Custom Car - October 2022

OCTOBER 2022 £4.99

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Contents

N is ove 29 su m Se e o be pt n r ’2 em sa 2 be le r

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

22

Regulars 2

News & reviews

56 Auto focus

Cannonball running

58 Events

See the year out in style

62 From the archive A 1972-style C-Cab

Out and About 42 Rumble in the jungle

Well, the Home Counties at least

46 Plus marks

A big turnout in Wiltshire

50

48 Wheely good weekend AKA the Weekend of Wheels

Features 6

Superb Supernats The NSRA pulls it off in epic style

6

22 Father and son Two guys, two rods, one happy family

34 Bags of class

2

A mild but magnificent Caddy

50 Mains power Watch those records fall

56 www.customcarmag.co.uk

IN PROGRESS CC Contents Oct.indd 1

Others

32 Custom Car subs offer

Leaves you more money for gas

34

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News & reviews

Pat Ganahl AS WE WERE GOING TO PRESS ON THIS ISSUE OF CUSTOM CAR, news broke that Pat Ganahl had died at the age of 75 while racing his instantly recognisable Ike Iacono dragster at Riverdale Raceway in Washington.

A legend among hot rodders, Pat was known throughout the community as a journalist and historian whose wisdom and knowledge was without equal. More than that, though, he was famed for his warmth, humour and sincerity… not to mention his tremendous height.

We mention this because one of the many, many tributes made as the American rodding community was coming to terms with the news stood out for its pithy charm: ‘Though he was eight feet tall, he never talked down to you.’

More than just a writer, Pat was part of the scene. While he did race, and the dragster he restored was synonymous with him, his principal focus was on hot rods rather than competition cars – however throughout both worlds he was held in the highest regard. In the hours after news broke of his passing, US forums were awash with stories told by those whose lives he had touched; whether by taking the time to speak to them at shows, replying unexpectedly to fan mail or helping them in whatever way he could. He was a teacher but also an ally, often using his influence to rally support for those who needed it.

It would be easy to assume that for someone so devoted to hot rodding, cars would be Pat’s sole focus. But no scene would be anything without its people, and

FANCY A POP WITH A DIFFERENCE? This one has been in the same hands since 1988 and is now for sale ‘to someone who will take care of it and make it their next project.’

Its owner, Mike Leake, says it’s the only Pop-based limousine in existence that he knows of.

Its chassis was made by Westbourne Fender Works in Hampshire and it runs Jaguar front and rear suspension – as well as a Jag V12 engine.

A lot of work to be done but you could make something truly unique out of this.

Mike’s looking for £5000; give him a bell on 07771 686039.

he never lost sight of this. ‘If you think cars are the most important thing in life,’ he once said, ‘think again.’

In this modern, online world of selfproclaimed experts, humility is the mark of someone truly worth listening to. So too is the willingness, all too rare, to yield the floor and listen, which is what Pat would do when the conversation became technical.

And that was Pat Ganahl: humble, human, and a man whose passing robs the hot rod community of perhaps the most knowledgeable mind it has ever had. Our sympathy goes to his family and friends, and to all the very many people whose lives he enriched.

Pat Ganahl, 2 June 1947 – 19 August 2022.

Rest in Peace

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EDITORIAL Group Editor: Alan Kidd alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk Art Editor: Sam D’Souza Contributors Dave Biggadyke, Mike Pye, Lesley Brown, Alice Fairhead, James Webber, Olly Sack, Keith Lee, Tim Ball

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Unworthy words

Love this…

Hands-on: hands-off FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, this has been one of the most hallowed editors’ chairs in existence. It has been home to a list of equally hallowed names – names like Tony Thacker, Keith Seume, Tim Baggaley and Kev Elliott. And most recently, of course, Dave Biggadyke.

But not me. I’m not the new editor of Custom Car. I’m not worthy of that.

As most of you know, CC has just changed hands. You know this because last month, its previous editorial team said their farewells in this very column.

I’m well aware that this is an extremely tight-knit community. The guys at the top until shortly before Custom Car changed hands are very much part of it, and I know that an awful lot of you are suspicious about its new owners’ motives – not least because for many of you, those guys are personal friends.

Custom Car is going to remain just as you know it I know some bitterness exists towards the magazine’s new owners, too. I wish I could talk openly about this, but out of privacy and respect I will ask you only to steer clear of jumping to conclusions.

What I can tell you is that we’re not here to plunder Custom Car. We’re here to ensure it has a future.

So, to answer a question many of you have been asking, who are the new team?

Let me name some names. You’ll see in this issue that Dave and his right-hand man Mike Pye are still right on the scene.

There’s been a civil, honest dialogue between us from the outset (I know Mike of old, as it happens) and that’s still ongoing, but I hold these guys in the highest regard and my number one priority is for you to still be reading their features month after month.

Other members of the new team? Alice Fairhead, Tony Thacker, Keith Lee, Julian Hunt, James Webber, Keith Harman… so,

not new at all. I’ve been in touch with all of them and more to reassure them that it’s business as usual.

As for me, I’ve been doing Land Rovers for most of my career. So, writing about people with a passion for modifying old cars, then… sounds familiar? It’s a scene involving a lot of vehicles whose paint was applied with a roller, though personally I’ve always loved cars as art.

I’m not averse to V8 engines, either. I’m absolutely not going to pretend that I’m part of the hot rod scene, but I want you to know that I do, absolutely, get it.

The vehicles, the history, the shows, the people… you don’t need to be a rodder to see how cool it all is. You don’t even need to be into cars (though I am) to catch the vibe.

So, to answer your other big question, Custom Car is going to remain just as you know it. I’m always open to suggestions and, if there are things you’d like to see that aren’t currently in it (or vice versa), please do tell me. Your voice matters.

But the message when we announced the change of ownership was loud and clear – you want it to stay exactly as it is.

As I said, I don’t want to be seen as the editor, at least not in the traditional sense. I’ll be doing some of the things editors do, of course (I’ve been one since 1994, so I’m not entirely unfamiliar with the job), but I’m not here to dictate.

What I believe Custom Car needs is someone who will steer the ship while you, the people in the community it’s part of, represent yourselves in its pages.

I’m just here to help let that happen.

Every one of our contributors is part of the scene; most have been living and breathing hot rods for decades. My job is to dot every I and cross every T while letting them do their thing.

No, then, to bring it back to where I started with this very tricky to write column, I’m not worthy of the editor’s chair. But, since I find myself sitting in it, I aim to make decisions worthy of this fine old magazine – and the first of these is to ensure it remains worthy of you, the readers who make it what it is.

Alan Kidd, Group Editor alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

Safe to say, Greta Thunberg is not the first person you expect to see in a world of V8s and smoking tyres. And we’re not here to kick off a debate on everything to do with the environment. Always nice to pop the hood on a 383 stroker and be confronted by an artfully positioned sticker to remin d you of your, er, responsibilities, though.

Ms Thunberg, who was Time magazine’s person of the Year in 2019, made a surpr ise appearance at Glastonbury this year. No sign of her at the Supernats, though…

NEAT STUFF in this issue

Flame-grilled flopper (the neat bit is that Kevin Chapman was unhurt)

Lots of glass: lots of class She said yes!

Superheroes

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News & reviews

Open Day at Valley Gas

H

ot rod enthusiasts from around the south of England flocked to Valley Gas Speed Shop on the first Saturday of August, as Jimmy and Ellie threw their doors open to all comers as they prepared to welcome Gerry Gaughan and the Revenge Reliability Run. Though Revenge wasn’t due to arrive until early afternoon, a crowd of vehicles was lining the streets outside the company’s Andover premises from early in the day.

Their owners were lured by the promise of tea, coffee and bacon rolls – not to mention the opportunity to poke around the Valley Gas workshop and see the array of vehicles Jimmy’s team currently have in various states of build.

An undisputed highlight of these is the Boston Brawler, the legendary 1933 Willys gasser which Jimmy first built in the early nineties. Famous for its wheel stands and sinuous burnouts, it graced Hockenheim and Goodwood as well as becoming one of Santa Pod’s favourite crowd-pleasers and was also seen at a number of art shows.

He sold it around a decade ago, but for the last year or so Valley Gas has been bringing the vehicle back to its best – and with the project now very close to completion, it was on display in all its glory.

After plenty of teasing on social media, visitors were also given the chance to see Truckosaurus – whose cantilever suspen-

All eyes were drawn to the Boston Brawler… not that Truckosaurus is going to be a shrinking violet, either. The more you look, the more you see – and people did a lot of looking. Ultimately, though, Revenge was always going to be the star of the day

sion system is such a work of art that you might not even notice the trick exhausts exiting beneath its coil-overs. We stood back and watched as one group of people after another wandered over, took a look in its pick-up bed and gaped open-mouthed at the sheer beauty of it.

There’s a Dodge Stepvan getting the hot rod treatment nearby, too, as well as a Wide-Body Mustang and, on display next to Truckosaurus, a roof-chopped Volvo PV544 that’s going to look super-smooth when it hits the road later this year.

Next door in the main workshop, the array of cars, trucks and vans just goes on. It’s not exclusively older stuff, but mainly the cars on show were exactly the kind you’d expect at a leading rod shop – and the same goes for those outside, with an array of glorious metal baking in the sun.

By the time the Revenge cavalcade rolled in, the bacon rolls might have gone cold but no-one was worried about that. By now, the streets around Valley Gas were packed – but Gerry still managed to find the perfect spot in which to park his iconic C-Cab, placing the NSRA’s ‘Hot Rod of the Century’ among an array of suitably worthy works of art.

With the Reliability Run raising money for mental health charity Mind, this was a hugely worthwhile day all round. You can still donate (visit www.revengereliabilityrun2022. co.uk) – and though you won’t normally find Valley Gas in access-all-areas mode the way it was on its Open Day, check it out on social media for the latest updates on the builds seen here and more.

4 CUSTOM CAR OCTOBER 2022

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Custom Stainless Headers Full Restorations Suspension on Upgrades Fabrication Engine Shop

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The NSRA celebrated its golden anniversary at the 31st Hot Rod Supernationals Intro and captions: – an event that will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time Dave Biggadyke Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Dave Biggadyke, except as credited Main pic: Steve Baines In this final reflection of the NSRA Spring Rumbles, held the length and breadth of the country throughout May, we focus on Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Suffolk. The three routes highlighted here attracted in excess of 80 vehicles which clocked up not far short of 5,000 miles between them. That was just on the Rumbles themselves, with some participants travelling quite some distance to get to the start point then back home again.

A total of 23 Rumbles were staged throughout the month, all proving to be extremely popular. Thanks must go to all the organisers and, of course, to the man who came up with the idea in the first place, Glyn Thomas, along with his wife Hannah for promoting it so well. Most of all though, thanks to all those who Rumbled and made it the success it was. Roll on next spring and more of the same. CC

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The 31st NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals was always going to be a tough call. The event didn’t take place at all in 2020, apart from in virtual format, and last year numbers were limited as Covid restrictions were only just starting to ease.

This time round, then, it was to be the first full-on staging for three years. Oh, and it just happened to be the 50th anniversary year of the NSRA – so everything had to be that bit more special.

Did it hit that mark? You bet it did, and more besides!

The gates opened at 9am on Wednesday, giving pre-entered NSRA members and their guests five full days of hot rod nirvana. Add to that five days of a heatwave, a celebration of 90 years of the ’32 Ford and more cruises than you could shake that proverbial stick at, and that nirvana embraced utopia head-on and kissed it firmly on the lips. Did I enjoy it? You bet I did.

Nirvana embraced utopia head-on and kissed it firmly on the lips Scanning the programme highlighted so much in the way of entertainment; a couple of marquees full of it, in fact. A brace of DJs and ten live music acts, all laid on to give participants a long weekend of enjoyment.

