Frame Up Built Roadster 350 V8 700R4 9" 3.70

In an endless sea of yellow hot rods, red coupes and black roadsters, it's nice to find a custom that stands out from the crowd. After all, isn't the true spirit of hot rodding to create something exclusive? If you're looking for a car that's subtle, unique and well executed, RK Motors Charlotte has the car for you. Built from the frame up, this two-tone 1936 Ford Roadster has serious show credentials and can be driven with ease.

So many of these hot rods are built for show with no chance of ever seeing the street. They are paraded around on trailers and never used as they were intended. Not so with this '36 Ford. This roadster was built to win trophies alongside the best trailer queens at Good Guys and keep up with most modern cars on the street. The build started when a Fairlane fiberglass body was bolted behind a '36 Ford steel hood and front fenders and between '36 Ford steel running boards. Once the body was smooth and flawless, it was sprayed in a unique two tone R+M base coat/clearcoat. Brilliant Copper begins at the bottom of the grille and continues above the cars belt line all the way back to the tip of the round trunk lid. Below that Brilliant Copper, Chrysler Cool Vanilla adorns the fenders and running boards from front bumper brackets to rear bumper brackets. Dividing those two completely opposite but complementary colors is a tan pinstripe that coordinates perfectly with the car's Ultraleather interior and Hartz retractable top.

The awesome two toned exterior is equipped with minimum ornamentation and quite a bit of detailed custom work, just as the hot rod gods intended. At the front of the car a traditional, contoured '36 Ford front bumper sits below custom '37 Ford headlights equipped with an HID conversion and LED turn signals. The Brilliant Copper grille features excellent looking stainless trim that flows up over the hood and stops just short of a custom 3.5 inch chopped and tinted windshield. A Bob Drake hand operated wiper and custom, mirror-like stainless trim complete the chopped windshield where it attaches to a tan Hartz folding top with zip in side curtains and a glass rear window. At the side of the car, traditional stainless trim adorns the hood and parallels the body of the car on the steel running boards. Shaved door handles mean that chrome is scarce with curved chrome side mirrors and chromed bronze original style door hinges being the only brightwork on the profile of the car. At the rear of the car another flawless chrome '36 Ford bumper rides above centered stainless exhaust tips and below LED equipped chrome '35 Ford tail lights. The driver's side tail light features a chrome tag bracket and a '35 Ford fuel neck with a traditional chrome Ford “V8” logo fuel cap.

Open the stainless trimmed hood on this classic roadster and take a look at the color matched, rebuilt 350 V8. Made for effortless driving, this engine is topped by a chrome air cleaner that sends air into an Edelbrock Endurashine 600 carburetor complete with braided fuel lines. On the receiving end of that Edelbrock carburetor is a chrome Edelbrock Performer EPS intake which looks great caged between billet valve covers and a chrome topped, modern GM HEI distributor. Powered by an American Auto Wire harness and fuse panel, that distributor supplies sparks through blue Summit Racing Equipment wires that are loomed by red clips and billet wires looms. Cooling is provided by a Griffin aluminum radiator that is equipped with an electric fan and runs water to a chrome thermostat housing. Aesthetically, the engine bay, painted in Chrysler Cool Vanilla, looks as nice as the rest of the car with Brilliant Copper accents and accessories including a chrome alternator, a chrome fuel pump, billet pulleys, billet brackets, a billet transmission dipstick and a set of ceramic coated shorty headers. Mechanically, there's nothing radical in here. But that's a good because radical causes problems on a car that's meant to be driven and enjoyed.

If you weren't impressed with the level of detail on the engine, just check out the underside of the car. The boxed, Fatman style frame has been powder coated to match the engine block and Brilliant Copper paint on the body of the car. Housed in that frame is a color matched Ford 9 inch rear end with 3.70 gears that is driven by a color matched driveshaft and suspended by a color matched parallel leaf springs. A color matched 700R4 automatic transmission with a Bowler lock up provides reliable shifts and 11 inch disc brakes up front and drum brakes in the rear are aided through stainless brake lines by a color matched, frame mounted master cylinder and brake booster. The front suspension is a power steering equipped Mustang II independent set up with double A-Arm construction, tubular control arms and chrome coilovers. True dual exhaust runs from the shorty headers through heat wrap into Jegs Performance mufflers and back to center mounted stainless tips. A new Bob Drake fuel tank sends fuel via stainless fuel lines past a passenger side battery shut off switch to the front of the car. Connecting the car to the pavement is 15 inch powder coated and color matched steel wheels with 1950 Mercury style center caps and trim rings wrapped in Hercules HP4000 195/60/15 radials up front and 235/70/15 radials in the rear.

Inside the car, a classy, beautiful interior greets your arrival with style and comfort. A rolled and pleated bench seat from a '40 ford is finished in luxurious Ultraleather and is accompanied by matching Ultraleather door panels and an Ultraleather convertible cowl that features the classic ford “V8” script. In front of you, the Brilliant Copper colored '40 Ford dash houses full Dolphin instrumentation inside a billet gauge pod. Chrome trim runs across that dash to highlight the heater and the locking glove box which houses a remote controlled Sony Xplod CD player. Below the chrome trim, in the center of the dash four billet knobs operate the electric fan, the electric trunk release, the odometer and power for the CD player. A Billet Specialties tilt column and steering wheel with a color matched rim sit above a floor mounted brake pedal and firewall mounted accelerator pedal. A Lokar shifter, complete with Lokar cables and a Lokar emergency brake feature color matched boots and sit on top of Prairie Tan carpet. That Prairie Tan carpet is mounted on sound deadening material which keeps unwanted road noise out of the cockpit. Hit the button to pop the trunk and you'll find wooden panels finished with the same rolled and pleated Ultraleather and Prairie tan carpet as the interior. A prominent Ford “V8” script is centered on the back panel of the trunk to complete the look.

Documentation for this extensive build includes a CD full of build pictures, a photo album of build pictures, a display sheet and picture featuring all of the cars major modifications and a folder full of build receipts and part numbers.

If you're looking for something a little outside the norm, but still spectacular in its own right, give this beautiful Ford a long look. With this hot rod, it's all about the details that give a unique look and the components that provide a great ride. There's more in this car than the asking price, and as we always say, it's certainly much less expensive to purchase a well-sorted existing build than to build your own. Call now!