This car came from a very humble beginning. When purchased, the body was a standard 5-window coupe with the top cut off. Not a nice cut either… it looked like the tool of choice was an ax. The lower panels and floor were relatively solid, the body was later bolted to a stock frame and running gear.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Dave saw it as a perfect candidate for a roadster. This project has taken eight years, sitting on the sideline for long stretches of time while Dave worked on projects for customers.
He took measurements and pictures of a Ford factory 1936 roadster to use as a guide. Not seeing any way of improving the original styling, he patterned his build just like the factory’s. It was never intended to be built in an attempt to fool anyone into thinking it was an original factory roadster.
Dave hand formed and fabricated all the upper sheet metal between the hood and the decklid. The upper door hinges were moved down and the doors, as well as the door jams, were narrowed. B pillars were reinforced and braced at the floor. The doors have all the stock dimensions but are now steel, eliminating the potentially problematic wood found in the originals.
After the upper sheet metal work was completed, Dave designed and fabbed the speedster windshield. It has Duvall styling, but is a one-off, one piece item, made from steel.
Subtly different, the dash is also a one-off version of the original.
To give the car a racier look from the front, the headlights were dropped over the light stands on the fenders. This was done by cutting out the bottom of the light buckets and moving everything up, about two inches. Deciding not to run front bumpers, the bracket openings were closed on the front fenders.
One of the big steps was making the top. It had to have the right look to go with the speedster windshield. Dave started with a Mercedes convertible top that he picked up at a swap meet. Before it had the right look, fit and function, most every part was altered numerous times. He shaped the center bow from steel tubing. The header bow and rear bow are made out of wood.
During the top design process, paper patterns were taped over the framework to study the overall look. Many changes were made before it was ready for installation of the top fabric. The car was taken to Howard McKee for top upholstery. Howard worked with Dave to give it the correct look.
The rear tail pan was rusty and dented, which is fairly normal for cars this old. Dave went to work fabricating a new panel, minus the bumper bracket openings. The rear tail pan has more roundness than the original, fitting better with the round bodylines above it. Finishing the backend of the car, Dave chose 1937 Ford taillights, adding stands to them to bolt to the 1936 Ford fenders. The final step was forming a piece of aluminum into a license plate frame.
The engine is a 21 stud 1937 Ford flathead with a Merc crank, using Fenton headers and straight pipes. He’s running a 1939 Ford gearbox. Currently, it has six volt electrics and a single ‘97 Stromberg carb. In time, he hopes to upgrade to dual 97’s on an early Edelbrock intake along with a more reliable ignition system.
A rare Ford accessory, the rear wheels are 18” artillery wheels, used back in the 30’s on commercial vehicles. The fronts are stock 1936-16’s with stock hubcaps all around. The front end is a More drop I-beam with a monoleaf spring, all being stopped by 1940 juice brakes.
A car is never truly completed, but this 1936 roadster is close to the vision Dave had when he first saw the neglected coupe body. Taking it to meets and car shows, one of his favorite comments is “This will be nice…. Once it’s finished,” implying paint and chrome. Not on this one, the patina’s here to stay!
Dave sometimes refers to the '36 as his $100,000.00 ratrod. Not because of money spent, but due to the non-billable hours he spent in design and fabrication. If all the hours were accounted for....ahhh...it's best not to know.