It was far more than that, though. As if just being able to say you were part of it isn’t kudos enough, it was the banter, the laughs you had and the stories you will recall for many years to come that made it all the more special. We all went home with plenty of such stories but as they are personal to our environs there is no point in expanding on them here as nobody will

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understand them. Well, maybe Rupert would, but that’s another story entirely…

It all came to a head on Sunday, and boy was that field busy. Try as I might, I’m sure I didn’t manage to see everything, the sheer magnitude of the show coupled with the heat making it a nigh-on impossible task.

Traditionally, the emphasis of the Supernats is on the new, with a touch of the old thrown in for good measure. This year was different though; it was all about the golden anniversary of the NSRA and that put an entirely different spin on the event.

The committee, the crew and, for the first time this year, the 50th Anniversary Working Group all pulled together and did an amazing job. Each one of them deserves a well-earned pat on the back, or a drink at the bar if you’re so inclined. As this is chairman John Proctor’s first year at the helm, it’s only fair that we allow him the final word: ‘Wow! The Supernationals in our 50th Anniversary year was a real scorcher of an event embracing all things from the custom car and hot rod scene, including lots of iconic cars from our history. A tremendous effort from all the teams involved, and helpers too many to name, ensured the largest ever event of its kind in Europe got over the line.

‘Non-stop cruising off-site seemingly involved lots of cake eating and the show cars kept arriving, including one of the best-looking tot rods I’ve ever seen. Bands, movies and DJs covering the sights and sounds throughout the decades of our existence set the scene, while great weather, great company and great driving added to making the Supernats a great success.’

Above: Proceedings kicked off on Wednesday evening with a drinks reception in the marquee, with several among the assembled throng paying heed to every word of the welcome speech given by the 50th Anniversary Working Group Pics: Scott Halliwell Below left: Understandably though, the main focus of attention was the bar and cashing in the free drink token given to each participant arriving on Wednesday Below right: With the speeches done and dusted, Kyle Charter took to the stage to perform acoustic sets supported by DJ Grant Pinney

Thanks to the amazing weather, the order for each night was simple – chill with friends outside the marquee (above). And at least one of those chilling out (right) was a pretty cool cat…

Although not drivable due to transmission issues, Speed Freak made its public debut following an extensive rebuild by Bryan Whitfield. The Fordson is now owned by Rick Hughes – and seeing it parked next to Plum Crazy in the Cars of Significance display was just one of those special moments

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The Butler did it…

This year’s Supernats was the first time that these four of Nick Butler’s iconic creations have ever been together. Thanks to Nick, they were parked up in the chronological order of the years in which each of them was built

Left: Nykilodeon appeared in 1974 and features a shortened pick-up deck. This was Nick’s first scratch-built car, with power coming from an Oldsmobile Rocket 88 engine. The current owner is Barry Tickle, with Bob Sheppard being behind the wheel this weekend and enjoying every moment of it Below: Having burst on to the scene in 1976, Revenge is probably the best known of Nick’s hot rod creations and was voted UK Hot Rod of the Century by NSRA members in the year 2000. The current owner is Gerry Gaughan who, together with his wife Felicity, clocked up 1000 miles in aid of mental health charity Mind on their week long reliability run journey to Old Warden

Above, below: Andromeda came next in 1978, complete with a Fad T bodyshell and fully detailed rolling chassis. The 426ci Chrysler Hemi is topped off with a GMC 6-71 blower and twin four-barrel Holley carbs. The current owner is also Barry Tickle – and shortly after the car overheated while driving in convoy with Revenge, he headed off on the Saturday cruise. Top man.

Above: The all-steel Vitamin T debuted late in 1978. The ’27 Doctor’s coupe body is mounted on a custom-built chassis featuring Nick Butler fabricated suspension and small block Chevy power. Vitamin T is the only one of Nick’s cars to have been selected as Participants’ Choice at an NSRA event, winning at the Fun Run in 1979. The current owner is Bob Wilding, who drives the tall T everywhere.

Inset pic: Steve Baines

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Above left: Among the Previous Participants’ Choice Winners display was Michel Aubier’s ’37 Ford cabriolet, which won 30 years ago when owned by Georges Herry Above right: A more recent Participants’ Choice winner is the gorgeous ’32 roadster of Dan Boone, which bagged the honours in 2004. Amazing to think the car first hit the scene eighteen years ago Left: Another ’32 roadster took the top award a couple of years later, with Hanspeter Wurmli pulling round to collect the coveted trophy Below left: In 2007, it was the Kandy coupe of Dave Sturgess that scooped the Participants’ Choice accolade. Now owned by John Gadsden, the car is looking as good as ever Below centre: It was the year of the custom in 2012, with Teri Smith’s timeless chopped Mercury coming out on top. Not only does Teri still own the car, but he has also recently given it a freshen-up Below right: Anni Meriläinen flew the flag for Finland in 2013 and caught the ferry home with the Participants’ Choice trophy safely stashed away in her ’34 Ford sedan delivery

Below: Throughout the event, the big screen displayed a mix of live-action footage, the ’91 Supernats recording, movies for grown-ups and children and the NSRA 50th Anniversary Movie Below right: The bumper stickers on Steve Roberts’ Willys are actually air-brushed renditions with the artist having been given the freedom of poetic licence. I wonder how many people noticed? Clever stuff, Steve Below right, bottom: The only time I saw this gorgeous A coupe was when it arrived at the gate on a trailer. The picture doesn’t lie; it really is as immaculate as it appears

Special awards were presented to Barry and Val Tickle for bringing along Andromeda and Nykilodeon and ensuring they were driven all weekend; Hannah Thomas for her promotion and coordination of the NSRA Spring Rumbles in May; and Dave Biggadyke for his dedication and devotion to Custom Car magazine for many years.

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The Cruises The long weekend boasted a staggering total of 12 different organised cruises. There was certainly no excuse for not getting in your car and driving it. All but one were planned by Dave and Lesley Brown, and here’s a look at just some of them. Space dictates a couple of the Friday drive-outs aren’t highlighted here; the Model T cruise to Buckland Automotive and the Pop / Prefect / Fordson cruise to a village pub.

Thursday Anniversary Cake Cruise This was a six-stage cruise with the first group leaving Old Warden at 10:15 am and the last at 2:30 pm. It was a quintessentially British affair involving an eight-mile drive through picturesque countryside to a village hall, to enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of anniversary cake before checking out the museum. After this, participants headed back to the site, calling off at the Shuttleworth Collection with complimentary admission to wristband wearers.

Friday All Comers Cruise Organised by Grant Pinney, this involved an 11-mile drive out to the Cross Keys public house in Pulloxhill, I kid you not. As the cruisers headed out at 11.30am, there was plenty of time for them to grab some lunch and get back to the site in time for the first of the afternoon cruises at 2.30pm. Military-style precision planning, eh?

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Friday ‘32 Ford Cruise A total of 32 Deuces travelled 14.5 miles to a small airfield not far from St Neots. Once parked up, by coincidence as the temperature hit 32 degrees, the cruisers were treated to a tour of the hangers and workshops, with the visit being topped off with their own private stunt display. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Pics: Chris Smith

Friday Rumble Organisers / 50th Anniversary Working Group Cruise Dave and Lesley Brown felt a thank-you cruise for the Spring Rumble organisers and anniversary working group members was in order. This was a seven-mile drive out to a country pub with the beer garden proving very inviting in the sunshine. It was greatly appreciated by all, as was the complimentary drink. Thanks, guys.

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Saturday Cruise Out Saturday’s cruise was open to all and embraced a 30-mile drive out to the village of Oakley. There was a stop-off on the way, though, at the iconic Cardington Hangars. Steeped in aviation history, having become the home of Airship development in 1916, in more recent times the Hangars have been used to house film sets for epics such as Batman Begins. As the cars had already cruised down the driveway it would have been rude for drivers and passengers not to pause for a while and take advantage of countless photo opportunities. We can only thank the friendliest of security guards for allowing us that privilege.

It was then back on the road to the final destination for lunch and liquid refreshment, followed by a few silly games and a charity auction. The weather, the cars and the people all did their bit to make the whole experience a memorable one.

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22/08/2022 19:09

  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

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Everyone’s a Winner…

Participants’ Choice: Steve Roberts, Flat Pack 40 Willys A well-deserved winner – even more as the now Chrysler-powered coupe was a sedan when Steve first bought it

Top 10 Above, from left: Nick Mellett, Kandy Apple Model A pick-up; Mark Barrett, smoothed out ’37 Chevy ½-ton pick-up; Sam Stockman, 350 Chevy-powered ‘40’s GMC COE; Scott MacKenzie, ’49 Ford Custom 2-door sedan; Keith Abrehart, small block Chevy-powered Sports coupe driven by Nigel Lockley Below, from left: Elliott Morris, ex-CC featured Ford Zephyr convertible; Mark Simkiss, ex-CC featured phantom ’37 Ford pick-up; Charlie Berry, Ford Ka engined ’56 Ford 100E Prefect; Sean Berry, ’72 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442; Clinton Wildish, ’53 GMC pick-up which also won Liberty & Lows’ Pick

Left: T Party participants voted for the Top 4 vehicles in their lineup.

The winners were, from left to right, Fraser Walker’s sedan, Reg Noyce’s Modified, Trevor ‘Digger’ Gardiner’s Delivery and Michael Shepard’s C Cab which didn’t pull round for the presentation due to a lack of brakes Above: The Traders’ Pick award went to Gary McCormack for his 409ci-powered, 425hp 5 window coupe

Above left: Presented by Hannah Lack, The Shuttleworth Pick trophy went to the ’48 Chevy panel van of Chris Howell Above right: It came as no surprise when Ella Spicer collected the Best Tot Rod award for her ’32 sedan. There’s no denying tot rods have now attained a whole new level

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Added Induction As is traditional at the Supernationals, the four NSRA Hall of Fame inductees announced at the previous year’s AGM were presented with their plaques and certificates:

NSRA Member: John Baldacchino, pictured with the chopped HA Viva van he built

Individual: Tony Thacker, plaque collected by John Reid

Street Rod: Tivoli Fordson, originally built by Keith Atkinson

Supplier / Organisation: Barry Treacy, founder of Wolfrace Wheels Pic: Andy Willsheer

Above left: Not for the first time, the Under-29 award went to Wade Nortcliffe for his ’59 Chevy Apache Acting NSRA Public Relations Offcer Keith ‘Roasty’ Elliott presents the Popstalgia award to Nigel Moore for his Pop

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Another first was the sight of the two most widely recognised Paul Bacon creations being parked up side-by-side. Based around BMW Z3 underpinnings, the bubble top Cosmotron (left) is now owned by Martin and Kathy Smith. Sitting on a modified 1920’s Singer chassis, meanwhile, Automatron (right) features a hand-crafted body formed in keeping with the car’s steampunk-influenced build style. The previous Best in Britain winner is now owned by Alan Hull

A super moment at the Supernats!

Words: Olly Sack Pics: Supplied by Danny Finn

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hat was the highlight of the Supernats for you? The cruises, perhaps? The bands, maybe, the cars in general, or the 32nd Street Deuce display?

Whatever it was, Danny Finn and Angi Findlater can beat it. They first got together about nine years ago – though for many, many years before that, they spent countless Supernats stood in the same marquees, watching the same bands at exactly the same time but completely unaware that fate would one day bring them together.

So, what better place could there have been for them to share one of life’s most memorable moments?

Danny is a veteran of countless hot rod events and no small amount of cars, too.

‘I started with American 4x4s,’ he says, ‘but have since had a Pop, ’49 Chevy pick-up, ’53 Plymouth and now a Pinto-powered ’62 Consul Classic.’

