Its creator had a bare, beat-to-hell shell sitting on one side of the garage… and a $100 '79 Ford Granada sitting on the other side. You can see where this is going, right? For a budget of less than a thousand bucks, he handcrafted most of the bodywork (including a grille made from a household wall-heater grate), dropped in the Granada drivetrain- dead-stock 302 engine, C4 transmission, driveshaft, rear end, with some $3 Honda Accord springs holding the back end up, then installed the Granada interior as well. Tilt steering wheel, green vinyl, speedometer, the works! The attention to detail- and obsession with building the whole project as cheaply as possible- is absolutely amazing. The fuel tank is made from a pair of 5-gallon jerry cans cut and welded together, for example, and the wood trim is made from baseboards salvaged out of an old house. This guy has 20 other cool cars, including the evil-looking machine parked next to this one, a show-quality '62 Corvette, etc., yet the Granada Rod is the one that gets the most miles. No, it doesn't have any skulls or vintage Pabst cans, and the owner isn't completely covered in ink, but we're going to give this Ford the Jalopnik Best Of Show Award, hands down.

Hi Murilee,

I've always had a thing for European cars with American V8's under the hood. Cobras, Intermeccanicas, Sunbeam Tigers, Panteras, Jensen Interceptors and Iso Rivoltas. My wife and I decided to take advantage of a rare sunny summer day in SF and took our daughter on a cable car ride. We walked back towards Aquatic Park down Polk Street when I spotted this beauty. I've never seen an Iso up close and certainly never a Fidia. This one had dents and bubbling paint on several panels and was in desperate need of a car wash. I couldn't get any decent shots of the interior due to the sun on the dirt on the windows. I only managed a few shots before my battery ran out. I love the vestigial bumpers in front and back. Being a family man and a drummer this car would be a close second for me to an Intermeccanica Murena (need to fit the drums in the back).

Here is some info on the Fidia.

I really enjoy DOTS BTW. I had no idea that there were so many cool cars just across the Bay. One day I will make a pilgrimage to Alameda just to scope out cars (and trucks).

I was walking down Alameda's main downtown street when I saw this very weathered Ford parked in front of Juanita's. I didn't have my good camera with me, but my phone takes pretty decent shots.


Hellhammer, who's way more knowledgeable about old Fords than I'll ever be, says this appears to be a '32 Model B truck with the grille from a Model B car. It appears to have the usual rat-rod small-block/automatic drivetrain and untouched vintage patina, and it has the look of a truck that gets used for everyday transportation (or for midweek birria runs, at least). What's 76 years, anyway?

I went inside the shop to talk to Matt, the very friendly über-gearhead running the joint, and the place was full of rod projects, vintage car magazines and posters, even a breathtakingly original Jag E-Type.


It turns out that the '38 has a storied (though somewhat murky) racing history dating back to the 1950s, and it's currently inspiring feverish dreams of driving the ultimate rat rod in the minds of just about every right-thinking person who catches sight of it. I am forced to admit that I contemplated the logistics of buying it as my personal Hell Project, but I have about 0.004% of the wrenching chops needed to make this thing come back to life. Let's read what Matt has to say about this car:

I am flattered and enthusiastic to get a post up on Jalopnik. Hopefully from visiting RoadSideWerx, it is evident that we build and collect Classic Cars and Hot Rods with pure heart and soul; many people are in it for the money. We are in it for the nostalgia of the sport, and to pay tribute to the men and cars themselves that created a classic American era. To tell you a little bit about the car, I would most respectfully like to correct you in that the car is not a '36 Ford race car, rather it is a 1938 racer. More specially, a 1938 Ford Special Deluxe Business Coupe, which I'm sure you already know is a gem in its rarity to the era. I would also like to tell you that while I may not know the exact history behind the automobile, the factoids and stories I have come across tell me that this is not a piece of automotive history to be overlooked.

Being a survivor of the 1964 Denver flood, much of the car's exterior and interior has been left rusted and worn. Fortunately, for history's purpose, on the driver's side door, one can clearly see that this is car #66 that was raced at Lakeside Amusement park/raceway. From the history that I have received on the car, it was also raced on the Englewood speedway, which was prominently active in the 1950's and 1960's by local gear-heads and builders. The car is also known as a dirt oval, the earliest form of a NASCAR. To my knowledge, it is in its complete and original form from this period in which it was driven.

