Automotive Customization is an activity that can be enjoyed between Father and Son. You may remember the name Tom McWeeney from our 'XXX Sled' Feature Truck several years back. Tom's Father, Terry, bought this 1937 Ford Pickup at the Pomona Swapmeet back in 1984. He spent 5 long years working on it and finished it in 1989. He drove it for many years and then it sat around for another 5 or more years. Tom grew up with this '37 as part of his life and when he had the opportunity to give it new life, he jumped in with both feet. Tom and his good friend Marcel decided to rebuild the Ford to what you see here and it took them another 5 years while also working on many other projects as automotive customizers.
The totally re-worked '37 has a No Limit Mustang II front clip and GoEz 4-link rear with Firestone Air Bags at each corner. The air suspension is supplied by a ViAir Compressor and 3-Gallon Air Tank for adjustability. The Brake Lines throughout the vehicles were replaced with hand-bent Stainless Steel Lines by Mike Bach from Deluxe Hotrods. The wheels are 15x7 and 15x8 Smoothies painted to match with chrome caps.
When it comes to the body of this Ford, there was a laundry list of work to do in order to get it right. Tom worked with friends Marcel Venable, Brian Rossi and Jason Paul to get this beast looking like a beauty again. They started with the decision to shave the windshield wipers and gas filler while adding a roll pan in the rear. The bed was too far gone to start patching it so a new bed was acquired from Pros Pick and a set of new smooth running boards too. The body on this Pickup is now solid and smooth. The cab, doors, frame, fenders and grill are all steel. The one-piece windshield from Jefferis Hot Rods is also a really smooth addition to this build. Once the body work was completed, it was time to paint which is where Tom really got his chance to put his skills into the build. Tom is a painter/pinstriper by trade so his Dad's Ford had to have custom paint and pinstriping work to set it off. Tom sprayed down the House of Kolor Tangelo Orange Pearl with Gold Paste Pearl over the top. Tom turned to another friend, Ryno Templeton to lay out the flame licks that would spread from the front of the '37. The flames were then sprayed with a custom mix of House of Kolor Ivory. To finish it off, Tom put his brushes to work with several awesome art pieces scattered throughout the vehicle including inside the cab.
To match the outside, all of the interior metal surfaces were coated in paint and the interior was ready for its turn in the building process. A set of 1978 Dodge Van Seats were reworked to fit in the cab. A new Flaming River Steering Column was installed with the over 20 year old Grant Steering Wheel and the VDO Vintage Gauges that Tom's Father originally used in the Ford were put back in to add a couple of touches from the past build. All of the upholstery was handled by SoCal Upholstery in Bell Gardens.
Getting this vehicle running again was of course a priority but not without dressing it up a lot first. Tom picked up all the Chrome and Polished Goodies for this small block Chevy engine from CFR Performance. He added a Professional Products Fuel Injection System to replace the carburetor and get a little better miles-per-gallon out of it. The radiator was hand-made by US Radiator and a Flowmaster Stainless Dual Exhaust was also installed. The wiring was done by Richard at PPC Customs. The '37 has been tuned and dialed-in by Cook's Tire and Tune in Fullerton, California. They also let us use their shop for part of this feature shoot!
Tom would like to send a big thank you to Marcel Venable, Jason Brown, Brian Rossi, Bill Sevedge, Coast Airbrush, Ryno, House of Kolor, Flowmaster, Professional Products, CFR, Jen Hullet, Torin Halverson, Mike Bach, Harley, Jay LaRossa, Richard at PPC, Jorden, Tyler, Pros Pick, "Pops" aka Terry McWeeney, Travis Noack and Jason Mulligan.
