Coupe de Cool
April/22/2008 23:15
File this entry under "items of interest"...
Jack Landree seems to be an old fashioned sort of guy. He's the same 'Captain' Jack that refurbished his late uncles 32 Ford roadster (built in the 1940's) and brought it to the 2006 reunion complete with a centrifugally supercharged flathead, Ardun style head covers and a bare metal finish. It had also been bred with a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and sported several accessory items liberated from the WWII vintage aircraft. Definitely different and unquestionably cool.
Well, now Jack has another "well seasoned" hot rod in the works that has a distinct yesteryear theme about it. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd think it was another hold over from the '40s. Built the way it used to be done before anybody had any money, and nobody but a true hot rodder cared about cast off Ford coupes that had been left for dead.
This time it's a 34 Ford coupe acquired from Lenny Green which once belonged to his father. It has paint, although it's a slightly embellished vintage topcoat that lends a truly old school patina to the build. It will also make use of a venerable flathead for power, but this one will draw compressed air through twin Strombergs and a S&S centrifugal supercharger. The pre-historic huffer is mounted vertically to the flat motor, and is believed to be the only functional example of it's kind roaming the highways of the 21st century. Also note that there's almost nothing on this car that wouldn't have been found in your neighborhood wrecking yard circa 1948 or so. Stock wishbones, a closed drive shaft, skinny Ford wire wheels and a non-synchro gear box are but a few of the usually discarded items that make this one a true throwback. The vintage speed parts that are used are as rare as hen's teeth, and truly give the car a historic feel. Probably the newest thing about this car will be the gasoline in it's fuel tank. While not quite roadworthy just yet, expect to see this time machine moving your way sometime during the coming rod run season. It seems like a pretty proper homage to the way it used to be done, so take notice that it's still possible without a second mortgage if you try hard enough.
LK