, cooler for the gearbo , etes own valve s rings, jam nuts on the rockers, ickey hom son rocker bo covers, al ustom wing nuts, breathers and air cleaners what else do you want to know Add home-made fuel block and lines and an delbrock manifold with three -barrel ochesters, and its robably um ing out something like of ncle Sams favourite little onies through the -s eed Su er Hydro gearbo , shifted courtesy a modified ord ecutive cog-swa er. hough the erformance hasnt actually been clocked yet, the - time should be as low as . seconds, maybe even less. ith the . back a le it o s wheelies at every shift, which doesnt hel . n the stri , its at out about two-thirds of the way along – at about m h – so the new . rear end should work wonders.

Honolulu, 14 January. Elvis Presley performs live from onolulu, at 2. am local time. he concert, billed Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite, is broadcast live in Australia, a an and south east Asia, while uro e sees it the followin afternoon. n the A, to avoid a schedulin clash with u erbowl the show is not broadcast until A ril by which time the soundtrack album has already become a latinum sellin chart to er.

New York, 24 January: ollowin his s lit with Art arfunkel, Paul imon s rowin solo career sees the launch of an e onymous album featurin the future sin le Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard. ther albums released this month include Hendrix in the West by imi endri , Weird Scenes Inside the Gold Mine by he oors, Young, Gifted and Black by Aretha ranklin and Hands of Jack the Ripper by creamin Lord utch. New York, 30 January: Little known heavy metal band icked Lester don face aint and lay to customers at the Po corn lub in ueens, ew ork their first i under their new name of .

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 55

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 55

12/12/2022 11:05


the Custom Car years London/Holmfirth, 4 January: The BBC’s Comedy Playhouse programme broadcasts the pilot episode for a show titled Last of the Summer Wine. It goes on to become one of the longer running TV series of all time, seeing off eight prime ministers and eleven n land mana ers before its final e isode is aired on 29 August 2010. London, 9 January: Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads, starring James Bolam and Rodney Bewes, makes its debut on BBC1, reviving characters created for the original Likely Lads series in 1964. London, 11 January: The Open University, which opened two years previously, awards the first di lomas to students studyin via its distance learning programmes on BBC2.

Los Angeles, 28 January: The Godfather is named Best Picture (Drama) at the 30th Golden Globe Awards. In addition, Marlon Brando is Best Actor for the role of Vito Corleone while Francis Ford Coppola is Best Director and Mario Puzo, along with Coppola, get Best Screenplay. Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) goes to Cabaret, with Liza Minelli getting the Best Actress award. Stonewall, Texas, 22 January: Lyndon Baines Johnson, US President from 1963 to 1969, dies of a heart attack at his ranch in Texas. Coming less than a month after the death of Harry Truman, LBJ’s passing means that for the first time in years, there are no former Presidents left alive.

BILL BEMAN IS THE OWNER of what must surely be the only Standard Vanguard to have had the hot rod treatment. he first all-new British car to come out after WWII, this was launched in 1948 as the Standard factory converted back from making aircraft and utility trucks for the Ministry. es ite the clear American in uence in its styling, which was penned by Walter Belgrove, the Vanguard was as British as the Union Jack it bore on its side. Bill bought his when it was already 17 years old. It had covered just 46,000 miles, all in the hands of one owner, and it cost £95. or five years he ke t it unchanged, save to remedy massive body roll and terrible front end dive, which under braking had the front shocker mounts grinding on the road. Even a socking great anti-roll bar from a Humber Pullman failed to help, however, so Bill decided he was going to build it into a real Street Rod. First the engine and gearbox came out to make way for A units. hese fitted without any significant bother as the s orts car motor is a very close relation of the original engine. Before the swap, the 4A engine had a bore and rebuild and gained a cross-drilled crank, and the cylinder head had some rudimentary work carried out to make it more e cient for the air of ebers. A ortion of the oor was removed to accommodate the four-s eed oor shift of the 4A box, with overdrive. The original three speed column change had of course been junked. The forties’ suspension would have been pretty lethal with sports car power, so the front was treated to a pair of shockers per side and some new coil springs, which seemed to do the trick. A steering damper gave the handling a more confident feel, too. At the rear, Bill got busy fabricating some tramp bars and also a lateral sway bar, which icks u off the shock mountings and runs over the back axle. That axle, incidentally is still the original part. Roll has been cut down to a minimum, so this home-made set-u has aid off.

