Here are the ten cars that we selected Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 award winners at the 2017 Sacramento Autorama.
The Top 100 honors all worthy cars, whether they’re homebuilt or pro-built, high-dollar or low budget. The things we look for when making our picks are looks, build quality, imagination, history, and creativity—but what at the most basic level, we pick street rods that we would love to own.
Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 winners each receive a prize jacket and are in the running for STREET RODDER Magazine’s 2017 Street Rod of the Year. Top 100 winners are also eligible to compete in the STREET RODDER Triple Crown of Hot Rodding program presented by Painless Performance Products. The competition will be held at the Shades of the Past Hot Rod Roundup in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on September 7-9, 2017. Three cars from that event will be named winners of the Triple Crown of Hot Rodding in the following categories: Best Street Rod, Best Street Machine, and Best Street Cruiser. To register your vehicle, go to the Shades Of The Past website at www.shadesofthepast.com.
The Painless Performance/STREET RODDER Top 100 program continues this weekend at the Detroit Autorama at Cobo Hall. Stay tuned for more winners.
1947 Ford Sedan
Brian George
Penryn, CA
When Brian bought this 1947 Ford four years ago, its style was stuck in the Nineties. Roseville Rod & Custom took care of that. Body mods include smoothing the deck lid, getting rid of the vent windows, and adding hood louvers. Chassis changes include a Heidts Mustang II-style independent front suspension, custom 4-link in the rear, and AccuAir to drop it to the pavement. A Ford 9-inch rearend is stuffed with 3.78:1 gears. Under the hood lies a carbureted Ford 302. Wilwood discs slow the Budnik wheels. Inside, you’ll find Wise Guys seats, a Billet Specialties wheel, and Classic Instruments gauges. Silver Mist from PPG was chosen as the perfect color for the sedan.
1933 Ford Coupe
Mike Gnoss
Rio Linda, CA
Sometimes taking your time pays off. Mike started working on his ’33 more than 25 years ago, but got pulled away by other automotive interests. In 2010, Tim’s Hot Rods performed a lot of the bodywork, chopping the top, tubbing it, shaving the body, and shooting the Blaze Red paint (a Chrysler color). Then the car was stored for another long stretch, emerging just weeks before the Sacramento Autorama. It went right back to Tim Lohrey for assembly, German leather upholstery by ABC Upholstery, and installation of the supercharged 509ci big-block built by Riolo Racing Engines. The aggressive-looking ’33 got done just in time for the Sacramento.
1949 Chevrolet Sport Coupe
Brett Cowan
Sacramento, CA
The Sacramento Autorama Suede Pavilion is where to find Forties, Fifties, and Sixties style hot rods and customs. Brett is a fan of Zocchi and D’Agostino customs, and was frustrated that his ’49 Chevy wasn’t finished. After some time with Marco Garcia and the customizers at Lucky 7 Customs, his custom has been getting some deserved attention. Custom mods include a chopped top, DeSoto grille, shaved sheetmetal, frenched headlights and ’51 Merc taillights. Wide whitewall tires roll on the stock rims with Cadillac sombrero hubcaps—under the power of a Chevy straight six engine. The pearl paint has a green apple look, but the color, like the car, is called Devil’s Lettuce.
1931 Ford Model A Coupe
Jeff & Maryann James
Newcastle, CA
The barn-find Model A was initially built quick in 2012 as something to drive while Jeff’s ’54 Chevy custom was being built. Chopped the day after he bought it and on the road in two months, it eventually ended up at Miller Metal Works in Texas. Jesse Miller built the hood and sides and the decklid, added those wheel caps, and punched louvers everwhere, shot the paint, and basically transformed the car. Lefty from Sacramento Poor Boys added the graphics. So-Cal Speed Shop boxed the frame and provided many traditional suspension parts. Six Strombergs feed the Buick Nailhead. Like the rest of the coupe, the interior is a work of art, especially the leather interior.