As for Angi, she was weaned on gas and went on to crew at both Shakey and Santa Pod. ‘Angi was brought up in the world of hot rodding and American cars, having been in Smoke City Wheelers since the late 70’s, and was there for the infamous chopped bus days,’ says Danny. ‘She’s owned various vehicles over the years; a multitude of Minis, Ford Pops, a ’34, a ’69 VW bus and now she has an ’82 T25 to camp in at the shows.’

With both of them turning 50 this year, and the Supernats doubling up as their summer holiday, the stage was set. ‘The Supernats was the first show we went together as a couple,’ explains Danny. ‘It was by far our favourite show when we were just attendees and now we have a stall (AngelTrash jewellery), we love it even more.

‘One of our closest friends is on the committee, so we are fully aware of just how much work goes into it.’

Prior to going down on one knee, Danny arranged for Angi’s two children, Miki and Lewis, and all her family, as well as club members, various mates and fellow traders to meet up at the far side of the Demon Drone, from where they were escorted surreptitiously around the back of the couple’s stall. Then, once there were no customers in, they all appeared in a semi-circle – and out popped the ring.

‘Lots of people helped in the subterfuge, bless ‘em!’ says a very happy Danny – who,

we’re pleased to relate, got the answer he was hoping for!

With all those cars between them, we can safely say it’s not often you come across such a perfectly matched couple.

We’re sure the entire hot rodding community will join us in wishing Danny and Angi all the very best for the future!

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Above: Not to be outdone by all the others, there was an impressive display of Ford Pops on the show field. And yes, the arse did look big on some of them…

Below left: Paul Barrow’s restyled ’31 Model A sedan oozes ‘60’s cool. Another that should have featured on the list of prize winners in my book Below right: Ian Marshall went home with the UK Kustoms Pick trophy for his one-of-a-kind ’62 Rover P4

Above: Arriving too late to gain access to his spot in the Cars of Significance display, Tony Jarvis had to settle for leaving his Pop on a trailer at the bottom end of the show field.

Having recently bought back the widened and flip-bodied car, Tony is about to embark on restoring it to its former glory Above centre: Donated to the cause by Chris Hay, this repro sign from the early days of Santa Pod was auctioned off in aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Pictured left is the winning bidder; the Pod’s Chief Starter, Ian Marshall (right), kindly signed it for him Above right: The raffle for the original artwork for the NSRA members’ 50th anniversary T-shirt raised £537. Artist Mick Smith is pictured on the right along with a representative of the East Anglian Air Ambulance. The winning ticket was bought by Andy Crockett Right: Just some of the team who brought us all such an awesome weekend. Top job guys Pic: Laura Ayres

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COOLING & CNC Fabrication Serck Motorsoport have been manufacturing cooling systems for the custom car and drag racing market for over 40 years. Built to the highest standards in both Aluminium or Copper Brass Construction we have supplied to all levels of performance from Drag Racing to Custom Cars, Classic and Muscle Cars. We can also help you design your Cooling System from scratch with our CAD Software programs.

We have recently added a new 5 Axis CNC Machine to our manufacturing department supported by the latest design software to enable us to meet your requirements for any parts machining or cooling solutions. We are also the official UK Distributor Setrab Oil Coolers with a huge range in stock from Diff Coolers to Transmission and Engine Coolers all instock and featured on our growing website.

From Colin Millars 6 Second Ford Pop to Mark Todd’s 2000hp Street Legal Aston Martin to Paul Morton’s MK1 Zephyr Zodiac and many many more we have the perfect Cooling Solution for all Custom and Race applications.

PERFORMANCE PARTS We have over 35,000 listed parts featured on our growing web site with a huge stock for quick and efficient delivery times for over 30 high quality brands in the market today, from Race and Road Tyres, Race Wheels to Water Pumps to Nitrous Kits to Turbos to Performance Oil to Fuel Injection Systems.

NITROUS Did you know there are now 7 Nitrous Filling Stations throughout the UK plus at our site in Hayes ? You can find them directly on our Website!!

You can also get your refills direct at Santa Pod Raceway in the Pod Shop as well as a range of racing products from Serck Motorsport to support racers at the track.

We are also appointed Nitrous Express UK Distributors and can supply all your performance requirements from Bottles to Kits to Parts direct from Stock.

RACING SERVICES Rebuilding or Refreshing your engine ?? Consider Contamination from your Coolers!!

We have a full Cooling System Micron Analysis Cleaning and Testing facility in house and can fully service your Coolers, Lines, Oil Tanks....

DOWN TO THE MICRON! We also Flow Test, Helium Pressure Test and carry Endoscopic Inspections as well as Fin Repair keeping your cooling performance to 100% efficiency.

We have also added a full range of Clear View Oil Filtration as featured on Street Outlaws.

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General Enquiries: +44 (0)20 8813 7470 Email: motorsport@serckglobal.com

DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE SERCK DEALER NETWORK? We are looking for more dealers to help distribute and supply the racers all over the UK by providing such brands as:  Setrab oil coolers  Autometer gauges  Clear view oil filters  Nitrous express parts and kits  Race star wheels  Race gas  Fitech  Brian crower  Turbo smart And many more.

We are also looking for more Nitrous filling stations to join the Serck network to help provide Nitrous refills across the UK Please send any dealer enquires to steven.morton@unipart.com

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22/08/2022 11:14

Mark and Dudley Palmer are the perfect family team, working together on an env while the other brings the Words: Mike Pye

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riting two-car features is always a bit of a tricky business, as you want to avoid giving one of them preferential treatment over the other. But it’s doubly hard in this case as the cars are owned and worked on by a father and son, and the last thing I want to do is cause a family rift!

So, here’s the deal: Mark Palmer owns the ’35 Ford Panel Delivery. He’s dad.

Dudley, his youngest son, owns the ’40 Ford sedan. They have numerous other cars

between them and work on them together, their different skill sets combining into the finished vehicles.

But here’s the fun part. An electrician by trade, Mark is essentially a restorer. Dudley, though, he’s a fully paid-up member of the Vintage Hot Rod Association (VHRA), so he brings the hot rod to the party. As you can imagine, that meeting of minds doesn’t always, well, meet, but the end results of their labours are thoroughly useable cars that are built to be driven, occasionally raced and definitely cherished.

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Pics:

e father like son

an enviable collection of cars. It’s just that one of them is essentially a restorer… ngs the hot rod to the party

e Pye

Pics: Matt Richardson

As Mark is the more, ahem, experienced of the pair, we’ll start with his ’35.

Life lessons

‘I was interested in cars from an early age,’ says Mark. My dad bought me my first car, a 1934 MG PA two-seater sports, for the exorbitant price of £15 in 1964, when I was only 14 years old.

‘I believe his thinking was if I had a car, I wouldn’t get a motorcycle. That didn’t quite work, though, as I bought my mate’s BSA Bantam and kept it hidden round his house!

‘I cut my teeth on that car and learnt by my mistakes, like stripping the engine down for no good reason, cleaning it and putting it back together. I was pleased as punch as it fired up and ran, right up until there was a bit of a bang and it died.

‘I opened the bonnet and saw a small hole in the block that I thought could be fixed. But when I went round the other side I had a complete cutaway view of the engine, with the con rod hanging out. Rule number one: don’t re-use old big end bolts that have stretched!’

Mark also remembers modifying that engine by re-purposing two of his mum’s copper dariole moulds into bell-mouth intakes for the carbs. You can guess how that went down.

Buying his first flat, a change of profession, marriage and two sons later, Mark got back into classic motoring for a hobby. He ended up heavily into vintage military vehicles, after discovering a field full of them for sale in Norfolk that had been used in the filming of Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.

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That’s a whole lot of van to get straight for paint and, let’s be honest, a 1930’s commercial vehicle would never have looked as good as this when it was new. Sean Doyle and the team at Zero 3 Classic and Custom worked wonders and the paint is a combination of Mark’s choice of Chrysler’s brilliantly named Sting Grey (aka Destroyer Grey), with Sean’s suggestion of black fenders and running boards. Classy

He started with a 1943 GMC six-wheeler bought with the complete, and at the time rather surprising, support of his wife Sue (who was later given a ’43 Willys Jeep for her 40th birthday present!). And that was the vehicle which brought number two son into the fold.

Hit for six

‘Dudley just seems to follow in my footsteps,’ he says. ‘He was keen as mustard to get involved and really enjoyed driving the six-wheeler.’

A number of other American and English WWII vehicles came and went, but the turning point came in 1988 with the purchase of a very rough but very rare

1943 Ford F15 Cab 13 truck which had at one time carried an anti-aircraft gun. The interesting part about this Canadian Military

experience. ‘But I remember dad saying that hot rodders would give their right arm for that engine. I didn’t know anything about

‘I remember dad saying hot rodders would give their right arm for that engine’ Pattern truck was it had a Ford V8 Flathead engine in it. And a nice sprung seat, unlike the wooden boards you got in English trucks of that era.

‘I was only a kid back then,’ recalls Dudley of what turned out to be a formative

them, so I did quite a lot of research on it and it seems the blocks used for military engines had a higher nickel content, so the hot rodders did love ’em.

‘That was my introduction to Flatheads.

And it’s just lasted. Horsepower per dollar

Above left: The engine in Mark’s van is an early Jim Turnbull production that previously lived in Ralph Partington’s ’40 Ford. It’s based on a 1940 59A block and has history back to way before Ralph owned it. Its current look is down to Dudley, who sourced the additional finned aluminium parts, some from Old Time Speed in Australia, and gave all the ancillaries a coat of Cerakote Burnt Bronze.

Above centre: The heads are Edelbrock 1126 block logo versions, with dual Stromberg 97s sitting on an Offenhauser manifold. Like Dudley’s ‘40, the headers are by Red’s, but this one has Smithy’s mufflers… which Dudley says are way too quiet. A Hot Rod Works open drive conversion transfers the power to 3.54 gears in the original back axle Above right: Details, details. That’s a Powergen alternator disguised as a dynamo, but riding on its back is the original regulator from the Ford dynamo. It doesn’t do anything any more, just adds to the authenticity. Likewise, the Ford script hose clips and cloth-covered wiring

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As most of it was beyond redemption, Mark made all the new woodwork himself – and did a beautiful job of it. There are still a few things the boys would like to do on the van, one being to add a roll hoop to give a secure mounting point for some seat belts. Oh, and maybe having it signwritten. Cue arguments around the dinner table…

it’s madness, but there’s just something ethereal about a Flathead.’

That truck was also enough to cement in Mark’s mind the belief that American cars are better – or at least more powerful, and more comfortable – than their English contemporaries. So you can imagine his excitement when Dudley turned up this US-built 1935 Ford Panel Delivery, once a decorator’s van in Minnesota, for sale in Hemsby in 2017.

A perfect marriage

‘I had no intention of doing another groundup restoration when I bought it,’ admits Mark. ‘But Dudley suggested we do the project together, which made sense to me.

His knowledge of American hot rods was invaluable, and with my practical know-how it seemed to be a perfect marriage…’

It needed a lot of work, not least the chassis, the back half of which was largely missing due to rust.

First though, Dudley had to learn to weld.

‘I haven’t got the money to just pay people to do everything. And besides, we like doing as much as we can ourselves. So dad said he’d buy a welder but I’d have to build a chassis

amassing hot rod parts – Boling Brothers juice brakes, Posies reversed eye spring, telescopic shocks, Saginaw 525 steering box, Hot Rod Works open drive kit with dual torque bars, a cast ali radius rod dropper

While Mark was busy looking for stock parts, Dudley was quietly amassing hot rod parts table to learn how to use it. He said if I couldn’t do that, I wasn’t much use to him!’

With guidance from good friends and fellow VHRA members Kev Heffernan and Roland Frost, Dudley did build a chassis table, and then got stuck into repairing the chassis, intent on doing it in such a way that it didn’t look like it had ever been repaired.

