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There were four (4) concepts incorporated in the design and engineering of this 1934 Chevrolet.
Uniqueness:
We chose to showcase a highly modified 1934 Chevrolet Sedan because of the fact that the majority of cars currently being built emphasize the ’32 and ’33 Ford Roadster and Coupe design. We felt that we would like to showcase a 1934 Chevrolet Phantom Sedan, as we call it, which perpetuates the theme utilizing a highly modified Chevrolet power train and drive train while incorporating the Chevrolet moniker and Chevrolet Bow Tie in a subtle fashion.
Theme:
It was our intent to create a smooth, gentle flowing theme throughout the car and the display. We chose two of the all time favorite Street Rod colors, that being Hot Hues by Dupont Blackened and Scarlet Fever and incorporated them in a flowing manner on the outside of the car, and carried that color flow completely through the door jams to the dash and interior of the car. This is carried out on the interior door panels, console and even the steering wheel of the car. These two colors are accented by a Hot Hues by DuPont Key Lime Green stripe which continuously runs through the exterior and interior in a constant and continuous motion. We also carried the same subtle color scheme through the display so as to preserve the entire flow and color experience in everything that meets the observer’s eye.
Detail:
This 1934 Phantom Chevrolet is designed to create a totally unique experience. In order to do this, it was necessary to concentrate on every detail of the car, and not just those which meet the eye of the observer. The Chassis is custom built by Alloways Hot Rod Shop for this car. All of the sheet metal from the windshield forward was completely hand fabricated, including the 1934 grill shell. The flow was determined, and it was necessary to build the grill shell to conform to this flow. Jim Rench also constructed the grill itself incorporating a subtle Chevrolet Bow Tie.
Every body panel of the car has been massaged and modified in some fashion. The drive shaft tunnel and console was all hand fabricated and was designed to carry out the flow of the dash, which again was hand fabricated. The rear quarter panels were completely reshaped to accommodate the massive 24” one-off wheels that Boyd Coddington crafted especially for this car. Curt Cunningham of Carriage Works, Inc., fabricated the dash, bright work and steering wheel for this car and the gauges were specially designed by Classic Gauges to incorporate the Hot Hues by DuPont Blackened, Scarlet Fever, and Key Lime Green color scheme. It was decided not to interrupt the flow of the car and for that reason, turn signal indicators have been hand crafted and incorporated in the headlights.
Safety has always been foremost in our minds, however we decided not to break the flow of the car with rear view mirrors, but instead incorporated a miniature, self-reversing camera in the undercarriage of the car so that rear view images are now displayed on the DVD screen for the driver. The unique taillights are again hand fabricated and we have incorporated an electronically operated mechanism to display the license plate. This is designed so that the car, during indoor shows, can be displayed with the license plate up showcasing the rear end, and then the license plate may be displayed when the car is on the road or cruising the outdoor shows. Battery charging terminals have been discreetly hidden on the chassis to facilitate charging of the battery if need be. There has been diodes incorporated to allow operation of lights and DVD during indoor shows utilizing an external electrical source. The suspension has all been carefully tuned so that this car will handle as adeptly and effortlessly as a sports car.
All of the switches and other operating mechanisms have been hidden so as to present the cleanest and most flowing interior design.
Contrast
It was determined that this car should showcase a smooth, slinky, 100 mph line while also not forgetting the illustrious history of Hot Rodding. To showcase the Hot Rod in this car, we chose a ZL1 502 cubic inch, all aluminum block, which is fully polished. David Cooper of Maryville, Tennessee built this motor to be quite radical, but not so radical as to preclude it from being driven on the street. In order to showcase the roots of Hot Rodding, we engaged Jim Foley of Reno, Nevada who completely and totally remachined and designed a 50-year-old Hilborn Fuel Injection System and very subtly converted it to an Accel Generation Seven Fuel Injection System. A considerable amount of time and effort was spent keeping the hood opening very clean and flowing, and also matching the injector tube heights to the flow of the car, and keeping them just to the height where they make a statement but do not detract from the flow of the car.
It was our intent to create a unique car other than a Ford, by paying special attention and maintaining a theme throughout the exterior and interior of the car, as well as the display. We excruciatingly concentrated on every detail of the car so that the longer one looks at the car, the more there is to see.
Lastly, we were dedicated to presenting a 21st Century Hot Rod and constantly reminding the observer of the wonderful and glorious old Hot Rods that we have all come to love.
