With lots of customer cars keeping us busy, we had to put this project on hold for a while but finally worked out some time to dust things off and go at it again. After contemplating direction for a bit, we determined that we’d be able get it on the road a lot more quickly by nixing the flathead and going with a different setup. We had an old 327 on hand that came out of a truck and was an obvious choice to get this truck rolling.

First was to get the frame on the rack and level it out. We didn’t set it at ride height as we were just checking for any racking in the frame and to get the rear installed:

We are using 49-54 Chevy truck front springs for a rear parallel system. To mock up, we centered and clamped the rear hangers while waiting for the new bushing bolts to arrive; at that time we will remove a few leaves and adjust the wheels to the fenders before drilling the permanent location holes:

The spring pads on the axle may have to be relocated inboard about 1/2″ – 1/4″ on each side but it’s almost a perfect fit:

Up front we had removed about 4 leaves and used a 36 4″ dropped axle, but wanting more, we reversed the eyes using the shop press method. It’s a really simple technique that gives you about another inch:

We placed the cab back on the frame to get an idea of where things stood. You can also see in this pic that we added 2″ blocks:

We jacked the front end up to simulate being under load and decided to go ahead and raise the front cross member up 2″:

Upon inspection, the frame was about one inch higher on the driver’s side. The bumper probably got tapped at some time in its life as all the twist was just in the front frame horn area. Using a come-along and torch, we massaged the twist out and made everything square:

Next we cut one side off a piece of 3/16″ thick walled 2″ ID square pipe to use as the new spring pocket. We then measured an 1 1/2″ rise in the cross member which was cut out so that in order to push the square pipe into place. Once it was level side to side, we put in 5 to 6 degrees tilting back for the spring:

And welded it in:

Now that the top was taller, we wanted to bring the bottom up so that it would look stock when finished. Also the spring u-bolts were now as long as the cross member was tall. So we cut out the bottom lip and sectioned it up so that the cross member would stand at about 2 3/4″. The spring pack is 2″ tall with some leaves removed; if it seems that the truck will wind up too low, we can add back a leaf or two:

We then cut off the outer pieces and leveled across:

Resulting in:

Next, on to X-member and engine mock-up! Stay tuned for Update #3…and visit our 1940 Ford Pickup photo gallery to see all of the build pics for this project.

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• Regular maintenance & upkeep

• Engine & transmission swaps and rebuilds

• Disc brake conversions

• Lowering

• Metal fabrication

• Rear end (posi) rebuilds

• Gear changes

• Suspension mods (4-bars, hairpins, axle drops, airbags, Mustang II clips, etc.)

• Wiring harness installation, repairs and troubleshooting

• Classic Auto Air conditioning system installation

• And more…

As a dedicated resto/rod shop, we know how to treat your car and offer expertise with all types of vintage technology. We can also help locate hard-to-find parts for jobs in progress and will take extra care to protect your paint and unique components. Visit our Mechanical Services page for additional pics and information.

And of course, if your project requires more than mechanical attention, we are here to help with  in-house media blasting, welding, fabrication, panel replacement, and award-winning paint and body. Contact us today to see how we can get you back on the road or help improve your ride.

1952 Chevy Styleline

1956 Pontiac Catalina

1968 Chevy Camaro

1969 Plymouth Road Runner

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Moving into hang-up and assembly, we overhauled the wiring and installed a revitalized 350 small block (bored 30 over, with a new crank, 270 Duration Cams, Iron Eagle heads, and Hooker ceramic headers), Holley 650 Double Pumper carb, and Flowmaster exhaust. To add some modern comforts, we upgraded the drivetrain and suspension, including a front end rebuild, KYB shocks, power steering, and disc brake conversion. Finally we finished out with sound deadening insulation, a cool new Vintage A/C, Ralley Sport trim package, and a parchment white interior.

Now this resto-modded blue beauty is ready to roam the roads with old school style enhanced by contemporary components! For larger pics, click here to visit our photo gallery.

Thanks to Firewheel Classics for their extensive parts selection and Magee’s Car Care for upholstery work.

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Christie and Kevin had approached us back in May with their fundraising vision for a 2012 calendar to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, inspired by friend Christine Grizzle whose son Cooper has CF. As a family owned and operated business, we were happy to participate and enrolled staff, friends and customers in the effort. We collaborated with the photographers over the next month on the schedule, shot outline, set design and volunteer participation to finalize a plan for the July 16th shoot.