And while Mark was busy looking for stock parts for it, Dudley was quietly

and some nifty bolt-on shock mounts from Mac’s Speed Shop in New Zealand. The final, but arguably most important, part is a Jerry-drop on the original ’35 front beam.

A year in provenance

When it came to an engine, Dudley found a Royal Kustoms-built Flathead and T5 fivespeed ’box being offered for sale by Ralph Partington, in a ’40 Ford that had previously Early Ford commercial buffers will have spotted the van has a ’36 bonnet and engine sides. But did you clock that the bumpers have been mounted upside down, with the irons now exiting beneath the wings rather than through them? The front indicators are hidden within the fanfare horns

Sean at Zero 3 performed some sort of miracle in restoring the knackered original steering wheel as an unexpected gift for Mark. He responded by making the wooden V8 horn push Sean also brought the original enamel Ford script badge back from the dead. No one knows how he did it, but they love him for doing it

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The build

Truck started life in Brainerd, Minnesota, as a decorator’s van. Dudley and Mark, however, found it for sale closer to home, in Hemsby. The body was covered in dents and dings from general use but amazingly good considering its age. That ancient signwriting is a real bone of contention between Mark and Dudley: Dudley wanted to keep it, Mark got out a tin of Nitromors. It might make a return one day

While the body was reasonably solid, the same could not be said for the chassis. So Dudley’s first job was to build a chassis table and teach himself to weld. Then he started cutting… and went on to restore the chassis so it still looks original, while also adding internal bracing to strengthen it The restored chassis part-way through build up (right). Note the open drive conversion, dual torque bars and dropped front axle. Back on its wheels again (far right), with the new motor and five-speed transmission alongside and new wood under construction

Back home, Mark gets busy making the rest of the new internal woodwork It then went off to Zero 3 Classic and Custom for paint… and, about eight months of hard graft later, Zero 3’s Sean Doyle inspects his handiwork in the booth. Great work

And just in case you ever wondered how much wood there is in a ’35 Ford Panel Delivery, here’s one of the many images sent over by Don Rogers in America, who proved to be an invaluable resource during the rebuild

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Mark’s ’35 Ford Panel Delivery might look stock at first glance, and that was the whole idea as he wanted a sleeper. But a Jerrydropped front axle, Posies reversed eye spring, subtle rubber rake, uprated brakes and a hot flat motor and T5 transmission all say hot rod. They just say it quietly The rubber rake is more obvious from the rear, where the meatier 7.50-16 Firestone Deluxe Champion blackwalls fill the voluminous arches just that little bit more than the 6.00-16s up front

belonged to a Japanese prisoner of war.

‘I just loved the provenance of it,’ says Dudley excitedly. ‘That’s what I like about all this old Ford stuff – the vehicles are like rolling museums.’

He got his way with the hot rod bits there too, and tried his hand at painting the finned ali parts with Burnt Bronze Cerakote – an

expensive product, but one he’s so far been very pleased with.

The internet has made the world a more accessible place, and another contact made in the process of this truck’s restoration is Don Rogers in America, who proved invaluable when it came to the woodwork part of the rebuild. ‘He was just incredible, he’s got a ’35 Delivery himself and would either send pictures of his own truck, or original Ford USA blueprints for the parts we needed. As dad can do woodwork, he’d then just make what we needed.’

A lot of the work on this one was done during the pandemic. Due to the nature of his job, Dudley never stopped working the whole way through, but the focus when he wasn’t was on the truck.

Most of the work was done at home, but occasionally other talented individuals were called upon – such as local blacksmith Lawrence Coleman, who united the top half of the van’s original, rusty fuel tank, with its van-specific filler neck position, with the bottom half of a second tank in much better condition donated by Jim at Royal Kustoms.

Left: The van would have had just a single seat originally, but Mark wanted a bench seat to be more sociable, so a ’39 Ford pick-up bench was procured from Sean who sold them the van in the first place. It was installed with the battery box and some of the electrics as Mark didn’t want to clutter up the firewall Below: The gauges are all from Classic Instruments and were chosen after much deliberation because everyone that has them say they just work. The speedometer is GPS Skydrive driven for accuracy, and the two temperature gauges in the header panel are for the left and right engine banks. We don’t usually show close-ups of handles and so on, but we had to here as there’s a good story behind them. That might look like a stock winder handle, but it operates an electric window mechanism via a micro-switch. That was dad’s idea.

‘Bloody street rodder,’ grumbles Dudley…

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We love the way the ’40 sits, and you may be surprised to hear it’s on Durant monoleaf springs front and rear. A dropped beam and the tyres and 15-inch wheels help the nose-down attitude, but a ’40 sedan is just a great looking car

Eventually, though, it came to the small matter of the bodywork. Which is actually no small matter at all on a panel van like this.

Two tone

‘Sean, Lizanne, Nathan and Ben at Zero 3 Classic and Custom in Rudgwick undertook the massive job of preparing the van for paint,’ says Mark. Deciding on a colour was another one of those moments when no one could agree but, as it’s my van, I made the choice (it’s a modern Jeep tone, since you ask), though it was Sean who thought it would look better with black wings and running boards.

‘Sean’s an absolute artist, and a perfectionist. I suppose working on Bentleys

puts you in that mind set!’ Bentleys and, dare we suggest, hot rods.

The body is pretty much stock but, as Dudley points out, ‘if you really want to geek out, the body is a ’35 but the grille and hood sides are from a ’36. We’ve also

‘Oh, and the front indicators are hidden in the horns.’

After paint, the van returned to the Palmers for wiring, glazing, making and fitting all the interior wood and final mechanical fettling.

‘It still wasn’t really a hot rod in my mind, with its stock engine’ flipped the bumpers and filled in the holes in the fenders where the bumper brackets originally passed through. That’s something I think everybody should do as they just flow better that way round.

Sitting on a 6.00 / 7.50-16 rubber rake on ’35 Ford wires, the truck has the air of a stock restoration, but enough little touches to catch the eye of a hot rodder. And with that, Mark and Dudley were out on a test

Left: The ’40’s 59A Flathead is based on a French military block and now displaces 284ci. Inside, there’s a 4 1/8-inch stroke crank, Ross 3 5/16-inch pistons and Scat H-beam rods, while the exhaust is handled by Red’s headers and Speedtone mufflers, of which Dudley can’t speak highly enough Centre: Having, as Dudley put it, ‘had fights with old Strombergs and cried,’ he opted for a brace of brand new ones on this motor, with Maund ribbed intake stacks, along with one of Stromberg’s e-Fire electronic distributors Right: Heads are Edelbrock 1116 script logos with Isky springs and stainless Pro-flow valves beneath them, worked by a Potvin super 3/8 grind cam

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The ’40 Ford has to have one of the most attractive of all the Ford dashes from this era, and is a common swap into non-’40 Ford hot rods. The original gauge cluster is just a perfect piece of Art Deco design Below: Car currently has a stock-style blue velour interior that has been re-done at some stage in its life. Eventually, Dudley plans to replace it with aged leather in a tuck ’n’ roll style

‘Coming up with solutions to the inevitable problems, that’s the bit of working on these cars I really enjoy’ drive. No big deal, just a 500-mile round trip to Pendine Sands for this year’s Hot Rod Races and back. And it never missed a beat.

The fabulous ’40s

Which neatly brings us to the ’40 sedan. This arrived chez Palmer later than the ’35 but was responsible for the pair’s desire to go racing in their old Fords.

That one came into their ownership around 2018, after Dudley had been thoroughly bitten by the VHRA bug. ‘I just really wanted a hot rod,’ he says. ‘Something I could jump in and take straight to the drags, or Pendine, or GOW! ‘It was only after I bought it that loads of people started coming out of the woodwork

saying they’d either worked on the car or owned it at some point. Gordon Brennan had it for a while, then Chris Howe – he was the one who painted it black. It supposedly even belonged to C W Moss at one point – and I’m inclined to believe that as every single piece of trim on the car is there, and it’s all original, too.’

Quite a lot of modifications had already been carried out, such as Durant monoleaf springs front and rear, front anti-roll bar, dropped front axle, F1 truck front brakes, a ’48 rear axle and 15-inch Mercury steels all round. With another tasteful rubber rake, this time achieved with 5.60 / 7.10-15 Firestone wide whites, it sat with definite hot rod poise.

The intention all along was to race the car at Pendine, but Dudley was too late to get a race ticket that first year. That wasn’t about to put him off, though, so he went as a spectator anyway and, shortly after, the engine decided it had had enough.

French fancy

‘It looked great but it still wasn’t really a hot rod in my mind, with its stock engine,’ admits Dudley. ‘And blowing that up prompted us to go see Jim and Jules at Royal Kustoms in Poole. We asked if he

Below left: 15-inch Mercury steels are a nice touch, their slightly different offset better filling the ’arches than the similar Ford versions. Tyres are 5.60 and 7.10-15 Firestone Deluxe Champion wide whitewalls. Fancy The head and tail lights on a ’40 are as timeless as the dash. We just love the way the flutes on the glass side light lenses mirror those in the headlight surrounds. Word is this car once belonged to C W Moss, so it wears the full complement of original Ford trim

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The build

Above: The ’40 as it used to look, first when Gordon Brennan had it, painted pale metallic blue; then when it belonged to Chris Howe and was painted black Right: Eventually, the original engine took a dump – which was the cue to step things up a notch on the hot rod scale with the purchase of a new, Royal Kustoms-built motor

The car is reunited with its original steering wheel.

Cheers, Gordon Dudley took his first run down the Pendine Sands in 2021, and was instantly hooked.

Now, he just wants to go faster

leading to And into the hole it goes… ’box and the a further upgrade to a ’39 ter to the relocation of the gear shif mn as it colu the on than floor, rather was before

could repair it first, but he told us it was a small-bore motor and would be a lot of work, and asked us if we had considered a French Flathead?

‘When I asked if he had one, he replied that he had 20!’

The hard part was knowing when to stop once Jim started offering up his menu of

tuning options. ‘I couldn’t afford the “red” extras,’ says Dudley with a grin. So I just went with most of the “blue” ones instead.’

Following the ever familiar pattern of one modification leading to another, the larger dimensions of the new engine with its aftermarket Edelbrock heads prompted a further change from column shift to three on the floor. That meant re-engineering the handbrake bracket – which gave Dudley his first opportunity to try his hand at fabrication, in addition to that more intricate welding involved.

‘Coming up with solutions to the inevitable problems, that’s the bit of working on these cars I really enjoy.

We laughed when Dudley described the car as looking a bit like an elephant, but from this angle you can see what he means. With that giant boot, it’s no surprise ’40s were a favourite with moonshine runners into the 1950s, before more powerful cars became available

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There’s no shortage of projects and interesting vehicles at the Palmers’ gaff. As well as those shown, there’s a ’30 Chrysler coupe, a ’35 Chevy coupe and a ’46 Chevy – so there’s no brand loyalty here, just a love of old vehicles

‘It’s only a ’39 Ford three-speed but it’s so much more fun. It just feels more racy.

The downside is you can’t have a middle passenger up front any more, but I’d never go back to column shift.”

The wheel deal

Neatly bringing the shifter conversion round full circle, when Dudley went looking for a replacement wheel for the sporty Grant that was on the car, up popped that man Gordon Brennan again.

‘I’ve got the original wheel off that car, you can have it. When you sell the car, I’ll have it back.’ What a hero.

‘I was bowled over by that gesture,’ says Dudley. ‘But it’s testament to the hot rod brotherhood. The VHRA is just such a welcoming club to be in, it’s a real collective.’

With that, Dudley was back on the road and lovin’ it.

‘It still looks a bit like an elephant,’ he laughs. ‘But Jim’s engine really woke it up, and prompted us to try harder to get a race ticket for Pendine in 2021. We both had a go up the beach and I got 79.30mph out of it.

