'36 FORD COUPE

1936 Ford Coupe

Owner: Ali Taylor

Don’t be fooled by the innocent looks.

Ali and Chris Taylor’s 1936 Ford Coupe is a bare-metal street fighter of a car, packing a heavyweight punch as it does with its 454 cu in Big Block Chevy V8. Under that weathered exterior lie many modified and brand new components which breathe new life into the old body.

A new Bitchin floor and firewall, along with new glass, combine to keep the elements out. Brand new repro bumpers contrast nicely with the bare metal patina.

That big V8 called for modifications to the chassis, which is now fully boxed and tig welded for strength and has tubular 12 point cross-members, all installed by the owner.

Up front, an aftermarket Mustang II IFS and anti-roll bar has been installed, along with power steering. Steering joints and vibration damper are from Borgeson.

Out back, a Corvette C3 independent suspension with discs and LSD get power to the road, ensuring the car has handling and stopping to cope with the horses.

The horses, all 400 of them, are pumped out of the 7.4 litre Big Block, which now has ceramic block hugger headers, Edelbrock inlet manifold and carb, an Accel HEI distributor and Moon dress-up goodies. A re-built GM TH400 auto trans backs onto the block.

Home-built stainless exhausts and an all new fuel system snake their way around the chassis, while a Painless wiring system wends its way around the car to all new components.

Inside, the original seat is joined by a new Ididit GM-style tilt column, new Haneline gauges and SoCal switches, knobs and ‘idiot’ lights. A 40 Ford-style repro wheel adds a touch of period Deco style.

All of which proves that looks can be very deceiving indeed.