1927 Dodge Roadster
Matt Taylor
Concord, CA
Three weeks before appearing in Sacramento, Matt took his ’27 Dodge to the Grand National Roadster Show to compete for the AMBR award. Built in Matt’s tiny Taylor Made Kustoms garage, the Dodge was a hit with every fan of early Sixties show customs, and won the George Barris Memorial Kustom D Elegance. Not bad for a car that started as a cowl and a pile of parts. Customization extends from the suicide straight axle to the chrome ’62 Impala rear, and every inch in between. The engine is a well-detailed 350 backed by a Powerglide. The steering wheel is ’60 Dodge Polara on a ’55 T-Bird column. The paint was handled by none other than the legendary Art Himsl.
1927 Ford Model T
Ralph Locke
Fairfield, CA
In 1954, teenaged Ralph was building a ’27 T pickup. Three weeks after finishing high school, he joined the army and sold the car to a stranger he met while waiting for a bus to Fort Ord. This time around, he worked with Arnold, Angelo, and Frank Zucchi at Zucchi Restoration to fulfill a lifelong dream. The body, frame, suspension parts, and other components are from Shadow Rods. The 59AB Flathead was ported and loaded with an Isky cam. The rearend is a Winters quick-change. The drilled I-beam and split ‘bones are traditional stuff, and the 4-corner Wilwood disc brakes are a modern upgrade. The interior includes custom buckets, European cord carpet, and Classic Instruments gauges.
1955 Chevy 210 Sedan
Paul Schulz
Folsom, CA
Paul’s ’55 was just finished when it won the Third Place award in the 2016 Hot August Nights Cup competition in Reno. Builder Leonard Lopez at Dominator Street Rods came up with the ideqa of sectioning the iconic body. “I asked him how many cars he’d sectioned like this. His answer: None, and probably no one else has either.” The results are amazing. The chassis is an Art Morrison Enterprises creation. The wheels are from Budnik’s G-Series. Eight injector stacks from the Imagine EFIsystem top the stroked LS3 engine, backed up with a Tremec T6 and a 3.70-geared Ford 9-inch. The contemporary interior includes leatherbound seats upholstered at Elegance Auto Interiors.
1935 Ford Coupe
Paul Bradley
San Jose, CA
At first, Paul wanted to build his ’35 coupe as a beater, but after meeting Brandon Flaner and the East Bay Speed & Custom crew, “I decided to build a nice car.” The coupe had been sitting untouched in a Compton, California, garage for 30 years when it was spotted by some utility workers (the door jamb still has an unrepaired bullet hole). Eventually it ended up at Paul’s and East Bay’s rebuild began. The 59AB Flathead has dual 97s, and is tied to a ’39 Ford trans. A 5-inch dropped axle, ’35 spindles, and reversed-eye springs contribute to the hot rod stance. The nostalgic interior features pleated Naugahyde on a ’37 split bench, a ’48 DeLuxe wheel and Stewart Warner gauges.
1936 Ford Coupe
Tom Smith
Roseville, CA
This year marks the 25th year for Roseville Rod & Custom, located near Sacramento. The milestone was celebrated at the Sacramento Autorama with a two row display of Roseville-built cars. Tom’s ’36 coupe was at the front of the line. The eye-attracting tan paint covers a chopped coupe body over a TCI frame. A Heidts Mustang II front end and 4-link rear carry the car. Wide whites from Coker and spoke wheels from Wheel Vintiques continue the exterior’s classic look. The interior is brightened with Sid Chavers’ tan upholstery, a woodgrain dash, and light tan carpet. Classic Instruments fill the woodgrain dash. Tom chose a blown 383 Chevy to power his sweet ’36.
1935 Chevy Coupe
Charlie Freeland
Rescue, CA
“It had to be a Chevy,” Charlie told us. When he found this Standard Coupe, it was an early Eighties street rod with a 3-inch chop, gray tweed interior, and failing bodywork. After the complete rebuild, it retains the original bodyframe wood—but the black paint is replaced with beautiful Midnight Blue. A carbed ZZ4 and 350C trans move the coupe down the road. Chassis components include a Mustang II style front and 4-bar rear, with 3.0 gears in a 9-inch. The 17- and 18-inch Torq Thrust II wheels fill the fenders. Leather upholstery dresses up the interior. Other components include a Billet Specialties steering wheel, Auto Meter gauges, Vintage Air, and an Alpine stereo.
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