Of course, then I wanted to go faster.

‘The car’s an absolute joy to drive as it is now, though, and I drive it pretty hard –

mainly around the back roads around where we live.

‘It’s quite heavy, but it’s so on the nose.

It’s just point and go.’

Asked if he had any further plans for this vehicle, Dudley replied that the paint could do with a refresh at some point and he’d like to replace the blue velour interior with some aged leather tuck ’n’ roll. Oh yes, and then a T5 / open drive would be nice, but that would mean the back axle would need changing… And so it goes on.

‘There’s always a shopping list with these kind of cars. But everything we do, it’s me and my dad. I use him as a resource. He’s always there to help, and there’s nothing he

can’t turn his hand to. More importantly, he doesn’t treat me like an idiot.

And he just loves drawing a picture when he’s explaining something.’

That’s a sentiment which is echoed by Mark: ‘For a father and son project, this has to be one of most enjoyable projects I have ever undertaken.

‘And who would have thought at the start of it all, we would have built a vehicle from the ground up and, in the process, saved another unloved commercial from going on the scrap heap.

‘So, thanks to all who, in one way or another, helped make it possible.’

The two vehicles are clearly quite different, though underneath there are a number of similarities. They’re both hot rods, in that they’re lower and more powerful than stock, but with its five-speed ’box the van is more of a long-distance cruiser and more suited to the kind of motoring Mark wants to do these days. The ’40 better suits his son, Dudley, who likes to throw it around the back roads of Sussex and Kent with the hot Flathead and Speedtone mufflers on song, as well as taking his young family out for a spin whenever the opportunity presents

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’59 Cadillacs might grab the limelight, but the ’61 is an altogether more, ahem, subtle choice which responds perfectly to wheels, paint and stance adjustments Words: Mike Pye Pics: Steve Sharp

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Above: It all gets quite complicated when it comes to trying to work out the model variations in Cadillacs of this era, not least because each one could be had with different trim options. There were seven body styles for ’61 but only Fleetwood, Biarritz and DeVille trim options. The quick spot for a Series 62, which was the base model, is the elongated badges just behind the front wheelarches. Assuming they haven’t been removed over the years The two dead giveaways of a ’61 Caddy are the single round park / fog lights under the twin headlights at the front and the horizontal twin tail lights, which are similar to the 1960 vintage but turned through 90 degrees

I

t was just another day for Steve Neimantas, as it is for so many of us.

He was perusing the internet, looking for cars for sale, when up popped a mildly customised ’61 Cadillac.

‘I’ve always had a bit of a thing for Cadillacs,’ he says with a smile, ‘and this one caught my eye straight away. It was somewhere in northern California at the time, and I told the guy I’d wire him the money immediately. He wasn’t having any of

it though, he must have thought I were some sort of scam artist as he insisted on cash.’

Having got over this little hurdle, the deal was eventually concluded and the car was soon on its way down the coast to LA. But not before $1000 had been knocked off the original asking price – due to the fact that the side windows weren’t working as they should be.

More specifically, the car was trailered to La Habra, which as regular readers will

be aware means it was headed for the workshop of former CC editor Kev Elliott at Kev’s Rod and Custom. ‘Our’ Kev has done a lot of work on various of Steve’s cars over the years and the brief with this one was to go through it and give it the once over.

Window Shopping

Unsurprisingly, despite the seller’s insistence that it was all there, once Kev got into the Cadillac it turned out the parts needed to

It’s astonishing to think that, save for a lack of door handles, this is just as these cars came out of the factory, albeit with a lick of paint and a minor adjustment in cruising altitude. Believe it or not, those outrageous tail fins actually shrunk in ’61, and the cars gained so-called skegs, the name given to the 45-degree flares that start behind the front wheelarches and extend all the way through to below the tail lights

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The car was on Astro Supremes when Steve bought it, but he ‘has a thing about wires’ so paid a visit to Wheelsmith in Corona, CA and came away with a set of their 6x15, 48-spoke wires, made with the correct three-inch back spacing for post-’57 Caddy models. Tyres are American Classic 205/70-15 whitewall radials all round. We’ve heard that since being sold again recently, the car is now rolling on big-inch blings, but we’re with Steve in preferring cars like these on 15s

‘It was one of those classic American cars. Y’know, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And they hadn’t’ make the windows work weren’t ‘all there’ at all. So that was the first thing to sort out, with Caddy Daddy in Napa, CA coming to the rescue with some of the harder to find parts.

While he was checking things out inside the car, Kev also noticed a distinct lack of

headlining. So he got someone he knew locally to fit a new one, and then he turned his attention to the running gear – in particular the suspension.

‘It was one of those classic American cars,’ recalls Steve. ‘Y’know, if it ain’t broke,

Above: Suspension still uses the factory balljointed and rubber bushed A-arms that helped give Cadillacs their legendary ‘magic carpet’ driving feel, but in place of the stock coil springs all round is AccuAir programmable air suspension, fitted at Kev’s Rod and Custom to replace the rather more brutal quickie air kit that was on the car when bought Left: There was only one engine available for Caddys in 1960 and that was the 390 (essentially a bored and stroked version of the older 331ci unit). With 10.5:1 compression, it made 325bhp at 4800rpm when new. This is the original motor for this car, just mildly dressed to party, and it’s still backed up by the original four-speed Hydra Matic auto transmission

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The paint on the roof does it all when the sun hits it, changing between all the colours of the rainbow as you see the different angles of the flakes. It’s a combination of gold mini flake over a black base with a heavy prismatic flake in the lacquer

don’t fix it. And they hadn’t. So Kev went through and rebuilt everything – brakes, suspension, the lot.

‘It already had air bags fitted. But it was just a basic homemade system, so when you pressed the switch it just hit the floor with a bang, and there were no shocks fitted at the front.’

So all that went in the bin, replaced with a full AccuAir programmable system with bags in place of the stock coilovers, separate dampers at the rear, ride height

‘I’ve always had big Yanks,’ says Steve when I ask him about living with a car this size in England. ’So I guess I’m just used to it. Besides, this is small compared to the Chrysler New Yorker I’ve just bought!’ For context, a Series 62 coupe Caddy is 225in (18ft 9in), or 5.715m long, with a 130” wheelbase. And it’s one of the smaller Caddys of the period. If you really wanted to push the long boat out, you bought a nine-seater Fleetwood 75 model that was 6.15m in length with a fraction under 20 extra inches in the wheelbase

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‘Every time you parked it, anywhere, it leaked… everything just leaked’ sensors and an ECU to control it all. It’s a far more refined solution to the same basic problem, but now endows the Cadillac with a full range of controllable adjustability, as well as a decent level of ride quality when on the move.

Yorkshire Runabout

With that, and some assistance from the ever helpful John Reid, the car was shipped to the UK where Steve pressed it into fairly regular service. It became a familiar sight around Yorkshire for a couple of years – and

he used it on a few trips further afield, too, including one to Scotland and back.

‘Trouble was, every time you parked it anywhere, it leaked,’ remembers Steve. ‘From the rocker covers, the sump, the timing cover, the power steering pump… everything just leaked. And the gearbox was slipping like mad.

‘It was also still on the original drum brakes all round. They worked… to a point, but it’s pretty hilly around where I live and I was struggling to stop it on some of the hills, so I bought a disc brake conversion

for it from Caddy Daddy. That really made a big difference.’

Eventually, though, Steve tired of the car’s total loss oil system and took it off the road to rebuild the engine and box. Pleasingly, when he got into it, the car’s original 390ci motor proved still to be mint inside, despite having more than likely gone round the clock. So a full gasket kit had that buttoned up again, only this time leak free.

The original Hydra-Matic gearbox was a similar story. A rebuild, fresh gaskets and it was good to go again.

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Long Stretch

Above: That’s all the stock seating still in there, though it had been given a re-trim in pale vinyl with contrasting piping when Steve bought it. He had ‘our’ Kev at Kev’s Rod and Custom tidy up the door panels and arrange to have a new headliner fitted before the car came to these shores

While he had those parts out, Steve figured he may as well give the underside a clean up, which turned into a bigger job than first anticipated. Though it’s weirdly pleasing to do, nobody can honestly say they enjoy scraping underseal off a car, let alone one that’s almost six metres long, but eventually Steve had all the old stuff off and a new batch of colour-matched Raptor stone chip mixed up to go on.

‘Well, it was supposed to be colour matched to the gold,’ he laughs. ‘But when we opened the tin it was green, so that then had to be painted over as well.’

Still, it looks a whole lot better underneath now, even if it was a ton of work to do something only the MOT man ever sees.

The House of Kandyz Lime Gold paint with, as Steve put it in his lilting Yorkshire accent,

Below: Chrome bullets replace the wipers and, while perhaps somewhat less practical in Yorkshire than California, tidy up the scuttle area no end. Like the exterior paint, the dash had been pinstriped and cobwebbed when Steve bought the car. Though it doesn’t look it because of the tinted glass, the dash top has been painted in the same gold as the exterior, while the rest of the dash and the steering wheel (made slightly smaller in ’61) has been left stock and unrestored.

The only modification is a Caliber retro car stereo with Bluetooth, DAB and USB inputs, which plays out through kick panel and rear shelf speakers

Below: Love this through the window shot, it reminds us of the old images used to advertise these cars when new. It also gives a good indication of just how much glass there is in the greenhouse of these cars. They’re definitely not the car to drive if you don’t like being seen

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‘some right heavy flake in the roof,’ is just as the car was bought. And it blows your mind inside out when you see it in the sun.

‘It’s a bit bright and brass for Brighouse,’ says Steve, ‘an’ all the old grannies staring at you. It’s certainly over the top, but I just loved the overall look of the car.

‘It’s amazing really, ’cause it’s a stock car, more or less, just with airbags and paint.’

Wire Wheels

The wheels are a bit of Steve, who readily admits to having a thing about wires, and he sourced them from Wheelsmith in Corona.

The company offers two different types of Caddy-specific wire wheel, 48 and 56-spoke, with chrome and stainless steel options, in the correct offsets for different years, so there’s no fannying about required. Just order ’em up ’n’ bolt ’em up. Simple.

They do them in larger diameter sizes too, but we agree with Steve on this one: ‘I think they look right on 15s. They’re a big old bus, that’s for sure, but they don’t need to be on bigger wheels because then you lose that nice fat sidewall.’

And that nice fat sidewall – 70-series here – is part of what gives these cars their legendary ride quality. That and the all-round coil springs and rubber compliance bushes they were built with.

‘I like the way Caddys drive, and I didn’t want to lose that,’ continues Steve. ‘And this one was a nice drive. It weren’t fast, of course (Steve’s got that angle covered with some of his other cars), but it just kind of floated along. It wallowed a bit, but it were just a big comfy bus. You can’t beat ’em.

‘Parking were a bit of a thing I suppose.

But they’re a lovely thing, they really are.’

If you noticed a change of tense in the last few paragraphs, that’s because Steve no longer owns this car. It stayed in this country, going to East Anglia first, but we believe it’s been sold on again since, and the rumour is that it’s now rolling on big-inch rims and low profile tyres and might even have additional scallops over the gold paint.

So, I guess you could say this car is an evolving custom, going from one of the wildest factory designs ever offered to a mild US custom to a finessed UK custom to its latest incarnation, which is another owner’s interpretation on the theme. The one common thread to the whole process? A car that drives like a magic carpet, and gets you noticed wherever you go.

Or, as Cadillac itself put it in 1937: ‘Cadillac shows the world… how truly magnificent a motor car can be!’

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Rumble Time 3

Out & About Intro and captions: Dave Biggadyke In this final reflection of the NSRA Spring Rumbles, held the length and breadth of the country throughout May, we focus on Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Suffolk. The three routes highlighted here attracted in excess of 80 vehicles which clocked up not far short of 5,000 miles between them. That was just on the Rumbles themselves, with some participants travelling quite some distance to get to the start point then back home again.