There were some very young and talented men involved in this car, which basically spanned all corners of the United States. Jason Rushforth of Tacoma, Washington did the illustrations and concepts of the car. The builder, Mike Rutter is from Bristol, Tennessee, and was very adept at understanding and capitalizing on the theme of the car. The owners and builders were also able to capitalize on the talents of Boyd Coddington for the one-off wheels, Bobby Alloway for the unique Chassis, Jim Rench for the grill that is a work of art, David Cooper to build the exquisite 502, Jim Folley to create this one of a kind Injection System, Curt Cunningham to create the dash insert and steering wheel, Classic Gauges to manufacture the one-off custom gauge cluster, Elite Audio of Kalispell, Montana to design the killer stereo system and rear view camera, and Paul Atkins to carry out the theme throughout the interior of the car.
This project started with pen and paper drawings, and from there went to computer and cad programs, to digital pictures, and finally back to emails, faxes and cell phones where a majority of the communication across the country were conducted. It is interesting that the contrast goes even further yet. Here was all of the newest and latest technology of cad programs, digital pictures, email, fax and cell phones, but the building of the car was implemented plainly and simply by a tremendous amount of dedication, elbow grease and efforts of many individuals. It was built the old fashion way albeit with all of the great aspects of new technology. The old and the new meet yet again.
This car has been a labor of love by a great number of people, and it is our sincere hope that you enjoy and appreciate all of the hard work that has been contributed by so many talented individuals across the country. |
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Paige and I came up with the basic idea and concept for the car. Fords are so prevalent that we wanted to make our statement using a Chevrolet and all Chevrolet running gear.
Our concept was to develop an incredibly nasty looking car but yet incorporating the highest levels of high tech to match our personal decorating style of modern chrome and glass. We also wanted to emphasis simple, clean and elegant.
We chose to use an all aluminum, fully polished block. We were able to locate an all aluminum 502, supposedly one of a run of 60. Then engine was built by David Cooper in Marysville, Tennessee. We had also contacted Jim Foley in Reno, Nevada who was able to locate a 50 year old Hilborn Fuel Injection System and we came up with the idea of spinning new stacks to follow the rake of the hood. We then chose Accel Generation 7 electronics because we needed the vast array of parameters that it offered in order to adequately feed the engine. Jim asked that we leave the entire design and finish of the injection system to his imagination. The engine puts out just under 700 horse power.
We did not want to break the lines of the car with rear-view mirrors, so we incorporated a color - self-reversing camera eye in the chassis and designed the system so it shows as a default on the DVD screen when the ignition is on.
We incorporated turn signals within the headlights to further maintain the clean look. All the wiring is skillfully hidden within the frame to further perpetuate the clean look that we desired.
We wanted to make a statement with the wheels and designed them with simple, open and tasteful lines. They were cut especially for us as a one-off set.
The entire flow of the car was a vision of 100 miles per hour while standing still.
Jason Rushforth of Tacoma, Washington helped us with the concept drawings, which were then put in the capable hands of Mike Rutter of Rutterz Rodz. Mike is only 34 years old, but possesses the knowledge, capability and work ethic of a seasoned, veteran car builder.
We built the car through a series of 795 emails/pictures, plus telephone calls and faxes, without a single harsh word. We only saw the car twice in its entire build process, once in the raw and once in many, many pieces prior to paint. Mike also did all of the body work and painting and then the car was turned over to Paul Atkins of Cullman, Alabama for a one-off interior. Our first actual view of the car was 1 ½ days prior to our departure for Detroit from Mike’s shop in Bristol, Tennessee.
The shows and the accolades are all secondary to the essence of hot rodding for Paige and I and Hoochie. The memorable aspect of this incredible year’s ride was the fact that we traveled approximately 50,000 miles in the last year mainly to satisfy our thirst for cars and car people. We have met and shared experiences with many of the hot rod icons and most importantly, an extraordinary number of memorable hot rodders throughout the United States.
This whole sport is about people, cars and good times. We have certainly “seen the USA with our Chevrolet”. Rich is nearly 61 years old and we had the opportunity to either continue the quest for the last dollar or to take some time to see the country, see fabulous street rods and meet extraordinary people. We are blessed with good health and we chose to take a hiatus from work and create some memories that we will be able to treasure for the rest of our days on this planet. We hope that the good health will continue so that we can see even more cars, travel to even more places and meet the rest of the good people that we have not yet had the pleasure of meeting.
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