Shoot day finally arrived and we began setup early with a meet and greet at 6:00am. Considering the Texas heat index fast approaching 110 degrees, the goal was to knock out everything by early afternoon. The next eight hours was a flurry of activity with volunteer models, including Mrs. Texas 2010 Shannon Schambeau Patterson, hairstylists, makeup artists, assistants, and shop staff working hard to contribute their time, talent and effort. Our customers began to stop by to graciously lend their cars for the project; Christine Grizzle took part for her son by modeling in several of the thirteen scenes (one for each month of the year plus a cover shot). The production wrapped just before 3:00pm and everyone parted ways feeling exhausted but gratified in their work for a good cause.

Calendar sales are anticipated starting in September with 100% of proceeds going to CFF. For more information on the charity or to make a contribution, visit CFF.org.

All cars featured in the shoot are current or previous projects at North Texas Customs; for build pics, visit our photo gallery. We are thankful to our customers, particularly Mike Stom, Jerry Smith and Dr. Ryan Maguire, for their time and generosity, as well as Christie McMillon, Kevin Dukes, Christine Grizzle and Cooper for providing the opportunity to give back.

1969 Plymouth Road Runner

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Special thanks to all who volunteered:

Photographers
Christie McMillon, 469-360-9230 / chrismckinn@aol.com
Kevin Dukes, 214-994-9145 / kevin@kdukesphoto.com

Makeup Artists
Timberly Williams / MakeIt-Up, 469-766-3316 / info@makeit-up.com
Tamara Batsell, 214-457-6347 / tbatsell@yahoo.com
Tricia Ray, 469-855-4138 / fantasieyez@yahoo.com

Hairstylists
Rochelle Mitchell & Vernisha Coffey of Girl Talk Salon and Spa, 972-226-5994

Models
Pam Daniel
LaSharon Renee
Valerie Roberts
Carmen Foy
Galatha Williams
Amanda Edirimanasinghe
Rhonda Weaver
Christine Grizzle
Amber Natishyn
Jill Northington
Dee Dee Stone
Shannon Patterson (Mrs. Texas 2010)

And of course, much appreciation to shop staff and photographers’ assistants for all the heavy lifting!

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Also, we just added a new video gallery that we plan on expanding as time allows, so look for updates there as well!

Got any questions about the work you see or ready to see your project in the gallery? Contact us online or call 972-442-9793 and we’ll be happy to talk.

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Rebel Wire offers high quality, affordable wire kits, wiring harnesses, ground wire kits, accessory kits, and other wiring products. Every Rebel Wire kit is hand-built in the USA from heavy duty, flame proof, SXL wire.

Classic Auto Air builds model specific air conditioning for 1930′s to 1980′s cars and trucks. The best A/C retrofitter on the market, CAA builds complete “Perfect Fit™” A/C systems for 1950s-1970s classic and muscle car models and offers upgrade kits, factory A/C parts and restoration. Each kit is specifically tailored for your car’s make, model and year, with personal touches and features.

Contact us online, email, or call 972-442-9793 for pricing, availability and to place an order.

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After stripping it down to bare steel, we added a little metal and body work TLC, then took everything completely back to stock including the iconic (and recently resurrected!) B5 Blue Fire Metallic paint, white interior, rebuilt 383 engine and tranny; sans A/C or power steering for a truly original feel. Now many more days of running the Dallas roads lie ahead for this mean machine.

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As we discovered after blasting, this cab was going to need some attention, so we set to work on hand fabricating some patch panels.

First the header panel…

Forming the individual panel sections:

Fitment:

Forming the edge pieces:

Then joining it all together for a solid panel:

And the final fit:

Next on to the cab corners…

Then on to the edges and pans…

And finally, we procured the 1952 8BA flat head engine we were looking for, which will join up with a T5 transmission, so those will be projects on their own…

Hope to bring you more progress on the North Texas Customs hot rod as time allows.

See Update #2 here! And visit our 1940 Ford Pickup photo gallery to see all of the build pics for this project.

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On a typical paint job, all panels are hung and gapped, then removed from the car before painting and sprayed separately from the body. However, this Chevelle was getting treated to a custom candy application, so we removed them, cut in all jambs, then re-hung and gapped them out in order to allow the painter to build the candy up uniformly across the whole surface of the car.

Using House of Kolor products, we sprayed a Shimrin Metallic Solar Gold base, followed by Kandy Apple Red, and finished out with PPG High Solids clear coat to give it a nice, deep shine. Once color sanding and buffing was done, she was begging to see the sun, and we were happy to oblige. This one may turn a few heads when cruising season rolls around.

And some step-by-step videos as we laid down the paint:

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