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Drivetrain
The '55 331 Hemi was bored 60 thou, balanced and blueprinted by Roberts and Sons in Caatt, Tennessee, before assembling the motor with the help of Rodney Edwards using Ross pistons, an Isky 280 Mega cam, and the stock rods and crank. A Hot Heads dual-plenum 4bbl intake mounts a 600-cfm Holley carb between powdercoated stock valve covers. Hot heads also supplied the accessory brackets and headers, into which Larry fitted homemade baffles that do little to quiet the engine's roar. A '90 Chevy Getrag five-speed-yes this hot rod has three pedals-connects to the Hemi via a Hot Heads flywheel, with power pushed rearward through a heavy-duty driveshaft.
Chassis
The original Model A chassis still lives under the pickup, though it was fully boxed, the wheelbase was stretched 11 inches, the front crossmember was notched, there are now custom center and rear crossmembers and the rear has been Z'd 10 inches, all by Larry's fair hand. Pete & Jakes ladder bars locate a limited-slip-equipped and fully chromed Bronco 9 inch, hung on a Posies transverse spring, while a dropped and drilled Chassis Engineering I-beam uses an original front spring mounted to the split '40 Ford wishbones for 2 1/2 inches of extra drop, and Lincoln 12-inch drum brakes with Buick drums on early Ford spindles. A Vega cross steering box ensures the wheels on the 5-inch further-forward-than-stock axle track true.
Wheels & Tires
Cast finish American Torq Thrust D rims are wrapped in ribbed Firestones and sprint car tires from Coker, 15x4 and 15x7 front and rear respectively, the now old-school, 15-inch-diameter wheels going a long way toward the '60s image Larry was after.
Body & Paint
Larry chopped his estate sale find by 2 1/4 inches, and channeled the body 4 inches, before bobbing the bed by 8 1/2 inches behind the wheels. He then went on to fill the cowl, moving the tank to the pickup bed, drill, and modifying the visor for a dimple-die effect, added '32 door handles, and swapped the '30 grille shell for a '29 version he filled and peaked. After tackling the bodywork himself, Larry and Danny Hawkins laid on the PPG Rock Moss Green then rubbed through to the red primer in strategic areas before Brian Papas ran his striping brushes over the truck.
Interior
A Cushman truck insert now takes pride of place in the center of the Model A dash, housing old Stewart Warner gauges, with a same-make tach atop the dash rail in a chrome pod. The Speedway Motors steering column is crowned with an old Grant wooden three-spoke wheel on a quick-release hub. The custom-made bench seat appears stock, upholstered in black leather to match the door panels, ably trimmed by Mike Angland. There's no radio-who'd hear it anyway-but the wiring harness was wrapped by Larry using wax string
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