A twin bar has also been tried, with even greater effect. ide is now com letely transformed, too, after fitting some seventeen-leaf s rings from a hase ne van. So it rides better, it steers better and it handles better, but the the Vanguard is still a considerably heavy machine. This prompted Bill to change the original 7” front brakes for some 10” drums from a later hase hree model. nce again its been left original at the back, and with a big servo hooked into the braking circuit stopping is most satisfactory. Weight again demands some substantial wheel and tyre equipment. So the customiser’s best friends, Dunlop SP Sports, are fitted to the rear on . rims and to . s on the front. A pleasant feature is the adaptation of the dummy Triumph 2.5 PI wheelplates; these had the outer circumference ground off them so they could fit dee into the wheels. Paint is Laurel Green, a now-discontinued Rootes colour with a deep metallic hue. Numerous coats have been applied – so many that when a deep scratch was recently being attended to, filler had to be used to build up the paint thickness. Much elbow grease has resulted in a high gloss finish, and eriodic olishing due to the car being kept outside has resulted in an immaculate finish. A contrasting s rayon vinyl roof and black wing top panels enhance the bulging lines. The interior has been changed around as you would expect, however the original roof lining and rear seat still remain. Identification of the front seats roved them to be from a 2.5 PI, as are some of the new instruments. A centre console has been built to cover the entry point of the gear shift and also to house the stereo pack. After all these changes, the Vanguard returns 18-second ETs on the strip, which is fair enough for a car which will be a quarter of a century old this year. Bill still uses it for the family’s annual grand continental tour, too, which is a 1000-mile round trip at least, and it has always lapped it up without any technical hitches.

56 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 56

12/12/2022 11:05


Margate, 13 January: In the 3rd Round of the FA Cup, non-league Margate pull out a plum tie with UEFA Cup holders Tottenham Hotspur. A record crowd of 14,169 pack into the club’s Hartsdown Park ground to see a full-strength Spurs run out 6-0 winners. Elsewhere, a miserable season for Manchester United continues with defeat at Wolves, and Sunderland are taken to a replay by Notts County – before embarking on a cup run which ends in a famous victory against Leeds nited in the final at embley.

TURNS OUT RUDOLF THE RED-NOSED ESCORT IS KIND OF RED-BLOODED, TOO THIS FORD ESCORT IS THE WORK OF DAVE AND DENNIS STONE OF DAGENHAM, drag race car builders of international repute. It’s called Rudolph because it has two bonnets, both with bulges in them, and one of these is red. So it’s Rudolf the Red Nosed Escort. Well, sometimes it is. Under the bulge? Not a blower, no, just a couple of very large downdraught Webers mounted on a home-made manifold that leads down to a fairly cooking V6. he bonnet is glassfibre, obviously, but the rest of the body is in standard steel. In

fact, despite the sheer attitude of the thing it’s a straight Escort 1100 shell. The car was built purely for drag racing, so there are no handling modifications to it at all. And it must be said that it does shiver a bit when you so much as think about taking a corner in it. It is fully licensed and road legal, though – which makes it the ultimate in tra c light s ecials. Running skinny cross-plies up front and fat hides on seven-inch wheels at the back, the Escort really catches attention on the street. The dark blue colour is far from loud but turns out there’s more to it than that. There’s not really a great deal to say about Rudolf apart from that. Its interior has had a little light customising amounting to a central console and instrument panel but just about everything else is standard, including the brakes. Its current fastest ET at the Pod is 13.98, with a terminal of just under 100mph.

