the cowl lights as front turn signals, used Speedway headlights on custom mounts, and fabricated stain- less bumpers. One of the more stressful things for Tom was punching all the louvers (over 300) in ‘29 Dodge PA sheetmetal that he didn’t think he could replace easily (if at all). He then laid down the hot rod satin black paint and made the checkerboard on the firewall (a Herculean effort according to Tom). Once the rod was finished, Tom decided he wanted fenders, so the stock rear fenders were fitted, and he found a perfect set of motorcycle fenders which required him to learn how to make fender mounts (rubber isolators are the way to go). Tom slipped in a
white top insert, a custom handmade dash insert holding Shark gauges, a Hurst shifter, Ford handles, a vintage Arvin heater, and Dodge Caravan seats that Diane Walters covered in red and gray cloth. The final step was getting the 12-volt power every- where with a kit from EZ Wire. I love the hot rod vibes and that’s a lot of what attracted me to this ride, but what sealed the deal was talking to Tom about it. He was great explaining all the problems he had and what he did to avoid problems. That’s a lot of what we all love about rodding, the comradery. Well, the comradery and cruising in a bitchin’ car built exactly to your specification!
66 AUGUST 2025
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker