Vehicle Description
Beautiful professional build, fully finished interior, 350 V8 with dual quads and tunnel ram, yet very streetable. Automatic transmission, A/C, stereo, bucket sets, digital dash. Fast, fun, sorted, reliable rod ready to go anywhere!
No real 1934 Fords were harmed in the construction of this sinister coupe—the body is Gibbons fiberglass and it sits on a fabricated frame. That’s good news, because it fits together better than Henry’s cars ever did, and thanks to the ministrations of a very talented body guy who had this one built for his wife. The chopped top has exactly the right proportions and rake, the gaps are tidy, and the suicide-style doors pop open easily and close with a reassuringly solid sound. The black paint is deep and lustrous without a wiggle or a wave anywhere on it, suggesting a great deal of time went into the prep and final finishing, and it isn’t bothered with any extraneous details: no flames, no pinstripes, no graphics. Instead, it just lets the clean bodywork and deep black finish speak for themselves, and the result is extremely impressive. There is no hood, and that’s on purpose to show off the glittering engine bay, but adding a hood wouldn’t be a big deal at all, if that’s your thing.
The ultraleather seating surfaces are durable but feel great when you slide behind the wheel and the twin bucket seats adjust so it’s easy for anyone to get comfortable, even taller drivers. A leather-wrapped billet steering wheel hangs on a tilt column and there’s a stubby Lokar shifter for the TH400 3-speed automatic underneath. And don’t be alarmed, there are digital gauges that light up the moment you turn the key but vanish completely behind a smoked glass panel, making for a very clean dashboard. Controls for the ice cold A/C are under the dash and there’s a powerful Pioneer AM/FM/CD stereo head unit in front of the passenger. Liberal use of sound-deadening materials makes it comfortable for cruising and the windows are power-actuated using discreet switches tucked under the dash on each side. You also get a good-sized trunk that’s upholstered to match and uses removable panels for access to the inner workings.
The 350 cubic inch V8 isn’t radical, but it’s plenty potent, topped by a pair of Holley 4-barrel carburetors on a polished tunnel ram setup. There’s a mild cam inside that gives it just a bit of a lope, but compression is mild enough to be happy on pump gas and it’s plenty punchy out on the road. There’s no choke mechanism on either of the carburetors, so it’s a little grumpy when it’s cold, but get it warmed up and it delivers the kind of neck-snapping acceleration you’d expect from 350+ horsepower in a 2800-pound car. It’s nicely sorted and totally detailed, with simple polished aluminum valve covers, chrome accessories, and a low-profile air cleaner that keeps the whole package well under the hood line (again, if you want a hood, it’ll be easy to install). There’s a huge aluminum radiator up front that’s cooled by an equally large electric fan and bright red plug wires from the HEI system add just the right amount of contrast.
The chassis is based on a rectangular tube frame, which is strong and durable and nicely finished in gloss black. The front suspension is polished stainless A-arms with adjustable Aldan coil-over shocks and rack-and-pinion steering, so action is light (power assist isn’t needed—remember this was built for a lady driver). Long-tube headers feed a great-sounding dual exhaust system that uses polished stainless tips out back and there’s a disc brake at all four corners. The aforementioned TH400 3-speed automatic transmission snaps through the gears with a minimum of fuss and with a small block ahead of it, it should last virtually forever. There’s a Ford 9-inch in back with what we believe to be 3.50 gears inside, so it’s an easy cruiser at highway speeds but feels plenty snappy around town. More coil-over shocks mean the ride can be fine-tuned to your liking and the staggered 185/70/14 front and 235/75/15 rear tires are fitted to polished Torque Thrust wheels for a traditional hot rod look.
Beautifully finished, fully sorted, and ready to enjoy, this is a rod you can drive anywhere with confidence. Finish quality is much better than you’d expect in a car at this price and you’ll never be disappointed in the way it feels when you punch it. This is how hot rods are supposed to be.
For more details and photos, please visit www.HarwoodMotors.com