Los Angeles, 14 January: Miami Dolphins defeat Washington Redskins 41-7 to win Superbowl VII and complete the only 100% victorious season in history.

Kingston, 22 January: World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier is beaten by 23 year old challenger George Foreman. Billed as The Sunshine Showdown, the bout in Kingston, Jamaica is one of the most one-sided title fi hts in history, with ra ier knocked down six times before the referee calls a halt 95 seconds into the second round.

Amsterdam, 24 January: Led by Johan ruyff, A a win the first uro ean u er Cup. The Dutch giants beat Glasgow Rangers 3-2 at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam, securing a 6-3 aggregate victory. Picture: Bert Verhoeff / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons Buenos Aires, 28 January: Emerson Fittipaldi wins the Argentine Grand Prix in his Lotus-Ford, with Francois Cevert second and Jackie Stewart third

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 57

6pp CC Years Jan 23.indd 57

12/12/2022 11:05


NEW CATALOGUE ISSUE 16

Nationwide Transportation Available

Rubber seals and trims for classic, modern and kit cars SOLVE YOUR SEALING PROBLEMS MARINEINDUSTRIALCARAVANAUTOMOTIVE

FREE, fully y illustrated catalogue Please viisit i our website or call

01425 617722

Seals+Direct ctt Ltd, Unit 6, Milton Business ss s Centre, Wick Drive, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 6RH Email: sales@sealsplusdirect ct.co.uk t

MARINEINDUSTRIALCARAVANAUTOMOTIVE www.sealsdirect.co.uk

Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Mobile Welding Services_EP.indd 1

08/12/2022 10:25 Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Seals & Direct_EP.indd 1

08/12/2022 10:26

Enthusiastic buyers of

EMAIL: amglass100@gmail.com

Classic American Cars, Trucks & Hot Rods

www.americanglass.co.uk

07836 226228/01245 248888 sales@standrewsautos.co.uk www.standrewsautos.co.uk

Call Andrew on

Please mention when responding to adverts

Contact Tim on:

Custom Car_2022_04_Apr_VAlley Gas Speed Shop_EP.indd 1

10/02/2022 13:47

07714 018359 Parts & Panels for Customs, Classics, Hotrods & Trucks

­

58 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

Classified.indd 58

12/12/2022 17:34


Aquaplane performance parts for Ford Side-valve, 100E and 105E engines. Huge stock of spares for 8/10hp Fords Classic engine parts. Huge stock of old pistons, valves, bearings, springs, gaskets, rings, ring gear, conrods

The leading specialist manufacturer and supplier of parts, fittings and accessories for the restoration and maintenance of vintage and classic vehicles, kit cars and hod rods. Quote CC23 for 10% discount on your first order

01684 212882 Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Vintage & Classic Spares_HP.indd 1

Custom Car_2022_11_Nov_Graham Sykes Ltd_HP.indd 1

Classified.indd 59

Windscreen wiper assembly kits, fuel pumps, rebuild kits, oil filter conversions, all fluid systems, classic ignition systems Free-standing headlights, chrome & black, Rear lamps, Mirrors, Heater boxes, Handles, Trim and Badges Many unique parts remanufactured Ford 8/10hp UJ Cortina Mk1 Top Mounts Rubber Seals

www.vintageandclassicspares.co.uk 08/12/2022 16:47

05/09/2022 14:59

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 59

12/12/2022 17:36


BRENTACRE CUSTOM CAR & HOT ROD INSURANCE

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

www.customcarmag.co.uk

DECEMBER 26 Cold Turkey Meet. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 31 All American Cruise In / Frozen Fins. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

JANUARY 4 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 17 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 24-26 Autosport International NEC, Birmingham. www. autosportinternational.com 28 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18 Spitfire Raceway Drag’n’Drift. Parranporth Airfield, St Agnes, Cornwall. www.perranporthdrivingcentre.com