A total of 23 Rumbles were staged throughout the month, all proving to be extremely popular. Thanks must go to all the organisers and, of course, to the man who came up with the idea in the first place, Glyn Thomas, along with his wife Hannah for promoting it so well. Most of all

80 vehicles clocked up not far short of 5000 miles between them though, thanks to all those who Rumbled and made it the success it was. Roll on next spring and more of the same. CC

Oxfordshire Words and pics: Lesley Brown An overnight stay at Sywell was followed by an early start for our fifth and final drive out, a 185 mile round trip to the Oxfordshire Rumble. The start point was Wet’n’Wild at Queensford Lakes near Wallingford where we had breakfast in the sunshine whilst watching people wandering about in rubber suits.

Once fed, the 50-mile circuitous tour took us through the picturesque Chiltern Hills and familiar villages (courtesy

of Midsommer Murders) to the final destination in Didcot, and yet more food.

There was a stop-off point on the way where we all managed to get up a head of steam. The organisers, Peter Kent and Emma Dolton, did a great job ably assisted by a merry band of helpers.

of hard work for a lot of people and I’m grateful to everyone involved who made it a success. We got to drive our car around our wonderful countryside and visit some great places, met new people and caught up with old friends. I hope this will become an annual event. When can I sign up?

we had breakfast watching people wandering about in rubber suits Sadly, it’s all over for us now. The whole Rumble effort has been brilliant, a lot

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Oxfordshire Words and pics: Lesley Brown It was week four of the NSRA Spring Rumbles and Dave and I decided to turn it into a weekend away.

Drama even before the Bedfordshire Rumble began when Andy Gardiner’s ‘27 Model T caught fire just before he arrived at the start. Police and fire brigade attended and there was a brief road closure, but fortunately nobody got injured and the car only suffered minor damage.

Whilst that was going on the rest of us enjoyed tea, biscuits and a chin wag at Tempsford Village Hall before 17 vehicles set out on the morning’s 47-mile drive around mid-Beds. We filled our boots at the lunchtime stop at Oakley Sports and Social Club before setting out on our 41-mile afternoon tour around North Beds and East Northants. Talk about a game of two halves. The sun came out and with it the car fans, with the locals cheering us as we drove by.

The final destination was Sywell Aerodrome, where we viewed the collection of vintage aircraft and toured a private workshop housing rare vehicles ranging from former Formula One cars to a Classic Le Mans Porsche.

Thanks to Shirley and Paul Sharman for organising such a superb day.

Above: After a delayed start caused by a thankfully minor vehicle fire, the Rumblers wended their way out along the sleepy streets of the mid-Bedfordshire villages and out into the open countryside – where the colourful convoy provided a stark contrast to the predominantly green fields and verges Below: Not quite sure how they managed it on those country lanes, but there was even the opportunity for some side-by-side posing for the camera.

Below right: Ignore the Podington signpost – it was an active airfield that the Rumblers were heading to, not teh nearby Santa Pod Bottom: Sywell Aerodrome offered the Rumblers private visits to two vintage plane hangars housing both restoration projects and airworthy planes including Spitfires. Lizzie Gardiner won the raffle for a flight in a Tiger Moth – and was followed into the sky by three other brave souls from our group

The cars rumble though the streets of the market town of Wallingford (opposite), en route to the stop-off point at the Cholsey and Wallingford Heritage Railway The Heritage Railway had laid on VIP parking alongside the platform (left) and we all then enjoyed a free train ride with tea served in proper china cups On the return journey Dave and I rode on the footplate of the George Mason diesel, then it was then back on the road to for our final destination, the Mulberry Pub in Didcot where we all enjoyed a Sunday roast to round the day off in style

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Suffolk Words and pics: Alice Fairhed The Suffolk Rumble was one of the last to take place as it was on the final Sunday in May. We started at Krazy Horse in Bury St Edmunds, filling the majority of the car park in readiness for the 10am departure time.

We headed off on the A143 to Ixworth, then to Stowmarket and after a few more turns here and there we arrived at Beacon Hill services where we met Suffolk Hot Rodders. After a quick stop off we were on the move again by 11am, heading across Suffolk through Stonham, Yoxford, Leiston and Thorpe Ness and on to our final stopping point, Moot Hall right on the coast at Aldeburgh.

58 cars were parked up on the sea front

Above: At the front is Gary Knight in his ’50 Buick, recipient of a Suffolk Rumble Pick award selected by Kev Bridges on behalf of V8 Hot Rods.

Below left: Digger’s Express Delivery on the move in the Bury St Edmunds industrial park that plays home to Krazy Horse Below right: The Rumble heads off, initially in the direction of Ixworth

The cars parked along the promenade made quite a spectacle for the locals, and as they admired the machinery we tuck in to fish and chips. It would have been rude not too when at the seaside. The full route from Krazy Horse covered 55 miles in all and a total of 58 cars were parked up at the sea front. Thanks to Kev Bridges and Gary Morgan for organizing such an amazing day.

Right: While it wasn’t exactly wall-to-wall sunshine all the way, at least the rain had consented to stop by the time the Rumble rolled into Aldeburgh Below: With such an impressive turnout, parking was at a premium along the promenade in Aldeburgh Below right: Gary Morgan, for the Suffolk Hot Rodders, chose George’s ‘40 Ford pick-up as recipient of the other Suffolk Rumble Pick award

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Out & About

One day, but what a day

Words and pics: James Webber After the success of last year’s inaugural show, the team at Plus Four Four Automotive came back with a bang for 2022, with a new venue – and a huge car allowance.

The date was set as 29 May and the new venue was chosen as Hartham Park and House in Corsham, not far off the M4.

The team had an allocated 750 car spaces, which I’m told was pretty close to being filled as show day approached. The stunning house and huge grounds made for a great day exploring around the cars, which were parked in different areas.

Outside the house was the Meguiar’s showcase, essentially the best of the best.

Then there was Meguiar’s lawn which was full of everything from transporters to American trucks to K10 Nisan Micras.

the stunning house and huge ground made for a great day exploring around the cars The rest of the space was taken up by a huge variety of all things automotive.

Several caterers and traders were pitched up, a DJ played throughout the day and the weather just about held off to make one hell of a one-day show – which is now

well on its way to becoming a staple of the automotive calendar.

The team did a wonderful job of marshalling people in through the gates and checking tickets to keep everything moving. The general public were allowed in from 10am onwards, though show cars had been given staggered times to enter, starting from 7.15am – which meant a bit of an early start for some people! Worth it for all, though, especially those who took home the awards that started being given out from 3pm onwards.

It was a very relaxed day and I ended up catching up with many people I hadn’t seen for ages, and others who I follow on the socials but hadn’t met in person.

Plus Four Four is an automotive brand selling a range of merchandise and this

and further details on next year’s show can be found on Facebook and Instagram. You should definitely get the dates for next year’s show in your calendar – trust me, you won’t want to miss it.. CC

‘58 Edsel has waited all its life to be parked next to a Citroën 2CV

Rory Hamilton rolled up in Suzie, his ‘55 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

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Jake Smith’s ‘53 F100 is no stranger to these pages, having previously been a CC feature car – and it’s no stranger to success, either, duly taking home the Best in Show trophy A 1985 Honda Acty is not your usual Custom Car fare. But how cool is this to have your vehicle’s spec on a slide show from a retro gaming monitor?

You don’t see many right-hand drive Plymouth Barracudas.

The owner was a rarity, too, so we never managed to find out about it, however factory right-hookers came with the uprated brakes and suspension from the manufacturer’s Formula S package

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Out & About

Worth waiting for

Words and pics: Tim Ball After two years of staying in and waiting to get out, Coffee’N’Cars took the plunge with the return of its annual Weekend of Wheels – a show for American cars and anything pre-95 that has wheels.

The event was supporting Aid to Gambia – a charity which restores old ambulances and donates them to the West African nation where they are put back into service.

The show was held at Moorgreen, near Nottingham. Organisers Attila Csorba and Jane Clarke, supported by their team of Yasmin Madge, Martin Summers, Martin Hurley, James Russell and a few others, worked with Acacia Radio to provide the entertainment for a fun-filled weekend.

Vendors included classic car parts and drive-up pinstriping as well as face painting and rides for the kids. There was live music, too, from Evie Mason (her first time on

The event was supporting a charity which restores old ambulances stage), Black Cat Boogie, Cherry Vixen and Cottonmouth.

And of course there were the cars. It’s not every day you see two ‘58 Corvettes parked next to each other, and there was a good showing from the Ford Edsel Club as well as a very cool custom Ford Escort Mk2

Van. Neil Mills showed up in his Oldsmobile 442 and Liam Maltby in his stunning 57 wagon, and then there was Martin Summers’ huge Chevrolet Suburban – complete with 7” lift.

Even this was dwarfed by the custom airbrushed commercial trucks that took the show by storm, however. And opposite them, Mobat Group had a good showing with a very varied military display.

With the Saturday fully up and running, the vehicles set out for the Perimeter Car Cruise – exactly as it sounds, a mini cruise round the edge of the show site.

Mark joined in in his latest ambulance, as did some of the lorries displayed by Motus Commercials, and with a speed limit of 10mph it was great to see families riding in the backs of the pick-ups as visitors watched and waved.

Motus Commercials was among the sponsors without whom the event would not have happened, and for whose support Attila and his team were as grateful as ever.

Making up the roll of honour were Silver Fox Classics and Ward Recycling.

Talking of honours, trophies went to: • Graham Armstrong and his Ford Edsel, for most distance travelled (he drove from Edinburgh to meet up with other members of the Edsel Club)

• Jim Donnelly with his stunning Dodge Wayfarer Coupe (which drove in with an Airstream caravan in tow!)

• Neil Mills and his super clean black/gold Oldsmobile 442 • Janice Martin with her boat-tail Buick Riviera, which she’s owned for more than 20 years • Danny Moore and his imposing Chrysler Newport • Richard Bird with his immaculate and original yellow ’58 Corvette • Shaun Cooke with his Mk2 Escort Van, for Custom of the Day • Georgina Cochran, Hot Rod of the Day A great weekend all round, and a fitting way to come back after two years away.

‘Roll on 2023,’ said Attila. ‘We’ll be back, bigger and better than ever!’ CC

Janice Martin’s ‘71 Riviera won the Club Choice award to add to the gongs it’s been gaining in the 20 years and counting since she became its owner

won a Hot Rod Lisa Gazzard’s rod, Rodney, is a well known sight and days when it of the Day award. It’s gained a perspex hood since the attention of all the grab to s appeared in Street Machine and continue who see it

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OCTOBER 2022 CUSTOM CAR 49

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Mains power

A

week after the return of Doorslammers, which we featured in last month’s issue of Custom Car, Santa Pod played host to the Main Event – Round 1 of the FIA European Championship and one of the biggest race meetings in the calendar.

With 12 different classes (plus five more on two wheels), more than 180 cars were entered to take part. And the racing lived up to everyone’s expectations, with a number of records falling over the course of the four days’ action. Highlights included a new European Pro Mod record for Jan Ericsson, as well as the continent’s first ever 3.7-second run by Ida Zetterström in her top fuel dragster.

The best news of all, however, came when Kevin Chapman walked clear of a spectacular wreck which saw his Mustang funny car blown apart in a ball of fire after smashing into the wall. Andres Arnovar had a bit of a brown trouser moment too – not as splashy, and not in full view of the galleries, but when your chutes fail at 246mph it’s definitely time to keep a cool head – which he did.

FIA Top Methanol

■ Words: Olly Sack Pics: Julian Hunt

Another crowd-pleasing highlight of the day on Saturday was the appearance of Barry Sheavills and Andy Carter, who were interviewed together on the startline on the 20th anniversary of one of Santa Pod’s most famous ever races. In 2002, the strip was waiting for its first 300mph pass – then along came Barry and Andy to do it side by side.