Logistically speaking this is what we know about the car's build and engine:
* Driven off the track
* 24 stud - flathead engine
* 1938-1939 - 3 Speed - Top-loader transmission
* Ford wide bolt pattern with custom off set for oval racing
* The wheels are Volkswagon style, which offered better performance for racing because it didn't tear the lug nuts out.
* Custom offset wheels that were done by the owner, showing his true early race background. It also demonstrates that the builder put true thought and detail behind this racer.
* The rear bumper is a narrow gauge railroad track piece... not really significant to performance or ability, but just a fun fact about the car to be shared and mentioned.
* The front wishbone was used as a radiator protector
* Steering shaft with sector gear on the front was removable to remove tow bar, the car then, was towed behind a car to the track.

As I mentioned earlier, I unfortunately cannot provide you with the exact history of racer #66. From what I am told, it is from two brothers with the last name of Bluemont. I was also loosely told that they it is likely that these brothers (Art is the name of one of the brothers), were local racers and perhaps owned a gas station or two. My guess would be that their gas stations had affiliation with Amoco, due to a sticker that is on the car. Don't take my word for it, but that would be my best guess. The car itself was found fenced into a backyard that couldn't be seen from the road. It sat in this yard from the late 50's or early 60's until I was lucky enough to stumble upon it. The woman whose yard it resided in is probably close to 90 years old. That being said, I'm not sure her accuracy is up to par, but it is thought that her husband and/or brother-in-law owned and raced the car. This was outstanding to me, if that is true, than this makes me only the second or third owner of a car that is around 70 years old. Sadly, at this point in my e mail, my story and knowledge of the car is limited. I do look forward to learning more about it, and experiencing this true find of an authentic hot rod.

Best,
Matt

Unique is an understatement here. This is why we love the return of traditional hot rods to the scene: you never know what you're going to get. And hey, who said hot rods aren't practical. We bet that thing has a huge trunk up front. [Hemmings]

Some of you might recall seeing this Ford in the background of the photos of the pink '52 Dodge we saw last summer. Since that time, the Ford project has progressed enough for it to drive around under its own power and park on the street.


It had some rust problems (now fixed), and naturally it's been lowered about as far as possible.


The metalflake green roof pain looks pretty sharp, although I'm not sure what the rest of the paint job will look like after the bodywork is done. Or maybe this is the finished paint job!


Project or finished car, it's good to see a 58-year-old machine that lives on one of the busiest streets in town.

The Lark was Studebaker's last-ditch attempt to regain some sort of toehold in the American car marketplace, and it didn't sell too badly. That wasn't enough to prevent Studebaker from abandoning ship in '63, (though they limped along a few years longer in Canada). The "VII" emblem means this car has the V8 engine, though in '60 that could have been either the 259 or the longer-stroke 289.


With its primer black paint and somewhat de-trimmed state, it's hard to tell whether this Lark is on its way to fresh paint or a more rodent-like appearance. It's definitely showing some East Bay pride with its big 510 emblem, either way.


This rear window treatment looked plenty dated by the 60s, but Studebaker had to work with what they had. Nearly 50 years later, it looks pretty good.

Is it just me, or does the Volvo 164 grille we saw yesterday bear an uncanny resemblance to this one?

Hmm... maybe.

This sailing-ship hood ornament- which I sure hope lights up- definitely contends with the 1950 Pontiac for our Best DOTS Hood Ornament Award. Hmmm... there's a poll idea...


It's got the visor, the low stance, the removal of some (though not all) of the trim. Is this Plymouth a rat rod? Not that I care about such labels, but it's a subject we've debated before without coming to a consensus.


The owner wasn't around when I shot these photos, but his wife stuck her head out the kitchen window and told me to go ahead and open the doors if I wanted to get better interior photos. I love this town!


This is a good height for this car; still drivable, yet not towering over the road at factory height.


This front end looks pretty bulky, maybe not quite measuring up to the graceful lines of the rest of the car; perhaps the grille from a '50 Plymouth might work on this car?


Fill in the holes left by the removed trim? Or not? I like this look, though there might be rust problems during Alameda's rainy winters.


