Ok, I should have finished off that title with “perfect hot rod FOR ME” because everyone’s tastes are different but c’amon. This thing is so flipping awesome if you don’t like it you re just wrong. From the fact that all the metal work was done at the legendary Venice, California shop “Elco Welding” to the way it sits, the fact that it has a five speed transmission and lastly that it looks ready to go run from the G-men with a load of moonshine this thing is the hot rod of my dreams in every freaking respect. A California car its whole life, you can see some of the machine’s glorious age in the cracked rubber coating on the running boards, and in some of the paint but those don’t detract from its value, only add more to it.
Of course the hugest thing that made me lust for this car is the engine. A bored .030 425i Buick Nailhead with a single four barrel carb, it is not going to be the fastest thing in the world but that Nailhead looks so freaking good in that engine bay we cannot stand it. I’d seek a 2×4 intake manifold mainly for the look and swam that but the truth of the matter is that this thing would be very fun to drive and it would attract massive crowds at any show you went to. The steel wheels with the hubcap centers in them are just too good as well.
Stance wise, the car is perfection. There’s a hint of forward rake but more than that it sits up just enough to give it a nostalgic feel and make it seem more functional and less power parking specialist if you know what we mean. This is not a show car, it is a driver that we’d do many low RPM burnouts in (high RPM burnouts in a Nailhead cannot be performed more than once).
Lastly, the fact that Bob Libow of Elco Welding had a hand in modifying this car makes it even cooler. Elco has been around for decades and decades and it is as old school a metal shop as exits in the USA today. Everything is hand made, hammered and shaped. From the firewall work to the headers, this car has the handprints of a legend all over it.
Tell me I’m wrong and that this isn’t the most bad ass thing you have seen all day…regarding cars!
Scroll down to see the photos of this absolutely awesome 1940 Ford deluxe
Click here for the eBay ad featuring this 1942 Ford Deluxe with Buick Nailhead power
Just the thing for a drive down Copperhead Road!
That’s as long as the brakes and suspension have been upgraded to handle that raw Buick power…
Sold for $33,000. Sounds about right.
The best part of the car? You have to row your own gears! Sweetness!
I love this car. 33 grand seems like a steal. Its perfect and I would build one just like it if I could.
LOL the article author thinks a nailhead is slow. Guess he has never driven a car with one in it.