The best news came when Kevin Chapman walked clear of a spectacular wreck At around the same time, Jean Dulamon was busy changing the 865ci engine in his Pro-Mod Camaro. As always, pit crews were busy throughout - some with more success than others, it must be said. As always, it’s tough at the top. CC Sandro Bellio

With only two entries in this class, Norway’s Linn Fløysvik said she was just hoping to provide Sandro Bellio with a bit of competition.

Having struggled with engine issues for much of the meeting, however, Linn Fløysvik these came to a head in her penultimate run when her supercharger blew up. The team’s pit crew went to work dismantling the engine and found minimal damage – but ran out of time to rebuild it, leaving her to record a no-show as Belgium’s Bellio ran an unchallenged 5.8848/262.00 in his Monte Carlo.

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Andy Dibley

Jan Ericsson

FIA/MSUK Pro Modified Jan Ericsson laid down a major marker in the final qualifying session with a run of 5.7245/250.45 – a new European and FIA Pro Mod record. Bruno Bader had earlier posted a new PB with his first run in the 5.8s aboard his Corvette – while in the previous session, Estonia’s Andres Arnover had a visit to the grass beyond the end of the strip after his Mustang’s chutes failed to deploy.

The following day, Ericsson defeated David Vegter in an all-Camaro final, the Swede running 5.7944/246.89 to his Dutch rival’s 5.9093/225.62. In the semis, Vegter had survived a back half fightback from Arnover while Ericsson cruised home after Bader was slowed by tyre shake.

Tony Morris Carburetors Super Gas The Super Gas eliminators saw plenty of tight battles – as well as a race in which Collin Morrice stopped mid-run, got started again, failed to register an ET but, thanks to a red light for Andy Harrison, still won. He didn’t survive the following session, however, as Andy Dibley and Tim Moore won through to a tightly fought final in which it was Dibley’s Camaro that triumphed with a run of 9.9811/145.33.

Tim Moore

David Vegter

Collin Morrice

Bruno Bader

Bobby Wallace

Nick Davies

Stevan Reffeltrath

Dave Cherrett

Mark White

Andres Arnover

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Nitro Funny Car

Jason Phelps

Kevin Chapman described his 4th qualifying run as ‘a wild ride,’ which sounds like a bit of an understatement when you see images below of the monster stack that blew his Mustang apart. He had the strip to himself after Steve Ashdown shut off on the start line but slammed into the wall before the eighth – causing his fuel tank to explode, blowing the car’s chassis and body apart.

There was a palpable sense of relief around the whole of Santa Pad when he climbed out unharmed.

In the final, Jason Phelps posted a new PB of 4.6395/201.49 to take the trophy, with Ashdown’s Dodge not far behind on 5.1398/171.09.

Steve Ashdown

Kevin Chapman was the talk of the Pod after his fourth qualifying run went dramatically wrong pretty much right from the start. His Mustang swerved violently off course and smaashed into the wall with so much force that its fuel tank went off like a bomb, blowing the car’s apart. Its body ended up propped against the wall a couple of car lengths from the impact site, while its chassis kept moving and finally came to rest beyond the eighth and next to the wall on the far side of the strip.

It speaks volumes for the strength built in to modern race cars that Kevin was able to climb out and walk away unharmed

Kevin Kent

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FIA Top Fuel Dragster Round 1 of the Top Fuel eliminations saw Europe’s first 3.7 run as Ida Zetterström of the Åland Islands posted a crushing 3.7825/301.92mph – despite lifting off a little early. After this, however, the final was something of an anticlimax, as she produced more smoke than speed and ended up with 15.5828 at 35.98mph – a long, long way behind the 3.8099/305.01 of Finland’s Antti Horto.

Antti Horto

Ida Zetterström

Modurstang Pro ET

Simon Gough

Sunday’s eliminators started without Alan Medley, whose Oldsmobile Omega put a rod through its sump in the final qualifying session the previous afternoon. Amy Watkins won her second-round race against Leigh Morris by 0.002 but lost out to Dave Fulton in the semis – before his ’66 Nova came second in the final to Simon Gough, who ran 8.5311/153.11 (8.50) in his 582ci Camaro.

Dave Fulton Ronnie Mercer

Amy Watkins Gary Carr

John Bean

Brett Featherstone

Tom Watkins

Pete Dodds

Keith Herbert

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Peter Nee Super Pro ET

Track Worx Comp Eliminator

Dan Williams made it to the final by a margin of just 0.000019 seconds in round 3 of the eliminators as his Chevelle edged Spencer Tramm’s Camaro by the shortest of short heads.

Kev Jenkins by contrast cruised through unopposed in his Escort – but it was Dan who took the trophy, posting a time of 9.8678/131.35 Dan Williams (10.38) in the final.

A competition with a wide variety of vehicles including a GTO, a Datsun 360Z and a Marina Van came down to a final between two dragsters, with Joe Kellett and Nick Good qualifying after Billy Gane broke out and Pete Walters red lighted in the semis. In the event, it was Kellett who took it with a run of 7.5763/177.75 (7.50).

David Russell

Andy Hadfield

Spencer Tramm

Jordan Payne

Lee Darby

Jack Brewster

Be Fast R Super Comp Ten of the eleven entries in the Super Comp were British – but it was SwitzerMarkus Ochsner land’s Markus Ochsner who won it in his 572ci Dodge Ram, beating Steve Field’s Slingshot with a run of 8.9397/146.64.

Ron Bartlett

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Andy Bond

Anthony Higgs

Topspeed Automotive Street Eliminator An eventful competition saw Andy Bond line up against Anthony Higgs in the final after enjoying a couple of walkovers during the elimination rounds. His first came when opponent Mark Sheridan scratched with engine damage – a fate which also befell James Murray in his Cortina Estate.

Murray’s misfortune was a stroke of luck for Alan McSweeney, who posted a RT of almost 27 seconds as he fought to get moving in his Volvo 162. Oddly, Bond also struggled for traction in the following round, resulting in a 10.5492 pass – which he got away with as he had a bye.

This session also saw a new PB for Elliot Day, who got his Willys Coupe into the eights for the first time ever with a time of 8.9991.

The perfect tonic after losing the race to Anthony Higgs’ 540ci Capri.

Bond beat McSweeney in the semis thanks largely to a much better RT. His opponent’s Volvo was gaining ground throughout the back half, but Bond held on in his Chevy 210 – then went on to take the spoils in the final, a 7.2377/208.99 run keeping him ahead of Higgs’ 7.7101/176.44.

Alan McSweeney

James Murray

Kev Slyfield

Paul Morton Mark Sheridan

Elliot Day

Antony Wilkins

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Auto focus ■ Words and Pics: Keith Lee

This month, Keith recalls the madcap idea behind Santa Pod’s original take on the Cannonball Run

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major highlight of Dragstalgia is the Cannonball event. Now it features nostalgia funny cars, dragsters and altereds in a special aggregated time format over three initial rounds, with the two quickest performers then taking part in a heads-up final clash to determine the overall winner. This particular competition owes its existence to the classic Cannonball Run movie, which was released back in 1981.

The Cannonball Run is one of those amusingly mad road movies which few car nuts will not have seen – and probably more than once or twice. It starred Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore, plus many other well known faces, taking part in a 3000-mile car chase across America, from coast to coast. For the Santa Pod July 1981 International race, the promoter came up with the wheeze of just slightly restyling this marathon as a one-mile competition!

It needed a real stretch of imagination to link the longest car race on the planet with the shortest one, but it did add a twist to the normal format! Tied in to this event was an offer to competitors and spectators to enjoy free admission to the premiere of the film in Bedford on the Saturday night.

Bill Sherratt pilots the black Plymouth Arrow against Tony Boden in 1982

This first version of the Cannonball Run was billed to feature eight fuel funny cars competing over four rounds of competition, with the aggregated times over the first three rounds deciding which two drivers would shoot out for the overall win. Just to make it complicated, there would be bonus time for a round win, the fastest round win and coming in as a substitute.

Penalties were applied for a red light, crossing the centre line and, among others, for destroying the finish line mirrors! That made for quite some calculations along the way, which were handled in the tower by my better half, Annie.

That year, 1981, was when the character that is John Price joined myself in the commentary box – and went on to unleash Captain Chaos on an unsuspecting crowd at the event. Quite apt, really, as the final runoff was indeed total chaos on the track!

Even before the first leg took place on Sunday, there was carnage galore in the engine department during Saturday’s practice sessions. As a foretaste of the madcap day to follow, Owen Hayward ended up reversing the Houndog funny car into the surprised doctor sat in his car,

when his blown nitro engine would not shut off while reversing!

It could not have been better scripted that a funny car called Cannonball, which was unveiled especially for this event, ran out as the winner. Driven by ‘Wild’ Bill Sherratt, the black Arrow was none other than the car Don Prudhomme raced at Santa Pod the previous year. The manner of his victory was unreal, and funnily enough a piece of video I shot from the tower seems to have been shared around a lot on Facebook recently.

Bill, along with Allan Herridge in Gladiator, were the top two runners, but on the final burnout Allan left a fairly enormous oil slick on the track in his wake – and the motor belched fire as its body was raised! Meanwhile, Owen Hayward had fired up in Houndog, and was planning to come in as substitute.

Gladiator was pushed back and Owen was left with a narrow portion of the left lane to run on, between the oil slick and the edge of the track! Bill stormed off for a mid six second win, as Houndog predictably went up in smoke on a valiant attempt on the dirty part of the lane.

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The striking Firebird-bodied Apache was once again unbeatable, but the final win did result in engine damage

A true Dragstalgia surprise, as The Cannonball made a welcome reappearance. This is not the original style of paint on the car, which was reworked for this version later in 1981

The fans enjoyed the spectacle, but the following edition of the race turned out to be pretty chaotic for another reason – because half of the runs got no times, as the timing equipment went into intermittent mode! Not good for an aggregate time competition – but the format would survive.

Fast forward to 2022, and the annual Dragstalgia Cannonball race. I was shocked when chatting to commentators Colin Theobald and Darryl Bradford when they told me that the original Cannonball car was in the staging lanes, in the hands of Ricky Gowen. The ex-Prudhomme Arrow had now been restored to run as a methanol burner and was a very welcome sight after all these years in hiding.

Unlike the first time this car appeared, however, there would not be a repeat performance of its fairytale win, as it was only making familiarisation runs.

Appropriately, Bill Sherratt was on hand to watch his old ride performing once again, in between firing up his own stunning slingshot cackle car, Yesterdays Dream.

Not surprisingly, the modern version of the Cannonball race is devoid of all the complicated penalties and bonuses of the original version, thank goodness! The inclusion of dragsters and altereds, instead of funny cars only, has proved to be a popular mix – and a very competitive one.

Tim Garlick shoed the Apache car impressively as always, and he was the man to beat. Tony Betts ran him close in

Bob Hawkins on a storming burnout, as he consolidated his return to top form in the nitro slingshot

the best elapsed time department, with a 6.18/234 effort in Venom, but Apache showed how consistent these cars can be.

The 1981 July event had traditionally featured an American racer or two in previous years, but not so for that original Cannonball. For 2022 it was nice to see John Hale coming over to pilot Rob Elsom’s Dirty Deeds Camaro, and helping get more out of the car – as a fine 6.47/222 showed.

It was especially pleasing to see Bob Hawkins on fine form again this year, after so much effort put in to the Time Traveller 2 slingshot in order to run the numbers again. A best of 6.66/198 on his way to runner-up spot was well deserved. Looks like the Cannonball has still got the legs for many more editions!