The Plymouth sailing-ship theme is continued on this trunklid-mounted light. Leave the flashy jet planes, Indian heads, and flying nekkid ladies to the other cars!

I'm not sure what category this thing falls into, and I don't care. I imagine hair-splitting purists of several camps might be outraged by some aspect or other of this car, but it looks good. That's what counts, right?


Blankets over the seats and plywood door panels. The interior could be a work in progress, or this might be the intended end result. Hey, it looks comfortable!


Shave the handles, lose the trim, but keep the hubcaps!


Even though it looks mean without the grille, I'm hoping there's a grille of some sort in this car's future. 1954 was the first year for Ford's new overhead-valve V8, but we don't know what powerplant lives under that hood. 427 Cammer? One can only hope.


Best of all, the owner of this car also has a lowered '47 Plymouth that's equally sweet. Stay tuned!

Isn't it beautiful? We can only hope that it has no muffler of any sort.


According to Vintage Racer:
The car was built by Gary Emory and his guys at Emory Motorsports. Evidently, they had a 356 that they had sandblasted prior to starting work on it. Other projects came up, and it was set off to one side. Then they needed the nose for a restoration on a Speedster, etc., etc. Once they started to work on it, my best guess is that inspired lunacy took over, with the result you see here. Basically a detuned race car underneath (check out the rise height), they left the body the way you see it. And in person, it is way cool.

The whole rat-rod thing may be getting a little tired, now that every tattooed hipster with a beater Dart claims he's in full Rat Rod mode, but it's great when done right.

Once, we were trying to think up a clever and marketable name for the sport of tying small knives to the paws of crazed squirrels and setting them loose in yuppie restaurants. We only came up with funny names (e.g., Super Amazing Squirrel Knife Fight Happy Time), but nothing that was both instantly recognizable AND clever. Billetproof on the other hand is evocative of the growing anti-trailer queen hot rod movement and it happens to be the name of an eleven-year-old car and culture show. The rules include no billet (imagine that), no digital gauges, no cars newer than 1964 ('65 in the Cali events) and the like. Awesome old-style rods converged on tiny Davisburg, MI this past Saturday, and while the Gods smote us with a gnarly thunderstorm eventually, radness had its moment in the sun. Stay tuned for full coverage. If you live on the left coast, check out their site for details on the September NorCal show. See artsy image of the pending smotage after the jump. – Ben Wojdyla

[Billetproof]

Related:
Billetproof 2007: Supercharger Madness! [internal]

Anyway, this is it. Hands down, my favorite hot rod at Detroit's Autorama show. The product of a long-gone chop shop somewhere in Ontario, this Stude has been chopped, channeled, lowered, and lightened. Man, just look at the way those skinny wire wheels in the back stick up over the bed. The devilish way those water hoses snake from the rad to the block, like a pair of horns poking out of it's head. That ivory colored steering wheel, the tilting windshield, the purposeful flathead, the subtle pinstriping... I"m in love.– Ben Wojdyla

Oh it's so good.

There's the money shot.

Related:
More on Autorama [internal]

Okay, so maybe it would have to be Grandpappy from the American side of the family (before coming over to Deutschland), but that's the first thing I thought when I saw this low and lean roadster. Looking at that worn paint, the zoomies, the Native American blanket seat cover and the underhung headlights. It all makes me giddy as a schoolgirl. There's just so much coolness packed into this little car. It's a wonder I didn't walk out of that place with a significantly lighter wallet and a basketcase that looked really cool. For no good reason, the craziest/coolest part of this car is the trunk if you believe it or not. Take a look after the jump.– Ben Wojdyla

Related:
More on Autorama [internal]

A couple of stretched out bruisers were sitting nose-to-nose in the first row of the lower level. I almost fell over when I saw em. They were raucous and unconventional, seemingly thrown together with whatever parts could be found. They were also done with so much style you had to love 'em. What's not to love about a car with gull-wing doors, whose rear axle is under the your knees, that's also called "Hemirod"? Or whose roof has more metallic sculpture than the Guggenheim museum and a dually truck axle? Nothing, that's what. – Ben Wojdyla

Related:
More Autorama [internal]

How much did we fall in love with this ratted out Land Cruiseramino? It's Vegas, so we may marry it. [Gallery]

Related:
More "El Caminos" [internal]