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

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

18 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events

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

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

FEBRUARY

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

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

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

21 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 24-26 Classic Car and Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham. www. necrestorationshow.com 25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 25 Run What Ya Brung Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 26 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 27 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

60 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

4pp Events.indd 60

12/12/2022 15:27


APRIL 1 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 1-2 Straightliners Race Meet Santa Pod. www.straightliners.events 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

Above: VanJam – Fir Tree Farm, Warmington, 2-4 June Pic: Jo Robbins

15-16 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

Opposite: NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals – Old Warden, 10-13 August Pic: Dave Biggadyke

15-16 Wagon UK Offset Show Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge. www.wgnuk.com

13-14 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

4 Plus Four Four Show Hartham Park, Wiltshire. www. plusfourfourautomotive.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

20-23 Race the Waves Bridlington. www.backfirepromotions.com

19-21 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

22 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events

20-21 Custom and Classic Show Earlswood, Solihull. www. motormayhemcc.co.uk

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

20-21 Duchy Capri Club Show Constantine Bay, Padstow, Cornwall. www.duchycapriclub.co.uk

25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.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 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

21 Herts Auto Show Oaklands College, St Albans. www. hertsautoshow.co.uk 26-29 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

8-11 Hot Rods and Hills Park Foot Holiday Park, Pooley Bridge, Cumbria. parkfootullswater.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

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

17-18 Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races Pendine, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. www.vhra.co.uk

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

17-18 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

JUNE

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

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

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

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

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

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 61

4pp Events.indd 61

12/12/2022 15:27


BRENTACRE CUSTOM CAR & HOT ROD INSURANCE

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 Straightliners Race Meet Llanbedr Airfield, Llanbedr, Gwynedd. www.straightliners.events 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 Above: Hot Rod Drags – Santa Pod, 15-17 September Pic: Julian Hunt

24 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 24 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 24-25 Top Speed Meeting Machrihanish Airport, Campbeltown, Argyll. www.straightliners.events 25 Fast Show Reloaded Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 30-2 Summer Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

JULY 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

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 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

8-9 Kernow Old Vehicle Rally Penhallow. KOVC Facebook

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

13-16 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com

10-13 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden Park, Biggleswade. www.nsra.org.uk

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

11-13 Retrofestival Newbury Showground. www.retrofestival.co.uk

15-16 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

12 Best of British Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

16 Ford Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12 Drag & Drift Dakota Raceway, Honiton, Devon. www.straightliners. events

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

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

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

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

21-23 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

18-20 Greenlight Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

62 CUSTOM CAR JANUARY 2023

4pp Events.indd 62

12/12/2022 15:28


25-27 GOW! Speed Hill Climb Prescott Hill, Cheltenham, Cotswolds. www.vhra.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 Jurby Drag Racing Jurby, Isle of Man. www.straightliners.events 6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 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

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

28 Flame & Thunder Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

OCTOBER

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

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

NOVEMBER

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

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

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www. straightliners.events

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

9 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events 14 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 15 Straightliners Race Meet Santa Pod. www.straightliners.events 17 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 6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

15-17 Hot Rod Drags Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.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 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 Historic Vehicle Gathering – Powderham Castle, Devon, 8-9 July Pic: James Webber

JANUARY 2023 CUSTOM CAR 63

4pp Events.indd 63

12/12/2022 15:28


FEBRUARY 2023 £4.99

on ’2Febr sa 3 uar le iss y 19 ue Ja nu ary

h t n o m t x e n g n i Com issue, visit www.amedia-shop.co.uk

ruary To pre-order the Feb 1p Next Month Dec.indd 64

08/12/2022 07:38


Official Broker of the NSRA Authorised and regulated by the FCA

Custom Car_2023_01_Jan_Classicline Insurance_FP.indd 1

30/11/2022 12:05


  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       



    

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

KEY: An asterisk [*] indicates the Gold Card club price is being quoted.

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

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

Custom Car_2022_07_July_Real Steel_FP.indd 1

03/05/2022 15:59


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.