Left: John Hale making a welcome appearance in Rob Elsom’s Dirty Deeds Camaro Below left: Robbie Grabham had his hands full in Freddy’s Revenge, but he was knocking on the door of a six in the methanol-burning Topo. Adam Clayton in the far lane Right: A good sight to see the Gleadows back back in action again with their excellent Motor Psycho entry. Joe Bond was too strong for Adam Gleadow this time Below right: Far lane is The Cannonball as its original paint during most of 1981 was getting burnt off! Bill is racing Chris Filsell in Satans Sledge

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BRENTACRE CUSTOM CAR & HOT ROD INSURANCE

www.customcarmag.co.uk 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

SEPTEMBER 2-4 Kustom Kulture Blast-Off. Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln LN2 2NA. www.kkbo-ltd.co.uk 2-4 Blue Ridge Runners Show Party Weekend. West Huntspill, Somerset TA9 3RH. www.blueridgerunners. co.uk

3 Huccabilly Run. Huccaby Farm, Dartmoor PL20 6SB. www.theabbotsscc.thebigcartel.com

4 Stratford Autojumble. Stratford Racecourse CV37 9SE. www.stratfordautojumble.co.uk

3-4 The Lundy Flyers 1/8 Mile Sprint. Saunton Sands Beach, North Devon. Facebook: The Lundy Flyers Motor Club

7 End of Summer Riot. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4 Deuce Day. Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. www.deucesofbritain.co.uk

7 Euro Finals Test Day. Santa Pod Raceway www.santapod.co.uk 8-11 Euro Finals. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 9-11 Popstalgia 11. Billing Aquadrome, Northants. Facebook: Popstalgia 10-11 International Autojumble.

National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, Hampshire. www.beaulieu.co.uk 11 Driver’s Collection Official Show. Sheffield Aero Club, Netherthorpe Road, Worksop S80 3JQ. thedriverscollection.bigcartel. com 11 VHRA Swap Meet. The Camp, Ramsey, Cambs. www.vhra.co.uk 11 A602’s Autorama.

Fairlands Valley Showground, Stevenage, Herts SG2 8RH. www. a602sstreetandstriprods.com

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16-18 NSRA Hot Rod Drags.

Santa Pod Raceway. www.hotroddrags.com 16-18 Goodwood Revival.

Goodwood House, Sussex PO18 8PX. www.goodwood.com 17-18 Duck-All Prep. Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners. events Helen 07921 712266 18 American Car Show.

Stonham Barns Park, Suffolk IP14 6AT. www.stonhambarns.co.uk 18 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble.

Newark Showground NG24 2NY. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 23 National Finals Test Day. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 23-25 Flat Caps & Ferrets Lepton Highlanders Sports Grounds, Huddersfield HD8 0LX. Facebook: Huddersfield Hot Rod & Custom Car Show

22-23 RWYB. Santa Pod Raceway. www.rwyb.com

20 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble.

Newark Showground NG24 2NY. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

23 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble.

Newark Showground NG24 2NY. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

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

29 Flame & Thunder. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

DECEMBER

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

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

11 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble.

Newark Showground NG24 2NY. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

24-25 Sywell Classic – Pistons and Props. Sywell Aerodrome, Northants. www.sywellclassic.co.uk

30 RWYB. Santa Pod Raceway. www.rwyb.com

18 Christmas Toy Run. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

NOVEMBER

26 Cold Turkey Meet. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

24-25 National Finals. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

OCTOBER 1 RWYB. Santa Pod Raceway. www.rwyb.com

11-13 Classic Motor Show.

NEC, Birmingham. www.necclassicmotorshow.com 19 Mustang O.C. Meet. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 All American Cruise In / Frozen Fins. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

1 Drag & Drift. Dakota Raceway, Smeatharpe, Devon. www.straightliners.events Helen 07921 712266 2 Victory Wheelers Hayling Sunset. Funland Amusement Park, Hayling Island PO11 0AG. www.victorywheelers.co.uk 8 RWYB. Santa Pod Raceway. www.rwyb.com 8-9 Duck-All Prep. Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners. events Helen 07921 712266 15 RWYB. Santa Pod Raceway. www.rwyb.com

OCTOBER 2022 CUSTOM CAR 59

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60 CUSTOM CAR OCTOBER 2022

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Out & About

Cornish fasties

Words and pics: James Webber After a sabbatical of two years and a change of venue, the Duchy Capri and Classic Ford Club put on their annual weekend show on 21-22 May. Held at the new venue of Mother Ivey’s Holiday Park, located on the outskirts of Padstow and with good weather forecast, a great selection of old and new Fords turned out in force.

Saturday saw a cruise take place taking on scenic routes ending up at Looe, with around 50 cars on the road.

Sunday was show day and the field was pretty full with everything ranging from Escorts, Capris and Cortinas to modern-day Focuses and Mondeos. Sadly, despite a big push there were few classic American or

there were very few classic Americans or hot rods – a shame, as they would have been welcome

Entry was a mere £5 and there was plenty for people to do, from a couple of local caterers and an ice cream van to bouncy castles for the kids and a couple of autojumble stalls. All the money from the show was donated to Cornwall Blood Bikes and Wadebridge Food Bank.

The new venue seemed to be a great success and there are plenty of camp and holiday sites around the area. So if you fancy a trip to Cornwall next year, why not book this one in your calendars and make a holiday of it? Duchy Capri Club have all details on future shows and regular cruise nights at www.duchycapriclub.co.uk and on Facebook. CC

This flathead-powered F-47 is originally Canadian. Its elderly gentleman owner has just had it back from a major refurb, complete with modern driving upgrades Andy Boswarthick’s 105 Anglia runs on MX-5 running gear and banded steels Not your typical CC material, but this Sierra sporting a Ford 302 V8 was a perfectly executed sleeper

hot rods – a real shame, as they would have been made welcome and not been out of place, but there’s always next year!

Strangely for a Ford show, only one Pop turned up – and a stocker at that Michael Fisher made the short trip from Newquay in his regularly used and raced ‘73 Mach 1 Mustang with Ford 302 powerplant

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From the archive

50 years ago: Custom Car, October 1972 I don’t know what all the fuss is about, I really don’t. Messrs Hill and Phillips, Penman and Lensman respectively, wing their way over to old Ameriky and come back fairly bursting with praise about some guy called Andy Brizio and his wonderful C-Cab, and before we know what’s happening there it is in glorious chrome and alloy, a full frontal colour job staring at you from the revered pages of this resplendent mag.

What I want to know is this: what’s wrong with good ol’ Parkstone, eh? What’s San Fransisco got that Parkstone hasn’t?

Answer that one if you can.

What’s a few hills and a drop of seaside between friends?

Now answer this one: has or hasn’t Parkstone got its own, its very own C-Cab? Yes it has. Has or hasn’t this C-Cab got a real live Chevy engine? Yes it has.

And with a build-up time of two and a half months wasn’t it every bit as instant as Mister Brizio’s immaculate machine? Yes it was.

So what’s with all this San Fransisco rubbish then, when we have some equally tasteful machinery of our own?

Okay, so this one’s a bit of a compromise. Like it’s not an exact replica of a C-Cab proper, and maybe a bit on the small side to boot. But what does it matter? That’s exactly as Ray Christopher set out to build it, so why hassle him about it not looking like the real thing?

He started with an engine, see, a 265 Chevy which he rebuilt with new pistons, crank and camshaft. It came complete with gearbox and super-neat Hurst shift, and in a roundabout sort of way determined the length of the car. Intending from the outset to build the car in miniature, it was all down to the propshaft, you see, and how much it could be shortened.

Well, having shortened it as much as it would go, it was then mated to a Mk 10 Jag rear axle – stock width – which in turn decided how wide the thing was going to be.

Beginning to get the picture now, are you? Good.

Inevitably, an article of this nature relies very much on a the thigh-bone’s-connected-to-thegroin-bone type of approach, which is as contrived as it is boring to work out. So just for a change we’re going to start at the front and work back, in that order too.

Right, front number plate.

Absolutely incredible, this; I can’t imagine why no-one’s ever thought of it before. You may find this a little difficult to believe, but it’s white plastic letters and numerals on a black Fablon background. Real class.

The home-made box-section chassis would have a distinct tendency to scrape along the asphalt were it not for the adapted Herald suspension and Imp wheels and tyres. Herald rack and pinion made for its now-proved ability to go around corners, and retaining the Imp hubcaps meant all the greasy little wheel nuts stayed covered.

Oh yes, and trailer mudguards prevent the wheels from getting wet when it rains.

Sitting each side of the Jago radiator cowl, which doesn’t quite disguise the fact that there’s a 100E radiator sitting asymmetrically inside, are a pair of heavily chromed Ford Pop headlamps. And just behind the aluminium cowl extension is a Zephyr dynamo, which Ray figures will be a lot cheaper to repair than the original Chevy one. Since there’s a lot of chrome around the engine department it’s probably not out of place to mention at this juncture that the total bill for the whole lot was

just 25 sheets.

Alderney Plating in Parkstone were the people who did it, so if you’re looking for cheap good plating and live in the Bournemouth/Poole area you know where to go.

Sitting on top of the 2bbl Carter that came with the engine is a rather unusual bug catcher. You don’t recognise it, huh? What’s the matter with you, you don’t know a chromed Castrol can when you see one?

Headers were home-made, and originally had some special silencers made for them. The whole exercise proved disastrous though, so Raymondo nipped round his local silencer shop and grabbed a pair of SS Jaguar silencers off the shelf. Don’t worry, he paid for them.

By far the biggest problem was the body, which consists of steel panels on a wooden frame, just as it would have been originally. As I said before, it’s not an accurate replica, but considering Ray is neither a carpenter nor a metalworker by profession it’s none the less pretty commendable. Firewall and windscreen, like most everything else, are homespun, in marine ply and perspex (to be replaced in the not too distant future by glass) respectively.

In 1913, when Ray assures us C-Cabs had flat firewalls, the top was detachable and it was classed as a coupe for tax purposes. Today it’s no different, which is kind of lucky when you think that vans have a 50mph limit on them.

The rear doors are complete fakes – they don’t split in the middle, as the dummy handle would have you believe, and open outwards at all. The rear door, then, simply hinges upwards, so slinging his four kids in is all the easier.

Ray was lucky enough to get some sponsorship for building the C-Cab, the kind donors of the money being Winter-warmth, the double glazing people from Penge, South London. The panel beneath the rear door is signwritten to this effect, and also houses the rear number plate (just like the front one, would you believe), petrol filler cap and a pair of Mini rear light units.

The little bumpers that tidy up the rear mudguards (off some obscure truck) came from a Minivan and are there to keep it legal, so that the lights etc do not protrude more than the body.

Rear wheels, tyres and hubcaps are off an XJ6.

Paint is metallic blue with a modicum of ’flake in it, set off by white pinstriping.

Black leathercloth was the order of the day when it came

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to trimming, and both roof and buttoned seat are the result. The interior Is finished off with a small leather-rimmed steering wheel and houses all the usual instruments plus an all-important heater. Some home-sewn sidescreens, though not exactly a joy to behold, are quite efficient and keep our rotten weather where it belongs: outside.

Epilogue. Registering the C-Cab was no problem – the Bournemouth and Dorset police were ‘very understanding’ (and you can take that how you like) and even gave him a nice little plate with a chassis number on it. Insurance isn’t exorbitant considering the size of the engine – aged 30, third party fire and theft with full no claims bonus, it cost Ray £50.03.

The C-Cab is Ray’s 12th or so rod to date; doubtless he’s anxious to start on the next one,

so if anyone’s interested we’ll be only too pleased to pass on the address. Come to think of it, if you’re interested you can look

him up in the Parkstone directory yourself.

Christopher’s the name, Ray Christopher. Bit of a

non-starter as a name, really.

Bow can anyone ever expect to build a C-Cab without an Italian-sounding handle?

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